Man threatened with hefty fine when he tried to exchange single P&O ferry tickets for mini-cruise deal
Holidaymaker warned he would face £1,000 penalty if he did not keep to original booking
Anna Riley
Brett Gibbons
The Pride of Hull ferry
A man planning to use a ferry to travel to Euroope for a sightseeing trip was told he could face a £1,000 fine for deciding not to travel using pre-booked P&O ferry tickets.
Paul Broadbent, 47, was sailing to Europe for a 10-day holiday but decided to swap his two single trips for a mini cruise deal.
He discovered sailings from Hull to Zeebrugge and back would cost in excess of £350, compared to the deal, which included a car ferry ride and overnight cabin stay for just £90.
The mini cruises see customers travel during night sailings, returning with P&O after a day spent exploring.
Mr Broadbent wanted to forgo the return journey to spend an extra week in Europe and hoped to return on a separate mini cruise that would set off from Zeebrugge - a move that would have halved his travel costs.
'Morally wrong'
But he was left "gobsmacked" when he was told by P&O that he would incur a four-figure fine, plus the ticket price difference, when he tried to make the booking, as his plan was against the terms and conditions.
"I think it's morally wrong that the price of a return mini-break is cheaper than buying single tickets, and that people can be fined £1,000 and the ticket price difference if they buy two returns to save some money, but don't go back on the ferry the next night," said Mr Broadbent, of Hull.
"I was gobsmacked when P&O had the audacity to tell me that it would be classed as ticket abuse if I was to buy two returns instead of singles.
"We'd go away more often if the pricing was affordable, but the threat of the fine has put us off booking."
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P&O Ferries claims its fares are competitive, and it is not uncommon for return trips to be more cost effective than single trips.
A spokesman for the company said: "P&O Ferries offers competitive fares on its routes from Hull to Rotterdam and Zeebrugge respectively, with the exact cost dependent on timings and demand.
"In common with many other transport companies including airlines, it is not uncommon for return trips to cost more. This should be seen in the context of us offering cost effective travel between Hull and continent of Europe."
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