New cross-Channel rule means you may have to pay for tickets twice
New cross-Channel rule means you may have to pay for tickets twice
The rules were changed in March and are catching out holidaymakers heading to France
Jean-Claude Gonneau, 70, from Greater Paris, France, was travelling from Calais to England to see friends
Holidaymakers have been hit with surprise extra charges on the Eurotunnel for failing to comply with a 'totally immoral' change in the rules. LeShuttle has altered its terms and conditions for those who have booked day trip and overnight tickets. The new rules, brought in on March 5, mean holidaymakers who arrive less than one hour before departure – or later – will have their tickets for both their journey out and return voided.
Previously drivers who arrived within the two hours AFTER their booked departure time could exchange it free of charge. Now, Britons travelling across the Channel could face paying hundreds of pounds for premium tickets on the spot if they do not follow the new rules.
Jean-Claude Gonneau, 70, from Greater Paris, France, was travelling from Calais to England to see friends, and spent 144 euros on his outward journey on April 9, at 11:16am, returning on April 10 at 4:24pm. He arrived 20 minutes late because of a road accident near Calais and was told his tickets were void.
Having lived in both France and England, Jean-Claude – a retired investment banker who worked in London for 15 years – has made the crossing nearly 100 times, and would normally pay a small fee to use the next train if he were late. However, he was informed, due to the new rules, he would have to purchase totally new tickets – at a cost of 252 euros.
Jean-Claude said: 'It's just unbelievable – because I was caught in a terrible traffic jam, I was forced to pay more than 250 euros for new tickets. 'It is, put simply, a scam – it's a quick fix for the people in charge to save an unprofitable service.
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'There was a time in France when everyone was talking about train services running at a deficit, but now people are talking about issues with the tickets. That's because they're trying to bring the service to profitability through cheating people out of their money – it's technocratic and irresponsible.'
When Jean-Claude found out the automated ticket machine had rejected his journey to England, he got in touch with the help desk. He was told that it was not only his journey to England which was now void, but also his return journey.
When he challenged them on the new policy, he was told he should have read the travel conditions which had been updated. Jean-Claude said: 'I arrived at 11:30, it would normally have put me back two or three trains and about £20.
'But it cancelled the whole trip including the return ticket – it was all void. When I spoke to them, they said 'Oh well, you should have read it and it's in the bylaws and the rules have changed since March 5th 2025'.
'The people in charge are too clever by half and totally immoral. For most families going away for a weekend, if they get cheated and stuck with a 300 to 400 pound bill, it will completely ruin their holiday.'
The travel conditions on LeShuttle website for day trip or overnight tickets state: "Arrival Window: Check-in at least 1 hour but no more than 4 hours before departure. Early Arrival: Your ticket is valid only for the booked departure. If you arrive more than 1 hour early, you will not be accommodated on an earlier departure.
"Late Arrival: If you arrive less than 1 hour before departure or later, your ticket will be void. A new ticket must be purchased for travel. Failure to travel on the outward crossing will invalidate the return crossing."
A spokesperson for LeShuttle said: "After reviewing customer preferences and behaviours, we decided that we need a new simpler ticket structure that match the needs of our customers. The new tickets mean more flexibility and control to our customers to select the experience that meets their needs. If opting for the most restricted ticket customers must arrive in time to travel on their booked departure and this cannot be changed.
"Our check-in time for this ticket type is at least 60 minutes prior to the booked train and this was explained in the ticket terms, which the customer would have been made aware of at the time of booking. Indeed if they booked online, they would have needed to check a box to confirm that they had both read and accepted these revised ticket terms. The restricted nature of the ticket is also made clear during the booking process.
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"We believe that the terms of our tickets are important and when our new terms came into force, we drew our customers' attention to this fact. This is why the main points a customer needs to be aware of when selecting a ticket (for example, whether a ticket is amendable or refundable) are highlighted on several occasions during the booking process.
"Customers must confirm that they have read the ticket terms prior to making a booking. From the implementation of the revised terms, we have clearly alerted customers to the changes.
"We feel that the information provided on our website is in line with other travel providers and our revised ticket terms are displayed clearly."
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