ArcaMax

Q: I made a ferry booking with Brittany Ferries in January for an August sailing from Plymouth, England, to Santander, Spain. I'm 79, and unfortunately, health issues developed with my kidney disease. I realized that I needed to change my travel plans. If my condition worsened while I was in Spain, I wouldn't be able to return to the United Kingdom quickly because ferries are limited, and it's a 24-hour journey.

I canceled my booking with three months' notice. As soon as I completed the online cancellation, the website said that there was no refund. It wasn't clear that cancelling meant losing my $390 deposit. When I contacted customer service to explain my situation, they told me that the cancellation is final -- no refund and no ability to change to a different route.

I had a "flexi" ticket and believed that I would be able to cancel without penalty. The website didn't warn me about losing my deposit before I clicked the final cancellation button. Can you help me get my money back? -- Mike Marsden, Porthleven, England

A: You shouldn't have lost your entire deposit, and Brittany Ferries' response shows a troubling lack of common sense in customer service.

Let's start with what should have happened. You purchased a "flexi" ticket, which, by definition, should offer more flexibility than a standard fare. The whole point of paying extra for a flexible ticket is to have options when circumstances change. Most companies offer flexible fares to give passengers the ability to make changes or cancel with reduced penalties.

The bigger issue here is Brittany Ferries' website design. Any booking system that doesn't clearly warn customers about significant financial penalties before they complete a transaction is fundamentally flawed. Before you clicked the final button, you should have received a clear warning stating that: "You will forfeit your deposit if you proceed with this cancellation."

Your health situation makes this even more unreasonable. You made a sensible decision to change your travel plans based on legitimate medical concerns. A responsible company would have shown flexibility, especially given the advance notice.

Under U.K. consumer protection laws, businesses must provide clear information about cancellation policies. The Consumer Rights Act requires that terms and conditions be "fair" and "transparent." A surprise forfeiture of your deposit without an adequate warning likely violates this standard.

You could have escalated this to Brittany Ferries' senior management. I publish executive contact information for companies like Brittany Ferries on my website. Sometimes a message to the right executive can cut through the customer service roadblocks.

I contacted Brittany Ferries on your behalf, pointing out that you had a "flexi" ticket and that the company's handling of your case seemed unreasonable. We also noted that their website failed to provide an adequate warning about the deposit forfeiture.

Brittany Ferries reviewed your case and issued a full refund of your deposit "on a goodwill basis." While they maintained that their official policy was correct, they recognized that your situation warranted an exception.

Your case highlights an important lesson: Always read the fine print on flexible fares. Some flexible tickets only allow date changes, not route changes or full refunds. If you're booking a ticket specifically because you might need to cancel, call the company directly to confirm exactly what "flexibility" includes. And for future trips, consider travel insurance that covers trip cancellations for medical reasons.

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Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy (elliottadvocacy.org), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at elliottadvocacy.org/help/.

(c) 2026 Christopher Elliott

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