Ferry broken down and no fix until after holidays!

[Declan]

 

Any reasonably well run business in this day and age should have a Busness Continuity Plan that they call upon when they have these sort of operational failures. Even if it is at Christmas you would expect them to be able to draft additional manpower in the answer phones etc as a set escalation process.

And that seems to have worked ok. Extra staff came in to answer the phone. There's probably only a limited number of staff au fait with the systems and with the customer service skills to be of use.

 

The problem seems to have been that the only contingency was "ring us". The modern trend in customer service is away from phone contact to self-serve.

 

So people who just wanted info could get it from the website or social media. You could also filter the number of calls at one time (ie just those travelling today or tomorrow ring us). Ideally, you'd have a contingency booking page on your website so customers on a cancelled sailing could switch themselves to a later one.

[NeverAgain]

 

easyJet IoM flight cancelled because of emergency landing of Virgin 747 earlier in the day.......

And here is the landing:

 

 

Amazing landing, when it comes to rest you can see just how much it was leaning, Pilot/Co pilot earnt their money that day.

[Truth Seeker]

Ben should be back by New Year's Eve.

 

The Ben-my-Chree should be back in operation by New Years Eve.So says the chief executive of the Steam Packet Company. The ship has been out of action since Saturday with a steering fault. That led to a number of cancellations, although the fast craft Manannan was drafted into action from its winter overhaul on Sunday night to cover the Bens scheduled Heysham sailings. After not being able to initially contact the specialist manufacturer to carry out repairs to the steering unit, Mr Woodward says the work is now being done.

 

http://www.manxradio.com/newsread.aspx?id=74468

[Katman]

Back home at last, but almost didn't make it onto the SeaCat. On Saturday I spent almost one and half hours on hold to the Steam Packet and then spoke to a harassed woman and then a supervisor, who said he was changing my booking to the 16:00 sailing on Tuesday.

 

I got to the port nice and early only to be told I wasn't booked on the boat and that my booking hadn't been amended at all. The woman behind the counter said the ferry was full and I could go on standby. It was really difficult to stay calm at this point. The alternative was to catch the 22:00 the same day. After waiting for over two hours I was eventually told there was space and I could sail home.

[OldhamJ]

Does anyone know why they didn't do a Dublin trip, I don't think the Manannan was running to Heysham until the afternoon each day so you'd have thought that they could have fitted in one round trip to either Dublin or Belfast. I know a few people who had to go over to Heysham and then get another boat from either Stranraer or Holyhead to Ireland or vice versa. If there were enough people booked to schedule a trip in the first place, then those same people presumably still wanted to travel.

[woolley]

Does anyone know why they didn't do a Dublin trip, I don't think the Manannan was running to Heysham until the afternoon each day so you'd have thought that they could have fitted in one round trip to either Dublin or Belfast. I know a few people who had to go over to Heysham and then get another boat from either Stranraer or Holyhead to Ireland or vice versa. If there were enough people booked to schedule a trip in the first place, then those same people presumably still wanted to travel.

Mr Woodward said there were only 100 people booked from Dublin. Given the amount and cost of fuel she burns maybe that's a clue? Would you do it if you could get them back by other means?

[Tempus Fugit]

 

Does anyone know why they didn't do a Dublin trip, I don't think the Manannan was running to Heysham until the afternoon each day so you'd have thought that they could have fitted in one round trip to either Dublin or Belfast. I know a few people who had to go over to Heysham and then get another boat from either Stranraer or Holyhead to Ireland or vice versa. If there were enough people booked to schedule a trip in the first place, then those same people presumably still wanted to travel.

Mr Woodward said there were only 100 people booked from Dublin. Given the amount and cost of fuel she burns maybe that's a clue? Would you do it if you could get them back by other means?

 

and maybe the crew had been working solid for 24hrs and needed a kip, apart from any 'working hours' limits they have to adhere to

[woolley]

She was chartered in by the Steam Packet for those sailings

Indeed she was. If you looked at the contemporary Herald report on the link I posted, I thought it rather odd that CalMac said it was not well supported and its future would be discussed at the next board meeting. It was in fact a case of whether the Steam Packet wanted to continue or not. And they didn't.

[woolley]

 

 

Does anyone know why they didn't do a Dublin trip, I don't think the Manannan was running to Heysham until the afternoon each day so you'd have thought that they could have fitted in one round trip to either Dublin or Belfast. I know a few people who had to go over to Heysham and then get another boat from either Stranraer or Holyhead to Ireland or vice versa. If there were enough people booked to schedule a trip in the first place, then those same people presumably still wanted to travel.

Mr Woodward said there were only 100 people booked from Dublin. Given the amount and cost of fuel she burns maybe that's a clue? Would you do it if you could get them back by other means?

 

and maybe the crew had been working solid for 24hrs and needed a kip, apart from any 'working hours' limits they have to adhere to

 

There must be more than one crew out? Even for what they've been doing to Heysham. If not they need medals.

[Mad Uncle Jimmy]

Normally there is no better way of knowing you have scored a good point than a visit from the grammar police.

Or just that you're factually and grammatically incorrect, also a bit of a cunt too.

[Wankleaks]

 

Normally there is no better way of knowing you have scored a good point than a visit from the grammar police.

Or just that you're factually and grammatically incorrect, also a bit of a cunt too.

Thank you. Constructive feedback is one of the best parts of Manxforums. Which part is factually incorrect except the information supplied about the old Seacat? The debt position is a matter of record

 

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/business/concern-raised-in-tynwald-over-163-232m-steam-packet-debt-1-1794018

[Mad Uncle Jimmy]

 

I bet there isn't all this amount of furore by people who aren't even travelling when Stena had mechanical breakdowns and cancellations or when they tried to demolish the dock at Cairnryan

 

In my lifetime as a passenger the racket have mucked me about & ripped me off more times than I can remember

You must be ancient to be so senile!

[asitis]

 

 

Normally there is no better way of knowing you have scored a good point than a visit from the grammar police.

Or just that you're factually and grammatically incorrect, also a bit of a cunt too.

Thank you. Constructive feedback is one of the best parts of Manxforums. Which part is factually incorrect except the information supplied about the old Seacat? The debt position is a matter of record

 

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/business/concern-raised-in-tynwald-over-163-232m-steam-packet-debt-1-1794018

 

If this is still the case, and I suspect it probably is, it seems folly to hand a monopoly to a company first and foremost committed to its debt servicing and shareholders ! if IOM Gov. were a commercially minded organisation they would be carefully considering the implications of such a move and commercial due diligence would point out the possible implications in such a long term commitment.

[Tempus Fugit]

 

 

 

Normally there is no better way of knowing you have scored a good point than a visit from the grammar police.

Or just that you're factually and grammatically incorrect, also a bit of a cunt too.

Thank you. Constructive feedback is one of the best parts of Manxforums. Which part is factually incorrect except the information supplied about the old Seacat? The debt position is a matter of record

 

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/business/concern-raised-in-tynwald-over-163-232m-steam-packet-debt-1-1794018

 

If this is still the case, and I suspect it probably is, it seems folly to hand a monopoly to a company first and foremost committed to its debt servicing and shareholders ! if IOM Gov. were a commercially minded organisation they would be carefully considering the implications of such a move and commercial due diligence would point out the possible implications in such a long term commitment.

 

but have you ever heard of the government making the best decision in the interest of the Island ?

[2bees]

I'm hoping wrighty gets back on time cos we've got a date in the operating theatre on Tuesday.

Hope all went/goes well My 2 favourite Mr Wrights, neither of whom are Mr Right (it also could be noted that they are the only Wrights I know, the others all died)