Facing a potential legal challenge from irate customers, B.C. Ferries has decided to provide a one-time refund to passengers who purchased assured loading tickets (ALT) between 1984 and July 25, 2011.
For a 90-day period, which started on July 26 and will end Oct. 24, B.C. Ferries will provide a cash refund to any customer who has an expired assured loading ticket, as well as any customer with a current assured loading product who no longer wants the tickets.
If a customer does not seek a refund by Oct. 24, the opportunity will be forfeited.
"Primarily it's responding to the confusion out there," said Mark Stefanson, B.C. Ferries vice president of public affairs. "Some people purchased the card, claiming they had no knowledge of the terms and conditions. We attempted to make it clear and explicit, but there was still a varying amount of confusion, so we decided to proceed with the 90-day, one-time-only refund."
Although the program has only recently been implemented, Stefanson said a couple of hundred inquiries have already come through, and refunds are being processed.
"Anybody wanting to buy an assured loading card after that will have to do so on-line," he said. "They will also have to agree to have their card registered with us so any future communications are guaranteed to be sent to them. Also, they have to agree to the terms and conditions, which included the expiry date of two years for the cards."
Additionally, registration of new cards will be permitted only on-line. Once registered, purchasing can be done on-line or at a ticket booth. Reloading of assured loading products to existing cards will be permitted only if the card is registered.
"This product is really meant for the person who is travelling with us on a regular basis and does a lot of travelling with us," Stefanson said. "It is a premium product and we want to make sure our customers are aware of the terms and conditions. We thought we'd ensure the clear up of confusion existing in the market."
As of Nov. 1, customers purchasing ALTs must register their cards on-line and agree to the terms and conditions before the purchase can be completed. The assured loading product will be sold on a distinctly branded card to avoid confusion with customers who use the experience card.
For more information, visit www.bcferries.com.
