I canceled my ‘flexi’ ferry tickets. Did I lose all my money?

Q: I made a ferry booking with Brittany Ferries in January for an August sailing from Plymouth to Santander, Spain. I’m 79, and unfortunately, health issues developed with my kidney disease. I realized I needed to change my travel plans. If my condition worsened while in Spain, I wouldn’t be able to return to the U.K. 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 there was zero refund. It wasn’t clear that cancellation meant losing my $390 deposit. When I contacted customer service to explain my situation, they told me the cancellation was final – no refund and no ability to change to a different route.

I had a “flexi” ticket and believed 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, Cornwall, United Kingdom

A: You shouldn’t have lost your entire deposit. And Brittany Ferries’ response to your situation shows a troubling lack of customer service common sense.

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 ferry companies and airlines offer flexible fares specifically to enable passengers to make changes or cancel with reduced or no 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. You should have received a clear warning such as, “You will forfeit your deposit if you proceed with this cancellation” before you clicked that final button.

Your health situation makes this even more unreasonable. You’re dealing with kidney disease at age 79, and you made a sensible decision to change your travel plans based on legitimate medical concerns. A responsible company would have shown some flexibility, especially given the three months of advance notice.

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

You could have escalated this directly 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 the company’s website failed to provide adequate warning about the deposit forfeiture.

Brittany Ferries reviewed your case and issued a full refund of your deposit “on a goodwill basis.” While the company maintained that its official policy was correct, it recognized that your situation warranted an exception.

Your case highlights an important lesson for travelers: Always read the fine print on flexible fares. “Flexi” doesn’t always mean what you think it means. 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, double-check to confirm exactly what your flexibility includes before you purchase.

For future trips, consider travel insurance that covers trip cancellation for medical reasons. Most policies will cover pre-existing conditions if you buy the policy within the insurer’s stated window, usually no more than two to three weeks after buying your tickets, and you properly disclose the condition. Your kidney condition could have been covered under those circumstances.

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