Cancellation Fees

CalMac are introducing a new policy (or rather are enforcing a rule from their T&Cs that has been dormant), and it applies as of now:IF YOU CANCEL A BOOKING YOU WILL BE CHARGED A £10 FEE.You will still be able to change a booking with no charge, but if you book for a particular sailing and fail to turn up, the card used to purchase the tickets will be debited £10.The stated intent of the policy is to cut down on ‘no-shows’, which can result in a sailing reporting to be more full than it actually is. We have doubts about the ability of CalMac systems to cope with this process, and how it will be enforced. For example, if you arrive at an earlier sailing than you anticipated and there is space, we advise you to make sure that your later booking has definitely been cancelled by going to the ticket desk. Telling staff in the check-in booth may not be enough. Also we have been told that CalMac staff have absolutely no discretion on this, and any claim to have a cancellation fee refunded after the event will have to be sent to the customer services department. They will refund in cases of breakdown, illness, road accident and so on.So take care with your bookings! For frequent travellers this is going to be particularly problematic.