 Poster: A snowHead
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@skichampcouk, in the end, you are right that the bus was unidentified and there was no way of knowing that my ticket was valid without asking every single vehicle that pulled into the station. Since I had been dropped off in a small van, I was looking for a small van to pick me up - not a big coach.
I asked all of the drivers of smaller vans if they were with Altibus. The big HelvC bus didn’t stop long enough for me to even approach the driver - I was actually on the telephone with Altibus when the HelvCie bus was at the station, and at that exact moment Altibus were telling me that all busses were cancelled because the roads were closed. I was sorting that out with them at the moment that the HelvC bus left.
Altibus later told me they had been “given incorrect information,” and it wasn’t their fault that they thought the busses were cancelled. They also told me they had no way of knowing what bus I was booked on, nor what it might look like.
Basically, they don’t take any responsibility for informing ticket holders of anything. If you can find the bus, you can get on it. But it seems like you are very much on your own figuring that out - Altibus can’t tell you the time, place, or appearance of the bus you are scheduled to take, and the driver of the bus also won’t know that you’re booked to take it. It’s no wonder it’s cheaper than the competition - Altibus hardly provides any service at all.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I’ll also add that, given my worry about exactly this sort of problem, I called Altibus the day before the. trip to reconfirm plans in bad weather, and I called them again on the morning of the trip to reconfirm where and when I should meet the bus. I asked them what I should look out for, and they said they would “get back to me.” They never did. They had many, many chances to tell me to look for a large HelvCie coach, and given that they made that booking, they must have had that information available to them. They chose not to share the information with me.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@brianatab,
Pay for a £3000 pound family holiday by cash, credit card or by debit card and it'll cost you exactly the same amount, just one of these methods of payments, however, has a form of insurance included.
That was my point.
You could use free, included, at no extra cost etc etc without being misleading.
Or, you could put it like this, everyone pays a teeny totty tiny bit extra for this cover regardless as how they pay as we can't, by law, charge our customers who chose to pay by credit card any extra.
The merchant and card processing industry is extremely competitive and it's not entirely correct that small businesses pay more, key is to use a good broker.
Merry Christmas everyone
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Two things we've learned from this thread
1. Always use a credit card for extra protection.
2. If you have an Altibus booking, ask every bus you see if it's an Altibus, cos a lot of Altibusses don't look like Altibusses.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| alasdair.graham wrote: |
| @Mr.Egg, sorry I meant the charging an extra percentage on top of a sale for using a credit card as used to happen. That is an EU law |
no it's not. Credit Card transaction fees to the retailer have been around as long as credit cards.
EU law has put limits on the transaction % in the last few years. I think its now 0.3%, where as CC companies used to charge at least twice that & Amex even more (which is why amex is not widely accepted) - As a consumer we now see less reward credit cards or rewards that have been slashed, since the money earned from the retailer has been slashed, the card issuers are not as generous in rewards.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| alasdair.graham wrote: |
Two things we've learned from this thread
1. Always use a credit card for extra protection.
2. If you have an Altibus booking, ask every bus you see if it's an Altibus, cos a lot of Altibusses don't look like Altibusses. |
3. Altibus drivers will not be expecting you as it seems they don't have a passenger list. So don't bother booking, just hop on.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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We had the same experience 10 years ago with Altibus. So no change there then...
Go to countries that value your custom and treat you accordingly..
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@Rob54, And I've used altibus on average twice a year for the last 15 years and never had a problem. To have a pop at the French on the basis of one snowhead having a disaster is at best a cheap shot! Just Google any transfer company anywhere, there will be shocking reviews, as when it goes wrong, it goes very wrong in the mountains.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@AL9000, that's nonsense, they know exactly how many they are expecting and have always been ruthless in checking tickets.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@chocksaway, Glad to hear it. So they knew they had 1 pax missing? Splendid.
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| chocksaway wrote: |
| @Rob54, And I've used altibus on average twice a year for the last 15 years and never had a problem. To have a pop at the French on the basis of one snowhead having a disaster is at best a cheap shot! Just Google any transfer company anywhere, there will be shocking reviews, as when it goes wrong, it goes very wrong in the mountains. |
Sorry for generalising. I accept it was rather a sweeping statement..
But in 35 years of skiing, this was the worst experience.
But let’s not fall out about it, I’m please they’ve given you good service for many years..
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You know it makes sense.
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| chocksaway wrote: |
| @Rob54, And I've used altibus on average twice a year for the last 15 years and never had a problem. To have a pop at the French on the basis of one snowhead having a disaster is at best a cheap shot! Just Google any transfer company anywhere, there will be shocking reviews, as when it goes wrong, it goes very wrong in the mountains. |
Sorry for generalising. I accept it was rather a sweeping statement..
But in 35 years of skiing, this was the worst experience.
But let’s not fall out about it, I’m please they’ve given you good service for many years..
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I have a feeling that if you know the Altibus system - meaning, you know to look for unlabelled busses in unusual places at unscheduled times - then you’ll be fine. But if you rely on printed signs, reliable schedules, or clear communication from Altibus itself you will not find your bus.
In this way Altibus may work very well for locals and repeat customers, but very badly for new customers or customers from abroad. The entire company seems very parochial.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I have discovered that Altibus is merely an agent selling tickets for various carriers. Their T&C deny any responsibility for providing the transport. As long as the buyer has a valid ticket, Altibus has done its job, apparently.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@diaphon,
| Quote: |
you know to look for unlabelled busses in unusual places at unscheduled times - then you’ll be fine.
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Good for eagles who are tired after a long fly?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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We had the same with Ben's Bus at Geneva - Flight 10 minutes late so they just left us.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@russ_e, Ben Bus went beyond the call of duty in 2018 . Huge amount was snow was forecast for Saturday afternoon onwards in espace Killy , they called my party 11.30 am Saturday ,informing us that they could not Guarantee picking my party up Sunday morning . They said they could pick us up in 2hrs or take risk of a Sunday am pick up as arranged . We skied back ASAP to our chalet and were whisked off the mountain . It had started to snow very heavily. There was heavy snow all the way to Bourgeois st maurucevand well beyond that .
They arranged for my party stay at a gite next to Grenoble airport . It was a wise decision to leave early as the road up to Val disere was closed during the night and our coach would not have made our original pick up time . There were 3 of us in Val another person was picked up in tignes .
BRILLIANT service from BEN BUS. will use no one else .
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@russ_e, given that your flight was only delayed by 10 minutes, it sounds like you booked a bus which was too close to the flight arrival time. How did you get to your resort in the end?
We also missed our Bens Bus from Grenoble (not surprising, as we were delayed by 2 hours). They put us on the next bus.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| alasdair.graham wrote: |
2. If you have an Altibus booking, ask every bus you see if it's an Altibus, cos a lot of Altibusses don't look like Altibusses. |
I've never had a problem using them, but agree with and have always followed the above.
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FAQ
