 Poster: A snowHead
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Gadge, Boris,
apparently the 'solution' is a slightly more robust version of what they normally have in place, namely, hessian (thick cloth to you and me) behind the engine grilles.
apparently they put these cloths in place at the start of winter, and take them off at the end (bit like winter tyres). seems that the 'especially fluffy' snow managed to get through the hessian (or maybe the cloths weren't fitted properly?), thus causing the problem they cloth was designed to prevent.
Now, I know these are very advanced trains, but, surely, a key design criteria would have been to cope with a bit of condensation - going through the tunnel was, after all, one of the main objectives. If they were 'normal' trains going through, I could have understood it... but sounds like either the design was at fault, or the downstream engineer/assemble.
good luck to all travellers...
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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 drove back from Munich over last night. Left munich at 2pm, got to the ferry at 11pm (2 hours before my ferry time), they swopped me onto an earlier ferry, no waiting, no queues. The ones unloading looked pretty full.
On advice from here I avoided M20 and drove up A2/M2. no bother, Dover didn't look to full. Got home without incident, despite fears of snow as Luton was closed. When I got there it was just a small snow shower.
Long way to drive on your own, won't be doing it too often.
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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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stevev, thanks for the update. I'm driving up from Frankfurt tomorrow, also planning on going via A2/M2 (mainly cos that's the logical way anyway).
Now to decide whether to go via Köln/Brussels or via Luxembourg and Charleroi... 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I did Stuttgart/Karhlruhe/Koblenz/Koln/Brussels
I have yet to work out the quickest route, tomtom sends me a different route each time, I refuse to go via France after it cost me 50eu in tolls last year.
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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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Have heard from the homphomps that they arrived at the tunnel this afternoon, to get on an earlier train as it was quiet 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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hamilton, hmm. Beefing up a hessiann filter must inhibit airflow and therefore degrade cooling I would think. Might stress components and so shorten their life - could be a reasonable trade off to keep the trains going, of course, particularly if there is some redundancy to allow for failure. As a nerd I would be interested to know what the decision process was - but I doubt if we'll be told.
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Serious delays meant we have been transferred to seafrance. However Eurotunnel said ferry was 14:00 . Turned out to be 15:50 .sitting in Dover very annoyed at being lied to at tunnel
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Helen Beaumont, grr, safe onward journey. We go tunnel tomorrow morning about 5ish.
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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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Good luck
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Helen Beaumont, Bet you are really miffed - hope all else goes smoothly.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Thank god for iPhone to keep me occupied
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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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Helen Beaumont,  should have been OK by now. Bad luck - hope you're on your way now.
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You know it makes sense.
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P+O calais-dover 17:05 ferry left spot on 17:15, exactly as the guy at check in mentioned. Even docked at the right-hand end, so none of the major jams as you drive up on to the dock exit flyover. and straight thru customs without any of the usual interrogations.
Only roadworks of note were at Dunkerque where its single lane both ways - may affect anyone going on that ferry, but it was only a few minutes.
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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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Just back for a quick work break half way through our holiday. We were booked on the tunnel on the Friday night, arrived at the terminal and had an hours queue. We were then given a train at 1750 ish. Got to the terminal and the signs said service suspended. Decided I could not cope as the terminal filled up so went back to the car only to be told our letter was next. We got on a train around ten past six and I reckon it was one of the last to get through.
We were held on the train to let cars get up the ramps one at a time. When we got on to the Autoroute it was sheet ice and blizard conditions. We decided to push on slowly(15MPH) rather than try and get a place in Calais. Another blizard in the Champange region and down to 15MPH again. All in all a 22 hour drive to Thyon but when we heard what had happened I think we were very, very lucky.
Our friends were due on Eurostar on the Saturday to get to Paris for a few days then take the TGV to Geneva to meet us. When it was clear that Eurostar was a no go they canceled Paris and booked BA, only for BA to cancel the flight to Geneva.  took them til Xmas eve to get out and are not impressed with either lots customer service. As Achilles said in an earlier post it appears that Eurostar/Eurotunnel do not have an adequate emergency recovery plan.
Heard on Swiss radio that the French TGV network suffered as well and that Sarko called the head of SNCF in for tea and biscuits.
have a good season snowpeeps
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Poster: A snowHead
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Michelle, Yes by all accounts very lucky, still it was worth the effort as the snow was excellent and we even got snow on Christmas day. cant wait to get back on New Years eve, BA permitting. Hope the Phorns enjoyed Thyon. Les Collons is great just now even the run down to Les Masse was fun
edited to say Michelle's post appears to have disapeared
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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What are the return journeys like - any problems? we are due back next weekend
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Tollpepper, No waiting at all on Saturday afternoon (26th). They honoured the return part of my ticket (as I would have expected them to) but had to go into the terminal building to get it sorted. FWIW the lady there was particularly snotty and had a stock answer for all of my polite questions... call the call centre. "Oh, you mean the same call centre that couldn't be ars*d to pick the phones up last Saturday?" etc etc in sarcastic Franglais.
Arrived home to find a standard apology letter from Eurotunnel's Director of Passenger Service. In it she heaps the blame on Eurostar's broken down trains (nice neighbourly thing to do). She makes no noises at all about compensation (whereas Eurostar appear to have been quick to act for their passengers) or says anything about their appalling handling of events at Folkestone check-in and the blatant lies they told us. I'm about to pen my reply to them.
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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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Bode Swiller, we had some blatant lies too. Like a ferry crossing that didn't exist, nothing compared to your delay though.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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We didn't/couldn't use our Eurotunnel outbound crossing on Sunday 20th so I phoned them from Tignes during our week away to make sure the return journey would still be ok. The very helpful lady had to cancel our existing booking and make a new one, and then called me back a bit later with a voucher reference for the credit for the not-used outbound ticket.
We were nearly two hours early for our return crossing, and got straight on to a train with no problems. When we got home there was a letter from them with a printed copy of the voucher. I'm happy enough with this - it was quite unusual snow conditions that caused the problems in the first place, but then we weren't stuck for hours and hours not knowing what was going on.
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Bode Swiller, half the sorry tale appears to be missing from here - have I not noticed it elsewhere? Are they saying the compensation is only for those booked direct on Eurostar not those on the shuttle?
Strikes me they have no excuse about getting infomation out to car drivers - surely local radio would have been pleased to carry updates and i for one would have expected to tune into it for them.
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Butterfly, as far as I know Eurostar are offering compensation of a refund and a free return ticket and something else (can't remember). They announced this relatively quickly.
Eurotunnel (different company don't forget) appear to be saying it's all Eurostar's fault, no compo. Seems that I'll have to pursue them even to get back the unused sector of the trip. In my view they should have already refunded that but they haven't of course. Think I'll call 'em now.
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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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| Bode Swiller wrote: |
| ... something else (can't remember). |
£150
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rob@rar, ah yes, some handy loose change (roughly 2 large beers and a bag of pork scratchings in Courchevel). Overall a fair deal IMO - refund, free return ticket and 150 quid. ET, meanwhile, just want you to go home. A shambles.
What the heck is a Knight-snowhead? Can't imagine what kind of priveledges that brings.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Bode Swiller, the bar stewards! No, the problems weren't their fault, but they should get E* to compensate their passengers too.
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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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Due to leave on 13.20 but its been cancelled 13.50 running so all seems ok(ish) at the Tunnel. They did say in the shops that there were 3 hour delays yesterday.
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Not sure if right thread but hopefully those travelling back tomorrow will pick it up. Left Reims about 9am heading south. All lovely till we hit Troyes and then started snowing and heavy. Sadly sticking a bit on the dual carraige way. Stopped in services about 45 miles north of Diijon and still snowing. Now on 3 lane motorway. Might all clear by tomorrow but roads will be busier so take care. Gritters and ploughs out in force.
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You know it makes sense.
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Better news. Blizzard stopped and turned to rain about 25 miles north of Dijjon.
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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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There was a bit of a blizzard between Calais and St Omer tonight, only one lane was ploughed so everyone was stuck going at the same speed. It cleared up after the peage though and was dry to Reims.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I was sat on a Eurotunnel train at Ashford for 4 hours on the platform waiting for "clearance" that night (18th). We were the next train due to head into the tunnel. We were held in the carriage and told it was a ticketing issue. Four hours after our due departure we were told to leave the train and that Eurotunnel services were suspended indefinitely.
The whole evening/night/following day was chaos at the Eurotunnel terminal. No matter how much Eurotunnel try to blame Eurostar there is no excuse for the lack of information and rude attitude from the staff at the Ashford terminal that night.
We were given no explanation and directed to leave the terminal. Five of us slept in the car alongside many others that night on the slip road to the M20. At 5 a.m the terminal reopened and the police reopened the M20. Upon arrival at check-in we explained that we were held for four hours and slept in the car and the lady just laughed at us. I asked her the reason for the closure and she replied "well what have you heard?" no apology, no explanation. We travelled on the first of a handful of trains that left the following day before he service was shut down again. Security/immigration checks were non existent on the Friday evening and Saturday morning at Ashford.
A week later on our return journey we were on the train and moving within 10 minutes of arriving at Calais. When working properly the Eurotunnel is a brilliant service but when things go wrong there is no system in place to manage such situations.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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astroarcadia, I called Eurotunnel yesterday and, after 12 minutes of hold music and sales messages, spoke to a human. She was very nice and doing her best. She has refunded the unused part of my ticket for 18th December but directed me to their customer relations people who "will be assessing claims for compensation on an individual basis". This is unlike Eurostar who came out and announced compensation for all as per some of the posts above. Can't imagine how they are going to cope with 10,000 individual claims. Another fine mess.
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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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Bode Swiller, Sounds like Eurotunnel are going to 'help' those that shout loudest! Strange when they will certainly be claiming against Eurostar for the problems that they caused!
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BMF_Skier, Yes, they are banking on inertia - most will forget it and move on. EuroT will certainly make a claim against EuroS but you can bet that all that is set out in the contracts between them and they will have insurance in place too. I'm going to bang in a sizeable claim, give them 14 days to respond and then send them a county court summons if the response isn't good enough or is non-existant. The squeaky wheel...
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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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All I want is a refund on the outbound part of my fare (£78 ). We lost a day of our holiday as a result of the delays. Five people sleeping in a car in the snow was no joke. Living in Gloucestershire traveling home for the night was not an option.
We were very lucky to get on a train the next morning. When we re-entered the Eurotunnel terminal on Saturday morning I told the lady at check-in I wanted to be on the next train that left after being held on the platform inside a carriage for 4 hours the previous night. She issued me with the letter M to display on my windscreen. When inside, the car park was full of people with K's and L's waiting for their call. The information was that one train was leaving per hour so with an M we were looking at a further 3 hour wait! Not exactly the next train as I had asked for. I went to the desk inside and explained the situation to the customer services showing her the M I had been given and also the G that should have left 12 hours ago. She laughed at my letter G and said "that means nothing." A heated conversation then took place before she re-issued me a K (the next train to leave). She put it on the desk, snatched the M from my hand and walked off into an office and shut the door.
My point is that after being held for four hours inside a carriage on the platform at the mouth of the tunnel we should have been given priority on the next train that did leave. When being directed off the train we should have been given the option of going to a holding area that would guarantee us a place on the next train. Instead we were told nothing and directed to leave the terminal area and back on to public roads. No reason was given for the closure, staff told us nothing and the phone lines just had a recorded message saying they were shut until 8am. We only heard about the breakdowns from radio 5Live on the 6am news! I actually told Eurotunnel staff starting work on Saturday what was happening as they listened in to my radio. It seems there was no briefing on the situation and no official reason for the closure at this point as everyone you asked gave a different story.
At the time I was furious, it really set the tone for our ski trip as we were all exhausted when we finally arrived with all five of us having stinking colds. We started the week on the back foot and never felt 100% as we tried to make up for the lost day.
The only people who won that night were Burger King inside the terminal with queue about 30m long for at least 3 hours! I had a Whopper meal with Fanta x2.
I think I need to be telling all this to Eurotunnel though if I intend to get my money back.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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astroarcadia, you'll get your £78 back just by asking. Your real loss however is a whole day of your trip. As a minimum your claim should be for 1/7 of the entire trip cost - eg if your fuel/accommodation/lost lift pass days/lost instruction days/lost ski hire days all adds up to say £3k, then your claim is for somewhere around £400 plus the £78. They have officially blamed the broken down Eurostar trains and not the weather so I think they'd struggle to argue that you might have lost a day of your holiday anyway. My claim is for over £600 and I'll happily pursue them for it.
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Bode I agree that I should claim 1/7 of the total cost. I too was unimpressed to come home to a letter blaming Eurostar and basically saying they were the knight in shinning armor who came to the rescue for the Eurostar. Ill make a call now for the £78.
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Just made the call. £78 refunded no questions asked. To be honest it seems she had no record of whether we travelled out or not.
The question now is whether or not I bother to claim for the 1/7 lost. Has anybody made a successful claim for losses in resort?
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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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astroarcadia, Same here, they didn't know we'd used the return half. Wish I hadn't mentioned it.
I say you should definitely bother. Do it by email... Dear Eurotunnel, Re Chaos 18-20 December, I lost 36 hours of my precious one week holiday. The total cost of the holiday was £x and I therefore claim 21% (that's what 36 hours is) of that cost = £Y. If I do not hear from you with a satisfactory offer within 14 days of the date of this email I will automatically sue you through the small claims court. etc.
That's roughly how I've done it albeit with a few more accusations and outlining the consequences of the lies we were told.
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You can obviously see the financial light at the end of the tunnel, Swiller, like a row of bright red cherries on a one-armed bandit.
I wish you every success with this deserved compensation.
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FAQ
Sorry 
I'd added another 24 hrs on to their journey 