It was the right thing to do.
After intense public pressure and threats of class-action law suit, B.C. Ferries CEO David Hahn announced ferry riders with expired pre-booked tickets can now seek reimbursement.
But they better get on it – the one-time refund has an expiry date of Oct. 24. The cash back announcement is for assured loading tickets purchased between 1984 and July 25.
And while refunding a ticket purchased in the 80s seems a bit ridiculous, it serves as yet another lesson to the “private” company: include an expiry date.
“The reason why we are going to offer time-limited refunds for assured loading is to clarify any confusion about this particular product once and for all,” Hahn said.
“From now on, all customers must register their cards online and read and agree to the terms and conditions of the product before they can purchase it, so everyone will clearly acknowledge the tickets have a two-year expiry and are non-refundable.”
B.C. Ferries has been under attack after talk of increasing fares and, just as notable, the public outcry over Hahn’s $1.2 million annual salary and his expected future pensions of $315,000.
In fact a recent poll showed 70 per cent of Canadians wanted the government to step in and take over as a result on the company’s actions.
Not a good idea.
One of the better decisions out of the Liberal government was to convert B.C. Ferries from a Crown corporation to “private” and in doing so, treating it like a successful business – which it is.
Refunds are not offered at ferry terminals and are expected to take up to eight weeks to process.
Honouring the tickets and clearing up the confusion was a step in the right direction and, quite simply, the ethical thing to do.
