11 December 2008
08:1510797Another bit of possible bad news for Dover,it would appear that seafrance are holding talks today,they may have to go into administration as it would appear they owe creditors 20 million euros, this was on the local radio this morning.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
11 December 2008
08:3910800As SeaFrance is "owned" by the French Government, I'd be surprised (and saddened) if this did happen. Scary too - on every aspect.
20 million Euros didn't suddenly appear though did it ? it must have been building up over some time.
Roger
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
11 December 2008
09:0110802Just had the papers delivered and it's on the front page of the Mercury and Express.
The 20 million losses were for last year and this year's are expected to be higher.
Pop out and get your local paper !!
Roger
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
11 December 2008
09:2310805Jeez is there no end to the bad news right now. On one hand we have a good news announcement by DDC Leader Paul Watkins on one thread ( see Another Multi-Million Pound boost....) and then I see this bad news on another. Its a great pity and very deflating. We get some terrific aid on one hand and have the potential for more job losses on the other. When Seafrance sneezes this town, already reeling from the downturn, will catch another cold!
Will be off out to get the papers shortly myself.
Guest 674- Registered: 25 Jun 2008
- Posts: 3,391
11 December 2008
10:2310809all a funny world
goes round and round
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
11 December 2008
18:5310833are things as bad as they appear?
just come in and logged on and there is an e mail from sea chance telling me to book my summer crossings for next year.
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
11 December 2008
19:3810837there you go howard two weeks on the cote de opale done deal.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
12 December 2008
07:2910857SeaFrance, as with other ferry companies, will keeping marketing and promoting deals all the time. Asd they just do Dover/Calais, if many thousands of people book trips, they'll be able to carry on, by they still have enormous debts to pay back.
Good Luck to SeaFrance on being able to resolve their financial problems.
Roger
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
12 December 2008
07:5010860Yes I would certainly second what Roger says above in wishing Seafrance good luck. They are an exciting cross channel operator in that they have given us a whole array of exciting new modern ships to travel on and I always use them. The recession and exchange rates will hit ferry travel in 2009 so I would be expecting a failly bleak year. The near parity of the pound to the euro will hit travellers in the pocket and cause less travel. Of course, currency fluctuates, but future prospect could see the currencies becoming almost identical in value ie one pound = one euro. We are not there yet but certainly looks as if we are heading there.
Guest 656- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 2,262
12 December 2008
13:2910888Gawd, This beggers belief!! 20 Million euros in debt,
I hope Seafrance are able to resolve this somehow. I love travelling with them and particularly on their new modern ships as you say PaulB, always so clean and efficient.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
12 December 2008
20:0710903i see that the top man over here says that sea france are not owned by the state but a private company( a subsidiary of sncf).
all very confusing, i thought that sncf were state owned.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
13 December 2008
07:5810914SNCF is State-owned and they own SeaFrance - so you could (like people do) argue either case I guess.
Maybe with such an awful exchange rate, it may encourage more people from Europe (Nord pas de Calais region especially) to come to Dover - but are we prepared ?
Perhaps adverts their newspapers might encourage some to come over, afterall, they only have to spend 1.07 Euros (or thereabouts) to get one of our amazing £'s.
Roger
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
13 December 2008
20:4010931i think that they still have the foot passenger deal P & O calais/dover day return 1 euro.
there were plenty of french speaking people in town this summer, did our shops do enough to encourage them to spend some money here.
spring is only a few months away and they will start to come back again.
time to get our act together?
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
14 December 2008
08:1210940Time indeed Howard.
A few years ago, there were attempts to run Welcome Host courses for retail outlets and one was on welcoming people in several languages, so the customers felt that at least the shops were trying.
A few (very few) did take them up, but it wasn't enough - in fact I think it was deemed a failure.
There was also a small company who had managed to get funding to run free courses for French, but they needed 12 people/pupils to sign up for it and they couldn't even get 12 people in Dover who were interested in learning French - for free !
As someone mentioned recently (it may have been you Howard) if they (the shops etc.)took Euros, it would help enormously, especially now, as there's almost parity.
Roger
Guest 660- Registered: 14 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,205
14 December 2008
18:0210952Here is a real stunner for you Roger,we have always taken different currency,from the days of Austrian Shillings US $ even Italian Lire,so when the other part of Europe went with the Euro we took that as well as $ US and Canadian.Our machines even give the prices in Euro's.Then one of our senior Managers decided that we no longer took them,because if they don't have £'s they will have a Credit Card.
So virtually everyday we turn down Euro's and $'s and send people down the bank or to the cash machine or they pay by Credit Card....but......we get so many people come thru without a Credit Card late at night including last night and we can't except them,they can't get thru the barrier and there are no banks open, yet on our ticket machines it gives the price in Euro's stupid or what.International Gateway?
Yet in my travels in Germany this year I could have paid in £'s or $'s on the train for food etc.We have argued our case but the answer came back,this time written in no uncertain terms .WE DO NOT TAKE EURO'S.
If you knew what I know,we would both be in trouble!
Guest 641- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 2,335
14 December 2008
18:4010953The word on the grapevine when speaking to a Seafrance employee yesterday is that if they manage to sell their two latest ships they will be back on par, any bidders out there?
14 December 2008
18:4510955It's just as irritating at the Severn Bridge - I go past there many times on the way to Ireland. This year, on the urgent way to see my sick Dad, who died in my arms when I got there, I arrived at the toll at the Severn and was told they do not take plastic, or Euros (which I had) unless it is the absolute correct amount, so I had to drive back to a town, go to a cashpoint, drive back to the Severn Toll and pay in the cash I had taken out.It added much more than an hour to my journey. The Toll operator had been unable to tell me where I could find a cashpoint (he spoke poor English and clearly had no idea where anything was) so it was luck, a calm head and the knowledge that I really needed to catch that ferry to see my Dad, that found me a cashpoint in time to catch the ferry, or I would have missed my Dad. How many people arrive there without cash or the exact amount of euros? How many people have missed their ferry because of it? How many people actually feel good about paying to get into Wales? I would gladly pay on the way back, given the discourtesy shown to me on the way in. An apology would be good, by the way, if anyone from Wales is reading this.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
14 December 2008
20:5710957roger
you are spot on with your views on some of our local traders.
a free course in basic french refused!!!!!
just the willingness to take euros, a welcoming sign with all the wilkommen, bienvenue stuff will make tourists
feel like going into an establishment.
i note john's comments about the station starting to take foreign money then stopping.
the worst culprits, unbelievably, are the people that run the bus service between the station and the docks.
people arrive, having just changed their euros into sterling, are full of £20 notes and the bus does not have change.
just as an extra thought, so many businesses in the town centre employ polish staff, that all speak perfect english.
if they arrive here that well educated the odds are that they will speak another language.
we also have polish run business where the same applies.
why do they not put a sign in the window stating which languages are spoken.
i know that when i am abroad, with just a smattering of german, i look for signs that say "english spoken here".
it saves me the embarrassment of going into a shop/bar/restaurant and looking a total idiot when no-one understands me.
i will await comments on that last sentence.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
15 December 2008
19:0410993No sarcy comments Howard - what you say is true.
There needs to be someone to co-ordinate this and many other initiatives that could and should be started - before next season starts.
There's so much to do.
Roger
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
16 December 2008
09:1511026Ah difficult post there Bern and I can see the frustration. I have great sympathy for anyone in that plight making the death trip to Ireland. Ive done it myself twice ( but not that particular route ) and one is always in a strange kind of shock or something. Like the one about paying to get out of Wales !lol
On another thread members have mentioned the almost non existance of any kind of business initiatives with France. Its a shame. A huge market there blocked only by a few measly miles of ocean, a language barrier and unfortunately an exchange rate different currency barrier. Mayor Diane Smallwood said it was one of her hopes when she took over to try and build better relationships with Calais, which makes good sense. Now with the £ almost on parity with the Euro, it might make better economic sense in France right now to be interested in the Dover and East Kent market.