Ferry passenger refunded over 'duplicate' tickets

A Gozo ferry passenger found out to his dismay that the return tickets he had bought while waiting in the queue at Cirkewwa, so that he would have the tickets in hand at Mgarr when returning to Malta, were "not valid".

When he asked a Gozo Channel employee why, he was surprised to learn that the tickets had already been "used" on the same day at 1.30 p.m. He boarded the 6.30 p.m. ferry from Mgarr after an enjoyable weekend in Gozo.

The passenger said Gozo ferry personnel later told him that his was not the first case, since a number of tickets with duplicate numbers had been issued by mistake.

After having to pay the fare for the car, the driver and the passenger - Lm8.25 - the passenger was instructed to call at Gozo Channel Co. Ltd offices at Pietà later to get a refund.

But he was angry at the inconvenience of having to take leave from work to go and collect his refund. The passenger called at Gozo Channel offices in Pietà yesterday where he was offered an apology and given the refund.

He said he was particularly offended at the way he was embarrassed at the Mgarr departure point in front of queuing people and made to appear as if he was trying to hitch a free trip on the ferry.

The passenger said the Gozo Channel employee even suggested that "I had gone back to Malta with the 1.30 p.m. ferry, returned to Gozo and then went back to take the ferry again at 6.30 p.m. using the same ticket".

Apart from the refund, the passenger said he expected some form of compensation for the inconvenience; the least he could have been offered was two complimentary tickets, he said.

A request for comment from Gozo Channel yesterday remained unanswered by the time of going to press.