Quote Originally Posted by BCram View Post
What would happen if Blundells lost the contract?
It would be wonderful if Mundell?s lost the contract as they are notorious for cancelling their previously block booked sailings within 24 hours of the date of their sailing or do not turn up for their sailing with no financial penalty.
In 2022 12,000 car spaces at 36 pounds each were lost on the Kennacraig to Islay route thanks to the late cancellation or ?no shows? of previously block booked sailings at a cost to the Scottish taxpayers of four hundred and thirty two thousand pounds.
Commercial companies block book their entitlement of vehicles on every Calmac sailing whether they need them or not prior to bookings for the general public opening for each Calmac timetable period. eg the Summer Timetable period and the Winter Timetable period.
The members of the Islay Community Council Ferry Committee are frightened to highlight this problem with the late cancellation of previously block booked sailings being cancelled within 24 hours of the date of their sailing and no shows to the national newspapers and media because Ben Mundell and now Matthew Mundell are a member of the Islay Community Council Ferry Committee.
Holidaymakers are unable to book the ferry from Kennacraig to Islay because the ferry is full yet it can sail half empty due to block bookings being cancelled within 24 hours or the date of their sailing and no shows.
Last May I received an email from the Scottish Government minister Pauline Martin who stated that the Scottish Government was working on getting this abuse of the block booking system on the Kennacraig to Islay route stopped.
More duff information as just over a month later Mundell?s used their five blocked bookings and sent over five empty road tankers on the ferry from Kennacraig to Islay irrespective of the consequences of empty shelves in the Co-op stores on Islay and a shortage of medicines on the island.