Service Charter Caronte & Tourist
(fundamental principles, quality factors, passengers’ rights and duties, relations with users, complaints and refunds)
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Date |
Rev. |
Description of changes |
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01/07/2014 |
0 |
First issue |
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07/07/2014 |
1 |
Revision and minor changes |
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05/06/2015 |
2 |
Minor changes |
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02/12/2015 |
3 |
Revision, inserted the general control data of the document, revision table etc. |
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13/02/2018 |
4 |
Minor changes |
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30/09/2020 |
5 |
Review of quality factors/indicators and methods of communication with Caronte & Tourist |
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31/05/2021 |
6 |
Quality factors score update |
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15/06/2022 |
7 |
Minor changes |
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Prepared by |
Issued by |
Approved by |
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UCQ (Quality Control Office) |
RCQ (Quality Control Manager) |
DG (General Manager) |
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SERVICE CHARTER
Caronte & Tourist S.p.A. (hereinafter the “Shipping Company”) adopts this Service Charter and considers it binding towards users. The Service Charter will be the point of reference in relations with customers.
I. Fundamental Principles
In providing maritime transport services to users, the Shipping Company complies with the principles listed below.
Equality and impartiality
The Shipping Company provides the transport service based on the principle of equal rights of customers, avoiding in particular any discrimination on the grounds of sex, race, language, religion and political opinions.
The Shipping Company guarantees equal treatment and accessibility to services without any distinction between different categories or groups of users.
More generally, the Shipping Company’s behaviour towards users is underpinned by criteria of objectivity, fairness and impartiality.
Continuity
The Shipping Company guarantees users a continuous, regular and uninterrupted service, except for interruptions due to force majeure, unforeseeable events, or circumstances that are in any case beyond the Shipping Company’s control.
In the event of irregular operation or failure to provide the transport service for reasons attributable to the Shipping Company, it adopts the information or protection measures for passengers described below, in order to cause the least possible inconvenience to users.
Efficiency
The Shipping Company provides the service in such a way as to guarantee the efficiency and effectiveness of the transport provided. Personnel employed in direct contact with users wear a uniform or identification card that make them easily identifiable.
The Shipping Company’s personnel adopt professional and courteous behaviour towards customers, aimed at establishing a mutual relationship of trust and collaboration.
II. Quality Factors
The Shipping Company has identified a series of particularly important factors and indicators in order to guarantee users a high-quality service.
These are, in particular, factors such as a regular and punctual service, safe and convenient travel conditions, information for users upon both entry and exit, availability of personnel, respect for passengers whose conditions require special attention, and environmental protection.
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With reference to each quality factor/indicator, the Shipping Company guarantees compliance with high quality standards according to the provisions of the following scheme. Quality factors/indicators |
Quality standards |
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Regular service Punctuality Information measures |
The services on the routes served by the Shipping Company are provided on the dates and at the times shown on specific timetables made available to users and published on its website, at ticket offices, and at departure and arrival docks. The Shipping Company guarantees users a continuous, regular, punctual and uninterrupted service, with the exception of delays and interruptions due to circumstances beyond the Shipping Company’s control. In cases of irregular operation or interrupted services due to force majeure, unforeseeable events, or circumstances in any way beyond the Shipping Company’s control, the latter makes appropriate information measures available to users on its website or through notices displayed at the ticket offices and docks, in order to cause users as little inconvenience as possible. The Shipping Company adopts the same information measures in cases of failure to provide the transport service for reasons attributable to the Shipping Company. Furthermore, in such situations the Shipping Company guarantees the customer the option to use their ticket on the same route in the seven days following the cancellation or to obtain a refund of the ticket price upon request (accompanied by a copy of the ticket). This request must be submitted in writing to the Customer Office in Messina, at Viale della Libertà 34, within the same seven-day term. |
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Quality factors/indicators Quality standards |
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Safety Courteous personnel Clean dock areas, ships and ticket offices |
A fundamental feature of the transport service offered by the Shipping Company is the safety and protection of passengers. In order to guarantee these objectives, the Shipping Company ensures that its vessels undergo constant maintenance by highly specialised personnel. The Company also guarantees that high standards are maintained in terms of travel comfort.
The Company undertakes to guarantee that the dock areas, ships and ticket offices are cleaned by its own personnel or external companies. The Shipping Company’s vessels undergo ordinary (daily) and extraordinary (once a week) cleaning. Where possible, the units are equipped with air conditioning.
The Shipping Company takes care of training personnel to adopt professional, courteous and respectful behaviour towards passengers. The Shipping Company’s personnel are available to customers to provide information and clarifications on the running of the operated services.
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Embarkation for persons with reduced mobility (PRM) Line: Strait of Messina, Route: Rada San Francesco (Messina) – Villa San Giovanni: vessels Elio, Telepass and Tremestieri
Disembarkation
Emergency
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The person with reduced mobility and the person accompanying them, following the usual procedures, need to present themselves at the ticket office and state their needs. The assigned personnel will promptly notify the Command of their presence. The on-board Command will inform one/two qualified persons with a PRM certificate and send them to assist at the ship’s access door. The assigned personnel will accompany the PRM to their vehicle or the disembarkation gate, where they will be given priority disembarkation.
If any emergency occurs during the journey, the PRM will be assigned a fixed person for guidance to the meeting point. |
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Complaint management Refund management |
The Company undertakes to manage customer reports including complaints or refund requests and to handle the reporting on a monthly basis, including by publishing the related data on the company website. |
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Quality factors/indicators |
Target score as of 31/05/2021 |
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Regular service (*) |
>99% |
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Punctuality (*) |
>90% |
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Information measures |
No anomalies |
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Safety |
No anomalies |
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Travel comfort |
No anomalies |
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Courteous personnel |
No anomalies |
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Clean dock areas, ships and ticket offices (*) |
Up to 2 reports/month |
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Attention to disabled passengers, the elderly, pregnant women |
No anomalies |
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Respect for the environment |
No anomalies |
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Customer complaints managed after the deadline (*) |
Up to 2 complaints/month |
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Refund requests handled after the deadline (*) |
Up to 2 requests/month |
Evidence of monitoring these indicators, both through specific data collection and through system and operational audits, is collected and analysed monthly, highlighted on the company website (*), and stored by the Company’s Control & Quality Office.
III Passengers’ rights and duties
When a ticket is purchased, the customer and the Shipping Company establish a relationship characterised by reciprocal rights and obligations.
The main rights of the customer:
- Continuity and certainty of the service;
- Safety and peace of mind during the journey;
- Punctuality: respect for departure and arrival times at all scheduled stops on the route;
- Easy-to-find information about the routes served, service dates and timetables;
- Easy access to information on travel arrangements and rates, as well as any irregular operation of the service;
- Re-usable ticket or refunded price if the service is not provided for reasons attributable to the Company, within the following seven days;
- Limited waiting times that may be necessary for embarking or disembarking;
- Clean vessels;
- Guaranteed compliance with the smoking ban on vessels;
- Easy access to the complaints procedure and the right to receive a prompt response.
The main obligations of the customer:
- Be in possession of a duly stamped travel document;
- Occupy one seat only;
- Do not soil or damage the vessels;
- Respect the smoking ban on board vessels;
- Do not occupy the seats reserved for the elderly, disabled, or pregnant women;
- Do not disturb other travellers;
- Do not carry harmful or otherwise dangerous objects on board;
- Do not misuse alarm signals or any emergency devices;
- Do not otherwise compromise travel safety and service levels.
IV. Relations with users, complaints and refunds
To request information on the services offered by the Shipping Company or to submit complaints regarding service quality, customers can:
- go in person to the Company’s offices Info Point, open from 09:00 am to 13:30 pm and from 14:30 pm to 18:00 at the address indicated below:
Caronte & Tourist S.p.A.
Viale della Libertà - Rada San Francesco, - 98121 – Messina; - call the Company’s Call Centre on +39 090 57 37
- write an email to reclami@carontetourist.it or servizioclienti@carontetourist.it
- send a fax to +39 090 51422
- fill in the specific “complaints” form in the “services” section on our website www.carontetourist.it.
Caronte & Tourist S.p.A. undertakes to respond to complaints submitted by customers by the following deadlines: maximum 24 hours for an initial response and 7 working days for a definitive response.
For information requests, an initial response is provided within a maximum of 24 hours and the final response within a maximum of 2 working days. For refund requests, an initial response is provided within a maximum of 24 hours and the final response within a maximum of 7 working days.
Passenger rights are protected by Regulation (EU) No. 1177/2010 and the General Conditions of Carriage. These documents are available on the company website on the passenger rights page, on the ships, at each ticket office and at the Info Points.
Messina, 15/06/2022