A BC Ferries passenger said he was left confused and missed his sailing after a recent experience returning home from a Christmas visit with his mom.
Edward Thomas, along with his two children, boarded a ferry in Langdale, B.C., and landed in Horseshoe Bay.
He says he purchased his next tickets to Nanaimo in the Horseshoe Bay gift shop as they were tight for time to make the next sailing.
“We got aggressively approached by a BC Ferry employee, first of all, accusing us of not having tickets,” Thomas said.
He added that they had tickets, which he said confused the employee, but after he showed her the tickets, that is when she started asking about his luggage.
“It was really bizarre. I just told her what was in there,” Thomas said. “You know, there’s nothing … weird. It was just the gifts and that.
“And then she accused us of using the ferries as a courier service. And I’m not quite sure what that meant.”
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Thomas said he had no idea why she was asking him that but as a result of the delay they missed that sailing and had to wait for the next one.
In a statement, BC Ferries said it cannot share details regarding specific customer incidents due to privacy reasons but it said staff work hard to follow and uphold safety and security protocols.
“For the security of all, BC Ferries requires passengers to travel on the same sailing as their checked bags, in alignment with our baggage policy,” the company said.
“This policy ensures luggage is properly accounted for, accompanies its owner, and minimizes risks, in keeping with industry best practices. Unfortunately, there have been instances where individuals have entered terminals, dropped off items, and left, presumably for someone else to collect at the destination – this is not permitted.
“To address this, at some terminals, including Horseshoe Bay, our team may confirm ticketing details to ensure baggage matches the intended destination, particularly when tickets are purchased onboard or at a location other than the terminal.”
The company said in this case, staff followed standard protocols and no security personnel were involved.
However, it did recognize that these situations can be challenging for both customers and staff.
Thomas said he just wanted to make it home with his kids.
“It’s kind of weird being stopped and checked by security in front of your kids, in front of just being in public in general,” he said.
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