As I’ve already mentioned previously I’m currently doing a residency with FIKAR on Failaka. My biggest struggle with the whole thing is actually getting there with my car.
There are two companies that provide ferries to Failaka, Ikarus and Joan Al Kuwait. They have different schedules and I need to coordinate with Fikar on a date for my stay while also checking to see if there are ferries to the island that day. I was planning to go December 8 and come back December 9. I checked Joan Al Kuwait and they didn’t have return on the 9th, so I checked Ikarus and saw they had a trip on both days. Perfect, I booked my stay with FIKAR.
Ikarus has a schedule up where they basically have daily trips to Failaka… except it turns out they don’t. Twice now I’ve made my plans with FIKAR based on the timings of the Ikarus ferry but when I try to purchase the tickets I get told they don’t have any trips scheduled. It happened last month and it happened again this week.
Their schedule which I’ve shared in this post says they have a trip to Failaka going December 8 at 1:30PM, and they have one coming back December 9 at 4:15PM. When I went to their office to buy the tickets the lady is like we only have trips on the weekend. I’m like but your schedule says you have one every day? Her response was yes but that there weren’t enough people wanting to go to the island in the middle of the week. But I want to go and you’re telling me there are no trips and if someone else comes in and they want to go but you also tell them there are no trips so obviously you’re not gonna have enough people to fill up the boat if you tell everyone you don’t have trips. But also, why does your schedule say you have trips every day when that is not true?
I’m pretty pissed to the point I might call the consumer protection hotline and complain about this although not sure if this is something they’d care for? Maybe it falls under false advertising? Might be worth the shot.
3 replies on “Frustration with Ikarus Marine”
It falls under false advertising or else they could include a disclaimer at the bottom mentioning trips would be cancelled in the event of not having sufficient PAX for any particular trip.
Give it a shot with the Consumer Protection Hotline and let us know…
Well from what the employee told me they aren’t canceling the trip, the trip doesn’t exist to begin with, it only exists on their schedule.
Not going to the Island is not nearly as big a deal as being stuck on the island. These trips have to be regular and reliable and only ever cancelled due to weather.