Caravan Club Wifi ... rip off ? (1 Viewer)

scotjimland

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Well, that's my opinion anyway ...

"We had Wi-Fi a number of years ago on certain sites; however, we found that the members thought that it was a little bit too expensive and we didn't have coverage throughout the entire site," he explained.

With a new provider signed up this year though, the uptake has been much more enthusiastic, as younger visitors are kept amused during the evenings and older caravanners can plan their day trips with ease.


Caravan Club Wi-Fi prices start at £5 for five hours, but the more you use the cheaper it gets, with 20 hours charged at just £15 and 100 hours priced at £40.
 

laneside

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Yes those are the prices as at today at Clumber Park and never assume you will get a decent connection and nor will you get a refund from the site office. Afraid the CC club is like many more organisations----too big for its own boots and too full of its own self importance to be of benefit fot its members.
 

GJH

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The Caravan Club, whether with the previous or new provider, have only ever been resellers of commercial products. As such they are governed by what is on the market which is available to resell. Where could they (legally) obtain a cheaper product to enable lower prices?

If they were to offer WiFi free (i.e. as part of the pitch price) then non-users would pay to subsidise heavy users and the same debates would occur as with a standard charge for electricity. Whilst customers of the likes of McDonalds & Wetherspoons might be happy to pay such a subsidy, would CC members?

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hilldweller

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We've found incredible differences across Europe.

€1 = 1 hour, can log off.

€5 = 24 hours continuous.

€3 = 1 day.

€1 = 30 mins.

No logic to it, just think of a number and charge it.

One site I could not even get it to work and with language difficulties I just gave up.

This explains how quiet hilldweller has been for the last month.
 

JeanLuc

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What a Joke! Unfortunately this seems to be another indication that the CC is living in the dark ages.

Stayed at the municipal site in Beaune during September, where WiFi was included in the pitch price (which was a lot cheaper than CC or C&CC sites I might add).
 
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scotjimland

scotjimland

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The Caravan Club, whether with the previous or new provider, have only ever been resellers of commercial products. As such they are governed by what is on the market which is available to resell. Where could they (legally) obtain a cheaper product to enable lower prices?

If they were to offer WiFi free (i.e. as part of the pitch price) then non-users would pay to subsidise heavy users and the same debates would occur as with a standard charge for electricity. Whilst customers of the likes of McDonalds & Wetherspoons might be happy to pay such a subsidy, would CC members?

I don't expect to get it for free nor expect it to be subsidised by non or low users (unlike leccy charges), nor am I an accountant but looking at this balance sheet, year ending Dec 2007 they don't look skint to me ....

SURPLUS FOR FINANCIAL YEAR
AFTER TAXATION £7,158,000

Broken Link Removed

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Have you stayed in a hotel recently? They are all on the gravy train their internet connections must be bringing in more revenue than their restaurants do. What you need is a reality check.:winky:
 

johnp10

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Have you stayed in a hotel recently? They are all on the gravy train their internet connections must be bringing in more revenue than their restaurants do. What you need is a reality check.:winky:


I last stayed in Hotels last summer, in the midlands. WiFi was "free". (Included in the price in reality).
I can imagine it would be a separate revenue stream in places where it is charged in addition to normal costs.
 

callumwa

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They will charge what they think they can get away with.:Eeek: They just see it as another cash cow instead of a service which would enhance their sites. If enough are willing to stump up at these prices nothing much will change.
If most do not, they will either withdraw it or they will cut the charges.

WiFi is not a particularly expensive thing to set up or to run, especially if the site already has a computer which is connected.Even if they just have it in the clubhouse/bar or at reception at least you can check your e-mails.

WiFi virtually everywhere will in time become the norm, and at no cost or at only a minimal amounts. It's just a matter of time. It's happening in many places here and around the world already.:thumb:

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geoff1947

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Wi Fi

Just back from France and some ACSI sites provide the service free If they charge I don't use it! It's called choice and to be fair I don't need it unless I want to book the return ferry:thumb: I'm on holiday so why tie yourself to a PC
 
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I last stayed in Hotels last summer, in the midlands. WiFi was "free". (Included in the price in reality).
I can imagine it would be a separate revenue stream in places where it is charged in addition to normal costs.
I've stayed in a number this year between £12 and £20 a night seems the norm. For a crap service.:cry:
 
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scotjimland

scotjimland

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Have you stayed in a hotel recently? They are all on the gravy train their internet connections must be bringing in more revenue than their restaurants do.[HI] What you need is a reality check.[/HI]:winky:

as it happens I stayed at a Holiday Inn in May .. it was free ... but then again does the Holiday Inn qualify as a hotel .. ? what a dump ... and that is fact, not opinion.

no need to be offensive mr buttons

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Chris

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I am in the Premier Travel Inn at Newmarket drinking as I type this on free wifi.:thumb:

The CC are con merchants. Half the time their server is down.
 
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as it happens I stayed at a Holiday Inn in May .. it was free ... but then again does the Holiday Inn qualify as a hotel .. ? what a dump ... and that is fact, not opinion.

no need to be offensive mr buttons

Apologies Jim that doesn’t sound like me, I stayed 2 weeks ago in a Premier Inn just north of your good self. Room £67 internet £12 I could accept this as a reasonable profit if it had not been the catch. They only allow one connection for that price. I connected my phone when I arrived then had to pay another £12 for my laptop. Disappointing as I had more than enough gadgets to get on line. However, the signal was such a load of tosh in Norfolk/Suffolk that nothing would connect.
 

beachcaster

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I last stayed in Hotels last summer, in the midlands. WiFi was "free". (Included in the price in reality).
I can imagine it would be a separate revenue stream in places where it is charged in addition to normal costs.

We staying in a hotel in Spain this year.......it was 5 euros for 7 days.
24 x 7 not bad I thought.
 

Stephen & Jeannie

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Bah Humbug !!

I will not be renewing my CC membership next year ! The CC&C prices (especially the age concession for wrinklies) are far cheaper !
At the moment I am on their Cranberry moss site in between Shrewsbury and Oswestry!
Just less than £9 per night with FREE wi-fi ! Suck on that CC !!! :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 

GJH

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(snip)they don't look skint to me .... (snip)

Quite right, Jim, they aren't skint. At the same time, though, they are a big business. The CC might have the word Club in its name but that is no reason to expect that it should not be run as efficiently as any other business of comparable size.

(snip)
WiFi is not a particularly expensive thing to set up or to run, especially if the site already has a computer which is connected.Even if they just have it in the clubhouse/bar or at reception at least you can check your e-mails.(snip)

The hardware on site certainly isn't expensive. What generates the charge is the commercial rate of the service provider for which the CC (in this case) is a reseller. As others have pointed out, these services (which are totally different from the domestic services we are used to at home) are expensive wherever they are provided.

We used CC WiFi at a couple of sites in 2007 and then found it more cost effective for our usage to enter into a contract for a mobile dongle. Other people will have different usage patterns and will find it more cost effective to use hotel/site WiFi.

At least with the CC, usage of other methods is not blocked. We stayed a night at a Holiday Inn about a year ago and found that mobile phone signals inside the building were blocked so guests couldn't use a dongle and were forced to pay for the hotel WiFi if they couldn't do without Internet access.

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callumwa

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Even the hotels we stayed in last month in Manila, Philippines, had free Wi-fi and had a couple of antenna / routers on every floor as you picked about six or 8 up when you looked for the hotel network.

Most of the camp sites we stayed on in France in August / September had free Wi-fi.

Many pubs offer it now, including small independents like my brother's pub in Devon.

There are those who will keep trying to fleece us, but it's a gravy train which is on the way out.

Perhaps though it should more accurately be described as "wi-fi without additional charges".:thumb:
 

johnp10

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I've stayed in a number this year between £12 and £20 a night seems the norm. For a crap service.:cry:

Per night?...Jeez!
Robbing gits.

We staying in a hotel in Spain this year.......it was 5 euros for 7 days.
24 x 7 not bad I thought.

Not bad at all.

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Chris

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Apologies Jim that doesn’t sound like me, I stayed 2 weeks ago in a Premier Inn just north of your good self. Room £67 internet £12 I could accept this as a reasonable profit if it had not been the catch. They only allow one connection for that price. I connected my phone when I arrived then had to pay another £12 for my laptop. Disappointing as I had more than enough gadgets to get on line. However, the signal was such a load of tosh in Norfolk/Suffolk that nothing would connect.

Premier Inns seem to vary. The standard is £5 a day I think bit the promotion I am on is free.:thumb:

Also first beer full price , second half price. Reasonable base prices as well.

nice TV for the rugby in the morning as well:thumb:
 
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Premier Inns seem to vary. The standard is £5 a day I think bit the promotion I am on is free.:thumb:

Also first beer full price , second half price. Reasonable base prices as well.

nice TV for the rugby in the morning as well:thumb:

I've stayed in a few Premier Inns they are good value with ok facilities, they normally have a pub or restaurant in the grounds with decent food and they do dinner and breakfast for £22. This internet thing has left a bad taste, pitty.
 

rainbow chasers

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Problem with 'free' wifi zones its, that they want you to sign up and sell your details to every spamming sales company going to cover the cost of the service.

It may be worth (subject to how long/where you go away to etc) of looking into two way satellite broadband, as although effected by rain, is available abolutely anywhere and costs the same per month as a dongle.

I have yet to discuss its' merits with a long term user to see how they fair in use long term - they may be horribly flawed, they may be perfect!

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callumwa

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Problem with 'free' wifi zones its, that they want you to sign up and sell your details to every spamming sales company going to cover the cost of the service.

It may be worth (subject to how long/where you go away to etc) of looking into two way satellite broadband, as although effected by rain, is available abolutely anywhere and costs the same per month as a dongle.

I have yet to discuss its' merits with a long term user to see how they fair in use long term - they may be horribly flawed, they may be perfect!

if I log into a free wi-fi network which wants you to log your e-mail details before getting connected, I have a couple of e-mail addresses which I never actually use for e-mails. I also have spare msn and yahoo addresses for this purpose.

Most providers let you create several addresses. That way you stop any rubbish being sent to your "active" account.:Smile:
 
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scotjimland

scotjimland

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It may be worth (subject to how long/where you go away to etc) of looking into two way satellite broadband, as although effected by rain, is available abolutely anywhere and[HI] costs the same per month as a dongle.[/HI]

have you got details or a link ..

any I've looked at the monthly plan for data was expensive ..
 
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