Booking in the UK is so complex (1 Viewer)

ShiftZZ

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Ok, Mrs ShiftZZ and I am mean and when we look at the fees proposed by campsites, no wonder, we are confused.

Pitch charge charge per person, extra person charge, awning charge, EHU 6A change, EHU 6.27666 A charge, facing south charge, child charge, child wearing pink charge, extra charge of pink is Barbie Pink.
If van not make on a Wednesday charge...

Why cant they have a simple charge, say £6.00, EHU extra,. thats it


Why so complex?

Are they just greedy?

No wonder I prefer going to France...
 

Welsh girl

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I get annoyed at all the extra charges it certainly puts the fee per night up and I hate dogs being charged for, what services do they use? the worst I have encountered is Haven at £3 a night for dogs, with Susie being only 3.5 kilo she rarely goes out and extra people being charged for and visitors being charged for i could go on....
 
Apr 27, 2008
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Just a way of trying to hide the real cost;

Extra for an awning, extra for a car. These site owners must model themselves on the innkeeper in Les Miserables 'extra for the mice, extra for the lice etc.:Sad:

I don't like to stay on sites in the UK at all if I can avoid it.

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scotjimland

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Why cant they have a simple charge, say £6.00, EHU extra,. thats it

like Marjal .. :roflmto:


Not used many French sites per se, but those I have, had a price menu .. even the municipals.

Also, is it fair a family of four or more should be the same price as a couple .. ?

Some charges do seem a bit OTT, but at the end of the day, a site is a business run to make a profit. They will set the price as high as the market will stand ..
 

Chris65

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Hi Scotjimland, I agree with you about the family/couple thing because they will use the showers toilets extra electric etc but I too do not agree with the dogs. Whilst I have been looking for this weekend for 2 nights I found a site charging 3 pound a dog, for me thats an extra 18 pound over the two nights :whatthe:, thats ridiculous, what services do they use? Maybe a little water :Angry:
 
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Apr 27, 2008
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Most French sites do charge for the unit and the people as separate items, which is good with just two of us, though I grumbled a bit when there were 5 of us. Mind you one of my boys used to have a shower six times a day if it was hot so got our moneys worth for him.

I like EHU charges to be separate, then I don't have it, but usually use ACSI where it is included so use it, even if its only for the fridge.

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rainbow chasers

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With you all on that one! It is one of my bugbears, and I do try to avoid campsites with that style of booking policy and pricing - it looks greeding, and as if it is designed to deceive...When you are away from it all, you don't want to have to read small print, or think that the owner thinks you are dim enough to rip off just becase you on on holiday. You just want a price and a pitch.

It seems to be the cubs are all going that way to suggest you can save with them. Yes pitches from £4 does look enticing, until you join, get the book and discover that it is for one person, the van they are sleeping in, the person they married, the kids, dog and grandma are all extra, so you end up paying £40 a night.....greed like this will kill camping in this financial climate.
 

scotjimland

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I have been looking for this weekend for 2 nights I found a site charging 3 pound a dog, for me thats an extra 18 pound over the two nights :whatthe:, thats ridiculous, what services do they use? Maybe a little water :Angry:

Yes indeed,

charging for dogs has always been contentious .. we have two, and personally wouldn't patronise a site that was charging that amount ..

I think a small charge is in order, dogs don't use showers etc, but the site usually has a dog bin to service, and while most owners are careful and clean up.. I'm afraid , some don't . Bad dog owners like bad parents get all a bad name..
 

beachcaster

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I think quiet dogs should be discounted...and the noisy ones should be charged double !
And owners who dont pick up thier dogs doos........should be made to eat it !


barry

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Chris65

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The last site we stayed on charged 2 pound per dog per night, which we paid for one night. We tethered our three outside the van for breakfast and cleaned up after them. On the same site was a family who allowed their dog to run free even though sheep grazed in the field and their kids were running free as well causing havoc. They kept encouraging their dog to come to ours which made ours bark. I know their on holiday but you should still keep an eye on them. And I had dog doo on my pitch as well!!! Its just as you say it gives responsible owners/parents a bad name.
 
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Also, is it fair a family of four or more should be the same price as a couple .. ?

Or a single. I'm getting a bit fed up of checking out people's recommendations for sites only to find that they expect me to pay the same as a family.

If it's the middle of the summer holidays and I might be taking up a pitch that they would be certain to fill otherwise then fine....I tend to avoid such sites at that time of year anyway. But some of the off-peak rates I've been looking at this year are ridiculous...and then they expect extra for EHU. The CLs/independent sites seem to be the worst.

I vote for charge per person and let me pick EHU or not....hang on, didn't we do a poll on this last year?

Some charges do seem a bit OTT, but at the end of the day, a site is a business run to make a profit. They will set the price as high as the market will stand ..
And sometimes they push it too far. There was one site (a pub) I contacted a couple of years ago after reading an old review in a magazine, which had doubled its price in the meantime :Angry: I've just spotted that it's in the Brit Stops booklet, so technically you can stay for free :RollEyes: Perhaps I wasn't the only one who looked elsewhere?
 

Heyupluv

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Ok, Mrs ShiftZZ and I am mean and when we look at the fees proposed by campsites, no wonder, we are confused.

Pitch charge charge per person, extra person charge, awning charge, EHU 6A change, EHU 6.27666 A charge, facing south charge, child charge, child wearing pink charge, extra charge of pink is Barbie Pink.
If van not make on a Wednesday charge...

Why cant they have a simple charge, say £6.00, EHU extra,. thats it


Why so complex?....To Confuse you

Are they just greedy? YES

No wonder I prefer going to France...
.....:RollEyes: NOW your Talking:thumb:

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Mar 2, 2011
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Why cant they have a simple charge, say £6.00, EHU extra,. thats it


Why so complex?

Are they just greedy?

...

=====







Around a year ago while checking online , we came across a UK site who charged customers for having day visitors ( from outwith the site ) to their pitch.Something like £1 per visitor. Greed in that case , pure and simple.

Dogs ,,,,, we"re not dog owners , but certainly not anti dog . If a site has a designated dog walk area and waste bins etc then its surely only fair that there should be a small charge for area usage ,to cover area maintenance ..... But definitely not the £3 per dog per day figures shown on this thread. That does come across as greedy .

Charges for awnings ,,,, Never understood that one , as the awning is all contained within the designated and paid for pitch , what extra resources are being utilised by the paying customer , especially if no EHU ? .... Greed on this one .

Charge per person ,, I think thats fair. It seems ridiculous that a group of say 4 or 5 should pay the same as a single person . Especially if the charge includes EHU and use of showeres , toilets etc .

Best simple charging model ... I opt for per person and choice of EHU or not ...... Also EHU metered ? might stop the outrageuos electric use sometimes seen.Every appliance on the planet going full tilt night and day .
 
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Why cant they have a simple charge, say £6.00, EHU extra,. thats it


Why so complex?

Are they just greedy?

...

=====









Dogs ,,,,, we"re not dog owners , but certainly not anti dog . If a site has a designated dog walk area and waste bins etc then its surely only fair that there should be a small charge for area usage ,to cover area maintenance ..... But definitely not the £3 per dog per day figures shown on this thread. That does come across as greedy .

Charges for awnings ,,,, Never understood that one , as the awning is all contained within the designated and paid for pitch , what extra resources are being utilised by the paying customer , especially if no EHU ? .... Greed on this one .

Charge per person ,,,,, I think thats fair. It seems ridiculous that a group of say 4 or 5 should pay the same as a single person . Especially if the charge includes EHU and use of showeres , toilets etc .

Best simple charging model ... I opt for ,,,, per person and choice of EHU or not ...... Also EHU metered ? might stop the outrageuos electric use sometimes seen.Every appliance on the planet going full tilt night and day .
 

madbluemad

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I get annoyed at all the extra charges it certainly puts the fee per night up and I hate dogs being charged for, what services do they use? the worst I have encountered is Haven at £3 a night for dogs, with Susie being only 3.5 kilo she rarely goes out and extra people being charged for and visitors being charged for i could go on....

Any site that charges for a dog, we don't go too. Simple.
Jim
:Smile:

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OP
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ShiftZZ

ShiftZZ

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I thought it was just us, all we want is a small (children free i.e. adult only) site, no EHU, just a 'dump le poo poo', water and thats it.

Happy to pay say £10, but the rest of it is sheer nonsense.
 
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Yes, the UK is a rip off with nearly everything. I was always assured the Caravan Club and the C&CC were for the members but there balance sheets keep on rising with no benefits coming back to the members. They also cater for caravans in more ways than motorhomes. I know they put a motorhome point in place but these are mostly useless and to small. Even when they build new sites little thought goes into our needs as motorhomers. My main gripe with most sites is the lack of clarity as to bus services in there promotions. They always push environmental issues but we all see towcars running on and off site continuously, do motorhomes?
Cant' wait to go over the water and away from all this officialism.
 

scotjimland

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so you end up paying £40 a night.....greed like this will kill camping in this financial climate.

I don't think so..

don't have figures to hand but I think you'll find that camping, in all it's forms, is on the increase.. mainly due to the credit squeeze and families looking for cheaper holiday alternatives.. so, demand will rise pushing prices even higher..

despite an increase in fees, our friends with the CL had one of there busiest seasons last year and when I called about booking a week in Easter they were fully booked all through and beyond the school holidays ..

even at £40 per night it's a lot cheaper than a hotel or B&B for a family.

their prices have increased since 2008 from £8 per night inc. of 16A EHU .. to £10 + Metered EHU .. they put meters in due to abuse of leccy resulting in them having a bill that would have made your eyes water..

The days of a cheap CL with leccy are all but gone..the days of camping in a farmers field for 1/- per night are long gone.. .. it is now big business.

even at £40 per night, it's still cheaper than a Hotel, B&B or rented flat for a family of four.

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Jan 4, 2012
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Most sites i visit now seem to have multi million pound building work going on ,pools,bungalows,ect.
I must be in the wrong line of work!
I find, don`t tell them who`s in my m/h--they don`t seem to come looking!!!!:Eeek:
 

madbluemad

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I find, don`t tell them who`s in my m/h--they don`t seem to come looking!!!!:Eeek:

We found a lot of that last year in France and Spain and I do mean a lot. I'm not sure that I agree with it.
Jim

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madbluemad

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even at £40 per night, it's still cheaper than a Hotel, B&B or rented flat for a family of four.

Thats true, but. As you well know, motor-homing isn't cheap. Cost of buying mh/rv, tax, Insurance, Petrol, and on and on we go. It would be interesting to cost out a family of 4 on a years none motor-homing holiday as opposed to a motor-homing holiday.

Obviousley those costs will be different from me and her who are retired as opposed to the family of four, probably still working with two kids.
Jim
:Smile:

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scotjimland

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Some years ago.. early 1990s, we stayed on this French site..

One of the few French sites we have used, it's a great site with a swimming pool, shop and cafe.. but look at the cost ..

2 adults + 1 child + 2 x dogs with 10A EHU in high high season = €42.08 per night

€589.12 for a two week holiday ..

this is quite typical of prices for commercial sites in France .. and how the price per night is worked out.

http://www.logis-du-breuil.com/411-tarifs-2012.html
 

Peter JohnsCross MH

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Blimey, biggles has gone 'camping'


Nope customer facility, its not posh, park in the entrance with water and hookup and good pub 200 yards up the road, Johns Cross Inn (nowt to do with me!)

The John's Cross Inn - Sussex Country Pub - Home

www.johnscrossinn.com/

Peter
 

dylan

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I have to stick up for the CS/CL owners again. We have been here before. I am not greedy, we stick to one price for pitch with EHU with NO EXTRAS. One price for a pitch with no EHU with no extras. Bring extra cars, people, dogs, whatever ! Its what I believe in. We do have overheads especially a hefty insurance as we have a deep lake. We know we aren't ever going to be rich on a five van site but thats not why we do it.
Rant over, :swear: I thank you ! :Smile:

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Jan 4, 2012
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I have found it to be a lot cheaper than a hotel with kids.
One uner 5 and one 2 means lots of the usuall gear that has to go with them and our bag/s.
Having to lug bags in and out of a hotel, kids running riot in a room (made for 2) disconnect phone .hairdryer ect, and place up high.
They wont eat their breakfast and i have to pay £100 per night ,then home squashed in a car.
Now, eveything we want is on board our m/h ,food/clothes and freedom to run in the country for £10 to £20 per night, wish i done this years ago!
France next:thumb:
 

eddie

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To all that say " I won't use a service that does this or does that" Goodbye!

We don't want people with belligerent attitudes and closed minds. It is the final price that is surely the most important thing, not how it is made up.

If you have a fixed pitch price then the people without dogs, complain that they're paying the same as that family with a dog.

The people that don't have children don't want to pay the same per night as that family with all those children.

The people that don't put up an awning, complain that they have to pay the same as those that do

In essence a fair basic pitch price, and then charge for the additional things or people that will use the resources of the campsite.

It is how much you actually pay that is relevant in my opinion. Also all this nonsense about France, I would imagine that there is, as a high a proportion of sites that charge piecemeal on the Continent, as sites that allocate you a pitch and let you get on with it. Certainly all the sites that we looked at for our holiday in France this year and those we stayed on in Spain last year did.

We are a small site that came 1st runner up in the Best Motorhome site in the Alan Rogers guide out of 2800 sites visited in 13 Countries last year and we charge £14 a night and a flat rate of £1.00 for a dog.

This of course makes a grand total of £15 a night so if anyone say's I'll never darken your campsite as you charge for dogs a compromise: Phone and use this code "wontpayforMypal" and you will get a "special rate" of only £16 a night with no charge for a dog!:thumb:

Eddie
 

Heyupluv

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I thought it was just us, all we want is a small (children free i.e. adult only) site, no EHU, just a 'dump le poo poo', water and thats it.

Happy to pay say £10, but the rest of it is sheer nonsense.


WHAT!!!!.....your "Happy to pay say £10,":Eeek::Doh::Doh:...Dave have you gone MAD.....Sithie old lad cum ower to France.....I hope Mrs shiftzz has put a poultice on it....

Mel:thumb:

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