Freeloading?

[g3cwi]

Twice this year I have noticed PVCs arrive on sites very late and leave very early. I wonder if they are paying?

One I saw caught out though. They arrived just before 11pm and tried to leave at 5am. Unfortunately when they drove in they didn’t notice the automatic barrier that closed at 11pm and only opened at 0730. I know they hadn’t booked as I had a chat to them.

Anyone else seen this?

 

[PeteH]

We once, many years ago, (BRV) (before R-V) saw a Motorhome pull onto a C-L late on and had gone by daybreak. The site owner did not know they had even been there!. It only came to light because I asked what one did If we had to leave early and had not settled up?

Have been on site, in the far distant past, where there was only an "Honesty Box". We used to seen the owner (Farmer) in the distance going about his normal business. "The times they are a changing"?.

 

[bobandjanie]

Is it only PVC's that carry these
manoeuvres in the dark.
On our second panel van conversion. Bob.

 

[Casper46]

It happens regularly on French Aires where a man comes round either tea time or early morning. It seems to be a French thing. We saw someone argue with the collector one evening, drive off the site and return half an hour later when the money collector had left. This was in Samur.

 

[Steve and Denise]

Is it only PVC's that carry these
manoeuvres in the dark.
On our second panel van conversion. Bob.

Yes Bob I came to see you at 6am but you had already left .

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[Richard n Ann]

If they're just getting thier head down for a few hours it should be free. They're not taking a space up someone else could use or using any facilities. Why not offer a friendly place to park for a few hours? They might come back later when they've got more time and pay.

 

[bobandjanie]

Yes Bob I came to see you at 6am but you had already left .

You should have said Steve, would have been good to catch up. Bob.

 

[Shrimp]

Very often see people arrive & leave after & before the money collector on French Aires and have seen the French argue about paying, probably why a lot of Aires are going over to barriers!
The CL we are on at present in UK had someone book in stay a few nights then leave without paying, that was naughty but owner hadn’t taken their club number.....if they had one!

 

[keithchesterfield2]

It's a common thing in France on the Aires that require a payment.

Motorhomes will arrive after dark and go as soon as daylight returns – they save themselves a few Euros and irritate the rest of us.

One example was the barrier fitted at Mailleraye-sur-Seine – French plated MH would arrive, see the barrier and turn round to go somewhere else.

Shortly after the barrier was fitted we were there, paid into the machine, and with another few British plated MH were the only ones on site – before the barrier was fitted it was usually full.

Honfleur is another 'prim'e arrive late and don't pay Aire – last year we were at the far end of the Aire and about ten o'clock eight Italian plated MH arrived and parked down the middle, didn't go near the pay machine and left early – saved themselves €11 each while the rest of us were daft enough to pay ......

 

[irnbru]

We recently arrived at a paid aire and despite the sign saying it was open until the end of Nov there was a chainlink fence stopping us entering so we just parked outside that area.

We never attempted to walk over and try the water or empty waste. Saw no one in the morning so we left without paying.

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[Enword]

What if they are like us travel until 10/11 at night the need to be away by 5 in the morning to get to our destination on time?

 

[Lenny HB]

What if they are like us travel until 10/11 at night the need to be away by 5 in the morning to get to our destination on time?

That is very anti social, so arrive late wake anyone up who has already gone to bed and then wake everyone up at 5 am. Suprised no one has thrown rocks at your van.

 

[keithchesterfield2]

What if they are like us travel until 10/11 at night the need to be away by 5 in the morning to get to our destination on time?

Many do that and as long as you pay that's okay by me.

It's the ones, like the Italian group I mentioned, that get up my wick and deserve any criticism going their way.

 

[PhilandMena]

Twice this year I have noticed PVCs arrive on sites very late and leave very early. I wonder if they are paying?

One I saw caught out though. They arrived just before 11pm and tried to leave at 5am. Unfortunately when they drove in they didn’t notice the automatic barrier that closed at 11pm and only opened at 0730. I know they hadn’t booked as I had a chat to them.

Anyone else seen this?

As a fully fledged FLT I can say with some authority this has been going on for years and in particular appears to be custom and practice with the French and we saw quite a few canny Germans doing this on some of the expensive Stellplats. Made me a bit Jealous to be honest.

 

[rod_vw]

We watched a French couple at SAINT-SEURIN-D'UZET go and sit down on the seats at the other side of the quay and wait for the money collector to come and go then return to their camping car all to save 8.5€ and that's an aire with all services available.

For those who know this aire the public toilets on the opposite side of the quay are now back in operation, they are not 'posh' but are open.

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[Enword]

That is very anti social, so arrive late wake anyone up who has already gone to bed and then wake everyone up at 5 am. Suprised no one has thrown rocks at your van.

We have never ever used an Aire or a site whilst traveling to meeting's, But traveling a long way with limited time we have to travel at awkward times, there is a strict curfew at most Circuits, just putting a different slant on things that people criticize & don't always understand the reasons not always but sometimes.

 

[Lenny HB]

We have never ever used an Aire or a site whilst traveling to meeting's, But traveling a long way with limited time we have to travel at awkward times, there is a strict curfew at most Circuits, just putting a different slant on things that people criticize & don't always understand the reasons not always but sometimes.

Not surprising the thread is about Aires so assumed you were refering to Aires.

 

[Enword]

I'm not defending people for not paying, but for people who use a MH as a tool, if there is no one to collect the money early in the morning what should they do?

 

[gus-lopez]

If they're just getting thier head down for a few hours it should be free. They're not taking a space up someone else could use or using any facilities. Why not offer a friendly place to park for a few hours? They might come back later when they've got more time and pay.

Because they will always take advantage.If you honestly believe that people would remember ,return & pay then I think it is rather a nieve view.

As @Enword 's post I use lay bys.

 

[gus-lopez]

The only private aire I use in France requires you to fill in form as to what you had/used & post it through the door of the barn , when the owner isn't there , which is most of the time.

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[Enword]

Because they will always take advantage.If you honestly believe that people would remember ,return & pay then I think it is rather a nieve view.

As @Enword 's post I use lay bys.

Then when some pass by they call us FLT

 

[Boringfrog]

@g3cwi what "sites" are you talking about?

 

[Lenny HB]

Then when some pass by they call us FLT

A badge to be worn with honor.

 

[JJ]

Professional, fulltime, FLTs would NEVER EVER leave an aire which required payment WITHOUT PAYING because they wouldn't dream of even approaching such a site in the first place...


JJ

 

[JJ]

Just wondering...

Would Our Blessed Leader (May his name be praised forever) consider making up some Funster FLT and PROUD badges?

I would buy one (if reasonably priced).


JJ

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[138go]

What if they are like us travel until 10/11 at night the need to be away by 5 in the morning to get to our destination on time?

Thought. Motorhoming was supposed to be enjoyable. Driving round at 11pm at night .. Grab 4 - 5 hours sleep and back on the road again by 5 am seems a very strange way to enjoy yourself.

 

[dabhand]

If you go to a site/aire that requires a payment and you don’t pay when there are clearly arrangements in place to pay, you are a thief, not a FLT or anything else, just dishonest! On a couple of occasions (in 30 years) I have been somewhere where I didn’t pay as there was no one to take the money and no where to leave it, genuinely. However, very recently, the local town car park was taken over by an encampment of gypsies, parking willy nilly taking up several spaces per unit and without paying, so I didn’t and left a notice in the windscreen saying why, good for the goose etc, Police and Counsel enforcers just went on by keeping a low profile and doing nothing.

 

[Boringfrog]

Just wondering...

Would Our Blessed Leader (May his name be praised forever) consider making up some Funster FLT and PROUD badges?

I would buy one (if reasonably priced).


JJ

Though about that just today....might try designing one later.

 

[Puddleduck]

If you go to a site/aire that requires a payment and you don’t pay when there are clearly arrangements in place to pay, you are a thief, not a FLT or anything else, just dishonest!

Well said.

We have been on CL / CS sites where there is an honesty jar, on one farm there was a lot of money in the jar and I put a note through the farm house door to alert them that they might want to empty it. I tend to put my money in an envelope with our van registration or membership number in case I need to prove payment. I never have but it could happen.

If we see the site owner we like to settle up before we site the van, it just gets things sorted and everyone can relax - actually on one of my favourite CLs they ask you to pay in advance (when you book) and that works for me as well. I am guessing they have been let down in the past with people booking and not turning up.

I understand that people might say "I am not using anything, why should I pay?" but the site owner will still have business rates (or local taxes) to pay and if everyone had that attitude then soon there would be no income and nothing with which to pay the rates.

 

[SpeedyDux]

On one French Municipal a teenage French lad and his girlfriend sneaked in after dark and put up their tent on the adjacent pitch. They got all dressed up and left for a night out in the town.

They were caught early next morning by the rather annoyed Warden before they could pack up. Ooops!

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