French sites, additional charges

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roger7

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I have just left an ACSI site in Bressuire. The owners extra charges for using an air conditioner or charging an electric car was 10 euros per day.
Is this a sign of things to come?
 
We've found in France that local tourist taxes and environmental taxes are frequently added to the ACSI rate. In one or two cases, it could inflate the ACSI rate by as much as 25%. Whereas, never had that in Spain, for example.

When you say, 'using an air conditioner', I'm presuming you're referring to your own on-board habitation air conditioning?

We used a lot of Spanish sites over the winter and quite a few had metered electric, and in the case of ACSI there would be a daily allowance included of - say 4kw - then an extra charge per kw for consumption over that amount eg 40 euro cents (but the figure varied from site to site). I don't think we had to pay extra anywhere and managed comfortably on 4kw. There were some ACSI sites that were not metered, however.
 
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I don't think that charging an extra fee for electricity is unfair when it is being used for items which are over and above what would be considered normal usage.

Why do you think it is unreasonable?
 
Southdowners said:
I don't think that charging an extra fee for electricity is unfair when it is being used for items which are over and above what would be considered normal usage.

Why do you think it is unreasonable?
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as far as we have found , you always have to pay for electric, why not? get yourself a decent solar system and get to free aires, solved at a stroke(y)
 
roger7 said:
I have just left an ACSI site in Bressuire. The owners extra charges for using an air conditioner or charging an electric car was 10 euros per day.
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From the ACSI site terms on electricty:

Electricity: connection of max. 6A.
Consumption to a max. of 4 kWh per day

Guess if they thought you were using more it seems resonable to make an additional charge, though how it's been calculated and quantified would be an interesting discussion. Did you ask them?

We've never been charged extra over the ACSI rate in all the times we've stayed on a campsite in France.

Mick

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chaser said:
as far as we have found , you always have to pay for electric, why not? get yourself a decent solar system and get to free aires, solved at a stroke(y)
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So it sounds as though you may not be closely familiar with the operation of the ACSI discount scheme - the rate includes electricity!

So from page 26 of the 2019 ACSI guidebook:

"A connection of maximum 6A or a consumption of maximum 4kw per day is included in the CampingCard ACSI rate. When a campsite only has pitches with a lower amperage, this lower amperage will apply. If you use excess, for example 5kWh, it is possible that you might have to pay extra".

(edited to add tuscancouple beat me to it! ;))
 
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Southdowners said:
Yes, but their rates will have been calculated to include 'normal' usage.

I don't understand why the OP would expect to re-charge his electric car and run air-con without additional charge.
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Indeed, it is just a case of checking what is included, as highlighted in my previous post.

However, it sounds as though the OP might have stayed at a site that does not have metered electricity, so the owner has decided on flat-rate charges for 'extra' electricity.
 
mikebeaches said:
So it sounds as though you may not be closely familiar with the operation of the ACSI discount scheme - the rate includes electricity!

So from page 26 of the 2019 ACSI guidebook:

"A connection of maximum 6A or a consumption of maximum 4kw per day is included in the CampingCard ACSI rate. When a campsite only has pitches with a lower amperage, this lower amperage will apply. If you use excess, for example 5kWh, it is possible that you might have to pay extra".

(edited to add tuscancouple beat me to it! ;))
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ok i give up on that one , know nowt about acsi or any other sites , just going on normal aire pricing:) we did have acsi one year when starting out but found we could get just as good discounts by just turning up and now stick to aires or france passion .
 
roger7 said:
I have just left an ACSI site in Bressuire. The owners extra charges for using an air conditioner or charging an electric car was 10 euros per day.
Is this a sign of things to come?
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Hopefully, it might help cut down people wasting electricity.

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I only posted the question as I had not seen this charge posted at any other site we have been on. Its not an unreasonable extra cost and something that may be more common with global warming making some PVCs very hot and uncomfortable. Roof ac units may be a desirable extra!!
 
I just wonder how the site owner knows you've been using your air-con? We've got air-con fitted but it is very rarely used when we are hooked up, however it can be seen from ground level.

Generally we don't bother with electricity unless it's included in the price, and avoid metered sites like the plague!
 
mikebeaches said:
We've found in France that local tourist taxes and environmental taxes are frequently added to the ACSI rate. In one or two cases, it could inflate the ACSI rate by as much as 25%. Whereas, never had that in Spain, for example.

When you say, 'using an air conditioner', I'm presuming you're referring to your own on-board habitation air conditioning?

We used a lot of Spanish sites over the winter and quite a few had metered electric, and in the case of ACSI there would be a daily allowance included of - say 4kw - then an extra charge per kw for consumption over that amount eg 40 euro cents (but the figure varied from site to site). I don't think we had to pay extra anywhere and managed comfortably on 4kw. There were some ACSI sites that were not metered, however.
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We travel widely in France and have never had to pay more than €0.30 per person per night for tourist tax. Even allowing for an environmental tax, which we have not come across as yet, a 25% mark up seems excessive.

The site owners have to collect the taxes and pass them on to local authorities. They don’t like the extra taxes as they make more work for them and artificially inflate their site charges, hence showing them separately.

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maison said:
We travel widely in France and have never had to pay more than €0.30 per person per night for tourist tax. Even allowing for an environmental tax, which we have not come across as yet, a 25% mark up seems excessive.

The site owners have to collect the taxes and pass them on to local authorities. They don’t like the extra taxes as they make more work for them and artificially inflate their site charges, hence showing them separately.
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On reflection, perhaps 25% is excessive.

One site that we stayed at in the middle of France, that comes to mind - Domaine de la Gagere - charges as follows:

Tourist tax: 0.61 pp from 12 years and Environmental tax: up to 12 years € 0.25 and from 12 years. € 0.50 pppd. So for two adults a daily additional €2.22 on top of the ACSI rate.

When we stayed for ten days, the charge of €22.20 came as an unexpected extra on top of the ACSI price.

To be fair to ACSI, it does say in the small print general terms and conditions that - Tourist taxes, environmental charges or local authority requirements are not included in the CampingCard ACSI rate.

And, on the one hand, I don't disagree that the site owners will be less than happy about acting as unpaid tax collectors. Equally, one wonders where the 'add-ons' might stop - VAT, a charge to go towards the local business rates; or maybe a contribution towards the equivalent of corporation tax... ;)

We encountered quite high 'extra' charges at a couple of Austrian sites we stayed at also, whereas at others there were no extras - the ACSI rate was inclusive. And as I'd said previously, in our experience, always fully inclusive in Spain, apart from any additional electricity consumption. :)
 
mikebeaches said:
On reflection, perhaps 25% is excessive.

One site that we stayed at in the middle of France, that comes to mind - Domaine de la Gagere - charges as follows:

Tourist tax: 0.61 pp from 12 years and Environmental tax: up to 12 years € 0.25 and from 12 years. € 0.50 pppd. So for two adults a daily additional €2.22 on top of the ACSI rate.

When we stayed for ten days, the charge of €22.20 came as an unexpected extra on top of the ACSI price.

To be fair to ACSI, it does say in the small print general terms and conditions that - Tourist taxes, environmental charges or local authority requirements are not included in the CampingCard ACSI rate.

And, on the one hand, I don't disagree that the site owners will be less than happy about acting as unpaid tax collectors. Equally, one wonders where the 'add-ons' might stop - VAT, a charge to go towards the local business rates; or maybe a contribution towards the equivalent of corporation tax... ;)

We encountered quite high 'extra' charges at a couple of Austrian sites we stayed at also, whereas at others there were no extras - the ACSI rate was inclusive. And as I'd said previously, in our experience, always fully inclusive in Spain, apart from any additional electricity consumption. :)
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I fear the “environmental “ tax may become the norm. Mr Macron will have to make up for the lost tax revenue now that he has abandoned further fuel excise increases in the face of civil unrest. Taxes on tourists will be more palatable to the French population than taxes on themselves.
 
Over the past 3 years we have stayed at a number of sites in France, Spain and Portugal. In that time we have only once encountered metered electricity. On all other sites our usage has been controlled by availability, often just 4 amps. If/when you try to use more the lights go out.

As for tourist tax in France it seems to vary from town to town not just dept to dept.

Someone has to pay taxes, better you than me.
 
Lot lover said:
Over the past 3 years we have stayed at a number of sites in France, Spain and Portugal. In that time we have only once encountered metered electricity. On all other sites our usage has been controlled by availability, often just 4 amps. If/when you try to use more the lights go out.

As for tourist tax in France it seems to vary from town to town not just dept to dept.

Someone has to pay taxes, better you than me.
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I think the Taxe de Sejour also depends on the star rating of the individual sites.
 
A quick skim through the campingcarpark.com site, most places on their are quoting €0.50 per person per night tourist tax. We've used a few and find them quite good but you need to keep the card topped up.

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I can’t believe people are still visiting France.
 
Over the last 3/4 years where we've used ACSI, we've paid €1.00 above the printed cost. €17.00 becomes €18, €19 becomes €20. Last year we went back to Ginnes and for the €19 + €1.00, we got a premium pitch but no access to the freezer in the shed (no use for it anyway). To be fair, great bargain at a lovely site.
 
EX51SSS said:
Would you class yourself as that if you had a big lottery win?
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Not foolish enough to live in France I don’t think.

But foolish yes.
 
What I dont get from some of the posts is this "normal usage" argument if you have a daily allowance of 4kW or whatever. How you use that and or pay for additional kW used surely is your choice. If you fill up with fuel for your van does the garage say if you use this fuel to go over 40mph we want an extra 10p per litre?
 
sallylillian said:
What I dont get from some of the posts is this "normal usage" argument if you have a daily allowance of 4kW or whatever. How you use that and or pay for additional kW used surely is your choice. If you fill up with fuel for your van does the garage say if you use this fuel to go over 40mph we want an extra 10p per litre?
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Very few sites in France have metered electricity so the only way to limit consumption is by restricting the amperage, a lot of sites now having more than the 6 amp ACSI level.

Having seen heaters left on in awnings and a/c on with doors and windows open I am surprised that some action like this has not been taken before now.
 
Thank you @matamoros - now I understand why I don't understand

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