Silly site prices. Off season and peak season

Not Mike replied on 28/02/2019 02:08

Not Mike

Posted on 28/02/2019 02:08

I have looked at the latest handbook to book a site. Prices are not clear ... There is no guidance, as there was in the past, as to off season / peak season pricing. Is all pricing now charged at peak season rates? Go online .. No mention of differential prices as you book.

So the only way I can find how much a site will cost is to go through the booking process, then I will get a price, then I can decide if I can afford it or not.

for Example

I looked at the Bladon Chains site ... Page 149. A bargain at "from £7.90 a night, for one adult and pitch. It's open from 01 March. I decided to book from 01 March ... Surely this is must be low season, my experience tells me that this is the case. But I wanted too book two adults, so I wonder how much this will cost?? Perhaps, at the very most, my wildest guess, at the most 2 X £7.90. Perhaps £16 a night. No it can't be that much ... The site has only just opened, so it must be off season. Proceed to book it £179.20 for 8 nights. £22.40 a night for 2 people!! There is no breakdown of the pricing on the email confirmation.

In the wildest imagination of consumer rip offs, "I could not believe it"! How can you get from £7.90 to £22.40 by adding one person. How do I find when I can go by myself for £7.90?

This seems to me the most opaque pricing structure you could possibly get. I thought transparency was the new watch-word in consumer relations!

I booked, but will be chasing this up to find out WHY., The silly price declaration. (Would it have been cheaper to book 2 pitches with one person on each?). I don't expect I will get a sensible answer over the phone tomorrow.... But I have given the 'powers that be' a chance to formulate a response, in advance.

Watch this space!

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287 replies

JVB66 replied on 01/03/2019 15:04

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JVB66

Caravanner

Posted on 01/03/2019 15:04

for some that season seems to be 12months

Cornersteady replied on 01/03/2019 15:08

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Cornersteady

Caravanner

Posted on 01/03/2019 13:24 by

So with regards to Off Peak Prices, our experience for our booking for the first week of February gave us a chuckle.

Now bare in mind we normally use commercial sites, not the huge noisey Haven types, more rural retreats, but at the higher end of the price bands.

For the CAMC we pay the "Joining" fee, to then pay "More" to use a site that was in a fantastic location, but the site itself for the money was mediocre to poor, and out of the three sites on our list, the most expensive.

We chuckled because, having paid our money we then get a wonky pitch, one of the two toilet blocks shut, the remaining one had cubicles closed all of our stay, refuse bins deliberately placed upside down by the wardens so no one could use them, etc etc.

Why?

It did make us laugh, reminded me of the camp site on Carry on Camping.

"Want to use an extra bin sir?, that will be a pound".

"Shower sir? Another pound I'm afraid"

"Oh you wanted hot water?......... pound"

My point being, I'm quite happy to pay high fees provided, I receive a matching service.

Didn't happen at Sandringham.

Posted on 01/03/2019 15:08

well always look on the Brit side of life

Cornersteady replied on 01/03/2019 15:11

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Cornersteady

Caravanner

Posted on 01/03/2019 13:41 by huskydog

There does seem a lot of dissatisfaction around at the moment , or is it the moaning season ?????

Posted on 01/03/2019 15:11

I don't mind moaning but I can't understand why those moaning keep on using club sites?

Or to paraphrase a post from Moulsey. I did some shopping at Aldi today, a lot cheaper than Sianburys so I can't wait to post that on the Sainburys' forum.

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Cornersteady replied on 01/03/2019 15:15

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Cornersteady

Caravanner

Posted on 01/03/2019 08:05 by

There are times when we will use a Club site purely for convenience. Overnight stops do not form the 'holiday' per se. They are just stepping stones. We frequently use one before a ferry crossing that is always the most expensive of the trip. But we put up with it for one night knowing full well that we would not dream of staying longer.

(To use your shop analogy, much as we use the village stores for convenience for one or two odd bits while never doing a full shop there.)

Posted on 01/03/2019 15:15

I use the local (within walking) shops too, but when I have to, like I have run out of something, but using and booking a site weeks in advance is not the same, if the price is too expensive you have plenty of time to look round for a cheap site. There are not that many club sites in an area by themselves, there will be one withing a few miles.

replied on 01/03/2019 15:40

Posted on 01/03/2019 15:40

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Cornersteady replied on 01/03/2019 15:58

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Cornersteady

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Posted on 01/03/2019 15:58

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InaD replied on 01/03/2019 16:01

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InaD

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Posted on 01/03/2019 15:40 by
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Posted on 01/03/2019 16:01

Totally agree with you; we do the same, I wasn't prepared to pay £22.40 per night at Bladon Chains in March, so I didn't book it. At other times, we do use club sites if it suits, and the price is right, or, as in the case of Bristol for example, we'll pay the extra to be in a certain area/town.

It's all about choice, and personal opinion; I've chosen to pay well over £20 per night in the past because I wanted to be there; I've also chosen not to pay over £20 per night, because IMHO it wasn't worth it.

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Cornersteady replied on 01/03/2019 16:03

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Cornersteady

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Posted on 01/03/2019 16:01 by InaD

Totally agree with you; we do the same, I wasn't prepared to pay £22.40 per night at Bladon Chains in March, so I didn't book it. At other times, we do use club sites if it suits, and the price is right, or, as in the case of Bristol for example, we'll pay the extra to be in a certain area/town.

It's all about choice, and personal opinion; I've chosen to pay well over £20 per night in the past because I wanted to be there; I've also chosen not to pay over £20 per night, because IMHO it wasn't worth it.

Posted on 01/03/2019 16:03

which is exactly what I have been posting, too expensive/not worth it - don't pay

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cyberyacht replied on 01/03/2019 16:04

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cyberyacht

Motorhomer

Posted on 01/03/2019 16:04

By and large any enterprise will match its prices to that of its competitors in the surrounding area and any differential is likely to be minimal. Caravanners are mostly constrained to sites and therefore faced with pay up or find a cheaper area. Perhaps this is why there is a growth in motorhomers seeking cheaper alternatives - pubs/supermarket carparks/quiet spots etc because they are reluctant to pay for a service that is perceived as either mediocre or charging for more than they actually want/need.

Pricing is all too often based on 'what the market will bear' rather than the true cost of the provision plus a reasonable profit.

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