Silly site prices. Off season and peak season

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

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!

young thomas replied on 01/03/2019 17:52

Posted on 01/03/2019 13:17 by SteveL

What I find more difficult to understand with the CC, is their apparent inability to recognise when prices are out if step with demand at certain sites. We don't usually go away in the school summer holidays, however due to circumstances we did in 2018, and spent a lovely 10 days in glorious weather at Malvern. The price wasn't bad at £27.90. However the site was far from full at weekends and only a third to half during the week. Malvern is not perhaps the most obvious holiday destination for families and as a lot of us retired folk hibernate during peak, this was reflected in the occupancy figures. Despite that the CC has increased summer peak for 2019 by 5.7%. I would have been looking to extend Mid week discount into August, as they did for a few sites last year, rather than an above inflation rise.

Posted on 01/03/2019 17:52

The price wasn't bad at £27.90

what?....nearly £30 for Malvern....not bad?

Steve, that's over £200 a week for a pitch....

however, i agree with your following comment.....no wonder it was far from full.undecided

replied on 01/03/2019 17:53

Posted on 01/03/2019 17:53

Content has been removed.

replied on 01/03/2019 18:06

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 18:06

The user and all related content has been deleted

JVB66 replied on 01/03/2019 18:11

Posted on 01/03/2019 17:52 by young thomas

The price wasn't bad at £27.90

what?....nearly £30 for Malvern....not bad?

Steve, that's over £200 a week for a pitch....

however, i agree with your following comment.....no wonder it was far from full.undecided

Posted on 01/03/2019 18:11

£27.90 x 7 =£195.30 wink

young thomas replied on 01/03/2019 18:16

Posted on 01/03/2019 16:04 by cyberyacht

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.

Posted on 01/03/2019 18:16

nail and head, CY...

a bit different for me as I'm over 'here' but we've stopped in four towns (and explored them to our satisfaction) in the last two days and haven't been near a site....

yes, 'what the market will bear' is what will eventually change things...

i can see 40 vans from my window that aren't interested in what the 'market will bear' as we are all in Tavira behind the fish market overnighting for gratis....wink

when touring in the way that we are doing now (after leaving a long term site) to pay £30 in the uk or €20+ here is only acceptable if you need something from the site...pool, washing machines, a decent 'feet up' rest period...

we will probably do that in a couple of days time at Cadiz but I can see why folk are starting to baulk at the prices being bandied about in this thread...frown

once folk start thinking £28 odd is 'acceptable' the club has Carte Blanche over pricing...

SteveL replied on 01/03/2019 18:17

Posted on 01/03/2019 17:52 by young thomas

The price wasn't bad at £27.90

what?....nearly £30 for Malvern....not bad?

Steve, that's over £200 a week for a pitch....

however, i agree with your following comment.....no wonder it was far from full.undecided

Posted on 01/03/2019 18:17

It's a nice site BB in a nice area and I doubt similar sites in the area would be much different in price during the school summer holidays. The C&CC site next door isn't, although it did seem to have a greater occupancy. Possibly as it accepts tents and the weather last summer was so good. Some of the lack of occupancy may be due to the decreased bus service and closure of local shops, which may put off MH owners who want to use public transport. My point was really, is a 5.7% rise the best way to attract more folk in the summer holidays. 

near Malvern Hills Club Campsite Member photo by Andrew Cole

Book a late escape

There's still availability at many popular UK Club campsites - find your perfect pitch today for a last minute trip!

Book now
Woman sitting in camping chair by Wastwater in the Lake District with her two dogs and picnic blanket

Follow us on Facebook

Follow the Caravan and Motorhome Club via our official Facebook page for latest news, holiday ideas, events, activities and special offers.

Photo of Wast Water, Lake District by Sue Peace
Visit Facebook