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!

Cornersteady replied on 01/03/2019 19:11

Posted on 01/03/2019 18:57 by

Yes, definitely, value - in terms of quality and the return we gain: attractive surroundings; good, well kept facilities; location; convenience..... whatever the governing factor may be at any one time.

The actual price for anything does not concern me as much as what quality that price will deliver.

Posted on 01/03/2019 19:11

indeed, but still does not answer the big question, why are people going and keep going to places where they say they do not get this value  for money (ie hard to justify the cost) ?

This is not aimed at you

replied on 01/03/2019 19:32

Posted on 01/03/2019 19:32

Content has been removed.

replied on 01/03/2019 19:35

Posted on 01/03/2019 18:44 by young thomas

...but is it chicken or egg.....?

customers (reluctantly?) continuing to pay nigh on £30 a night does nothing to send a message to HQ....who then line up the 2020 price list with the default increase making it £32+

in another thread (Galaxy) way back, someone mentioned (not quite tongue in cheek) default prices of £40 a night for club summer prices, we are definitely heading that way at a rate of knots...

adding 3 or 4 pct to prices that are ever higher, leads to the gap increasing at an ever higher rate..

as WTG posted, it's now 'value' that we look at and the club odffering hasn't changed much in the 10 yrs we've been members...no desire to provide much more than a pitch and a shower/loo, yet prices have spiralled to the level being discussed....

we, too, now have a good look around and will choose CCC, commercial, CL/CS or THS if available....

i agree sites may still be full for the most part, but i still get plenty of (encouraging) emails telling me that there are spaces at X or y and z.

 

Posted on 01/03/2019 19:35

customers (reluctantly?) continuing to pay nigh on £30 a night does nothing to send a message to HQ....who then line up the 2020 price list with the default increase making it £32+

I suspect that for a couple with two kids £29 a night in August is not exorbitant when you look at many other sites.

The £27 is of course August! In general many pay the cost of caravan club sites and presumably do so because they like the standards and the provisions or else one would assume that like some posters have said they would not use them other than as a last resort,

redface replied on 01/03/2019 20:03

Posted on 01/03/2019 20:03

Sorry Corners, old chap, but Gullible is in the dictionary - Concise Oxford 1978 and subsequent editions.

Interesting thread though, been a while since we saw one this good.

replied on 01/03/2019 20:31

Posted on 01/03/2019 18:06 by

We also pay to stay at Baltic Wharf because of the location. Going in a couple of weeks as I am seeing a ballet and, ideally, need to stay in the city.

One site we stay at many times (not in UK but serves to illustrate the point about choice) is the Municipal at Zaragoza. The site is not very attractive (that's putting it mildly) and it is rather expensive. But, crossing Spain in winter, it is handily located, so, bracing ourselves, we choose to stay over night.  It's a practical decision.

Last summer, wishing to visit an Antiques Fair we chose not to pay the price at a Club site, (approaching £30 was just not worth it) but used a lovely CL for few nights for half the price.

 

Posted on 01/03/2019 20:31

The user and all related content has been Deleted User

Tinwheeler replied on 01/03/2019 20:37

Posted on 01/03/2019 20:37

That’s exactly the same reasons as we break the long journey south at Malvern for the night. What’s not to understand?

Wherenext replied on 01/03/2019 20:47

Posted on 01/03/2019 20:47

I can't understand what AD and TW are going on about. I understand you both and agree with you both. Hope I've made myself understood.smile

Tinwheeler replied on 01/03/2019 21:05

Posted on 01/03/2019 20:47 by Wherenext

I can't understand what AD and TW are going on about. I understand you both and agree with you both. Hope I've made myself understood.smile

Posted on 01/03/2019 21:05

I’m not sure my 2 line post counts as 'going on about' anything, tbh.

Takethedogalong replied on 01/03/2019 22:09

Posted on 01/03/2019 22:09

Value for money is all relative.

YRP last year, we paid something like £33 per night. Way above our self set parameter of £19 per night. But, we needed to be in York, we have a MH, it’s far cheaper than any hotel, B&B, we could do a nice walk to the theatre, our dogs were safe back at camp, fast asleep. Good value for money. 

Bromyard Downs, an overnighter enroute to South Wales. We arrived at just after 6pm, pitched, dog walk, sleep, wash in morning, back on road for just after 9am. 15 hours on a pitch, £14. Reasonable value for money, great location.

Hurn Lane, last November, one night, pitched up at 7.55pm. Endured two hours of fireworks, no dog walk without driving off site, we were glad to see the back of the place by 9am in the morning, a total of 13 hours on a pitch. For which we paid something like £25-30, I can’t exactly recall, but the lovely Warden actually apologised for how much it cost! Worst decision of the year and very poor value for money from our point of view. Had we been a day later, we would have paid something like a third less. Valuable lesson learned.

near Malvern Hills Club Campsite Member photo by Andrew Cole

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