Camping prices on the increase.. profiteering?

[Digger]

Campsites don't make much money out of touring pitches anyway, that's why so many are being converted to statics instead. Campsite owner I spoke to said they make 5x more per pitch on statics even taking cleaning into consideration.

Totally agree. I know several caravan park owners and they make loads from selling statics and the 14 year rule ensures constant income from site fees and renewal of old statics.
Rather than stealth - I stick with use it or lose it as the facilities are essential to touring. IMHO.

 

[NZCol]

Don’t go to a campsite then. Easy.

 

[GSX1300R]

Its not only campsites... I had a look on Brittany ferries at my return trip from Santander to Portsmouth which I booked at the beginning of the year To come back End of september... Was for the camper £250 (Thats what we paid) Now £350..But still dont know what the heck is happening..Talk about taking adventage of people desperate to get away..

 

[Big Ron]

Its not only campsites... I had a look on Brittany ferries at my return trip from Santander to Portsmouth which I booked at the beginning of the year To come back End of september... Was for the camper £250 (Thats what we paid) Now £350..But still dont know what the heck is happening..Talk about taking adventage of people desperate to get away..

I might be misunderstanding your post?
Are you saying that you didn’t expect prices to rise or that you have already booked/paid for a ticket and now they’re saying you need to pay more?

If it’s the latter that’s poor (illegal, dunno?).

If the former, I would have thought that entirely understandable/reasonable as they have to apply their fixed costs across the total number of journeys, which are now reduced and so therefore more per journey.

 

[WelshGas]

Its not only campsites... I had a look on Brittany ferries at my return trip from Santander to Portsmouth which I booked at the beginning of the year To come back End of september... Was for the camper £250 (Thats what we paid) Now £350..But still dont know what the heck is happening..Talk about taking adventage of people desperate to get away..

Sorry but I don't understand. On trains and planes advanced booking is discounted and the closer you get to your journey the more expensive the ticket. Isn't that normal?

 

[GSX1300R]

I might be misunderstanding your post?
Are you saying that you didn’t expect prices to rise or that you have already booked/paid for a ticket and now they’re saying you need to pay more?

If it’s the latter that’s poor (illegal, dunno?).

If the former, I would have thought that entirely understandable/reasonable as they have to apply their fixed costs across the total number of journeys, which are now reduced and so therefore more per journey.

No... the £250 is what we paid but the £350 is what it is if you booked now.. Ive been going with BF for 15 years and have NEVER seen prices hiked like this.

 

[GSX1300R]

No... the £250 is what we paid but the £350 is what it is if you booked now.. Ive been going with BF for 15 years and have NEVER seen prices hiked like this.

BUT while people are desperate then advantages will be taken..

 

[Big Ron]

BUT while people are desperate then advantages will be taken..

Ok. Understand. I’m not sure they’re necessarily taking advantage Peter.....I’m inclined to think it’s reasonable that:
- their sales volumes are down therefore fixed costs need to be spread over lower unit salesunit costs increase=unit prices increase
- book early usually gets a discount, booking later =unit price increase
It doesn’t ‘feel’ that unusual a margin increase to me....not claiming I’m right just what I would find rational/reasonable that’s all.
You got a good price though

 

[Pete Roberts]

Since P&O pulled out of the Uk - Spain ferry business Brittany Ferries have been taking advantage of their customers for Years..It didn’t take a world pandemic for Brittany ferries to think of ways that they could screw the extra Hundred quid out of the customers who have been hit just as bad as they have..Are hotels going to charge an extra 30-40% for a room? Is my chippy going to charge me £10 for fish and chips? Or my pub £10 a pint..NO because they don’t have a monopoly...Brittany ferries does and because it can...Many millions of us have been hit HARD with this but there is no need to take the p*ss to that extent..

 

[clarinetbcn]

Hi sidepod.....sounds fair at first hearing doesn’t it but.....it’s not just financial institutions (banks) that are involved. Sure they lend people money and a number have allowed mortgage ‘holidays’ etc.. (although you still end up paying more eventually, it helps with cash flow now).
But if you look at rent payments (wider context than just campsites) then there are two main issues:
- you’ll find that a lot/most of commercial properties are owned directly by pension funds or by investment groups who themselves have pension funds as investors/members/owners.

So by not paying rent it means that the fund would be hit->normal pensioners (theoretically would be hit) and the funds exert massive power to stop this. (There are many learned people that believe investment/pension funds are the single most sinister influence in our economy).

-Also, there is a genuine argument that just because a tenant business is not getting any revenue by running their business etc.. from the premises, doesn’t mean that the landlord/company that owns the building/freehold doesn’t have fixed costs to deal with that need to be paid for.....from the rent. No rent=they go bust=can’t use them any more.....back to your direct point =no campsite.

On balance while I’d like it to be all easier/fairer, it is very complicated and Ii’m not bright enough to solve it.....so I’m Just happy to do my bit by supporting businesses/campsites by using them.

But if you look at rent payments (wider context than just campsites) then there are two main issues:
- you’ll find that a lot/most of commercial properties are owned directly by pension funds or by investment groups who themselves have pension funds as investors/members/owners.

So by not paying rent it means that the fund would be hit->normal pensioners (theoretically would be hit) and the funds exert massive power to stop this. (There are many learned people that believe investment/pension funds are the single most sinister influence in our economy).

-

So on a thread talking about rising prices at campgrounds, I suppose this means we should should try to support campgrounds owned by pension funds which benefit an enormous amount of pensioners with a little money, as opposed to campgrounds owned by investment funds, which benefit just a very few people with enormous amounts of money. Or we have gone off topic.

 

[Big Ron]

So on a thread talking about rising prices at campgrounds, I suppose this means we should should try to support campgrounds owned by pension funds which benefit an enormous amount of pensioners with a little money, as opposed to campgrounds owned by investment funds, which benefit a very few with enormous amounts of money. Or we have gone off topic.

Didn’t think it was off topic....thought I was giving a pretty reasonable explanation of why it’s not as easy as letting everyone pay nothing/little. Although I seemed to have failed in your eyes, Sorry you didn’t like it.
Hope you find the rest of the answers more to your liking.

 

[clarinetbcn]

Didn’t think it was off topic....thought I was giving a pretty reasonable explanation of why it’s not as easy as letting everyone pay nothing/little. Although I seemed to have failed in your eyes, Sorry you didn’t like it.
Hope you find the rest of the answers more to your liking.

It's all tongue in cheek, I'm just hoping this thread doesn't go directly to the political fights that a few here love because they can then get right down to who can be nastier.

 

[westfalia]

Since P&O pulled out of the Uk - Spain ferry business Brittany Ferries have been taking advantage of their customers for Years..It didn’t take a world pandemic for Brittany ferries to think of ways that they could screw the extra Hundred quid out of the customers who have been hit just as bad as they have..Are hotels going to charge an extra 30-40% for a room? Is my chippy going to charge me £10 for fish and chips? Or my pub £10 a pint..NO because they don’t have a monopoly...Brittany ferries does and because it can...Many millions of us have been hit HARD with this but there is no need to take the p*ss to that extent..

Is @Peter Roberts your alter ego?

 

[Annik]

why does @Big Ron have no information on his profile?

 

[Big Ron]

why does @Big Ron have no information on his profile?

The real reason is I’m spying on you Annik, and very nearly have enough dirt on you from this forum to slam you up in Chokey for several lifetimes!....or perhaps I just don’t know how to update a profile?

 

[Big Ron]

The real reason is I’m spying on you Annik, and very nearly have enough dirt on you from this forum to slam you up in Chokey for several lifetimes!....or perhaps I just don’t know how to update a profile?

Good news Annik, you’re safe..... I’ve also updated my profile.

 

[Trail Planner]

A few of my booking price increases have been explained by increased energy costs 1) electricity for hookups and 2) gas/oil for showers/washroom and 3) general energy costs on site. I am thinking of just using a solar panel for 1).

 

[Azteccamper]

A few of my booking price increases have been explained by increased energy costs 1) electricity for hookups and 2) gas/oil for showers/washroom and 3) general energy costs on site. I am thinking of just using a solar panel for 1).

I’m thinking like you. The cost of electricity is crazy sometimes for what I use. Big difference between usage in a caravan/large motorhome and a campervan surely?

 

[Cali Phillip]

I’m thinking like you. The cost of electricity is crazy sometimes for what I use. Big difference between usage in a caravan/large motorhome and a campervan surely?

Taking to one owner it seems a huge amount of energy is required at peak shower time and then there's people heating there awning, even when out from the hook up !
Not surprising really with the cost of energy, any Seasonal pitches have electric meters.
Many sites are off the gas grid so either LPG or oil heated.
I would have thought ground source heat pump could be useful given there's lots of land and / or solar hot water/ Solar PV even if just starts the hot water demand for peak times.

 

[WelshGas]

I’m thinking like you. The cost of electricity is crazy sometimes for what I use. Big difference between usage in a caravan/large motorhome and a campervan surely?

Agree, but inless campsites invest in pitch meters or scale prices according to outfit etc it will be one price / pitch type .

 

[WelshGas]

Taking to one owner it seems a huge amount of energy is required at peak shower time and then there's people heating there awning, even when out from the hook up !
Not surprising really with the cost of energy, any Seasonal pitches have electric meters.
Many sites are off the gas grid so either LPG or oil heated.
I would have thought ground source heat pump could be useful given there's lots of land and / or solar hot water/ Solar PV even if just starts the hot water demand for peak times.

They probably will go that way in time, but until then they will have to charge more to accumulate the capital to pay for such changes as well as the present increases in energy prices.

 

[flying banana]

A few of my booking price increases have been explained by increased energy costs 1) electricity for hookups and 2) gas/oil for showers/washroom and 3) general energy costs on site. I am thinking of just using a solar panel for 1).

trouble with that plan is alot of sites include hook up and you can't opt out. on a site recently i had a card where you paid what you used. i used 87p over 2 nights, when it's £6 or more for hookups i always refuse it if i can

 

[willwander]

I’m not entirely convinced, some of these campsites must be little goldmines, and If they’re not making money now, they never will, pretty much everywhere we look is fully booked and has been since the start of covid.

 

[kp64zl]

what’s the most £ anyones been charged for electric hookup? I generally dont use it but the campsite I’m going to in france is charging 3 euros per night so I’ve taken the option this time…

 

[ardm17]

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New standard for facilities vs price??