New CL: fantasy price
Comments
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I agree with TDA that the option of not taking an EHU would be great for those of us who have invested in solar and Safefill etc. We found this option available on many sites in Southern Ireland. However for CLs having invested in installing EHUs I suspect they will want to charge whether or not you want electricity in order to recoup the cost of installing electricity.
Write your comments here...We have no problem with those who do not want EHU we drop the fees by £2 per night.
Write your comments here... Well done Wildemere I hope more follow your example. You certainly deserve support from those of us embracing solar etc.
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I just hope the Non EHU members are honest enough with cl owners to not abuse what happened in the past on cc sites when EHU was extra,
Well we always have been, likewise when using economy pitches on Club Sites as well.
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The issue of electricity usage by members on CL's was covered extensively in a former post. Unfortunately the unsophisticated 'Search' function of CT doesn't allow me to find the thread. Suffice to say that I have it on good authority that the Club would
have installed meters on it's own sites - but retro-fitting them would be a massive investment. For now it just swallows the cost of electricity, however it's a major cost in the running of club sites.For CL owners, I think it's sensible for any new owner to consider a metered system. Whether they then choose to charge per kWh @ cost or include a certain amount of elecgtric per night in the Pitch Fee is up to them. We include 10 kWh per night in our
fee and charge 15p/kWh thereafter which is the cost price including VAT.Through the summer months this amount is rarely exceeded, however in the early Spring & Autumn some visitors might be charged a little extra on departure to cover the costs. We feel that this is a fair and reasonable system and the vast majority of our
visitors agree.In fact only yesterday a visitor said 'I expect to be using a fair bit of electric as I'll be having a fan heater on in my awning when my grand-children (very young) come to visit & I'm happy to pay'..
Having been ripped off by unscruplous site owners regarding meter electric we avoid metered sites like the plague.
For example we stayed on a site that had metered electric. When we went onto the site there was about £1's credit and we added another £10 for the 2 night stay. The fridge, heating etc was all on gas. The Tv would have consumed electric, plus lights and
also the laptop.I monitored the electric and we were using well under 1kw an hour. I stopped checking at about 10pm in the evening and there was over £7 left on the meter. We made breakfast using the gas hob and while the wife was vacuuming the caravan when the electric
went off. She had only just started. Somehow between 10pm and 10am we had managed to use over £7 of electric! Considering everything was on gas and electric consumption minimal we found this rather strange.The biggest problem witrh metering any pitch is that the meter belongs to the owner and if the owner does not get it certified at least once a year, the metering can give incorrect figures resulting in people being over charged.
CG's method above is something we would accept as it seems to be fair and covers the CL for winter use when selfish people use fan heaters in their awnings to heat up the atmosphere.
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I mainly use CLs and chose them based on location and facilities. Having said that the most we have paid this year was £16.
Getting back to the OP, maybe the site owners think that charging more money will ensure that they attract the more “upmarket” members, whoever they are.
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I mainly use CLs and chose them based on location and facilities. Having said that the most we have paid this year was £16.
Getting back to the OP, maybe the site owners think that charging more money will ensure that they attract the more “upmarket” members, whoever they are.
Can't want my business then!
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I think it's great CL's are available at £16 plus but concerned the average price is creeping up.
Great alternatives are available for under a tenner these days and not all require the use of your own facilities.
Not used a CL since April because of these alternatives. That is a change to our normal habits.
Read a report that the disposable income many of us enjoy today is not going to be repeated with the next generation.
CL's will need to do some thinking regarding the prices they are asking if they wish to continue. I suspect many that have invested too much in facilities will have to go commercial in order to survive.
A basic low cost CL that the owner has minimal investment in may well be the ones that are able to continue if disposable incomes do fall
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Agree with Fysh. We have used Cls less this year mainly becasue of pricing, poor information,different prices to those quoted even on web sites. Better options out thrre. N/T,Haven etc who are competitors. Its up to the suppliers to up their game not the
buyers.Have also noticed a marked increase in "Wilding" here in Wales. Often find 3/4 vans on the side of Clywedog lake. Likewise the large lay by on top of Tal y LLyn pass is busy.0 -
I like the idea.
I could buy land, set up a website, widen the gate and put in water supply and drainage, buy a big mower and cut the grass regularly, repair the ground after awnings , answer the phone and e mails and take bookings, keep financial records, stay at home
all summer, dispose of the garbage, and let people visit me for £10 a night.I just don't like the idea very much.
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Not all that has to be done by any means if you have the right land and even bookings if required can be automated.
I know plenty of hobby CL owners that are happy doing it the easy way.
Usually they are the ones charging under a tenner and have been for some time
No way would I spend a lot of money on a site that can only take 5vans unless I eventually wanted to go commercial.
But I might open a CL if I had a field, a tap and a drain already in place. I would charge a fiver and enjoy the occasional company
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I think it's great CL's are available at £16 plus but concerned the average price is creeping up.
Great alternatives are available for under a tenner these days and not all require the use of your own facilities.
Not used a CL since April because of these alternatives. That is a change to our normal habits.
Read a report that the disposable income many of us enjoy today is not going to be repeated with the next generation.
CL's will need to do some thinking regarding the prices they are asking if they wish to continue. I suspect many that have invested too much in facilities will have to go commercial in order to survive.
A basic low cost CL that the owner has minimal investment in may well be the ones that are able to continue if disposable incomes do fall
A valid post. It gives food for thought.
Given the fall in the number of cl's over the last 20 years I wonder how many will be left by the time the next generations comes along.
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Just an alternative thought to the economic realities of a five van site.
If someone can get fifteen pounds plus then good luck to them. But economic times may well be different in a few years. Some might argue its already different.
I have never heard CL prices being openly discussed on campsites before but I have this year.
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Fysherman said "But I might open a CL if I had a field, a tap and a drain already in place. I would charge a fiver and enjoy the occasional company "
That made me smile as an ex CL owner. If only it was so easy and so inexpensive to run a CL with the occasional visitor.
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Well 75% of my business is repeat business then my pricing can't be far wrong, and I will not be putting meters in to be pestered 24 hours a day to produce change or a top up card for the meter, or have the hassle of getting meters checked on an annual basis.
This is a part time hobby and I want to enjoy it as much as you do visiting me.David www.perthshirecl.co.uk
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eurotraveller isn't that far off the mark. Its a lot of hassle for £7.50 per night but we enjoy it even though there is no money to be made by most of us unless your in a tourist honey pot. We were quoted 14k just to get electric into the field. We opted
to stay none elec basic Cs for obvious reasons.0 -
Fysherman said "But I might open a CL if I had a field, a tap and a drain already in place. I would charge a fiver and enjoy the occasional company "
That made me smile as an ex CL owner. If only it was so easy and so inexpensive to run a CL with the occasional visitor.
I have stayed on several CL's that are in the back garden of a house. The house has an outside tap and a drain cover that needed lifting. The mower was a goat on a leash and bookings were not made . If there were five on site (unlikely) then you went somewhere else. More often than not you had to put the money through the letter box.
These sites still exist if you can find them. If you cannot I doubt the owners will be too concerned.
Ok this is an extreme example but so is £20 per night.
Sorry I really must use a laptop the formatting has gone wrong again
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I like the idea.
I could buy land, set up a website, widen the gate and put in water supply and drainage, buy a big mower and cut the grass regularly, repair the ground after awnings , answer the phone and e mails and take bookings, keep financial records, stay at home
all summer, dispose of the garbage, and let people visit me for £10 a night.I just don't like the idea very much.
At that price you will probably have full occupancy all year round as opposed to only 50% of the time therefore your profit margin will probably be greater.
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I like the idea.
I could buy land, set up a website, widen the gate and put in water supply and drainage, buy a big mower and cut the grass regularly, repair the ground after awnings , answer the phone and e mails and take bookings, keep financial records, stay at home all summer, dispose of the garbage, and let people visit me for £10 a night.
I just don't like the idea very much.
At that price you will probably have full occupancy all year round as opposed to only 50% of the time therefore your profit margin will probably be greater.
Or the loss less more likely, if the true costs are really taken into account. Even 50% is but an idle dream 365 days a year and could be quite nice if it was even 52 week ends a year. If you are VAT rated you only start with £8.
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I agree with Ocsid real world occupancy might shock some that only visit summer weekends.
If you really have to put in expensive infrastructure, personally, I would just forget it as the return on investment isn't worth it.
Unless of course the CL is incorporated into another business such as a farm, or B&B then all kinds of interesting accountancy possibilites open up.
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Too much to hope that post Brexit we will see the repeal of VAT I suppose?
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Pre-VAT we had purchase tax so there's not likely to be a great change in future.
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