Email regarding price increases
Comments
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That’s a valid point, Steve. However, I make every effort to reduce my use of gas as much as possible. After all, to a degree this is a limited supply where as the EHU provides whatever, within reason, we wish to draw. Currently the club has no control and little restriction on the energy consumed once that cable is attached. More of the responsibility needs to fall directly on the end user and more limitations need to be in place, hence my support for meters.
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I also think this was inevitable. However with most vans running on LED lighting the big users are heating and the club should amend its rules to forbid the use of heaters in awnings as most privately owned sites do. So often, you walk by a van with awning heaters on and nobody in the awning and often no-one in the van either. This is fairly easy to police by wardens as well.
I do not guide understand the concept of using your solar panel, unless you keep switching on and off your panel in the van when not using mains driven items. Not very practical.
I agree the club should install more solar panels on site. They are cheap to install and maintain.
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They missed a very important bus years ago in terms of being more eco friendly and encouraging Members to be so.
As the owner of a small but well insulated, part solar panelled, low energy equipped outfit (that’s both MH and our old caravan) who rarely trips even a 6amp bollard, and was taught as a child to “put a jumper on”, the Club’s decision for me to subsidise others isn’t a welcome one. However, it will have little impact as we rarely use Club Sites.
The price of touring will seem very high post April, price increase on top of a return to full VAT rates, on top of the fuel to actually get somewhere. (Still no information yet either on just how refundable the coming deposits are going to be). I think a few might question their choice of pitch more carefully this coming year.
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Just put a warmer quilt on, plenty of folks stay at places like Steamer Quay without suffering too much. Reduced site heating at night is tokenism, particularly as many wouldn’t dream of having the central heating on overnight at home. If you really can’t do without tropical conditions use gas, at least you’re paying for that and not me.
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That’s another dilemma for the Club. It has taken great care down the last decades of what was its core, but ageing Membership. Everything done, put into place, managed, budgeted, to give all the ease and comfort it can to help keep those wanting and needing extras to stay touring. But at a huge expenditure, and not it has to be argued with an eye to widening its demographic overly much. Nothing wrong with that fundamentally, it is where the potential best source of revenue is, but a tipping point is getting closer, those touring are getting younger, not always got the wherewithal to pay High Season prices, and more importantly consider it value for money.
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Everything we purchase has increased in cost due to the energy crisis so its no surprise the club is increasing its costs, I would be very surprised if installing meters would reduce the cost when purchase installation and running costs are taken into account I can see the next suggestion will be to install paid meters and timers in the shower blocks, in my experience cost savings in any industry rarely result in a cost saving for the consumer, I will pay the increase and be thankful I can still afford a holiday.
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Fear not, the Club is still advertising for lots of HQ staff. Whether it manages to attract Site staff is another question though……🤔
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. . . . or even ones who don't know what to do, but are willing to start working out what is happening !
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As arch said previously. "I will pay the increase and be thankful I can still afford a holiday".
We have been caravaning for 7 yrs. Its an investment in us. Gives us great freedoms and joy, a simple luxury. The world is in crisis, people are dying. I cant complain about an extra 70p plus. I disagree more with the 3 week notice to cancel, but not this.
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I too am surprised that the Club is not on fixed rates via a contract, perhaps their contract is about to end and the next one is much more expensive? Would be good to know.
My OH looks after the finances at our local Guide Hall and fortunately signed up for a 3 year contract for both gas and electricity just over a year ago. About 6 months before the contracts end she gets brokers phoning to offer new contracts, so everything is usually sorted well ahead of the end of the present contract.
Commercial fixed price contracts have been around for much longer than domestic ones, and the "out of contract" rates can be eye watering, but I doubt there are any new contracts being offered at favourable rates at present.
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I do agree with this but l’m a little unsure as to what aspect of the deposit system you disagree with. Is it the idea of being able to cancel with no penalty albeit before 21 days of arrival or that it should be no penalty regardless of when cancelled? I think it’s the former. Don’t forget, it I’m correct, you can cancel within 21 days as long as you transfer the booking to a later date or even different site. I may be wrong mind.
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Any suggestions on the most power wasting awning and outdoor heater available that won't bite into the payload?
Are 4 ring electric hobs available to replace the 3 gas 1 leccy rings currently in our 'van?
Similarly recommendations for air conditioning units to get the temp down once the heating is turned up.
Got to make the most of electric we're paying for, after all it's the CAMC that gives16amp supply, mostly.
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"As I said, "covert": it is a motorhomer who is likely to be charging up a Smart car with a lead from a window, as you well know."
well just for the record i spent a total of 7 days last year on 2 club sites, Malvern Hills and York Beeches, both were in the Autmn so temperatures were not fantasic, on York Beaches there was a very nice Bucanneer, very new, tow car Range Rover which was on one of those lease purchase deals with limited mileage, to compensate for the expense of running the Range Rover etc, they had a Smart car which was ideal for running into York etc, which they charged as i described, and they seemed to spend most of their days sat in the VAN watching television, ok i will admit they are probably in the minority, but this post is all about increased site fees to cover the additional costs of electricity, but correct me if I am wrong, but there is at least one Motorhome owner on this post who it would appear is not willing to give up having his central heating on overnight, even when we lived and caravaned in Scotland we have never had the heating on overnight, and for the record we dont watch tv or have dvds in the van, and we could surely manage on a 10amp or maybe less supply which we should perhaps all be considering, if we are to reduce pitch fees.
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HJA wrote...
"If you have a solar unit on your outfit please use it as much as possible".
I didnt understand what this meant. I am not particularly technical. I know my solar panel will give charge to my batteries, when not on EHU. What I dont know is how it functions alongside EHU. I just plug in and let it get on with it.
Are they expecting you to disconnect if its sunny?"
perhaps the club are asking folk who can easily operate without an EHU to do so, even though the club will have already charged them for electric, along with the increase.
I have no problem with the club asking me to 'do my bit' by not using EHU provided that they reduce my pitch prices by £5-7 a night for doing so...
the 'appropriate rise' mentioned in the email will be based on the price per night.
if folk are charged £2.50 a night extra, the one thing they won't do is be sparing with the supply, after all, they paid (an awful lot more) for it.
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“if folk are charged £2.50 a night extra, the one thing they won't do is be sparing with the supply, after all, they paid (an awful lot more) for it.”
Well that’s a bit of a generalisation but I suspect that the some may adopt that mentality. Unfortunately the idea rather promotes this stance!0 -
Reading your take on it BB it reads like a joke👍🏻🤷🏻♂️. Yet it’s deadly serious-‘we will charge you more per night, if you then generate your own energy whilst we charge you for it we will get even more profit’😂😂. Had they considered asking the Warden staff to go around with a hat asking for donations to ensure even bigger profit👍🏻🙄
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Should he? Like Steve, we have our heating on overnight at a reduced temperature whether home or away. I didn’t realise it was against the rules decreed by Rufs as I thought it was a matter of personal choice. 🤷🏻♂️
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[Deleted User User]
I agree metering in some way is the fairest option. This could be trialled on a couple of sites where upgrading of the facilities is taking place.
short term why not reduce all outlets to 6 amp? If you want more there could be different rates for 10 amp, 13 amp and 16 amp. The wardens could change the fuses (after an electrical safety refresher course) while measuring the 6 metre gap between units and checking the white pegs have not been moved to accommodate errant parkers.
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Excessive and unnecessary use of electricity inflates the overall bill and we all get to pay a share of that in site fees, especially when the system prevents opt out for those who couldn’t care less about mains electricity. Might be a minority, who knows, but largely ignored.
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Ah, now I see the flaw in metered lecky. The payment on leaving site having had that meter read. Staff will need to be available to read meter on pitches and take payments. Time consuming and time specific. We would have to book our leaving slot, oh I feel for those poor staff.
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