MDL Otium?

[maverickofpoole]

Uumm, I am at MDL cobbs quay where we are constrained by 2 poxy bridges. Should this be a backdoor to increase the money fleeced from us I would rather pay additional money elsewhere and not have to deal with the Bridges even if that meant a different port/harbour. Time to do the sums without man maths me thinks

 

[Scubadoo]

After going through the details of cost, even though I rarely use freedom berthing it is boarder line if I would benefit moving to otium. The only real benefit I can see is getting £150ish credit on the annual berthing fee which I could then use against my annual lift out fee. I would stop getting fuel as it would be no longer be at cost and go somewhere else which would be only marginally more expensive than mdl cost price, then if I needed a 2nd lift out bang goes any savings, as the points are less than the current 30% discount.

 

[Cathy*]

All points are worth £1. It states every point is worth a £1. If you use their calculator it looks like bertholders get 22% back on yard ie £100 spend on yard services gets you 22 points. 5% on berthing so spend £4,500 on a berth and recieve 225 points. 17% on fuel ie £100 on fuel gives you £17 points. All the points accumulated are worth £1 each giving you £264 back to spend on any services. IN this example thats 17.8% of the total value spent. Thats pretty good.

It isn't good if you're already a freedom berther. We currently receiving 30% off yard services at point of sale versus 22% points in the bank. Fuel is roughly 25% off when you pay versus 17% in points. It means they give us less and hang onto our points until we spend them or lose them if we leave. Remove free nights at other marinas, say £40 a night we will get 8 points...that's £32 a night extra !!! It all depends on what discount freedom berth holders are offered on renewal. My MDL manager said we keep freedom berthing for another 2 years. I haven't read everything so don't know where he's seen that. Will wait until we get our renewal offer to decide what to do.

 

[boatingfun]

Uumm, I am at MDL cobbs quay where we are constrained by 2 poxy bridges. Should this be a backdoor to increase the money fleeced from us I would rather pay additional money elsewhere and not have to deal with the Bridges even if that meant a different port/harbour. Time to do the sums without man maths me thinks

i would rather leave mdl all together evry part of them are just about the money

 

[boatingfun]

It isn't good if you're already a freedom berther. We currently receiving 30% off yard services at point of sale versus 22% points in the bank. Fuel is roughly 25% off when you pay versus 17% in points. It means they give us less and hang onto our points until we spend them or lose them if we leave. Remove free nights at other marinas, say £40 a night we will get 8 points...that's £32 a night extra !!! It all depends on what discount freedom berth holders are offered on renewal. My MDL manager said we keep freedom berthing for another 2 years. I haven't read everything so don't know where he's seen that. Will wait until we get our renewal offer to decide what to do.

for me if freedom comes to a end i will leave mdl move to different marina the main reason i stay is for the freedom berthing

 

[Elessar]

It isn't good if you're already a freedom berther. We currently receiving 30% off yard services at point of sale versus 22% points in the bank. Fuel is roughly 25% off when you pay versus 17% in points. It means they give us less and hang onto our points until we spend them or lose them if we leave. Remove free nights at other marinas, say £40 a night we will get 8 points...that's £32 a night extra !!! It all depends on what discount freedom berth holders are offered on renewal. My MDL manager said we keep freedom berthing for another 2 years. I haven't read everything so don't know where he's seen that. Will wait until we get our renewal offer to decide what to do.

the "another 2 years" is new news.

Lets hope they dont abolish it by stealth, making berths hard to book.

I have some sympathy with them watering down the scheme and if they reduce the number of free nights to a fair number rather than unlimited, and kept short stays unlimited, then I would stay.

Otium is all marketing bluster, very hard to establish the real facts and as you have highlighted it appears to be a very poor deal indeed compared with Freedom berthing, I will definitely leave if forced onto it as is, this year or in 2 years.

 

[BabySharkDooDooDooDooDoo]

Had an email saying double points on haul outs and the like - just like Tescos (if they did such things)

 

[Cathy*]

Had an email saying double points on haul outs and the like - just like Tescos (if they did such things)

As a berth holder we're offered 22 points points anyway. This offer is for visitors who can get 14 points normally so why send it to berth holders? If they were offering us 44% it might be worth considering (but probably not)

 

[Cathy*]

I have some sympathy with them watering down the scheme and if they reduce the number of free nights to a fair number rather than unlimited, and kept short stays unlimited, then I would stay.

I'm sure when we first joined MDL we could have up to 30 nights away in one year so I was surprised to find out it was virtually unlimited, if you can find a marina to accept you.

 

[BabySharkDooDooDooDooDoo]

As a berth holder we're offered 22 points points anyway. This offer is for visitors who can get 14 points normally so why send it to berth holders? If they were offering us 44% it might be worth considering (but probably not)

The email says 28 points per 100.

I suspect I am getting these because I was a member of the now defunct 'cruising club'

Edit - I had been contemplating moving to MDL next April but the loss of Freedom Berthing without a corresponding reduction in fees has put me off somewhat

 

[Cathy*]

The email says 28 points per 100.

I suspect I am getting these because I was a member of the now defunct 'cruising club'

Edit - I had been contemplating moving to MDL next April but the loss of Freedom Berthing without a corresponding reduction in fees has put me off somewhat

Yes it's offering you double points, 28 instead of your normal 14. But they've also sent the email to berth holders who it doesn't apply to. We're at the point of checking out marinas around the Solent area.

 

[Elessar]

I'm sure when we first joined MDL we could have up to 30 nights away in one year so I was surprised to find out it was virtually unlimited, if you can find a marina to accept you.

Yes sounds right plus unlimited short stays. I’d be happy with that.

 

[ST840]

Freedom berthing is not unlimited. But there was always a way to play the system . It is 28 days. So all you had to do was stay 28days at one marina, then move for a night to another and then go back and start another 28 days.
Too many people play the system , this I believe is what and why they are making the changes .

 

[Blue Sunray]

Freedom berthing is not unlimited. But there was always a way to play the system . It is 28 days. So all you had to do was stay 28days at one marina, then move for a night to another and then go back and start another 28 days.
Too many people play the system , this I believe is what and why they are making the changes .

You are obviously on a different contract to us. The only restriction on mine wrt to number of nights is in para 2.7 "The maximum number of FREE STAYS available to Freedom Berthing Package holders at any one qualifyying MDL marina is 183 overnight stays during the TERM regardless of the number of visits made."

 

[ST840]

You are obviously on a different contract to us. The only restriction on mine wrt to number of nights is in para 2.7 "The maximum number of FREE STAYS available to Freedom Berthing Package holders at any one qualifyying MDL marina is 183 overnight stays during the TERM regardless of the number of visits made."

Well considering it’s normally (for me) 3 months on the hard. Then 3 months home berth. 183 days makes up the other 6 months of the season.
it was just told to me that we had to have a break after every 28 days. Maybe different marinas work the system differently to others ???‍

 

[Elessar]

Well considering it’s normally (for me) 3 months on the hard. Then 3 months home berth. 183 days makes up the other 6 months of the season.
it was just told to me that we had to have a break after every 28 days. Maybe different marinas work the system differently to others ???‍

They make it up as they go along to some degree it’s true. Different people in the same marina can give different answers. Overall though freedom berthing has worked well.

 

[ST840]

Yes agreed.

 

[Blue Sunray]

Well considering it’s normally (for me) 3 months on the hard. Then 3 months home berth. 183 days makes up the other 6 months of the season.
it was just told to me that we had to have a break after every 28 days. Maybe different marinas work the system differently to others ???‍

Which, of course, is why there is a written contract and it's worthwhile reading as it is rather more reliable than hearsay.

 

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[Cathy*]

What's the difference between visitor and free stays?