Marina fees

[Stork_III]

But that's not the Tesco Instant Access account which Camelia said he had but which pays a maximum of 1.25%, not the 2.5% he claimed. You can check the interest rates here if you don't believe me.

I don't disbelieve you. The Instant access is 1.25% for minimum £50000, same base as Internet Saver but without a bonus, but no one in their right minds would use that account. I assumed Camelia refers to the Internet Saver. I may be crediting him with sanity though.

 

[pvb]

I assumed Camelia refers to the Internet Saver. I may be crediting him with sanity though.

Possibly, but why would he specifically say "Instant Access"? Of course, it's possible that he doesn't bank with Tesco at all.

 

[Jaguar 25]

Liverpool Marina - 50% off for second year.

I have recently moved to Liverpool Marina and for a two ear deal received 6 months free for the second year and I pay by installments over the first 12 months.

2.5% discount seems to be a waste of time with ensuing risk that the marina could go bust and so you may need to pay twice!

 

[Simondjuk]

You might get more than 5% off just by asking for it.

 

[gjgm]

By negotiating.

Really? Which marina company are you with please that offers negotiation on marina berthing fees?

 

[[2574]]

Really? Which marina company are you with please that offers negotiation on marina berthing fees?

It is happening right now. Marina operators are very keen to maintain occupancy. If you don't want to believe it that's fine with me.

Rob

 

[Daydream believer]

Whilst a number of people have mentioned interest rates & inflation no one has mentioned good old VAT
Whilst the govt may have trouble raising VAT on some "essentials" they could easily stick 5% on luxury goods & the nations perception of sailing is wealth
I doubt if they will knock 5% off
It has all been done ( disastrously) before

 

[sailorman]

Whilst a number of people have mentioned interest rates & inflation no one has mentioned good old VAT
Whilst the govt may have trouble raising VAT on some "essentials" they could easily stick 5% on luxury goods & the nations perception of sailing is wealth
I doubt if they will knock 5% off
It has all been done ( disastrously) before

Thats what fecked the UK boat building industry in the first place

 

[Marsupial]

Negotiation or rather the lack of it is a typically British trait. Equally the marina industry in the UK offers derisory "offers" 5%? what is that all about? its not even close. Be tougher with them, be much harder to get.

Leave them with a clear choice, a full marina at your terms or an empty marina at theirs.

We are berthed in the MED - first class marinas, most (but not all). The facilities on offer put anything in the UK to shame at a fraction of the price - before discounts. Buy a 3 year contract and negotiate at least a 50% reduction - sailing from the UK was the best decision we ever made.

Oh and there is a world out there, with banks that offer considerably more than 1.5% on normal deposit accounts; the UK bankers really do have a laugh and plenty to laugh about.

Have a nice day

 

[doris]

Never could understand people who quote European prices.
It depends completely on where you are. Some are horrendously more that GB, others are dirt cheap. The where, the local politics and many other things control the rents. Stop comparing apples, pears and bananas, just plain daft.

 

[[70521]]

I don't disbelieve you. The Instant access is 1.25% for minimum £50000, same base as Internet Saver but without a bonus, but no one in their right minds would use that account. I assumed Camelia refers to the Internet Saver. I may be crediting him with sanity though.

Opps sorry, senior moment! I moved my "slush fund" to Sainsbury's a few months ago and am getting 2.70% gross.

 

[gjgm]

It is happening right now. Marina operators are very keen to maintain occupancy. If you don't want to believe it that's fine with me.

Rob

Please answer my question. PM me if you want to keep it quiet.

 

[Tranona]

Never could understand people who quote European prices.
It depends completely on where you are. Some are horrendously more that GB, others are dirt cheap. The where, the local politics and many other things control the rents. Stop comparing apples, pears and bananas, just plain daft.

Just the same in the UK. Where there is lower demand prices are lower, particularly if coupled with low operating costs. So basin type marinas in the north remote from either population or good cruising areas are cheap and those in the densely populated south with high costs in such areas as dredging and business rates are more expensive.

Exactly the same if you compare the Med coast of France with the Atlantic coast!

The other thing the Med supporters forget is the cost and inconvenience of getting there. Fine if you go for long periods but pretty hopeless for regular weekend use.

 

[Marsupial]

Just the same in the UK. Where there is lower demand prices are lower, particularly if coupled with low operating costs. So basin type marinas in the north remote from either population or good cruising areas are cheap and those in the densely populated south with high costs in such areas as dredging and business rates are more expensive.

Exactly the same if you compare the Med coast of France with the Atlantic coast!

The other thing the Med supporters forget is the cost and inconvenience of getting there. Fine if you go for long periods but pretty hopeless for regular weekend use.

At a first glance you would think that but underneath things are not what they seem. There are marinas here that are packed - you would think that they could name their price - but only a few berth holders would have paid the asking price most have managed a massive reduction by bargaining, which is why they are packed. Some do demand very high berthing cost but they are empty and how they survive is a mystery. Others in the Aegean think they can change contract terms mid season and then wonder why everyone goes, they haven't read business 101. The old operating costs chestnut is the one operators like to quote, the truth is that if their costs are too high and they don't have a compliant customer base something has to give. . . . . in the UK they are lucky they have a very compliant customer base so have less of an incentive to control costs.

The biggest factor for unreasonable prices in the Med WAS the growth of the charter businesses and competition for berths near airports but even this is not guarantee of untold riches for marina operators as the charterers organised themselves and bought their own facilities. Many berths are available in marinas near airports at a fraction of the asking price, and the asking price is a fraction of a comparable berth in the UK. Example: asking 12mtrs 2200 Euro. My last contract in the UK was £3,300. (2008).

Its a fickle market but in the UK customers are conditioned to accept the price and not argue, its one of the only countries in the world where goods and services are sold without a haggle, and yet the UK consumer contract is very much on the side of the consumer as far as price is concerned, very very strange.

You are quite correct about cost and inconvenience to get there, but I am more interested in the structure of the "deal" and the lack of competition in the UK market. In the end the UK consumer of marina services pays an exceptional amount of money for very basic facilities when compared with the MED. Also in the MED we can almost guarantee the sailing conditions at various times in the year and as a result spend far more time at sea sailing and hence NOT in the marvellously equipped marinas, while in the UK the weather is unpredictable and we spent more time in expensive poorly equipped marinas.

Chalk and cheese. BUT I do think the British psyche has to take a large portion of the blame; that's not a criticism just an observation.

Have a nice day

 

[[2574]]

BUT I do think the British psyche has to take a large portion of the blame; that's not a criticism just an observation

yes, agreed, we're still embarrassed to ask for a discount as berthholders, god knows why, my clients do it to me everyday.

 

[Sybarite]

.....it's that time again.

I know of a marina operator that as well as offering the usual discount if you pay 12 months berthing upfront - 2.5% in this case - is also offering the 2nd year (2014/15) at 5% discount, presumably on the 2013/14 rates, as long as you pay the whole amount in advance.....in this case by end of January 2013.....which would be quite a significant sum.

Now, in all the years I've had a boat there has always been a deal to be had although I've not come across one with 2 years payment upfront. In the 1990's there were various long term "leasing" offers to be had but I think they proved to be a disaster all round. I've also heard of, and been offered, 2/3 year fixed rate deals, or where you agree a longer berthing contract at an increased discount, but never where you have to pay for more than 1 year in advance.

Am i wrong in my thoughts?

As a minimum I would ask to see their accounts to try to make sure that they were not going to go bust in that time. It might be indicative that they were in dire cash flow problems.

 

[richardbrennan]

Interesting comment by Robih. It does seem as though most marinas concentrate their incentives on attracting new business with "find a friend" and "12 months for the price of 10" type offers. This is probably due to most of us being simply too lazy to move but having got fed up with waiting for my berth to be dredged (I am aground at anything below 1 metre) and queing for the inadequate shower facilities every time it's a nice weekend, I shall be moving next year season and saving around 10% on my mooring fees. I supose they know what they are doing, but neglecting your core customer base is generally not a good idea whatever business you are in!

 

[The Third Man]

£100 deposit on credit card covers you

If you want the security paying by credit card offers it is not necessary to pay the full amount on the card. A payment of £100 is sufficient. So we pay our annual deposit that way and the balance in the normal way with a cheque. We incur a small surcharge but we think it is well worth it.

 

[[2574]]

neglecting your core customer base is generally not a good idea whatever business you are in!

Richard, quite right. I've always been told that it's seven times more expensive to win a new customer than retain your existing customers. In my business I look after my existing customers first and potential clients to whom we're pitching are always told that.

We berth holders suffer the great British disease of not being comfortable bargaining in personal transaction scenarios whereas in business we quite happily negotiate. We should negotiate with the marina operators and make them aware that they need to recognise the current economic circumstances. They need to strive to retain our business not simply await our cheque in payment. This means that we need to be prepared to vote with our keels when necessary.

 

[Seajet]

And as a non marina berth holder - at least not residential - may I just remind everyone that when the shoe was on the other foot a certain large marina chain bod said " we're going to squeeze prices until the pips squeak ".

Payback time !