Marina visitor rate policy

[Pavalijo]

We recently booked into a marina for at least a month, paying for the month up front as requested.

The month has just ended but we are waiting out the high winds. We were rather surprised, however, to be advised that we will have to pay the full daily rate for this period (£38.94) rather than the pro rata monthly rate (£21.39).

Earlier in this cruise we have twice stayed over a week at a marina and had the extra days charged pro rata to the weekly rate.

Am I right to feel that this is poor service or is this the norm?

 

[Cardo]

We've always been charged the monthly pro-rata rate when we've had to stay an extra handful of days. Poor form by the marina you're at.

 

[johnalison]

I suspect that this is perfectly OK but just very bad public relations. Many marinas go out of their way to give you the benefit of the doubt wherever possible.

 

[porcupine]

Perhaps such 'financially enthusiastic' marinas should be named so that people thinking of going there are forewarned. It might also encourage them and others to treat the yachtsman and woman more fairly.

 

[dylanwinter]

I am a travelling sailor

at this time of year they have to maximise the income from people passing through

come mid september they will be much keener to keep you around

travel in summer and expect to pay top dollar

D

 

[Pavalijo]

I am a travelling sailor

at this time of year they have to maximise the income from people passing through

come mid september they will be much keener to keep you around

travel in summer and expect to pay top dollar

D

The figure involved is low, relative to our budget for mooring, but the principle is the issue here, not whether we can afford it!

We have stayed in 11 marinas this summer and not one has been full. This is the first of 3 where we stayed beyond a set a period rate (the others were weekly rates) who then expected full daily rate after. I will ask for confirmation of this policy from the general manager and if this is confirmed I will be back with full details.

We will be back this way next year and will look elsewhere if that is the case.

 

[l'escargot]

The figure involved is low, relative to our budget for mooring, but the principle is the issue here, not whether we can afford it!

We have stayed in 11 marinas this summer and not one has been full. This is the first of 3 where we stayed beyond a set a period rate (the others were weekly rates) who then expected full daily rate after. I will ask for confirmation of this policy from the general manager and if this is confirmed I will be back with full details.

We will be back this way next year and will look elsewhere if that is the case.

Why would you expect to be charged a pro rata monthly rate after your monthly contract has expired and you are staying day by day?

 

[stranded]

Why would you expect to be charged a pro rata monthly rate after your monthly contract has expired and you are staying day by day?

It does seem that the marina can offer the contract rate because it does not need to cover voids, whereas your day to day stay does not offer them that. So I'd be more inclined to think of those that continue to offer pro rata rates as particularly generous rather than your marina doing anything wrong.

 

[dylanwinter]

The figure involved is low, relative to our budget for mooring, but the principle is the issue here, not whether we can afford it!

We have stayed in 11 marinas this summer and not one has been full. This is the first of 3 where we stayed beyond a set a period rate (the others were weekly rates) who then expected full daily rate after. I will ask for confirmation of this policy from the general manager and if this is confirmed I will be back with full details.

We will be back this way next year and will look elsewhere if that is the case.

it is not really if you can afford it but if the marina can afford to offer discounts when they would expect occupancy to be as close to 100 per cent as they can get it

you are asking for a discount in their peak season and seem to be upset when they tell you you can't have it

try doing that with any other tourist business during peak periods and they will tell you to go whistle

I feel sorry for the marinas - tough business to be in and some sailors are extremley tough customers

D

 

[Sandyman]

'' To ensure that we feel safe at anchor, a new, (oversized) 25kg Rocna anchor has replaced the old CQR copy. This is attached to 85m of 8mm Maggi Catena Aqua4 Grade 40 chain.''

Why not use it. Plenty of free anchoring in the Plymouth area.

 

[Leighb]

When we have visited St Kat's we have always booked for at least a week as the daily rate is then a great deal less, and the tides work better, on a couple of occasions we have had to stay a day or two longer due to weather and have had the extra days charged at the weekly rather than the daily rate. Other Marina organisations, MDL for one, give a free day or days if you stay for a week or more, and not all in one go which is pretty good.

 

[l'escargot]

It does seem that the marina can offer the contract rate because it does not need to cover voids, whereas your day to day stay does not offer them that. So I'd be more inclined to think of those that continue to offer pro rata rates as particularly generous rather than your marina doing anything wrong.

Exactly. If they did continue with a pro rata charge when I went back from monthly paid in advance to paying day by day I would be grateful and think I had received a bonus rather than see it as grounds for complaint if they didn't...

 

[Pavalijo]

'' To ensure that we feel safe at anchor, a new, (oversized) 25kg Rocna anchor has replaced the old CQR copy. This is attached to 85m of 8mm Maggi Catena Aqua4 Grade 40 chain.''

Why not use it. Plenty of free anchoring in the Plymouth area.

I didn't fancy leaving the boat at anchor whilst at home for two and a half weeks, nor being at anchor this weekend! We had indeed hoped to get back here and anchor out. The Rocna has certainly dug in quickly the couple of times we have used it!

Interesting to hear the other comments. I will note to check ahead in future as there seems to be no general rule here. One nearby marina specifically states a pro rata rate but others, including where we have been charged that way, are silent on the subject (on their websites).

Fortunately we will get to 7 days here before the wind abates and so will benefit from a buy 5 get 2 free summer offer, but that is still well over the pro rata monthly rate.

 

[steveeasy]

it is not really if you can afford it but if the marina can afford to offer discounts when they would expect occupancy to be as close to 100 per cent as they can get it

you are asking for a discount in their peak season and seem to be upset when they tell you you can't have it

try doing that with any other tourist business during peak periods and they will tell you to go whistle

I feel sorry for the marinas - tough business to be in and some sailors are extremley tough customers

D

Actually I don't think he was asking for a discount was he?. he merely felt as he had paid an amount per day for a month, if his stay extended he might be offered the same daily rate. Personally I tend to think he has a valid point. I understand the seller is entitled to charge at the increased rate just as the customer is entitled to not go back in September when as you suggest they may want his money. I think it is up to the business if they use their discretion. goodwill goes a very long way.

If I applied the same principle to my customers, ( ie charging them double after 30 days at a reduced rate) I might as well tell them to sod off.

Steveeasy

 

[Pavalijo]

Actually I don't think he was asking for a discount was he?. he merely felt as he had paid an amount per day for a month, if his stay extended he might be offered the same daily rate. Personally I tend to think he has a valid point. I understand the seller is entitled to charge at the increased rate just as the customer is entitled to not go back in September when as you suggest they may want his money. I think it is up to the business if they use their discretion. goodwill goes a very long way.

If I applied the same principle to my customers, ( ie charging them double after 30 days at a reduced rate) I might as well tell them to sod off.

Steveeasy

If the marina was full during the height of summer I am sure that they would not offer the monthly rate - when we stayed at Pendennis (Falmouth) it was made perfectly clear that we would not get any discount in June-August and that was fine.
I made the same point as Steveeasy when discussing the issue with the marina - if I offered a reduced rate to my customers for an order which then turned out to be larger - but I wanted RRP for the additional quantity then I wouldn't expect them to come back next time.

Had I arrived for a month in June and expected pro rata rate during school holidays in a full marina I could understand that business logic.

I posed the question as I need to know (as a relative newcomer to the retirement cruising life) what I can reasonably expect. It seems that I should ask the question before arriving in future, and had I done so I would not be in this marina today!

 

[Sandyman]

I didn't fancy leaving the boat at anchor whilst at home for two and a half weeks, nor being at anchor this weekend!

Fair enough. I had wrongly assumed you were with the boat. Few years back we spent nearly 3 weeks storm bound in Plymouth without paying a marina a penny.

 

[mainsail1]

I did things the other way round at a Plymouth marina last month just before sailing to Scotland. I had been there for two months and I paid the next month up front having said I would probably be off to the North in less than a month. They said if I left early they would refund me pro rata and that is exactly what they did.

 

[Pavalijo]

. Few years back we spent nearly 3 weeks storm bound in Plymouth without paying a marina a penny.

We also visited friends who keep their boat locally - they said they had sat out a night of F8 wind in Cawsand but were well sheltered. Maybe we will do that as we build our experience, but will crawl before we walk - and so far First Mate has never suggested selling the boat!

 

[Sandyman]

We also visited friends who keep their boat locally - they said they had sat out a night of F8 wind in Cawsand but were well sheltered. Maybe we will do that as we build our experience, but will crawl before we walk - and so far First Mate has never suggested selling the boat!

must be doing something right then

 

[JumbleDuck]

Why would you expect to be charged a pro rata monthly rate after your monthly contract has expired and you are staying day by day?

It's not unreasonable to expect the monthly rate to apply to stays of longer than a month. Doesn't have to, of course. I don't stay long at marinas very often but for the couple of occasions recently when I have the weekly rate was extended pro-rata for stays of over a week.