Mdl Marina metered lead - scam?

[DangerousPirate]

Hello,
Ive been with an mdl marina for a year or so and I dont have a huge boat or anything so they never asked me to meter my electricity. Never paid an electricity bill there.

Now they call me and tell me I need to get a metered lead from them, which is annoying because they never asked before and even worse: I looked up the price online and its 120 quid for a 10 meter lead.

Thats quite hefty. And seems like they have a nice side business there considering I bought my 25m lead for 20 pounds on ebay...


Isnt there a cheaper option? Do they allow me to bring my own? And why cant they just look at the meter at the power socket?

 

[northwind]

The lead they use has a built in electrical meter, so it measures consumption, hence the cost. You may be able find one second hand? Alternatively don't use their electric and buy a solar panel?

 

[PaulRainbow]

You should have been paying for electricity all along, so you've had a free year.

The £127 charge for the metered cable is a refundable deposit. Not sure how that's a "nice side business" ? They have to buy the cables in, loan them to you for a deposit, refund the deposit when you leave, and maintain/replace the cables. Looks like a no win deal for MDL, especially as they supply the electricity at cost.

 

[bedouin]

The other scam you have to be aware of is leaving it plugged in. If you do so they will read it regularly and charge you for taking the reading irrespective of whether you actually use any electricity.

 

[PaulRainbow]

The other scam you have to be aware of is leaving it plugged in. If you do so they will read it regularly and charge you for taking the reading irrespective of whether you actually use any electricity.

What nonsense. They don't charge for taking a reading, they charge a quarterly admin fee.

They will read the meter periodically and charge for the electricity you have used, plus the £10.50 administration fee. It's not a scam, it's clearly detailed on their website and it's a system that many marinas operate.

 

[bedouin]

What nonsense. They don't charge for taking a reading, they charge a quarterly admin fee.

They will read the meter periodically and charge for the electricity you have used, plus the £10.50 administration fee. It's not a scam, it's clearly detailed on their website and it's a system that many marinas operate.

Okay it is an "administration fee" then - but it still costs many many times the cost of the electricity you actually use and can be avoided by not leaving the lead plugged in.

I have have shelled out £120 for the lead (not a deposit - an outright purchase) and have to pay £10;50 admin (is that per quarter) for the privilege of using about £1 of electricity per year. An you say that isn't a scam

 

[Laysula]

You can buy your own meterd lead. just make sure that you get them to take a reading before you plug it in if it's second hand.

 

[PaulRainbow]

Okay it is an "administration fee" then - but it still costs many many times the cost of the electricity you actually use and can be avoided by not leaving the lead plugged in.

I have have shelled out £120 for the lead (not a deposit - an outright purchase) and have to pay £10;50 admin (is that per quarter) for the privilege of using about £1 of electricity per year. An you say that isn't a scam

All prices are clearly displayed on their website, so how can it be a scam, you don't have to have the cable or use any of the electricity.

On the other hand, you purchased your own cable, which you avoid plugging in when not there, so as to avoid paying the admin fees and the electricity, isn't that theft ?

If you only use £1 per year, a solar panel would seem like a better solution.

 

[RobF]

I've been with MDL for many years and don't recall being charged an 'Admin' fee for the meter reading. Even if they did, if they supply electricity to me 'at cost' then it doesn't seem unreasonable to pay a small fee for someone to check it every so often and let me know how much I've used.

As others have said, you can buy your own metered cable from anywhere (most chandlers have them) but IIRC, MDL sell them to you at cost - so hardly a scam. The 25m cable you refer to (from eBay) probably doesn't have a meter built into it. If it does have a meter, that sounds like a sensible option (or buy solar).

 

[Laysula]

Search Results for metermaid |

£120 looks a bargain

 

[bedouin]

In recent years MDL have had more than £200 from me to supply less than £5 worth of electricity "at cost"

You can make up you own mind whether that is a fair mark up or a scam. And don't forget these people are getting thousands a year in berthing fees anyway

 

[Stemar]

Spend your next couple of years worth of bills on solar panels and a controller. Unlike the "MDL scam" they'll even work at anchor. Or on a mooring if, like me, you begrudge their charges

I'm perhaps not the best person to comment on marina charges, because I'm a tightwad and probably haven't been in a marina with Jissel in over 10 years, but a marina wouldn't be my first choice of get rich quick scheme.

 

[Sandy]

In recent years MDL have had more than £200 from me to supply less than £5 worth of electricity "at cost"

You can make up you own mind whether that is a fair mark up or a scam. And don't forget these people are getting thousands a year in berthing fees anyway

If you use so little electricity why are you plugged in?

Where we are it is monthly £10 (inc VAT) fee plus the electricity used. Great for a few tanks of hot water, charging the batteries and using power tools.

 

[Bristolfashion]

Whatever the pros & cons of the MDL system, every other company seems to provide some form of metering in the pillar - only MDL make you buy / rent your own. It's not like MDL are cheap.

As others have said, we just don't plug in & use onboard solar/wind.

 

[DangerousPirate]

Youre right, it didnt have a neter on it. But I tried to say: how expensive can a metered lead be if an unmetered one is 20 quid?

I will look around to find a cheaper option. I have a cable, I just need a meter.

 

[Stork_III]

Shotley marina have a deposit meter lead, refundable whenever you take it back, small quarterly admin fee with bill for units used. You don't have to have one, but unless you source a 4 pin plug you can't illicitly plug in your own into the bollard.

 

[Daverw]

Waterproof and reliable in line power meters are not cheap. I’m sure you want what that does not over read! Easy to use theirs then if a problem it’s their problem

 

[VicS]

Youre right, it didnt have a neter on it. But I tried to say: how expensive can a metered lead be if an unmetered one is 20 quid?

I will look around to find a cheaper option. I have a cable, I just need a meter.

£165

Force 4 MeterMaid Portable Electricity Meter | Force 4 Chandlery
.

 

[Refueler]

When I lived in UK ... I enquired about marina berths for my tub.

2 well known marinas told me they do not accept 3rd party metered leads and I would have to have their leads on a buy - refund basis.
The marina I finally chose had two systems ...
1. your own unmetered lead to a slot meter (communal !) Basically 6 sockets in a shed at shore end of each pontoon. You put a quid or so in .. plug in your lead. Idea being that you put a quid in or so whenever a free socket and plug in. Don't hog it - unplug once job or charging done to let another use it.
2. Metered lead to a supply box - they were positioned at intervals along the pontoon with 4 sockets each. If you bought your own lead - then marina wanted to check it before plug in. I thought that was fair. If you took Marina's lead - then it was on Buy-Refund basis ... at reasonable rate. Slightly less than the two other marinas I asked.

I chose the quid in the slot-meter !!

 

[DangerousPirate]

Does mdl refund once I leave?