MDL Strikes Again

[Teddy]

I have recently received my berth renewal form for Penton Hook Marina. No surprises that the increase for next year is 5.5% (inflation X2?) BUT look closely at the enclosed "Additional Services" tariff.
Electricity costs have fallen from 11p per unit to an estimated 6p (subject to the prevailing rate from the electricity board, and vat). Great you all say, at last a fair rate to compensate us for the very expensive metered lead which we have to purchase at the current (excuse the pun) cost of £165.
Now the bad news. MDL intend to charge an "Administation fee" of £8 per quarter, i.e £32 a year!
This means for me, being a low user of electricity, that my electricity works out at about 33p per unit, taking into account the quarterly charge!
I'm sure heavy users, such as liveaboards will be delighted (maybe), but a lot of us will not be quite so happy.
Methinks time for us to complain, or vote with our wet feet.
Incidentally I have worked out that the break even figure is an annual consumption of about 610 units (£70 worth) per year.

 

[hlb]

I think theres a new law, that said they had to bring the price of electic down. So it looks like they've given it you in one hand and taken it away with the other. Any thoughts on where your going to walk to??

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Haydn

 

[Guest]

John watson MD of MDL posts on this forum you should get a response from John soon I expect

"Your chance to own a Crown is now"

 

[jwatson]

I have just caught sight of this posting as I am on holiday right now (nowhere exotic sadly!).
I can assure you I am not in the business of ripping anyone off - these days, if they ever existed, are long past.
I cannot give you a detailed reply right this minute but will do so shortly. Legislation has forced our hand and I am certain we are in a neutral position with this move - we are certainly not making any additional money.
However, if I see we have done anything in the renewal process that needs revising based on existing customers feedback, I will change it.
Stay well,
John Watson
MD
MDL

 

[Mike_Gates]

Teddy, I have noted your comments about electricity charges and reiterate John Watson’s comment that we are not in the business of ripping anyone off, these days are long past.

There have been recent changes in legislation, which we are adhering to.

Our pricing is open to scrutiny and we believe fair. However as a small user of electricity there may be other options open to suite your circumstances.

Please send me a P.M. and I will arrange for someone from Penton Hook to discuss this with you.

All the best


Mike
Thames Marinas
Bray, Windsor & Penton Hook

 

[mike_kolling]

Mike
I was told by your predecessor at Bray that the reason that the metered leads were so expensive (£165) was that we would never have to pay a standing charge.
How do you reconcile this with these new rules????
I suspect you will have an uprising on your hands.
Mike

 

[hlb]

Why not do like me. I have a standard issue circ 1960's vintage, real electric board metre.. Must admit it gives the boat a bit of a list but it's effective.

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Haydn

 

[wakeup]

In my Marina they have installed metered power outlets at the marina operators cost so you can use your exisitng power leads.

You simply have to buy a prepay card at I think £1 per 10kw hour.

Don't know if that is a good deal or not, but no standing charge and no £165 for a meterd lead so would all seem very reasonable. By the way operator its Crest Nicholson.

Can't be arsed...

 

[Guest]

Berth holders at Chatham have received similar bad news relating to 5% increase in mooring fees plus this iniquitous charge of £32 per annum for "administering" electricity. Furthermore, lift out charges for vessels less than 9 meters in length have risen from £10 per metre to £13 per metre - a staggering 30%, whilst the neighbouring marina remains at £10 for up to 12 metres and they use sophisticated travel hoists not a crane. So come on John Watson think again!!!!

 

[hlb]

I have recieved a letter this morning from a major PLC customer. It is to all supliers I presume. They want a 5% reduction on all prices each year for the next three years. This is because of the massive increase in imported goods, much cheaper than they cant produce here. They probably need the price reduction. They have just closed one factory. So over the next three years. Me and alot of others are going to earn 15% of alot of millions less and then be required to pay an increase in marina fee's. At some point the cooky is going to crumble. I wonder when.

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Haydn

 

[Guest]

You are overlooking the fact that even with this years increase for low users we are still paying less than we were 5 years ago. It was a standing charge of £75 pa and 11p per unit before we got the metered leads.

 

[Guest]

Dear Kent,

After much market and local competitor research, Chatham Maritime Marina lifting charges have been simplified and re structured for 2003. The seperate charge for blocking off and cradle hire have been removed from the tariff and incorporated into the lifting rates.To lift, scrub, Block off and relaunch a 9 metre boat (with your Club Outlook discounts) in 2002 is £228.50.
For a Lift, Scrub Block Off and relaunch of a 9 metre boat (with your Club Outlook discounts) in 2003 will be £228.06.
Whilst it may appear that our lifting tariff has increased when comparing lift out per metre charges, it actually incorporates more than one boat yard operation and ultimately offers you the boat owner a better value service for 2003.


Kind Regards

Dan
Manager
Chatham Maritime Marina

 

[Mike_Gates]

Mike
I think the issue is not so much the standing charge but the total cost of the electricity over the year. As already posted, our electricity costs are less than five years ago. Also we have in place a system where low unit users will only be invoiced when they accumulate £30 worth of electricity. The £8 administration fee will only be charged when we invoice. So a low user of say 500 units per year will only be charged £8 administration.

All the best


Mike
Thames Marinas
Bray, Windsor & Penton Hook

 

[nicho]

It's nevertheless, very encouraging to see that MDL bosses are prepared to come to the forum and explain increases/changes, and argue their case - considerably different to the previous regime!!

 

[Guest]

Agreed John Watson has clearly done a good job and along with that encouraged his various managers to input Long may it continue

"Your chance to own a Crown is now"

 

[tr7v8]

Be interesting to see a few of the independants on here, obviously Gillingham being my first thought!

Jim
----------

 

[hlb]

Well we have got. John Watson, his merry men, The coast guards and even Dirty Harry. All we need now, is Yacht Haven, Tony Blair and that American bloke. We're more famous than News At Ten. /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

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Haydn

 

[KevL]

John

I understand the principal behind the new legalisation from what has been printed in IPC magazines. Basically it makes it illegal to add a surcharge to the electricity units sold hence the new lower rate of 6p which is about the "standard" cost of a unit if such a thing exists. So I can appreciate that you are left with a deficit in you income which you have restructured your cost structure to cover with a service/billing charge. I don't believe that this is exactly in the spirit of the new legislation but you have to balance the books. My problem comes with your statement "I can assure you I am not in the business of ripping anyone off" when in this case I believe that the electricity cost at the pontoon is a rip off at a lot of the big players marinas. I moved from a big players marina in Wales because I got sick to death of the ways they found to extract extra money and electric at £3.50/day irrespective of how much I used was one such cost. Where I am now they just charge for the units used and the first X (50 I think) units are free with the mooring, no special cables to buy, no service charge and I can check the meter when I want. This "up front" no nonsense approach means that the low user never gets a bill and is really paying slightly over the odds for the mooring where as I who plug in for three days every week get about two bills a year and they are only about £16 a time even when I used to run a 2Kw fan heater all the time. Before you jump to the conclusion that the moorings must be expensive I pay about £1,600/year for a 41' boat, roughly half what I would pay at a Crest N marina in the area. Do you still believe that your electricity price isn't a rip off?

KevL

--
It may be the early bird that catches the worm but its the second mouse that gets the cheese.

 

[mike_kolling]

Mike

From what you say does that means its not a £8 per quarter charge, but just an £8 per invoice Admin charge?

That would put a bit of a different relflection on it.

Mike

 

[DepSol]

Sorry John, whilst i do appreciate that you are genuinly concerned for your business and being on this forum and helping some people here with their problems confirms, this I have to agree with Kev.

If you already charge for the mooring why charge extra for the supply of the electricity. In Guernsey they installed our electricity boxes and our sockets by each boat for plugging into without charging for the installation. Now if you use it, it costs £9 a quarter for the socket rental and 9.6p per unit for the electricity (standard charge per unit in Gsy).

The way they were able to do this was to increase the mooring fees that year by 6% but to be generous to everyone they waived the 6% fee for paying by monthly DD for your mooring so for me there was no increase. There was no charge of £165 for a power lead!!

FYI it costs me £68 per month for a 26' long 9'9" beam sportscruiser to moor for a year and £36 pa for the electricity rental and about £40 in electricity a year. Now I know the States of Guernsey make a profit on these fees and the revenue received from moorings (inc St sampsons harbour which would cost me about £60 a year to moor in). Also visitors to the Victoria Marina get charged less for there moorings here than they would for there moorings back home and the electricity is free.

I honestly think what you are charging for a service you should be supplying is 'ripping people off', I mean £165 for a lead is down right expensive and I am glad that I can have affordable boating in an area like the Channel Islands without incurring incredibly large costs. From what I can see it would be cheaper for people to leave there boats here plugged into the electricity and fly back and forth, picking up there duty frees every time than wear the ridiculous high uk prices for marinas.

At some point you are going to have to level things off to please or keep your customers before it comes to the stage that they all dissapear to the med. Secondly why is boating becoming an EXTRAS industry where the prices advertised are the basic prices and for what you really need to go boating you have to add an extra 30%.

Soon boating will be for the incredibly rich only and then what happens when they cant be bothered any more......empty marinas. Keep it fair and tell the fat cats to tighten their belts for a bit.

Stepping off my soap box now.

Dom

I am boating again ;-)