Should marina charges be "all in" or cheaper but charge for all services

[shmoo]

When visiting at marina:

do you prefer to pay just the once (and I suppose a bit more) and not again for electricity, showers, washing machines, parking etc or

would you prefer to pay (less, I suppose) and then pay for those services only if you used them?

This isn't about the level of charges.

 

[nimbusgb]

When visiting at marina:

do you prefer to pay just the once (and I suppose a bit more) and not again for electricity, showers, washing machines, parking etc or

would you prefer to pay (less, I suppose) and then pay for those services only if you used them?

This isn't about the level of charges.

Pay for what you use. Pay once all in is asking some people to abuse the system. Like with water in the UK. Some unmetered people will happily drain the local reservoir happy in the knowledge that they are not paying 'by the unit' and oblivious to the fact that its just plain wasteful.

 

[ChrisE]

When visiting at marina:

do you prefer to pay just the once (and I suppose a bit more) and not again for electricity, showers, washing machines, parking etc or

would you prefer to pay (less, I suppose) and then pay for those services only if you used them?

This isn't about the level of charges.

When visiting a marina, I like to be given the option of whether to pay for leccy otherwise expect showers to be included. Happy to pay for washing machines, etc.

 

[Danny Jo]

A thorny issue. My experience is that some of the more expensive marinas charge extra for some of the services you have mentioned.

My first, rational, answer is that I would prefer to pay for what I use. On reflection though, I feel that the overall experience is better if, having contracted to pay so much per night, you are free to use the services as and when without having to pay extra.

 

[Koeketiene]

When visiting a marina I would expect to pay for laundry, but that would be pretty much it.
I would expect electricity, water and showers to be included.

When you book into a hotel you don't expect to be charged extra if you switch the light on or have a shower.

 

[photodog]

When you book into a hotel you don't expect to be charged extra if you switch the light on or have a shower.
Good point... but if I dont use the shower or turn on the lights...why should I pay for the leccy...

You may be onto something there... a hotel were you insert a credit card at the door and are directly charged for your energy use.... hmmmm goood Idea.

 

[Koeketiene]

When you book into a hotel you don't expect to be charged extra if you switch the light on or have a shower.
Good point... but if I dont use the shower or turn on the lights...why should I pay for the leccy...

You don't pay for what you use or don't use. It's just not practical.

Continuing with the hotel thing.
- You're on your own and you book into a hotel
- You have dinner and afterwards you have a couple of drinks in the bar
- In the bar you get chatting to an obviously single, attractive and available female.
- It's your lucky night: she invites you to her room and a ships in the night encounter ensues.
- You check out in the morning: do you expect to have to pay for your room? After all, you haven't used it?

 

[photodog]

You check out in the morning: do you expect to have to pay for your room? After all, you haven't used it?


If you can get lucky in a Travelodge... you should pay twice. Your bill and hers.

 

[Viking]

Maybe you need to visit wider afield. We have a 'town centre' marina for £10 or £15. (<30ft/30ft>) per day/night. Electricity is extra £2. Showers/Toilets free. Washing machines/dryers extra. In the morning, breakfast rolls and newspapers delievered to your boat FREE.

 

[Heigaro]

You don't pay for what you use or don't use. It's just not practical.

Continuing with the hotel thing.
- You're on your own and you book into a hotel
- You have dinner and afterwards you have a couple of drinks in the bar
- In the bar you get chatting to an obviously single, attractive and available female.
- It's your lucky night: she invites you to her room and a ships in the night encounter ensues.
- You check out in the morning: do you expect to have to pay for your room? After all, you haven't used it?

Well! That's a bit tight! You would have already saved on your electricity and water!

 

[ChrisE]

When visiting a marina I would expect to pay for laundry, but that would be pretty much it.
I would expect electricity, water and showers to be included.

When you book into a hotel you don't expect to be charged extra if you switch the light on or have a shower.

Not a fair comparison. You wouldn't expect a free bed at your marina as well, would you? And at some hotels, you have to pay to park which is all-in at a marina

I don't have a problem with paying for anything, provided that the fees reflect it. Eg at Yarmuff, you pay more for shore access and leccy than you do for those berths with neither. You also pay for showers, as you do in most French marinas.

At Yothaven, you pay a standard price that includes showers, leccy and a paper on Sunday. Mind you, for my craft you pay around £35/night at Yothaven vs £20/night at Yarmuff.

 

[fireball]

For visitors berthing, the charging system varies horendusly, but the 'norm' is for everything except elec to be included. I don't mind too much, especially now we have more in the way of electrics onboard to make paying the additional £2/3 worth the expense (fridge/battery charger), but our last boat didn't have either - so the additional cost was a weigh up on whether we wanted to run the coolbox via a rectifier and the immersion ... or not ...
As quite a number of boats do not have elec I can't see that it is fair to do a single all inclusive price which will obviously work out higher than the non-elec price.
As for showers - they should be included, even if limited time ...

 

[Koeketiene]

Not a fair comparison. You wouldn't expect a free bed at your marina as well, would you? And at some hotels, you have to pay to park which is all-in at a marina

Nope - neither do I expect a hotel to provide me with a berth for the boat
As for parking - OP was talking about what you expect to be included/pay extra for when you're a visitor - not at at your home marina. When you're there with your boat, I don't think parking's much of an issue.

 

[maxi77]

As there are still many who have little or no desire for a constant supply of 240 volts whilst parked there is some understanding of the desire to keep paying for the leccy as a separate item. Mind you as more and more expect to have the same comforts and facilities on board as at home I see this balance changing in the near future.

In the caravan world it is now normal to have power at even the smallest of sites and I suspect that the majority now the leccy is rolled up in the site fee, as are the showers and toilets, though most still charge for washing machines and driers. I expect the boating world to follow before too long.

 

[ChrisE]

As there are still many who have little or no desire for a constant supply of 240 volts whilst parked there is some understanding of the desire to keep paying for the leccy as a separate item. Mind you as more and more expect to have the same comforts and facilities on board as at home I see this balance changing in the near future.

In the caravan world it is now normal to have power at even the smallest of sites and I suspect that the majority now the leccy is rolled up in the site fee, as are the showers and toilets, though most still charge for washing machines and driers. I expect the boating world to follow before too long.

My thoughts entirely, just put more succinctly.

It makes me wonder where the boating equivalent of camping a la ferme would catch on. Doh, that's anchoring...

 

[Koeketiene]

As there are still many who have little or no desire for a constant supply of 240 volts whilst parked there is some understanding of the desire to keep paying for the leccy as a separate item.

The 'why should I pay for something I don't use' is a false argument.
Think back a few years.

The practise of charging extra for leccy is fairly recent. Five our six summers ago we cruised the South Coast. At one particular marina we paid £30 for the night - all-in. The very next year thery wanted to charge us £30 + £3 for the leccy (I passed on the leccy).

It's just another price increase pure and simple.

The fact that you're not having/using leccy does not leave you any better off now than before it was charged as an extra. Otherwise I'd be paying £27 for not having leccy.

The issue of leccy is all but academic now; a solar panel and a windgen have seen to that. If shore power's available, I'll have it - as long as it's free.

 

[andymcp]

I prefer all-in, mostly because I don't like to pay for showers in a marina and will use shorepower if available to charge up the kids stuff. I don't mind paying showers ashore if I'm on a mooring, but when in a marina it's a different matter. During WHYW I was pretty disappointed when Kerrera was pay-for showers, although free leccy was good. Worse was Tobermory where it's a couple of quid for the shortest shower I have seen on a meter. With 3 kids to get cleaned up, I didn't enjoy paying £10+ for a mad rush family clean.

 

[Malish]

showers free & pay for everything else. I have no interest in shore power and I object to subsidising the power consumed by the proverbial boat next door which is lit up like a christmas tree.

 

[ChrisE]

The 'why should I pay for something I don't use' is a false argument.
Think back a few years.

The practise of charging extra for leccy is fairly recent.

I seem to be disagreeing with a fair bit here but paying for leccy has varied from marina to marina as long as I've been sailing, admittedly only 20 years or so.

No one would disagree that marina prices have risen steadily and personally, I don't blame them for breaking the charges down into bits that people are prepared to pay for.

The use of the term free is a misnomer, it is all-in pricing and thus the charges will be shared amongst those that use the marina whether they choose to use the facilities or not. So even if you are inpdependant of the shore power, as we are, you are paying for it. Now, if we have to pay we don't use it, if it is included in the price, we take advantage to top up the batteries.

Any roads up, this is largely an acedemic debate, for me as the boat sits on a swinger and for us the annual cost of marina charges is minimal (if anything to do with sailing can be called minimal....)

 

[jason -and the arguenauts]

It all depends on local competition doesnt it - and there's too little of that round here. But since my boat doesnt have a genny I always use leccy and would therefore prefer a marina rate with that included. I wouldnt use a marina that didnt provide clean free toilets and showers. I'm not French!

Our local marina is £19 for 10m and that includes leccy. Expensive but not bad facilities.