New UK aires company has started up

[dunnah01]

They need to provide details of how the money they charge will be used to improve the facilities unless it is just going in their back pocket.

 

[ceejayt]

Just to add, I am a big fan of Britstops and have been getting the book every year since it started. However, I have said a number of times it needs to go online like FrancePassion. Just yesterday I spent about 45 minutes updating my book from their updates.
Hopefully room for both. I just booked two Britstops at pubs yesterday with a couple of phone calls. We will be eating and spending more than £15 buy only because we WANT to. Have stayed plenty of times and paid nothing or just had a pint of beer if a pub.
Maybe this will push Steve to get his scheme online

 

[HKF]

I understand the concept of this but would really expect the site owner to be doing it before I arrived!

 

[chaser]

Just to add, I am a big fan of Britstops and have been getting the book every year since it started. However, I have said a number of times it needs to go online like FrancePassion. Just yesterday I spent about 45 minutes updating my book from their updates.
Hopefully room for both. I just booked two Britstops at pubs yesterday with a couple of phone calls. We will be eating and spending more than £15 buy only because we WANT to. Have stayed plenty of times and paid nothing or just had a pint of beer if a pub.
Maybe this will push Steve to get his scheme online

With this new thing though you will still be tempted to use the pub, well I would be, even though you have already paid your £15.

 

[HKF]

My question is around the word ‘ exclusive’. Are these Aires saying they will ONLY accept bookings from these members or will you find yourself at a Britstop pub having paid £15 whilst the guy next door is free?

In the video, he says it's more like schools, councils etc., so it's more like anyone who has a bit of grass available. However, these places are going to have to be manned during access hours to allow access to only those who've booked a pitch. And, unless the site has a locked gate outside access hours (unlikely for the type of sites the Director cited), what's to stop Joe Blogs turning up at 10pm and paying nothing?

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[Abacist]

Or a group of travellers!

 

[Kups]

On our recent trip to England we stayed at 4 CLs, 3 of them had full facilities including EHU and all cheaper than £15pn. How can they guarantee a pitch if 20 people want to go to a 4 van site?

The answer to your question is - only people who have prepaid get a pitch. Everyone else gets "computer say no!" Same as Camping Car Park- no advanced paid booking = no pitch.

 

[Kups]

In the video, he says it's more like schools, councils etc., so it's more like anyone who has a bit of grass available. However, these places are going to have to be manned during access hours to allow access to only those who've booked a pitch. And, unless the site has a locked gate outside access hours (unlikely for the type of sites the Director cited), what's to stop Joe Blogs turning up at 10pm and paying nothing?

And leaving before 7am. We've seen that many times in Europe, no prizes for guessing who are the main culprits, Allez, vite!

 

[ceejayt]

Difference from Camping Carpark is they have automated barriers etc

 

[TDub49]

Is this meeting a demand or is it simply (and cynically) cashing in on the current passion for all things moho?

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[chaser]

The answer to your question is - only people who have prepaid get a pitch. Everyone else gets "computer say no!" Same as Camping Car Park- no advanced paid booking = no pitch.

Don't see what stops other folks stoping who havnt booked if it's an open field or car park.

 

[Manic]

He say about taking number plates to stop a mess being left, are they going to fit cameras on all there sites.

 

[Potty]

The answer to your question is - only people who have prepaid get a pitch. Everyone else gets "computer say no!" Same as Camping Car Park- no advanced paid booking = no pitch.

Have never pre-booked a CampingCarPark pitch and have never been refused admittance.

 

[chaser]

He say about taking number plates to stop a mess being left, are they going to fit cameras on all there sites.

Presumably you have to put your number in when you book, so if there is litter left it will be down to you even though someone else could have been who hadn't booked.

 

[Fragle]

For £15 or even £10 a night I would expect water and waste as a bare minimum.

It always amazes me the prices they think are acceptable. Compare there £15 a night for nothing with the CAMPING-CAR site we are on atm. 5 minutes to to walk to town /beach £10 with electric and wifi. The trouble is someone will always pay the top price for nothing and moan that I’m a FLT
In Scotland we passed a sign on a post in the great glen £20 to park in a field
I think some have more money than sense

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[HKF]

Is this meeting a demand or is it simply (and cynically) cashing in on the current passion for all things moho?

It does look like an ill-planned, ill-executed get-rich-quick scheme to me.

 

[Littlewheels]

"computer say no!" Same as Camping Car Park- no advanced paid booking = no pitch.

You don’t have to prepay to stay Camping Car Parks you turn up and access via your card you only pay when you exit again via your card.
You do pay in advance but only if you prebook but you are under no obligation to prebook.

 

[Littlewheels]

Difference from Camping Carpark is they have automated barriers etc

Exactly, additionally many of these so called Aires will simply be seen as stopovers and be quickly listed on S4S etc. The automated system that Camping Car Parks operates means it doesn’t matter to them if a Site is listed elsewhere as anyone turning up will have to join and pay via the automated system.

 

[lorger]

The answer to your question is - only people who have prepaid get a pitch. Everyone else gets "computer say no!" Same as Camping Car Park- no advanced paid booking = no pitch.

I don’t think that does answer my question, the op said a pitch was guaranteed. My question was how can it be guaranteed, for instance if they have 100 pitches in their network and 101 members then they can’t guarantee every member a pitch every night.

 

[IanRJ]

I don’t think that does answer my question, the op said a pitch was guaranteed. My question was how can it be guaranteed, for instance if they have 100 pitches in their network and 101 members then they can’t guarantee every member a pitch every night.

I think you are taking that a little too literally. The pitch is guaranteed once booked.

If you go onto their website, find a pitch that is available, book it, you are then guaranteed that the pitch will be available to you when you arrive. If there is none available on the website at your chosen location you cant book it therefore there is no issue with every member getting a pitch every night!

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[lorger]

I think you are taking that a little too literally. The pitch is guaranteed once booked.

If you go onto their website, find a pitch that is available, book it, you are then guaranteed that the pitch will be available to you when you arrive. If there is none available on the website at your chosen location you cant book it therefore there is no issue with every member getting a pitch every night!

You’re correct I read it wrong and did wonder how it could be guaranteed.

 

[ceejayt]

Lots of reasons it might go wrong if the sites are not exclusive to the scheme. If it’s pubs they may well not and anyway their car parks may be full of cars.

if they do go for alot of pubs I can see numerous pubs backing out iof BritStops in favour of getting £15. That would be a shame.

 

[ceejayt]

Also a danger for BritStops is the business model. Britstops has one main income stream each year which is the book with a great deal of cost to publish. These new guys can take monthly subscribers on any time and create a strong revenue stream which is also more valuable.

I foresee ‘trouble at mill’

 

[orridge]

My concern would be that a load of pubs which are the main type of britstops start charging £15 a night and still expect you to eat in the Pub. Have seen a few pop up this year doing that which could then set the benchmark for others to follow.

 

[ceejayt]

My concern would be that a load of pubs which are the main type of britstops start charging £15 a night and still expect you to eat in the Pub. Have seen a few pop up this year doing that which could then set the benchmark for others to follow.

We go to a pub at Thornton Le Beans - not a Britstop - they charge £12 to stay, you dont have to eat in the pub BUT they are a registered CL and that would probably catch out pubs suddenly wanting to charge to stay over. They may well need some kind of permission or change of use. ??

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[Spriddler]

In the video, he says it's more like schools, councils etc., so it's more like anyone who has a bit of grass available. However, these places are going to have to be manned during access hours to allow access to only those who've booked a pitch. And, unless the site has a locked gate outside access hours (unlikely for the type of sites the Director cited), what's to stop Joe Blogs turning up at 10pm and paying nothing?

That's what I'm thinking.
I assume that if a pub or other UK-Aires location that normally accepts overnight parking joins the scheme they will have to turn away/refuse non-subscribers because if they don't then those who've reserved via UK-Aires may find no spaces are available if non-subscribing motorhomers have already parked there.............

(As far as facilities are concerned I've never seen a pub that didn't have a water tap or loos).

 

[jdk62]

I say good luck to them.

They think they have seen a market opportunity as clearly there is demand.

So what if it is £15 per night…everybody has a choice…

Always amazes me how many people just go out of there way to knock other people/initiatives.

Let people make their own choices/ decisions without throwing negatives around from the outset.

 

[orridge]

I get this is an example from their website https://www.uk-aire.co.uk/how-uk-aire-works/ but those photos are from Eden Rugby club in New Zealand copied from Google maps.

 

[Puddleduck]

Maybe but their selling point (they told me) is that you are guaranteed a pitch when you book, even on the same day.
So on their sites, no booking through their website =no pitch. Its going to be interesting for the person managing arrivals/departures at site level, good luck to them.
I'm not promoting this new company, just putting the information out on MF for people to think about.

And what about people who don't have smartphones or internet when travelling? I know most people do have smartphones but some people don't (me). I gave the phone I bought to Martin as touchscreens don't recognise I'm touching them. I use the volume control to turn pages on my kindle.

Sounds like another CL/CS type operator .

We go to a pub at Thornton Le Beans - not a Britstop - they charge £12 to stay, you dont have to eat in the pub BUT they are a registered CL and that would probably catch out pubs suddenly wanting to charge to stay over. They may well need some kind of permission or change of use. ??

I hope they have the legalities in place along with insurance etc. There are Acts of Parliament in place which state how long and how many caravans can be in one place at a time. Motorhomes come into the definition of caravan in the Act btw.

 

[HKF]

........

Always amazes me how many people just go out of there way to knock other people/initiatives.

Let people make their own choices/ decisions without throwing negatives around from the outset.

It's not just about throwing negatives around. It's about warning people of potential issues and/or problems, just as you might about as new product on the market. If there are negative things to say, they're just as relevant as positive things, especially when peoples' hard earned cash is involved. If the majority of people only want to hear positive things, review sites would be out of business. It's important to hear the good and the bad together in order to make a balanced judgement.

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