Avoid paying fees for ice blocks by eating chilled/frozen food as you buy it and not trying to store it.
Although there may be a charge for the hot showers the cold showers will be free, shower immediately after returning from the beach and the cold will not feel so intense. A thorough sponge bath at a free hot sink also saves money.
Quote: Originally posted by pnefan on 31/8/2014
What annoys me is having coin operated showers, especially when the box is outside the shower cubicle and the hot water cuts out before you have finished. Grrrr
Shouldn't that be "water cuts out before you have finished. Brrrr"
The last site we went to had this arrangement (20p=4 mins) and it was fine. The site didn't have many showers so it probably helps get people through quickly!
A site we very recently stopped at charged 20p for a bowl of hot water for washing up. What I found strange was it was free showers, free freezer and fridge facilities but 20p for hot water for washing up. If you were brave you could fill your bowl up in the toilets hot water tap and wash up that way?. The annoying thing was not the cost, but if you didn't have a 20p coin on you, you were snookered. I once forgot my wallet and had to trapse across the field again to get it.
Quote: Originally posted by pnefan on 31/8/2014What annoys me is having coin operated showers, especially when the box is outside the shower cubicle and the hot water cuts out before you have finished. Grrrr
Shouldn't that be "water cuts out before you have finished. Brrrr"
The last site we went to had this arrangement (20p=4 mins) and it was fine. The site didn't have many showers so it probably helps get people through quickly!
No .The hot water cuts out and freezing cold water replaces it with no warning. Not bothered about paying or length of time its sites that have the box outside the cubicle.
We had the same i was told nope everything is free, you pay your money and after that no charge etc, then we arrived and were told it was 50p per block as the shop froze the blocks not the campsite...ahh the small print.
Since that time we bought a Sunncamp EHU new £20 on ebay and a table top fridge mint for £20 on gumtree.
Ok we have paid out £40 so far, but the beer, food, wine and beer are cold, this kept at a consistent temperature and the electric is a similar cost as freezing the blocks, oh and the beer is kept cold have I mentioned that.
I have avoided sites that charge per shower, mind you with my son of 10 years old maybe I would have saved some money.
------------- It's better to ask a silly question than make a silly mistake.
The ones that get me are the sites that charge for dogs, sometimes as much as £3 per dog, per night, and don't provide so much as a poo bin in the way of "dog facilities!
Same hear I vote with my feet at sites that charge for kids under 4 and not provide and play areas for them or changing tables and what really gets up my nose is sites that charge for under 4s and have no changing tables or play areas but then let dogs stay for free and have dog bins and dog walking fields I mean really ?
------------- 2017
June honeymoon
August not sure. Yet
Sep long weekend Rome
October week. In Devon
The highest charge I've ever seen to use a campsite washing machine? £6!!! I rolled up my sleeves and did the laundry in the sink. I also complained at some length in the office during a busy check in period, I must have peed a few folk off that day. I can cope with the usual £2.50-£3 but £6 is just ridiculous. They had four washing machines in an immaculate (till I did my hand washing) laundry room. I didn't see any of them get used during my stay.
Quote: Originally posted by fran1000 on 01/9/2014
The ones that get me are the sites that charge for dogs, sometimes as much as £3 per dog, per night, and don't provide so much as a poo bin in the way of "dog facilities!
I vote with my feet and refuse to go to them.
I happened to notice how much they charge for dogs (well, "Pets" actually) at the site in France we are heading to this coming weekend... £7 per night! £9 in their statics!
Not a hidden charge, admittedly, as it's in black and white. Doesn't affect me, not being a dog owner, but even I was shocked... until I had a sudden realisation as to maybe why they charge so much! Not expecting to see many, that's for sure!
Interesting thread, but how many of these charges are truly 'hidden'?
Usually they are either referred to on the campsite's website or in reviews on here.
Quite honestly, we have camped with ehu and without, using ice blocks instead, we have never been charged to freeze them, as the sites we have used have a campers' freezer to use free of charge, but even 80p a day is hardly going to break the bank if you are not paying for EHU at £3 or so a day on average. If it is only a couple of day's break, we have taken frozen meals and frozen food that doubles up as a cooling facility, and even on longer trips of 5 days we buy additional frozen and cold bits or a bag of ice if we need it. Unless the weather is very hot it works well, and even then we take a couple of 2l bottles of water and/or fruit juice frozen beforehand, which can last a few days.
Again with regard to charges for dogs, as we have a dog we generally have a look at the charges but it's not an issue if the cost seems reasonable, if not, we look elsewhere for somewhere that is.
We see it as paying for all members of our family, it's his holiday too.
I agree with Valk_scot about the washing machine charges, we usually pay an average of £3 and have paid up to as much as £5 for a wash if we really needed it (grubby lot, my lot!), but £6 seems a bit steep.
I still say though that usually you can find out charges for all the extras online or by calling the site, if I was unsure if blocks could be frozen, a quick call will clarify everything, so no real 'hidden' charges if you do your research beforehand.
Jane.
------------- Enjoying life beyond kids, new love, living on a boat and a new lease of life in my mid 50s! Never too old to reinvent yourself.....
Mum to five - 4 girls, 31,28,25 and 22 and one boy, 20
Engaged! Wedding June 2020!
tentaddict7 I agree with the majority of what you have said, however I did do my research and was told "free" everything is free except laundry and food once you have paid etc, in fact I had a free late stay
The reality 50p per block x 6 = £3.00 per day, the late stay they decided they were going to charge £10 regardless of what was promised during the call at the time of booking and when I first arrived...I didn't pay that though and they won't get my business again.
I think most people don't mind little amounts, but when you consider the above it cost me an extra £36 and if I rolled over an extra £10 on top of my holiday, like I say to my children it's not the cost it's the principle.
------------- It's better to ask a silly question than make a silly mistake.
youlbury, I do agree that you were deliberately misled if they used a technicality of the shop freezing the blocks instead of them, and 50p per block is ridiculous to charge people who have already paid for their stay.
Sites like that deserve to lose custom if they misrepresent their costs as being all inclusive of everything if its not.
My comment about researching everything beforehand clearly could not have applied to you.
Unless you had specifically called or emailed to ask about ice block freezing and any cost involved, you could not have possibly known.
However, the vast majority of sites do publish a comprehensive list of charges, and if they don't include everything, you can usually find a review pointing out high or unexpected charges for various things, this was obviously not the case for you, but we have never come across an unexpected charge that we did not know about beforehand in over 20 years of camping, so its reasonable to expect that your experience would be unusual, hence my comment that charges are not usually hidden.
(I too have a son who, if the sites relied on him paying for showers, would soon find their profits down! )
To be honest, having a cool box and EHU as an option is well worth it in my view, at least you don't have the hassle of freezing blocks all the time, we have a cool box that is an either/or, we can use ice blocks in it or use EHU and I would rather pay for EHU on a site that overcharged for freezing blocks anyway, at least I would get my money's worth out of them!
Jane.
------------- Enjoying life beyond kids, new love, living on a boat and a new lease of life in my mid 50s! Never too old to reinvent yourself.....
Mum to five - 4 girls, 31,28,25 and 22 and one boy, 20
Engaged! Wedding June 2020!
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Hidden site charges
