Looking back to a message thread started by SHOSKY in august...I have just listened to horror story regarding re-siting of a static caravan .Firstly ..I make my living transporting and siting static caravans and I do get to know quite a lot more than some of the park owners would like me to!!! Story-time-----A young couple who live near me bought a 2 year old caravan on a large site (at the side of the A1..in Northumberland..just short of the border)...salesman was lovely...lovely ptich on edge of the golf-course..surrounded by privately owned caravans...Wine--chocolates..flowers all waiting for them on their first visit to the newly sited van.....Happy Holidays for years to come!!! In reality..the privately owned vans were sub-let by the park and the couple had to endure a season of rowdy tenants...boy racers..drunken antics and drug taking etc etc. After this one season..they enquired about moving to a different pitch----nothing available.This left them with 2 options......sell the van back to the park at a massive financial loss or move to a different park.They chose the latter and arranged to move to another park (in a Nothumberland harbour town about 50 mile south)owned by the same large company.The van was promptly Disconnected---Unsited---Towed to car-park--Delivered to new park--Re-sited---Reconnected and all ready to use again The bill which included next years site fees of around £2500..........£8000!!!! I was asked to estimate a price for the job(unaware it had already been done) and informed the couple that the park owners will not allow any outside contractors to carry out any sitework but would be able to deliver the caravan.The transport of the caravan would be £350 +vat. The un-siting and re-siting --if we were allowed to do it---approx £400+vat.Total £750+vat. The price they paid less site fees--£5500approx. Please do your homework and be careful what you sign-up for!!! and please note I am not advertising or looking for work and wont be giving quotes out on the forum---enjoy your camping..whichever way you do it and please dont get RIPPED OFF
A sad tale indeed and a warning to anyone considering a similar move. These rip off merchants should be put out of business but nothing illegal in what they do I guess.
I am sure there are matter good site owners out there but if the site changes hands.
Thank you for highlighting this Bryan what an awful thing for them to endure and an expensive one. Lets hope they have many happy years now their van is at the other site. It does seem that these site owners have you over a barrell
------------- You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only option!
Most of the stories I am hearing..usually from very upset static owners..point to the same conclusion.The park owners make it so difficult and/or expensive for you to leave that the only option left is to sell your van back to them at a very low price .If you were allowed to sell privately on site this would normally involve paying a commision to the park owner ..to cover a loss of income that they would get from selling another van on your pitch! Seems like they,ve got you either way.Not all park/site owners are bad..I deal with some very reasonable and honest owners...it seems to be the large national groups who are the rip-off experts! If youre about to spend lots of hard-earned cash on a static( and keep me in a job!)...please look into it carefully and dont be afraid of asking "what if.........."
Good post.Yes,after making the switch betwwen tourer and static,i can confirm that there is nothing quite like it,but.....do your homework.It is money down the drain,and this is coming from a happy static owner for the last 3 years. Our site is a good honest site,fair with their sales pitch and their ground rent but you will not get nowhere near your money back if you want to sell.Rules and regs abound.I miss touring and i still own mine but i am paying through the nose for my static and i am damn well using it as much as i can!
------------- Those that danced were thought to be quite insane to those who could not hear the music. Angela Monet
looks like we are one of the lucky static owners (in france), THOUGH it wasnt by accident. when we first decided to get one we did consider a haven site but was immediately put off by age limitations on vans plus their exhorbatant fees if we sold privately, i spoke to a few owners and they sais haven would buy them back but at a massive reduction, so i decided to look elsewhere. we searched an area in france we had visited and enjoyed, we booked a flight, hired a car and went round to look at some vans/sites, my wife wasnt too keen on looking at lots of sites, whereas i wanted to visit as many as we could.
we had seen one advertised on daltons weekly, although it turned out to be sold, they suggested their neighbour was looking to sell, but when we sent to see it, it was quite old and not what we wanted, toug the pitch it was on was massive and we looked round the site and decided it matched our wants/needs.
i noticed empty plots so asked if i could bring a van over - even though language was an issue, it turned out we could. it was something we hadnt even considered. we asked the normal questions, any restrictions on age of van - NONE, could we sell without fees to them, YES, how much to bring our own van, NOTHING (though i think they now charge 1500 euros , sometimes LOL). pitch fees 1900 euros (now 2100),
a bit daunted by it all we decided to go for it, surely it cant be too difficult, guess what - yes, easy peasy! eventually found a great condition second hand van, 6 years old, the compnay we bought from arranged delivery etc - we only had to turn up to the site for our easter holiday, van installed and up and running in one day - and the value of the van increased when we had it sited - RESULT!
so, the moral is i suppose,
1 be brave and try to do it yourself, you will get a much better deal.
2 ask the questions re age of van, site fees, selling on etc
Well done Dave...admire your courage taking that one on!!! Just a word of caution to anybody thinking of trying to do this.....please make sure your caravan is in A1 condition BEFORE it arrives at the docks. The A frame or towbar must be 100% ..all 4 corner steadies must work properly..the tyres must be free from cracks or bulges and correctly inflated. In general the shippers like to see everything underneath is in good condition ...decent chassis...no rust on the wheels etc. Depending on the docks you use--the shipper will turn your van away using the slightest excuse--especially HULL. If your caravan is being carried all the way by transporter...you shouldnt have a problem---however..if it is unloaded at the docks--towed onto the ferry--reloaded at the other side onto a transporter to continue journey....they will insist everything is ok and will inspect the caravan whilst still on the back of transporter and any defects found must be fixed before being unloaded..The ferry operator wont risk a towbar snapping or a tyre blowing on a static caravan half way up the loading ramp! Which then leaves the poor transporter driver (me?) riding around looking for somebody to weld your new a-frame or fit new tyres and any money you may have saved is quickly disappearing.Sorry to be the doom and gloom merchant again---but hope I can help anybody to make the right decision .
the same also applies in france on lots of sites in my opinion, normally the larger company owned sites, haven/siblu etc. though there is a site at apremont, vendee i have heard some unbelievable horror stories about,
as mentioned in these threads, do your homework before you take the plunge !!
Quote: Originally posted by Jan P on 25/1/2013
Bit harsh Ali if you do your homework and chose your site well it is just your second home.
not harsh at all, whats wrong with giving advice on 'choosing your site well' ?
your second comment is almost perfect
IT IS YOUR SECOND HOME !! - its not just somewhere to stay - so as with purchasing your 'real' home make sure you pick the right site, are aware of any restrictions etc before you purchase it. having the right van on the right site is no different than having the right house in the right location!
and as as a static owner- i wouldnt be without mine !!!
I really cannot see a time I would ever buy a static in England, it is stacked in the favour of the site owner no matter what way you look at it.
Not my cup of tea.
Ali<!-- Message body -->
DId you read what Ali put? Where was the advice on choosing a site well? She never even mentioned it.
Sorry Ali not having a go at you as I am sure you know :)
Yep I understand.
Have you found sites that don't insist you purchase their vans at massive profit, or charge through the nose to have your own sited and plumbed in and then, when you sell, insist on taking a huge sum, vetting the new owner etc? I would be interested in the future if just such a place existed, where flexibility and fairness ruled. But to date, I haven't come across any.
In South Devon most sites now have 100% static licences, touring is dying out. Why? Big profit on purchase price when sold, guaranteed ground rent each year, a huge cut each time it is sold and no hassle of booking in tourers.
Site we are on must be rare then, no silly rules, no pressure to upgrade vans as long as they are tidy. They do charge to bring vans onto the site but looking at the work goes into it IMO that's fair. Our site fees are amongst the cheapest around I think, and the owner allows people to pay earlier for a discount.
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: Buying a static? Do your homework
