Fuel Surcharges

[tillergirl]

Been having a shufty at booking a short break hol for June next year and noticed that some hire companies are adding fuel surcharges. £50 along with the deposit for a weeks hire and £75 for two weeks hire and there may be an extra charge at the end of your trip? I never noticed this before. Sign of the times perhaps?

 

Anyhow I've not seen anything for under £500 for a four day/three nighter so maybe companies are not adding a surcharge as such but putting their prices up to compensate.

 

Daughter is going to Iceland on a field trip for a week towards the end of June so thought we'd grab the chance of having a few days away on our own for a change!!

 

Quite fancy Saisons this time - getting tired of the cruiser stern hire boats. Unless anyone else has any suggestions?

Edited November 2, 2008 by tillergirl

[John Orentas]

All very well adding a £50 surcharge but can they make it stick, will people pay it.. I would suggest that at least for next year, holidays and many other things will become a 'buyers market'. Rather than paying a surcharge I suspect we will be in a position to negotiate a substantial reduction in prices..

[carlt]

Anyhow I've not seen anything for under £500 for a four day/three nighter so maybe companies are not adding a surcharge as such but putting their prices up to compensate.

 

Daughter is going to Iceland on a field trip for a week towards the end of June so thought we'd grab the chance of having a few days away on our own for a change!!

I believe she can now buy Iceland, for under £500.

[Athy]

Been having a shufty at booking a short break hol for June next year and noticed that some hire companies are adding fuel surcharges. £50 along with the deposit for a weeks hire and £75 for two weeks hire and there may be an extra charge at the end of your trip? I never noticed this before. Sign of the times perhaps?

 

Anyhow I've not seen anything for under £500 for a four day/three nighter so maybe companies are not adding a surcharge as such but putting their prices up to compensate.

 

Daughter is going to Iceland on a field trip for a week towards the end of June so thought we'd grab the chance of having a few days away on our own for a change!!

 

Quite fancy Saisons this time - getting tired of the cruiser stern hire boats. Unless anyone else has any suggestions?

Canal holidays at good prices are sometimes sold on eBay. It's worth a look.

[dor]

At least one major company intends to charge for diesel used seperately, in the same manner as hire cars. I.e. full when you go out, filled on return, charged for amount used. you do of course have the option to refill yourself if you think it would be cheaper.

 

Makes sense really, some hirers thrash round a ring going for 12 hours a day, others just potter a few miles up the canal and enjoy the break.

[tillergirl]

I believe she can now buy Iceland, for under £500.

 

I'll tell her to get saving then

[alan_fincher]

At least one major company intends to charge for diesel used seperately, in the same manner as hire cars. I.e. full when you go out, filled on return, charged for amount used. you do of course have the option to refill yourself if you think it would be cheaper.

 

Makes sense really, some hirers thrash round a ring going for 12 hours a day, others just potter a few miles up the canal and enjoy the break.

This is not new - back in the 1970s, at least, some hire companies did precisely that.

 

Lovely things in the brochure like....

 

3 hours cruising for only 2/6

 

or

 

Cruise all day for less than 7/6

 

Yep "red" was then about half a crown a gallon, or less than 3 pence per litre!

[ditchcrawler]

At least one major company intends to charge for diesel used seperately, in the same manner as hire cars. I.e. full when you go out, filled on return, charged for amount used. you do of course have the option to refill yourself if you think it would be cheaper.

 

Makes sense really, some hirers thrash round a ring going for 12 hours a day, others just potter a few miles up the canal and enjoy the break.

That's the way it use to be when I hired, if I had known how much the hire company charged for their diesel I would have filled up while I was out.

[chris w]

At least one major company intends to charge for diesel used seperately, in the same manner as hire cars. I.e. full when you go out, filled on return, charged for amount used. you do of course have the option to refill yourself if you think it would be cheaper.

 

Makes sense really, some hirers thrash round a ring going for 12 hours a day, others just potter a few miles up the canal and enjoy the break.

How would that square with having to make the HMRC fuel declaration if you choose to refill the tank at the end of your cruise? You won't know how the next hirers are going to use their fuel which is what you will be declaring.

 

Chris

[RichardH]

We're not charging for fuel or any damage waivers for the 2009 season.

 

We do charge in winter as the heating on for 24hrs a day can make it unviable to include.

 

I figure that overall it will not add a huge amount to our fuel bill for a week's hire and we'd rather take it on the chin.

[crispy]

At least one major company intends to charge for diesel used seperately, in the same manner as hire cars. I.e. full when you go out, filled on return, charged for amount used. you do of course have the option to refill yourself if you think it would be cheaper.

 

Makes sense really, some hirers thrash round a ring going for 12 hours a day, others just potter a few miles up the canal and enjoy the break.

Chas Hardern at Beeston on the Shroppie has charged for fuel used separatley since setting up in 1973. There can be £20 plus difference per week from similar boats. Depends on how far you go, weather etc.

I reckon that most firms do not do that simply because of the logistics of trying to get a large number of boats refueled at the same time.

[cotswoldsman]

How would that square with having to make the HMRC fuel declaration if you choose to refill the tank at the end of your cruise? You won't know how the next hirers are going to use their fuel which is what you will be declaring.

 

Chris

 

Think shared ownership boats have the same problem.

[crispy]

Think shared ownership boats have the same problem.

 

Hire companys will probably use the split recommended by BMF.

It is impossible to be accurate. Anyhow as retailers to the private boater too it is our job to ask the punter how the fuel is to be used. If they say they are going nowwhere all winter and want it all at the 'heating ' rate that is how we have to sell it.

They have to sign for what they have bought, with contact name and address and keep all their receipts to prove to whoever/ Mr Nobody that they have also bought the higher rated fuel elsewhere. We send the details on to the revenue.

The retailer is not the 'policeman'. It is up to the customer to prove that they have used their fuel purchase honestly.

No doubt the only people who will ever be checked are the hire companies, easy to find and lots of boats all at once.

 

I reckon the local primary school on a bad day could have come up with a better system.

[crispy]

Think shared ownership boats have the same problem.

 

Hire companys will probably use the split recommended by BMF.

It is impossible to be accurate. Anyhow as retailers to the private boater too it is our job to ask the punter how the fuel is to be used. If they say they are going nowwhere all winter and want it all at the 'heating ' rate that is how we have to sell it.

They have to sign for what they have bought, with contact name and address and keep all their receipts to prove to whoever/ Mr Nobody that they have also bought the higher rated fuel elsewhere. We send the details on to the revenue.

The retailer is not the 'policeman'. It is up to the customer to prove that they have used their fuel purchase honestly.

No doubt the only people who will ever be checked are the hire companies, easy to find and lots of boats all at once.

 

I reckon the local primary school on a bad day could have come up with a better system.

[saltyseadog]

What are we supposed to do at the begining of the hire, sound the fuel tank, haven't come across any boats with

fuel gauges.

 

 

 

 

At least one major company intends to charge for diesel used seperately, in the same manner as hire cars. I.e. full when you go out, filled on return, charged for amount used. you do of course have the option to refill yourself if you think it would be cheaper.

 

Makes sense really, some hirers thrash round a ring going for 12 hours a day, others just potter a few miles up the canal and enjoy the break.

[mikevye]

We still receive brochures from hire companies and one states that fuel is extra top up to top up and will cost slightly more than the eqivalent road fuel a double whammy! With new regulations for health and safety and top up fuel on return most hirers are going to lose one day of their expensive holiday!

[crispy]

We still receive brochures from hire companies and one states that fuel is extra top up to top up and will cost slightly more than the eqivalent road fuel a double whammy! With new regulations for health and safety and top up fuel on return most hirers are going to lose one day of their expensive holiday!

 

We purchase 2300lts a time. We phone around suppliers to get the best rate. Most unforunately we cannot compete with the volume that garages purchase and that is why they are cheaper!!!!!!

Also bear in mind at garages you serve yourself, at a boatyard someone usually has to stop the job they are doing to dispense diesel. Our fuel to the customer has gone down by 10p litre in the last few weeks. The extra paper work and calculation required for this new tax has to be done by us for the revenue for free.

[mikevye]

We purchase 2300lts a time. We phone around suppliers to get the best rate. Most unforunately we cannot compete with the volume that garages purchase and that is why they are cheaper!!!!!!

Also bear in mind at garages you serve yourself, at a boatyard someone usually has to stop the job they are doing to dispense diesel. Our fuel to the customer has gone down by 10p litre in the last few weeks. The extra paper work and calculation required for this new tax has to be done by us for the revenue for free.

 

No critisism intended I was drawing attention to the fact that red diesel will cost more than white in which case the boater with any sense will obtain fuel from elsewhere if the pennies count that much.

[ditchcrawler]

What are we supposed to do at the begining of the hire, sound the fuel tank, haven't come across any boats with

fuel gauges.

Just use a dip stick

[jelunga]

Just use a dip stick

 

Gordon Brown then!!

[Qhunter]

I think this could well be the first year in nearly 20yrs that we don't have a week on the canals. The rip-offs that are being foisted on customers (remember that's what we are) are amazing.

 

If you're going to rent a boat that costs 80-90k for £1000+ a week then that is the price you should charge. The hire firms seem to have hit on the horrible idea that we face in so many aspects of modern retailing, that being to make a charge for something and then hit the customer with a load of extra charges. Some of the fuel charges are nothing short of robbery. The worst prices list we've found was...

 

A six berth boat for a week in September: £1300

An additional charge if you have more than 4 people on the 6 berth boat of £25 per head.

£35 for the dog,

A hefty collision damage waiver (I can't remember the figure)and

you pay for all the fuel you used at their rates on return to base (which they're honest enough to say are more expensive than retail fuel rates).

 

Other stunts we've found have included:

 

... for the 6 berth boat there will only be one car parking space available and that you must leave your car keys with them.

...a charge for parking your car.

... a laundry charge.

...a charge for not paying the full amount 8 weeks before the start of the hire period.

 

The industry appears to have been overcome by rip-off practises and as I said above, for the first time in 20yrs we won't be having a week on the canals.

 

An old chap once said to me "for every customer who speaks out there are a hundred who simply walk away". They need to wake up quickly.