Mooring Refund

[lydfordcastle]

I've just moved from an offside linear mooring to a private marina where no license is required so C&RT have sent me a cheque that they say is for the unused months of my mooring permit. Trouble is I'd like to know how they've arrived at the figure for the cheque they've sent to me. I've asked, but so far the only response I've had is to be told that "It's calculated automatically". Does anyone know how they work it out?

[Paul C]

Have you done a pro-rata calculation and how does it differ from this?

[Chewbacka]

I could check , but I think they credit you with 1/12 of the year for each complete month after the termination date.

Does that look about right?

[RichM]

I'd push back at them. Looks like you spoke to a representative who may not understand how it works. Although it may be generated automatically, the system would still use a formula to make the calculation.

[lydfordcastle]

Have you done a pro-rata calculation and how does it differ from this?

 

My mooring permit ran from May to April inclusive and I gave them notice of my intention to move on 13 June stating that I would move before the end of August. I actually moved on 1st August but if they want to charge me for the whole of August I won't argue about that. That said, I should be refunded for 8 unused months or 66.66% of my annual fee. The cheque they've sent to me is for 56.52%

[Alan de Enfield]

I think you will find that in your contract is a sliding scale - you DO NOT get back a pro-rata of 1/12th per month.

[Paul C]

 

My mooring permit ran from May to April inclusive and I gave them notice of my intention to move on 13 June stating that I would move before the end of August. I actually moved on 1st August but if they want to charge me for the whole of August I won't argue about that. That said, I should be refunded for 8 unused months or 66.66% of my annual fee. The cheque they've sent to me is for 56.52%

 

 

I think you will find that in your contract is a sliding scale - you DO NOT get back a pro-rata of 1/12th per month.

 

I did a quick Google search and found a contract (not 100% sure if its the contract you have): https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/media/library/1213.pdf

 

It says that so long as its not in the first 6 months, then its 2 months notice and the refund would be pro-rata on a monthly basis. So applying this to your situation, you didn't give enough notice to avoid paying for August, so I agree with your 66.67% figure. Are you in the first 6 months of the contract? If so they've been generous and refunded more than they needed to. Otherwise they've refunded less than due.

[alan_fincher]

I did a quick Google search and found a contract (not 100% sure if its the contract you have): https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/media/library/1213.pdf

 

It says that so long as its not in the first 6 months, then its 2 months notice and the refund would be pro-rata on a monthly basis. So applying this to your situation, you didn't give enough notice to avoid paying for August, so I agree with your 66.67% figure. Are you in the first 6 months of the contract? If so they've been generous and refunded more than they needed to. Otherwise they've refunded less than due.

 

Not all contracts are the same, I think, so (for example) someone who is still on a contract that they bid for for 3 years at a fixed price may well have different termination terms to someone not on that arrangement simply paying annually.

 

The only way OP can know is to look at what they agreed to with current contract. I know some need 2 full months notice, and others only 1 month.

 

I know at one stage some were not terminated strictly pro rata, amd I had a contract where I expected to get back less than 1/12 for each unused month. However CRT got it wrong in my favour, and didn't seem interested when I queried it.

 

Another thing is that if you are on an annual contract, and pay a whole year in advance, then you should have got a 10% discount as a result. If you withdraw from that contract in less than 12 months, I think you may end up paying for the months you have actually used at full price, not at 90% of full price with the discount applied.

 

They seem to only send a payment without the arithmetic used to produce it, and on both occasions I have terminated a mooring they never did actually send me a calculation. I had to do my own based on the contract, and in each case I got back more than my understanding of the contract.

[GUMPY]

Not sure if its changed but it always used to be 1/10 of the annual fee per month used so if you left in month 6 you would be refunded 4/10 of the annual fee. Hence if you were within 2 months of the end of the year you got bugger all back.

A few years back there were 3 or 4 years on the trot where I cancelled my mooring and went off cruising as they wouldn't agree to a 6 month mooring

[alan_fincher]

Not sure if its changed but it always used to be 1/10 of the annual fee per month used so if you left in month 6 you would be refunded 4/10 of the annual fee. Hence if you were within 2 months of the end of the year you got bugger all back.

Yes, I had the 1/10 figure in my head as well, and think it applied to both my cancelled contracts.

 

However I was struggling with what it meant, as if if were the refund 1/10 per month is more than 1/12 per month!

 

I've now remembered that under the contracts where the 1/10 was mentioned, it related to what you were charged for the months you had used from the year. So if you had had 6 months mooring, you had to pay 6/10 of the annual fee, and (as you rightly say) only got 4/10 of it refunded. (And that was before any consideration of whether you also lost a 10% discount for paying for a year up front came into play).

 

However I think I'm right in saying that despite all this CRT actually refunded me "pro rata" despite the fact that my used months should have been charged at 1/10 of the year, not 1/12. They didn't want to discuss it, so I didn't argue!

[lydfordcastle]

Thanks to all who have replied. Those who have suggested the 1/10 per month unused would seem to be correct as that calculation does fit more or less what I've paid and what I've been refunded. Thank heavens for this forum. It's such a pity that C&RT doesn't seem able to answer my question

[Machpoint005]

Thanks to all who have replied. Those who have suggested the 1/10 per month unused would seem to be correct as that calculation does fit more or less what I've paid and what I've been refunded. Thank heavens for this forum. It's such a pity that C&RT doesn't seem able to answer my question

 

They may consider the difference de minimis.

After reflection, you may do so too.

[MtB]

Thanks to all who have replied. Those who have suggested the 1/10 per month unused would seem to be correct as that calculation does fit more or less what I've paid and what I've been refunded. Thank heavens for this forum. It's such a pity that C&RT doesn't seem able to answer my question

 

 

The thing is, the person you spoke to about this was just one person. No one employee will be able to hold the whole of CRT policies and methods in their head on any subject you might happen to call and ask them about.

 

I suspect if you took the trouble to write a proper letter to Customer Services asking how the refuld had been calculated, you might have received a proper answer. Equally you might not have, but to condemn the whole of CRT for the person answering the phone not knowing seems a little unfair.

[lydfordcastle]

 

 

The thing is, the person you spoke to about this was just one person. No one employee will be able to hold the whole of CRT policies and methods in their head on any subject you might happen to call and ask them about.

 

I suspect if you took the trouble to write a proper letter to Customer Services asking how the refuld had been calculated, you might have received a proper answer. Equally you might not have, but to condemn the whole of CRT for the person answering the phone not knowing seems a little unfair.

 

And to condemn me for not writing a letter when that's exactly what I did is equally unfair, Mike the Boilerman. I suggest that you should read posts more carefully before embarking on a 'holier than thou' crusade. For example, can you see anywhere in my original post where I said I'd telephoned C&RT and spoken to someone? No, of course you can't because I didn't. That was something that a later poster assumed and I didn't bother to correct him as it seemed so unimportant to the problem I needed an answer to. No, I did the correct thing and originally wrote to them clearly spelling out what information I wanted from them and received the most ludicrous written reply which indicated to me that the person dealing with my query had read it about as carefully as you read my original post.

Moral ? If you can't be nice, don't bother to reply to poster's queries.

Oh and by the way, I also waited over a week after telling them (in writing) that I felt they hadn't answered my question, before posting on this forum so I think I've been overly fair to C&RT as they still haven't come back to me with an answer.

[MtB]

 

And to condemn me for not writing a letter when that's exactly what I did is equally unfair, Mike the Boilerman. I suggest that you should read posts more carefully before embarking on a 'holier than thou' crusade. For example, can you see anywhere in my original post where I said I'd telephoned C&RT and spoken to someone? No, of course you can't because I didn't. That was something that a later poster assumed and I didn't bother to correct him as it seemed so unimportant to the problem I needed an answer to. No, I did the correct thing and originally wrote to them clearly spelling out what information I wanted from them and received the most ludicrous written reply which indicated to me that the person dealing with my query had read it about as carefully as you read my original post.

Moral ? If you can't be nice, don't bother to reply to poster's queries.

Oh and by the way, I also waited over a week after telling them (in writing) that I felt they hadn't answered my question, before posting on this forum so I think I've been overly fair to C&RT as they still haven't come back to me with an answer.

 

 

Bloody hell, pressed a hot button there didn't I?!

 

Well in that case, I agree with you. But there is no need to be so bloody unpleasant about it.

[lydfordcastle]

 

But there is no need to be so bloody unpleasant about it.

 

If you think that was unpleasant you should have seen some of my Facebook posts about 'Remainers', but we won't go there.

[lydfordcastle]

I've just received an answer from C&RT to my original query together with an apology for not giving a correct response earlier. The forum might be interested to know that the refund calculation is simply full rate for all complete months unused minus a £30 admin fee.

[Paul C]

I calculated it too, so I could post entry #7 on this thread, can I have £30 too? Seems a bit steep for an admin fee but I guess its in the contract somewhere.

[Mike Todd]

I've just received an answer from C&RT to my original query together with an apology for not giving a correct response earlier. The forum might be interested to know that the refund calculation is simply full rate for all complete months unused minus a £30 admin fee.

Just received ours and it worked out exactly as per T&C. Only problem was that they were a bit tardy in making the refund and had to be reminded but they had recorded the request at the time it was made so we did not lose an extra month. It's never as much as you hope!

[lydfordcastle]

And today completely out of the blue came another e-mail from C&RT confirming that as requested, they had now cancelled my cruising license and credited my bank card with 8 months unused license value. In this instance I decided that a phone call rather than a letter would be appropriate and although it lasted over 25 minutes and at one stage became rather fraught, the nice young lady in Leeds managed to get the refund stopped and my cruising license reinstated. However it was a close run thing.as the initial response was that I would have to apply for a new license, even though C&RT had cancelled my current one without my authority nor request.