ABC Leisure buys Pridewater Estates marinas

[MHS]

We have moored at Pridewater’s Kings Orchard for 27 months and it has been a great place for us. We left yesterday to head up to a new mooring near Nantwich. 

The bosses from ABC were at KO as we left and having a tour with Rich one of the caretakers. 

Our only experience of ABC was also at Gayton where we left the boat for 10 days early this year. The staff were very friendly and accommodating, and the chandlery well stocked. They were just resurfacing the approach roads. Hopefully they may do this at KO.

i wish Becky and Rich all the best and look forward to seeing what improvements ABC make to an already friendly, good and tidy marina. 

[Mike Todd]

11 hours ago, roggie said:

Popped into Gayton last week, new chandlery offices etc.  Friendly service and diesel (self declaration) was .71p plus 15% off until the end of October. That discount applies to most things it seems - but please check. Will most likely go back next week as I need a barge pole and they have some for under £40.

A month or so ago we left our bat at Gayton for a coupe of weeks whilst we returned home. We returned on the day of the official opening - which was taking place about five minutes after we arrived. We were warmly invited to the event and watched as the chairman and Richard Parry performed the opening ceremony. The staff seemed very chuffed by it all a they were clearly set centre stage.

[malp]

On 13/09/2018 at 09:02, dogless said:

There goes the cheap diesel!

Rog

Don’t know about diesel prices but I popped into Kings Orchard a few days ago for some more solid fuel to find the stuff I usually buy had gone up by a fairly eye watering 15%.  It was only on the way out that I spotted the new ABC Leisure Group signage.

[Alan de Enfield]

10 minutes ago, malp said:

Don’t know about diesel prices but I popped into Kings Orchard a few days ago for some more solid fuel to find the stuff I usually buy had gone up by a fairly eye watering 15%.  It was only on the way out that I spotted the new ABC Leisure Group signage.

Its all down to Brexit.

We import 93% of our coal from Colombia, the USA & Russia, but you must have got some of the <1% of EU production.

[Ex Brummie]

When CaRT closed the facilities at Fazeley, they were 'moved' to Fazeley Mill Marina, and they were very accommodating. Can we expect the same reception from ABC? If not, then it's a long way from Great Haywood to the bottom of Atherstone for facilities.

[nicknorman]

3 hours ago, Ex Brummie said:

When CaRT closed the facilities at Fazeley, they were 'moved' to Fazeley Mill Marina, and they were very accommodating. Can we expect the same reception from ABC? If not, then it's a long way from Great Haywood to the bottom of Atherstone for facilities.

So far nothing has changed on the ground. Still Jackie and Ruth manning the services. The guy who used to manage the Pridewater marinas is still managing them for ABC. Of course things might change in the future, but for now it’s business as usual. Oh except that the pumpout price has gone up significantly.

Edited April 14, 2019 by nicknorman

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, nicknorman said:

So far nothing has changed on the ground. Still Jackie and Ruth manning the services. The guy who used to manage the Pridewater marinas is still managing them for ABC. Of course things might change in the future, but for now it’s business as usual. Oh except that the pumpout price has gone up significantly.

What about the diesel price, they use to be cheapest in the area 

 

[nicknorman]

42 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

What about the diesel price, they use to be cheapest in the area 

 

Yes still very cheap. 10p less than Streethay, currently 75p I think. Jackie tells me that she is still “in charge” of sourcing the cheapest diesel, so no indication of price going up as yet.

[ditchcrawler]

4 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Yes still very cheap. 10p less than Streethay, currently 75p I think. Jackie tells me that she is still “in charge” of sourcing the cheapest diesel, so no indication of price going up as yet.

That was the only place I didn't bother checking the price before I went in to buy diesel

[Sea Dog]

Whilst we're on diesel prices, don't forget there's a handy spreadsheet containing diesel, gas, pump out, etc, prices on line at diesel.fibrefactory dot Co dot UK which is only as good as the updates we send to Bob Draper at the email address shown on the site.

 

[ditchcrawler]

40 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Whilst we're on diesel prices, don't forget there's a handy spreadsheet containing diesel, gas, pump out, etc, prices on line at diesel.fibrefactory dot Co dot UK which is only as good as the updates we send to Bob Draper at the email address shown on the site.

 

I do it every time I pass a yard selling diesel that displays its price. Bob always responds to updates

[Sea Dog]

8 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

I do it every time I pass a yard selling diesel that displays its price. Bob always responds to updates

He does, and you're a very good boy.

 

I'm surprised by how many fuel sellers don't display their price and generally take it to mean they are hoping to attract the unwary, the desperate, or those who don't care that they are rather expensive. That may not always be correct, but if they don't display their price, my bunkering is sufficient that I never really need to trouble them to find out.

[Athy]

On 15/09/2018 at 09:52, Mike Todd said:

we left our bat at Gayton for a coupe of weeks

After boarding kennels and catteries, the latest development in residential pet care?

[Sea Dog]

14 minutes ago, Athy said:

After boarding kennels and catteries, the latest development in residential pet care?

Could have been a cricket bat, or does that now introduce kennels for insects? 

[Alan de Enfield]

3 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Could have been a cricket bat, or does that now introduce kennels for insects? 

It all sounds like a bit of a racquet to me.

[Sea Dog]

9 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

It all sounds like a bit of a racquet to me.

Balls.

[Alan de Enfield]

Just now, Sea Dog said:

Balls.

Shuttle Cocks

[Mike Todd]

2 hours ago, Athy said:

After boarding kennels and catteries, the latest development in residential pet care?

Given that the quote was in September 2018, that was remarkably slow of you to respond - we expect better of our mods!

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Just a joke - although I know some folk around here do take this matter seriously!)

[carlt]

3 hours ago, Athy said:

After boarding kennels and catteries, the latest development in residential pet care?

Perhaps someone could start a new "batteries" thread. 

[ditchcrawler]

3 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

He does, and you're a very good boy.

 

I'm surprised by how many fuel sellers don't display their price and generally take it to mean they are hoping to attract the unwary, the desperate, or those who don't care that they are rather expensive. That may not always be correct, but if they don't display their price, my bunkering is sufficient that I never really need to trouble them to find out.

Same here

[StarUKKiwi]

We are on online moorings outsourced to Pridewater from CRT Waterside Moorings and now administered by ABC. We had to cross out the line in the contract which stated we would not be using our boats for living on; so it appears they don't allow liveaboards.

Sending a letter to moorers seems an alien concept, their communication is appalling. They offer poor WI-FI, 10% off hire boats but we haven't seen any benefits, I am unimpressed by ABC 

Edited April 15, 2019 by StarUKKiwi
To correct grammar

[TheBiscuits]

2 hours ago, StarUKKiwi said:

We are on online moorings outsourced to Pridewater from CRT Waterside Moorings and now administered by ABC. We had to cross out the line in the contract which stated we would not be using our boats for living on; so it appears they don't allow liveaboards.

Sending a letter to moorers seems an alien concept, their communication is appalling. They offer poor WI-FI, 10% off hire boats but we haven't seen any benefits, I am unimpressed by ABC 

I find that interesting.

 

When I dealt with ABC brokerage agents 5 years ago, I found them incompetent.  When I escalated to dealing with the company directors at Alvechurch, they were the most competent professionals I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with in the boating world.

 

Do you have a bad struggling local moorings manager?

[StarUKKiwi]

12 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

I find that interesting.

Do you have a bad struggling local moorings manager?

With a training and development need, yes. Also, ABC don't own residential marinas anywhere else, nor do they manage moorings for CRT. I find the staff have a training deficit in customer service. 

When we recieved the first DD schedule, they had charged us the same as marina berths, I phoned and it took four phone calls for them to correct it. It's as if they cannot make a decision. 

[LadyG]

20 hours ago, StarUKKiwi said:

With a training and development need, yes. Also, ABC don't own residential marinas anywhere else, nor do they manage moorings for CRT. I find the staff have a training deficit in customer service. 

When we recieved the first DD schedule, they had charged us the same as marina berths, I phoned and it took four phone calls for them to correct it. It's as if they cannot make a decision. 

I always find cancelling DDs gets a rapid response.

I once had this backfire when a company told me off for not paying for an invoice I had not received, they said it was all a matter of trust and that I should have paid anyway!

It was not that I intended to avoid payment, it was the fact that due to numerous delays on their part, I had forgotten how much I had agreed to pay, and so had the company.  I got a bill which included three months before I was onsite! The "manager" was eventually given the order of the boot, but not before she had done pretty well out of the job.

Edited April 17, 2019 by LadyG

[Machpoint005]

3 minutes ago, LadyG said:

I always find cancelling DDs gets a rapid response.

 

Not always to your advantage - it can prevent them paying you a refund!