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chiefengineer
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28-10-2006 01:38 PM
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Joined: 28 Oct 2006
Posts: 14
My Profile
| Hello,
We are thinking of buying a static caravan possibly on the Haven/British Holidays site in Berwick upon Tweed.
We'd like to hear from anyone who has bought one. Was it a good experience, benefits and pitfalls, etc..
Jeremy
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My Latest Review: Oct 2006 Berwick Holiday Park (9/10)
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bluecat
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13-04-2008 04:05 PM
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Joined: 13 Apr 2008
Posts: 1
| hi,ive had some bad experiences with a haven park so make sure you are aware of all the ins and outs etc. i am looking for a quiet park in the cumbria area that i would be allowed to take my own static and have it sited....any body know any nice sites that would allow this?
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John
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13-04-2008 04:15 PM
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Joined: 13 Jan 2007
Posts: 1118
My Profile
| A regular user called spice has her own caravan park in the cumbria area. Im sure she will read this at some point
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My Latest Review: Oct 2007 Las Torres Apartments, Benidorm (9/10)
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bolger
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14-04-2008 12:24 AM
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Joined: 27 Aug 2007
Posts: 36
My Profile
| Hi we bought a static van in 1999 when our children where small,we have just sold it this year.Just beware of hidden costs eg water rates,electricity, gas, maintenance fees and any other fee they want to add.They tend to charge for any thing that they may help you with.The children enjoyed it when they where younger but then the site got sold and taken over by a not very nice company and they where more interested in selling as many statics as they could
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Twicebitten
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16-05-2008 05:18 PM
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Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 11
My Profile
| Hi Cheifengineer,
From our experience with Park Resorts or as known now as Shark Resorts I would stay well clear. You say you would be looking at Haven but I would also say stay well clear as they are all the same. Sweetness & Light whilst you are interested in buying promising anything you want and as soon as they have your money they don't want to know. As mugged says they dream up rules off the top of their heads and change them from one year to the next. The biggest thing of course is the money you are prepared to lose if you buy and decide to sell at a later date. You get very little back. e.g A friend of mine bought a caravan at £34,000 last year and he has just been offered £10,000 a loss of £24,000 and if he sold to them they would then sell it to someone else for possibly £30,000. The site operators can't lose but you can. Also the site operators make it difficult for you to sell privately, often poaching your prospective buyer by offering site fee discounts which you can't meet. If you really want one I would be looking at a private site if I was you, not one of the big organisations who are only after a fast buck and to improve their portfollio.
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shafted
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25-05-2008 10:40 AM
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Joined: 24 May 2008
Posts: 5
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1 am also a victim of park resorts
in great yarmouth.
my advice to anyone thinking of
buying a holiday home,, please
please make sure you get a copy
of site license (park rules ) and study
it before you committ,, also get in
writing a guaranteed price if you
were to sell in 12 months time,, i
realise park resorts have to earn a
living,, but------------------
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shafted
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25-05-2008 10:53 AM
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Joined: 24 May 2008
Posts: 5
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Message for twice bitten
n I am also victim of shark resorts
and agree with your comments
although i have to be honest,it is
not just park resorts,, i think the
whole industry needs looking at
it is too one sided,, but please
beware when you have your buying
hat on,, a recent example,, a friend
of mine lives in spain,, came over
in april bought from shark resorts
£53,000, the sales man said yes you
can have this you can have that etc,,
he went back to spain for a month,,
spent a £1000, on bits and pieces on
his static while away,, came back from
spain to be met with a letter stating
you are in breech of your site license
remove this that and the other or
vacate the site,,, he had not even
a night in his £53,000 static,, not to
mention the £1000 he had spent.
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shafted
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26-05-2008 11:47 AM
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Joined: 24 May 2008
Posts: 5
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I too have been stung by park resorts,
since they took our site over, it has be
come a nightmare, rules changing all
the time,,
make sure that you see a copy of site
rules,, and read carefully before you
purchase your holiday home,i guarantee
the sales person wont volunteer to give
you this information,, and please please
dont fall in to the trap of relying on
renting your holiday home out to cover
the cost of next years site fees & finance
payments,, you will find out that you may
just about break even the first year
providing your holiday home has not been
damaged in the first year which is your
responsibility to put right, then reality
kicks in,. and the second year you are
stuck with finance payments and ground
rent to find,, i myself am not in this
position as i cash bought, but i have
seen many people fall in to this trap only
to find come year 2 they want to sell only
to find out the value has droped so much
they are caught in a financial nightmare
stuck with a white elephant please please
be carefull.
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ex haven sales
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27-05-2008 01:14 AM
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Joined: 27 May 2008
Posts: 1
| It may interest you to know that sales reps are paid between £10,000 and £20,000 basic? Earning between £500 - £1,000 comission(and more if there were incentives or prizes) PER SALE on TOP of that wage!
Can you imagine the type of person that that attracts...
I worked on a haven site where a couple of the lads were pulling in 6 deals a week!
Perhaps you'll understand the greed driven temptation for the salesperson to say just about anything.. to make you feel comfotable, get your emotions going and push your buttons HARD at the end to make you feel compelled to SIGN THAT DAY!
I'd say the average person is (sadly) just out for themselves (people in sales even more so) and will put a lie and consequences at the back of their mind in order to get that deal which will get them well on the way to buy all that material bullsh*t that means nothing at the end of the day. Find out all the facts and speak to other owners about the pro s and cons BEFORE you experience that golf buggy ride to an empty wallet!
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bazmanic
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12-06-2008 12:14 PM
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Joined: 12 Jun 2008
Posts: 3
| Hi, is there any genuine income to be made by subletting statics, even on private sites? Glad I read this chat as I was considering parks and haven. Thanks!
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MrReality
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17-06-2008 10:16 PM
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Joined: 15 Jun 2008
Posts: 6
| Hi Baz, very difficult to make money, unless you arrange lets yourself. Sub let used to be sold as away to cover running costs giving you almost free use of your caravan. Over the last few years this has got out of hand. If you want to let as a business try timber lodges, better income, nicer customers and very little depreciation.
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shafted
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18-06-2008 09:06 AM
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Joined: 24 May 2008
Posts: 5
| MESSAGE TO EX HAVEN SALES
I appreciate your honesty, ref sales staff
i know that most of the sales staff are
struggling at our park resorts site at
breydon water yarmouth, in fact one told
me if they dont meet their sales target
at the end of the month they are out;;.
SUB LETTING
I know one of the main selling tools is
to sub lett and cover the cost of your
finance & ground rent etc,, my advice
please,,please ,, dont, i have heard so
many horror storeys of people who have
tried this only to find caravan is ruined
and are left with a big repair bill,, and
cant even have a weekend away in their
own van ,,my advice is please do not buy
if you are relying on renting to cover cost
you will regret it,, also even if you are a
cash buyer like me,, check out all the
park rules, and when budgeting for your
normall running costs , ground rent..
isurance gas checks etc,,also be aware
that these costs do seem to creep up
each year,, dont get stuck with a white
elephant;;be careful out there.
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concernedowner
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18-06-2008 03:41 PM
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Joined: 16 Jun 2008
Posts: 4
| We love our static(now on our second) but you have to be in for the long haul. We only let ours out to family and close friends to help with the overheads but if you're not sure you can afford it - don't do it!
There are huge profits to be made by the park owners so you may well be better off buying privately(see local estate agents close to the park, ebay,local papers etc. Don't let them tell you you will have to pay higher site fees as a result of buying privately as this is illegal and don't sign anything till you've read it. If you don't agree, don't sign.
An example of the money made........ we bought our first caravan for £21,000 to include 1st years fees quite a few years ago and traded it in 4 years ago. The same van is now on sale again for £29,000 or thereabouts. Their profit expectations are huge - I would estimate at least £20,000 for every van sold(other than the old draughty rusty ones). You'll never make a profit but if you like the site and people you have a virtual year round lifestyle for the price of an expensive 2 week family holiday.
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vanlady
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18-06-2008 04:32 PM
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Joined: 16 Jun 2008
Posts: 37
My Profile
| hi, i have had vans on the bourne leisure park in Berwick, and on PR parks in lower northumberland for years now and i can say in all honesty its the best thing i have done from a lifestyle point of view, we live locally enough for the parks to be acessible most of the time, to choose betwen them is like choosing between chalk and cheese. Berwick is a slick operation, very proffessional, but we do use our van in northumberland more for two reasons, one it is closer and two it is smaller, i know PR is a poor quality outfit, but we moved their pre PR, when it was mainly an owners park, not totally motivated by profit, i have made some lifelong friends there, as have my children, that same cohesion i never found in several years in berwick, although returning will always be like going home, my advice would be to go for it, if its a lifestyle that suits you, we may pay a lot in site fees, but we get much more in pleasure, dont be put of PR parks by present scaremongering, we chose our park on location, cost and people, the co like the majority of the staff are peripheral, and will ultimately move on, good luck
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happy to be gone
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19-06-2008 11:55 AM
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Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 3
| I am an industry professional , working for a company that cares about its owners , we actually do not take a deposit on a first showing , we ask the customer to think for 24 hours and then if they still want to leave a deposit then they can, guess what , our company cancellation ratio is 1 in 24 , compared to Haven 1 in 7 or Park Resorts 1 in 3
The company I work for does not batter prospective owners into submission , we ALWAYS tell the truth , and hence we are the market leaders with a complaint ratio of 0.25%
So to all you guys who have been stung by the NASTY 2 , come and look at a company that treats you as a customer should be , and puts our guset relations first.
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Edited by Mod John
However bitter you are about your previous employer please stick to the topic in hand and do not hijack others threads by placing salary and other information where it was not needed.
Thanks
**********************************************************************
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mims670363
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19-06-2008 04:49 PM
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Joined: 09 Apr 2008
Posts: 61
My Profile
| well here is my take on caravans we bought a static when our kids were small it was second hand and we kept it 5 years and at first they loved it , but every year the rent went up and up and the site went down hill we were promised many improvements to the site when we signed up unfortunatley it was sold on and the new owners didnt even bother to cut the grass and if you make a fuss they can make things very difficult for you when you want to sell up first of all they have to vet the buyer and in our case the also have first refusal on your caravan and if you wanted to change site they charged you to remove it from the site we were lucky and sold ours, i think they are only worth the money if you use them often and i would never bye brand new there only valuble when your buying try selling one and you lose thousands read the small print also other cost i have not seen mentioned are the annual gas and elec safety checks it all adds up and this year we went on a cruise with the money we are no longer paying out on it . also the kids just got bored of the same thing it was a chore to even get them in the car to go . regards mims
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big bertha
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20-06-2008 11:34 AM
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Joined: 17 Jun 2008
Posts: 5
| thank you van lady i have a van with pr thank you very much i love it and look forward to every week end spent there the club house is great and staff here is hard working all our most direct sales have loop holes and on buying a new car and most things you loose money all this bad mouthing about pr is wrong i myself have met good people here but also people who have made there own rules and managment have had to take control and make rules only people who want to break these rules will complain i have always found managment to be fair so all you people with all these moans leave park resorts to happy people to those who say they have not had good prices paid when you want to get rid of your van try taking your car back to a garage no you would not get a good deal best of luck to park resorts on your problems at this time
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big bertha
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20-06-2008 11:34 AM
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Joined: 17 Jun 2008
Posts: 5
| thank you van lady i have a van with pr thank you very much i love it and look forward to every week end spent there the club house is great and staff here is hard working all our most direct sales have loop holes and on buying a new car and most things you loose money all this bad mouthing about pr is wrong i myself have met good people here but also people who have made there own rules and managment have had to take control and make rules only people who want to break these rules will complain i have always found managment to be fair so all you people with all these moans leave park resorts to happy people to those who say they have not had good prices paid when you want to get rid of your van try taking your car back to a garage no you would not get a good deal best of luck to park resorts on your problems at this time
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jatlegend
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26-06-2008 10:01 PM
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Joined: 26 Jun 2008
Posts: 2
| i have been in the holiday park industry for over 10 years and progressed to higher management for several companies, the industry is very close nit to say the least, you will meet people one day and the next they will be gone, however the good ones tend to stay within the industry just move around parks.
as we know these companies do not buy parks to run them as a charity, they do make profit and pay high wages to the proffesionals they employ, but this is the same as other industries.
owning a holiday home is all about the lifestyle you can get from ownership, and remember people buy from people, so when you visit the parks of your choice do not be affraid to speak to other owners and staff members, talk to the bar staff they will tell you the truth also meet the memebrs of the management team who you will need to see if you have any problems, if you feel they are not helpful and have lost their drive for customer care and satisfaction then DO NOT BUY!!
from exeriemce of working on holiday parks all over the world and my family owning caravans there is no better lifestyle change people can make if this is their thing, and believe me its not for every one, so stay at the park you have short listed as a holiday maker, do not do try before you buy as the always end in disaster, people tend to use these in order to get cheap holidays. do not look at buying that time just enjoy your stay, if you choose that park then return to buy at a later date after all the park/location is 1st the caravan is 2nd and you will have to remeber that if you buy today and sell tomorrow you will loose money, its like getting a dog for xmas!!! a caravan should be for keeps and that way it is cost effective and worth while.
al the best with your purchases and lifestyle change
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shafted
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28-06-2008 10:33 AM
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Joined: 24 May 2008
Posts: 5
| REPLY TO JATLEGEND
I understand that park owners have to
make a profit,, but to be fair i think that
the whole industry needs a good look at
and a big shake up,, now as some
people are paying as much as £55k plus
for a holiday home with little or no
rights , if a park changes hands or the
gole posts move,, owners can lose a
fortune through no fault of their own i
think one of the other big problems is
sales people on commision who dont
always make you aware of all the rules
through fear of losing a sale, please
have a good look around the park, speak
to as many owners as you can before
buying.
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HowMuchDiscount
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28-06-2008 06:28 PM
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Joined: 12 Jun 2008
Posts: 5
| Park's changing hands - if you buy from an operator who employs the Code of Practice (voluntary), all terms and conditions of your existing license are protected in that they cannot be changed to your detriment.
Also, parks that have won the Fair Trader Award issued by the NCC offer increased protection too (over 100 at time of writing). As with any large contract, it is a good idea to read through the whole agreement and License before completing the sale - if you are not happy to do this, you could always ask someone who is more legally minded to do it for you?
A good idea to check everything before you buy...
HowMuchDiscount.co.uk
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