Owners in France

OTA = Online Travel Agency, which means those sites that sell the booking and take the payment for you.
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Alan Knighting
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Location: Monflanquin, Lot-et-Garonne, France

Owners in France

Post by Alan Knighting »

I am reviewing my Rental Listing Sites for 2006. In particular I am looking at Owners in France (part of Brittany Ferries) because it is their time for annual renewal.

I have used Owners in France for the last six seasons. Originally their brochure and their website were good sources of new business but over the last two seasons the results have been falling.

Has anyone any personal experience of Owners in France and, if so, what are their views please?

Joan thinks we should drop Owners in France and replace it with Chez Nous. Any views on that proposal?

Alan
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tansy
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Post by tansy »

Alan - I too am engaged in exactly the same excercise - I did consider Owners in France and have used Chez Nous....but have discounted both for following reasons.

Owners in France....Brittany Ferris have ramped up the prices on the crossings now P&O have pulled out. There is talk that the monopolies commission in Paris is looking at it. But as an example I needed to book my computer man over - London - Portsmouth is no distance then Caen or Cherbourg perfect - the lowest price I could get for a 5 day crossing was £425!! Our bookings are dropping because even shoulder season the prices being quoted are in region of £330 for 4/5/10 day crossing! My parents paid £350 in June and they are in their 70's...no discount for over 65's
P&O I got £75 Portsmouth -Le Harve 5 day crossing 2 passengers & car AND club class returning August 2nd (2 hour drive this side)
So I'm afraid until Brittany Ferries change policy no business from me - I did ask them why no offers available - because P&O have gone we can fill and charge what we like is what I was told!

Chez Nous I found incredibly expensive - over £1,200 for the ad I had - you can't upgrade it in the magazine - the flow of enquiries wasn't brilliant - all for peak time when I was full anyway. Also when some chums tried to request a brochure they had to ask 4 times - eventually 6 weeks later one came.
I jsut found the whole experience with Chez Nous rubbish...then I found Holiday-Rentals.com and haven't needed another avenue until now....enquiries have plummeted!

So I'm searching searching at the moment...I'm investigating continental sites too...so if you like I'll copy you in?

All the best Tansy
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Alan Knighting
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Post by Alan Knighting »

Tansy,

That's very helpful, thank you for it.

I know it's not much good to you but I wish SpeedFerries all success in trying to break the cartel. I had to return to the UK last November for a family funeral. P&O offered me a share-holder consessionary return fare (that's a reduction of 50% on the normal rate) Calais-Dover of £125. SpeedFerries offered me a return fare Boulogne-Dover of £50. It's not rocket science to guess correctly which one I chose. If SpeedFerries can do it then can the big boys, "The Pirates" as SpeedFerries call them.
So I'm searching searching at the moment...I'm investigating continental sites too...so if you like I'll copy you in?
Yes please!

Kindest Regards

Alan
Stu
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Post by Stu »

Hi Alan,

whilst being relatively new to this lark, we've found the best two for our gites are:

http://www.frenchholidayhomes.com, and holiday-lets.net. [Not sure if that shouldn't be holidaylets.net? Paolo]

The amount of enquiries we've had has been very encouraging, and we've converted two so far. The sites themselves seem pretty easy to navigate, and they're reasonable as far as price goes.

With the campsite, it's easy for us to advertise on the many free internet camping/caravanning fora and see a very reasonable flow of visitors. Our own website, with its various referral pathways has also been remarkably good value!

WRT Brittany Ferries, I'm particulary apalled at the prices they charge both for their travel service, AND Owners Abroad. They're making a mint out of the punters at every turn, and I am sickened by that. I'm actually sorry that P&O are pulling out of the Western Channel, as we've travelled very cheaply this past 6-months or so from Portsmouth-Le Havre. (£70/5-day return). We have our last trip from the UK booked with them next week. after that, should we need to return to the UK, I think paris-Doncaster Robin Hood (Ugh....!) will win my brass!
SpeedFerries are offering a brilliant service, and I wish them luck!
Has anyone tried the Newhaven-Dieppe service at all?

I don't know if this helps, but it's all in good faith.
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tansy
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Post by tansy »

Yes - my brother tried that way - found it good & cheap - but Newhaven I think tricky to get to the other side.

I'm finding that approx 60%+ of my folk are now coming Calais...either tunnel or ferry....they'd rather drive 4 hours this side than pay HUGE cruise ship prices!

Sorry did you say P&O are pulling out completely?
Stu
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Post by Stu »

Hi Tansy,

yes, I believe that as of end August/September, P&O are pulling out of the Western Channel route. They cite high berthing charges!
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tansy
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Post by tansy »

is this not going to be a disaster for all concerned? I am horrified...I can't believe it
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Alan Knighting
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Post by Alan Knighting »

Dear All,

Thanks for the postings so far. Keep them coming.

Alan
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tansy
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Post by tansy »

have I got this right - P&O no longer crossing the channel AT ALL????!!!!! Not even Dover - Calais??

I am sat here reeling...they blast everyone out the water- play dirty tricks on the chap who owns Speed Ferries then pull out....

You know Alexia suggested we get together to create a site for holiday rentals - do you think we should buy a redundant ferry between us all and transport our guests?

many a true word spoken in gest!!! :wink: :wink:
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Alan Knighting
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Post by Alan Knighting »

tansy wrote: I am sat here reeling...they blast everyone out the water- play dirty tricks on the chap who owns Speed Ferries then pull out....
This reminds me that last year I watched a TV documentary about SpeedFerries which had been filmed in July. A "broken-down" Norfolk Ferries boat was occupying the SpeedFerries berth. I crossed by SpeedFerries in November and the broken-down Norfolk Ferries boat was there again or should I say, still?

Of course, the big boys denied all knowledge of a dirty tricks campaign. They would wouldn't they? Do they really think the travelling public is so stupid as to accept their stories or their prices?

This is of crutial importance to us the property owners but it's also important to them. They could be the authors of their own demise. Is the travelling public aware of the obscenity of directors fees, share option schemes, pension funds, corporate offices, etc. they are funding every time they buy a ticket for their hard-earned holiday? It's time for a wake-up call and maybe, just maybe, SpeedFerries is ringing the bell.

Alan (the non-fluffy version)
la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

Regarding Chez Nous, I was in the brochure for 2003 & 2004, then decided to go on their internet only site this year. I got a lot of bookings just from that (or previous years brochures) this year. You don't have to spend £1,200, my ad was about £365 for the brochure then the internet listing is free. But that was for a small photo which doesn't really distinguish your property from any of the others. I think that brochures must be on their way out, their is no way to refine your search as there is on HR, FC websites, you just have to wade through numerous pages in the region you want. I'm not sure I will go with them again this year, the bookings they brought in were also for the peak weeks which I would have filled anyway.
www.frenchholidayhomes.com brought in most enquiries, but the conversion rate to bookings was not so good.
Doesn't it seem now that you have to advertise on a wide variety of sites in order to get bookings now? This has been my best year, but I advertise on numerous sites, which costs a fortune, mainly because FC were so disappointing last year, so I wanted to find alternatives. However, most bookings still come direct from my website. I would like to scale down 2006 advertising if possible - I am hoping HR will be as good for me as it has been for some other owners!
Stu
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Post by Stu »

Tansy,

just to clarify. I believe it's ONLY the Portsmouth-Le Havre route that P&O are pulling. They'll still be pirating the Dover Straits! :wink:
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tansy
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Post by tansy »

it's still bad news for us...Cherbourg, Caen & now Le Harve...

Flybe pulled out from Caen...then another operator was going to start coming but pulled out before they started saying the bookings were down....they hadn't given anyone the chance to even try it!!

But yes I agree pirating is the correct term!
la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

Tansy,
I don't know about pirating a ferry, but if you get enough owners together you can negotiate some pretty good deals, even with Brittany Ferries. I belong to a little gite group and can offer guests cheap crossings on the Portsmouth/Poole - Caen and Cherbourg routes (Brittany Ferries) and the Newhaven - Dieppe route. It is cheaper to book this way, even for Brittany ferry 2nd home owners club members.
Clexane
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Post by Clexane »

Susan,

I have the same dilemma as you. I am on a number of sites and still have visitfrance and frencholidayhomes in my sights for listing in the furture. Chez Nous at £365 seems to be a scandalous amount when compared with other major providers such as H-R, Vrbo and Abritel - you can have all these for less!! I also use Perfect places because they get you fabulous search engine listings (not many enquires but fantastic conversion rate).

All that said I would like to keep my budget on advertising down to about £400 per year which I think allows me one more listing ... thus the dilemma stated above. How much do others budget??
So you wanted a holiday home in france ...

www.villaemmanuelle.com
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