Steam Packet - Oft Petition

[smooks]

I hope Tesco and the supermarkets have a discounted rate to the island, otherwise the residents are paying more for their groceries than they should.

 

I don't think they do, certainly inflated prices are paid for the food compared to the UK, another aspect of a monopoly. Of course, we could try competition as suggested and see what happens in the long run.................................

 

 

Hi Alex

 

Been meaning to respond to you but found it hard to work up the enthusiasm. First off, an apology for pointing out your youth and wondering how on earth you could have any true experience of Steam Packet 'services' Of course young people are intelligent, and entitled to their opinions, sadly they (you) don't know it all. Neither I strongly suspect do you hardly ever use the shipping links provided by the Steam Packet Company........................Well do you?.................No thought not. Other than theory how can you defend it?

 

Amazing as it will seem to you but I was once young, I also was a student and have the degree to prove it. However despite thinking I knew it all then, now life has taught me that I didn't have a clue, degree or no degree. One day you'll realize just how ignorant you are just now.

 

Cheers

[AlexMcC]

I hope Tesco and the supermarkets have a discounted rate to the island, otherwise the residents are paying more for their groceries than they should.

 

I don't think they do, certainly inflated prices are paid for the food compared to the UK, another aspect of a monopoly. Of course, we could try competition as suggested and see what happens in the long run.................................

 

 

Hi Alex

 

Been meaning to respond to you but found it hard to work up the enthusiasm. First off, an apology for pointing out your youth and wondering how on earth you could have any true experience of Steam Packet 'services' Of course young people are intelligent, and entitled to their opinions, sadly they (you) don't know it all. Neither I strongly suspect do you hardly ever use the shipping links provided by the Steam Packet Company........................Well do you?.................No thought not. Other than theory how can you defend it?

 

Amazing as it will seem to you but I was once young, I also was a student and have the degree to prove it. However despite thinking I knew it all then, now life has taught me that I didn't have a clue, degree or no degree. One day you'll realize just how ignorant you are just now.

 

Cheers

 

Well I can't use them now, I can't deny that, nor would I, it is too much trouble in any case. Nor do I claim to know everything, I'm just putting forward what I've gathered over my (obvious) shorter years.....

 

Of course if you are referring back to the fact that you must use the service to make a living and run your business, then I suppose the Steam Packet could be looked at in a similar way, they run a business too, and are going to do what is most profitable in their case. My dad runs a small business and I do understand how what might be to the Steam Packet for example, small changes, can have big effects on other peoples livelihoods.

 

As for competition, I think that if it were to be introduced, the Steam Packet would just end the Liverpool winter service, it would be in their interests to do so to maximize profits. In fact, after spending so much, I wouldn't be surprised if they just rolled back to a core Heysham service, pretty much where almost all the cash is, or at the very least, like John Wright Suggested, just focus on ROPAX type ships. The user agreement ties down services that are not profitable and wouldn't happen unless they were forced upon. I'm not sure what benefit competition would have in the long run really, the fast craft service doesn't make much money.....

[Insomniac]

Its the Tourism Awards on Monday. Steam Packet to win Best Transporter award?

 

Manx Radio

[homarus]

IOM Steam Packet history

 

It seems to me ,that all the arguements for the 'Mc,Quarrie group ' focus purely on the quick profit angle!.

What these businessmen don't seem to take into account ,is the special bond between the people of the Isle of man and the City of Liverpool.

The Steam Packet was formed in 1830 by a group of influential Manxmen unhappy at the level of service being provided by the shipping companies of the day to the people of the Island .

The Isle of Man --Liverpool route was the bed rock on which the company was founded and soon put the competition out of business.

If Mr Woodward and co don't stop treating the people of the Isle of Man as an irrelevance ,it's quite conceivable that a competitor will step into the gap.

 

Sooner rather than later hopefully?

["V"]

Well said Homarus, thats the issue in a nutshell!

 

It not about daytrips, seacats, football etc its about the link between the Isle of Man and it's "traditional port of entry to the United Kingdom, Liverpool.” (quote Captain Michael Brew, DOT in reporting Oct 2007 sailing figures)

Liverpool is the port that passengers (both foot and car) want to use all year round not some 3rd rate freight port which now seems to be having increasing problems with silting and water depth at low tide!

 

Remember, Jim Sherwood tried to pull out of Liverpool when he took over IOMSP and was forced back by customer demand

[TerryMcCann]

Lovely bit of spin in the Examiner with the Steam Packet saying how right they were to stop the day trips because if they had kept them 4 out of the last 6 sailings would have been cancelled.

 

I would say that just means they don't have a suitable boat for the conditions myself

[Lastchance_Exception]

Signed. Great idea Amadeus.

[homarus]

Lovely bit of spin in the Examiner with the Steam Packet saying how right they were to stop the day trips because if they had kept them 4 out of the last 6 sailings would have been cancelled.

 

I would say that just means they don't have a suitable boat for the conditions myself

 

They need to get their sorry asses out to the Phillipines! there is a lovely boat for sale , just the job

 

Mary the Queen I believe it's called , might do a year or two?

[triskelion]

homarus: The Steam Packet do not have a suitable boat available to land at Liverpool.

 

Thus they would have to charter a second boat, which is not cost effective during the winter. It isn't just the cost of chartering the craft to consider, but fuel (that's not getting any cheaper), maintain a full crew for an under-used service, insurance etc.

 

On your reasoning, the Steam Packet should continue running the winter service to Liverpool because it is the traditional point of entry for Manx people to Great Britain regardless of the it being financially inviable. Whilst I do not dispute the link between Liverpool and the Island, it is hardly unreasonable, especially in comparison to services to other Islands, for them to make it a seasonal service, especially when the overwhelming majority of people using the Liverpool route are tourists of some form or another, rather than it being an essential trade and supply link.

[homarus]

homarus: The Steam Packet do not have a suitable boat available to land at Liverpool.

 

Thus they would have to charter a second boat, which is not cost effective during the winter. It isn't just the cost of chartering the craft to consider, but fuel (that's not getting any cheaper), maintain a full crew for an under-used service, insurance etc.

 

On your reasoning, the Steam Packet should continue running the winter service to Liverpool because it is the traditional point of entry for Manx people to Great Britain regardless of the it being financially inviable. Whilst I do not dispute the link between Liverpool and the Island, it is hardly unreasonable, especially in comparison to services to other Islands, for them to make it a seasonal service, especially when the overwhelming majority of people using the Liverpool route are tourists of some form or another, rather than it being an essential trade and supply link.

 

Mone,money,money! for christs sake change the record? .

McQuarrie at this precise moment in time are taking the piss!,running a monopoly enterprise that the vast majority of ferry passengers are not happy with(according to the majority of posts on this thread?)

The two bob service that McQuarrie are providing for the people of the Isle of man at this moment in time ,is a disgrace to the once proud name of the Isle of Man steam packet company?.

Go back to my previous post and click on 'Steam Packet history', then you might get an idea (although I doubt it?)as to why the I.O.M. Steam Packet Company is such an emotive subject to a lot of people on the Island!"and as to why at this precise moment in time ,so many people are not happy with the service being provided!.

 

I always thought that 'give the punters what they want ' was a fundamental rule of business ?

 

If McQuarrie cannot provide an acceptable level of service to the port of Liverpool for the people of the Island,I'm pretty sure at some stage someone else will attempt to do so.

History has proved this to be the case!

 

Oh by the way! Mary the Queen formerly known as the Monas Queen ,is currently up for sale in the Phillipines ( if your'e logged in Mr Whipp?)

["V"]

Well said Homarus.

It the end of the day if the IOMSP want to be known as the "Island Lifeline" then profit can't be its only motive. Perhaps it traditional "monika" could be changed to "Island Lineline - but only in Summer and if theres enough money in it!"

We can't really blame MacQuarrie, they are preditory investors. They saw potential "state protected" profits and pounced.

Our Government got us in to this mess now lets see them sort it out!

[Lost Login]

Mone,money,money! for christs sake change the record? .

 

I always thought that 'give the punters what they want ' was a fundamental rule of business ?

 

If McQuarrie cannot provide an acceptable level of service to the port of Liverpool for the people of the Island,I'm pretty sure at some stage someone else will attempt to do so.

History has proved this to be the case!

You may want the record changed but as it is a private company they are in the business to make money. If they have a choice they are not going to operate a loss making service out of choice unless the goodwill etc etc it establishes will create such additional profits at other times of the year to make up for those losses or alternative it is to keep a competitor out.

 

Yes give the punters what they want is a fundamental business rule but so is ensuring revenue exceeds costs. I would like to see pterol at 1p a litre but just cos I want that does not mean I can get it because it is not economic

 

With regard to another company coming in on the Liverpool route well yes they might but they will only do so to make money on it. They will not set up because they believe those nice people in the IoM need a better service to Liverpool so they felt obliged to provide out of the kindness of their soul. Will they run it all year round, well that would be pure guesswork but if it was loss making in the winter you would have to question it. Especially if there is going to be an airline price war on the Liverpool route

 

So sorry you do not like the record but you do have to pay some heed to basic economics which is that money talks.

[homarus]

Tell me something i don't know,of course money talks!

But so do people! and the overwhelming majority of respondents on this thread are saying, they are fed up with being treated as an irrelevance by the current owners of the Steam Packet! and if they (the current owners)neglect the Liverpool route and the people who wish to use it they may yet live to regret it!.

[Lost Login]

Tell me something i don't know,of course money talks!

But so do people! and the overwhelming majority of respondents on this thread are saying, they are fed up with being treated as an irrelevance by the current owners of the Steam Packet! and if they (the current owners)neglect the Liverpool route and the people who wish to use it they may yet live to regret it!.

 

I appreciate that but they all seem to be saying that hang the cost or economics we want the Liverpool route at weekends. A service which I presume due to lack of use was loss making in the winter or the SP would not have stopped it

 

I appreciate that we all want lower prices, better service, improved timetable etc but banging our foot up and down is unlikely to get us anywhere on its own. Unless we recognise the other side of the equation and try and recognise the requirements/problems to the SP of providing what we require then acting like school kids saying I want, I want all the time is not going to get us anywhere.

 

I apologise if this is not you, but many on this thread and on the petition come across as almost that they believe by right they are entitled to cheap day return travel to Liverpool at weekends no matter what the cost to the provider. That is beginning to annoy me as yes it is what we all want but what we want and what is achievable are not always the same thing. Many of the posters do not seem to care for the latter.

[triskelion]

Tell me something i don't know,of course money talks!

But so do people! and the overwhelming majority of respondents on this thread are saying, they are fed up with being treated as an irrelevance by the current owners of the Steam Packet! and if they (the current owners)neglect the Liverpool route and the people who wish to use it they may yet live to regret it!.

 

But the low numbers of people that used the Liverpool route in the winter were an irrelevance from a business point of view. As I have said in a previous post (btw I actually really enjoyed your post about the history of the Steam Packet), the number of people who want there to be a Liverpool route is larger than the number of people who would actually use it, much less use it regularly. As for the petition, its like the 'bring back the Wispa' campaign; many more people joined that then were actually buying them when they were withdrawn.

 

The people who you have accused of supporting the Steam Packet and their owners have not said they happy with the quality of service, or even been complimentary about the company itself. Rather, they have pointed out there is a rational basis for the reduced winter service and that it does not constitute corporate evil as part of an ongoing campaign by the Steam Packet to make Manx people sad. Everyone accepts (some in hostile terms) that the Company is in it for the money, but don't seem to make the connection that this means that if there was money to be made on using a second boat to provide a service to Liverpool in the winter, the Company would be doing it (can you say 'Kaching?').

 

"V" - The Liverpool route does not constitute part of the Island's lifeline. It is essentially a tourist route. I know not everyone uses it thus, but the overwhelming majority do.