Juicyone Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Excuse the rambling - and apologies if this already appears somewhere else. All I wanted to do was book a trip on the boat in June. I realise there have been problems with the website this week, but we were told they had been resolved. However, while you can log onto the site and see the pretty corporate colours, actually logging in or - god forbid - checking the timetable seems to be a step too far. You would think with all the money we're charged to take a trip on the Irish sea, they could afford to spend some on actually making the site work. That is the very least we deserve. Add to that, a couple of weeks ago when I dared to check how much it would be to get away in TT week, and saw they had literally upped the fare by more than £100 - I could have eaten my own head. I know people have said it before, but I'll say it again. No bloody wonder tourism has died a death over here. If even we find the prices beyond belief, why the hell should we expect anyone else to pay them. I will be taking my angry self down to the steam packet building, and book it there. Demanding that I'm given the laughable on-line discount. There I feel a little better now - thank you all, by reading this you have just saved a poor defenceless kitten from incurring my wrath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesultanofsheight Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 I heard that they are in some sort of dispute with the internet host over service. It must be costing them a fortune and its so bloody annoying that they can't even get basic booking and scheduling right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 It either smacks of arrogance 'damn the punters' or desperation (are Macquarries going bust?) - you don't argue in this sort of case especially as this is the 2nd time it has happened , you move the site as without it I presume their revenue stream dries up (or are they only interested in freight?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La_Dolce_Vita Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 It either smacks of arrogance 'damn the punters' or desperation (are Macquarries going bust?) - you don't argue in this sort of case especially as this is the 2nd time it has happened , you move the site as without it I presume their revenue stream dries up (or are they only interested in freight?) I think their lack of interest in passengers speaks for itself. In comparison to the revenue made by transporting freight, the profit made from passengers is very small. From what I have been told. But you only have to walk inside the Ben My Chree to see how much importance is given to cargo and how much to passengers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambster Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 I heard they were putting white parking markers in the Legends bar and moving the barrel of flat Stella up into the crows nest and charging an extra 40p surcharge for the height and another 70p for the sea-front view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebrof Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 It either smacks of arrogance 'damn the punters' or desperation (are Macquarries going bust?) - you don't argue in this sort of case especially as this is the 2nd time it has happened , you move the site as without it I presume their revenue stream dries up (or are they only interested in freight?) I think their lack of interest in passengers speaks for itself. In comparison to the revenue made by transporting freight, the profit made from passengers is very small. From what I have been told. But you only have to walk inside the Ben My Chree to see how much importance is given to cargo and how much to passengers. Actually they make a lot out of passengers. The Packet is obliged to run a service whether they have any bookings or not. The marginal (additional) cost of transporting one extra passenger is almost zero - in fact it's probably negative as they'll sell him something on board. So the price of the ticket is all profit. S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La_Dolce_Vita Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Actually they make a lot out of passengers. The Packet is obliged to run a service whether they have any bookings or not. The marginal (additional) cost of transporting one extra passenger is almost zero - in fact it's probably negative as they'll sell him something on board. So the price of the ticket is all profit. S Sorry, I meant the amount they receive from taking the freight in comparison to that from passengers. Am I wrong to think that it is far more? I just assumed and was told that they get a lot from taking the freight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triskelion Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Actually they make a lot out of passengers. The Packet is obliged to run a service whether they have any bookings or not. The marginal (additional) cost of transporting one extra passenger is almost zero - in fact it's probably negative as they'll sell him something on board. So the price of the ticket is all profit. S That makes absolutely no sense. Do you not think that they have to fund these obligatory trips somehow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebees Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 No no no Seb, freight is their cash cow. Passengers require looking after & there has to be an 'x' members of crew to passenger ratio. You can't just buy a boat and sell tickets, there are fee's to be paid, laws to follow, crew to arrange, loads of stuff. I think the Steam Packet are alright, food is utter shit but all I ever use the boat for is travel - a means to an end, they've never failed me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manshimajin Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Excuse the rambling - and apologies if this already appears somewhere else....I know people have said it before, but I'll say it again. No bloody wonder tourism has died a death over here. If even we find the prices beyond belief, why the hell should we expect anyone else to pay them. Get onto your MHK about it. Write a letter to the newspapers. MHKs worry about being re-elected and their pension. The more people complain in public the better. Mind you MHKs probably get free membership of the Executive Lounge so they do not have to rub shoulders with the citizenry and they may not want to figuratively rock the boat. One wonders what happened to that House of Keys report late last year that was critical of the Steam Packet? Woodward seems to have spent a lot of time on his Blog saying it was unfair and it cost a bit more to ship freight to the Channel Islands on the once a day service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebrof Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Actually they make a lot out of passengers. The Packet is obliged to run a service whether they have any bookings or not. The marginal (additional) cost of transporting one extra passenger is almost zero - in fact it's probably negative as they'll sell him something on board. So the price of the ticket is all profit. S That makes absolutely no sense. Do you not think that they have to fund these obligatory trips somehow? The fact that it makes no sense to you is not the same as saying that it makes no sense. Allow me to explain the concept of marginal costing using the Ben as an example. Scenario A. Ben sails to Heysham empty. Cost, say £10,000 (wages, fuel, depreciation, harbour dues, etc.). No income, so loss is £10,000. Scenario B. Ben sails with one passenger. Cost is the same, £10,000. Income is £30.00, plus 2.50 profit on food. Loss is £9,967.50, or £32.50 less than scenario A. Since the loss is £32.50 less, that passenger added £32.50 to the profit that the Ben made in the year (because normally it doesn't run empty). The reason this is so is because the cost of running a ferry hardly changes whether it is full or empty. Yes, there'll be slightly more fuel used, but it's really pretty little compared to the total cost of the trip. The price charged for tickets goes straight to the bottom line. S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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