# Freeloading Brits



## zack (Jun 16, 2007)

Whilst on holiday over the last two weeks in France Germany and Belgium I have become more aware of the number of British motorhomes that fail to pay for their stay on Aires. Some arrive late and leave early thus avoiding the collectors, others sit there and don't pay unless approached.. I even had a discussion with someone who was extremely proud how they avoided paying. On Friday at Gravelines out of 11 British vans only 6 paid according to the displaying of tickets. When I went to the Borne at the Gendarmerie there was one of the non paying vans using the emptying facilities. The point of this topic is, we hope that we will get aires in UK provided by local authorities. Some people would avoid these charges filling up these facilities probably at the expense of those willing to pay. OK don't use the local shops if you want to save money but please pay the dues required. Rant over


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

They have been watching the French and picked up bad habits :wink: 

tony


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## shingi (Apr 18, 2008)

Saw a Dutch van do that at the aire at Roanne about a week ago. He arrived half an hour after the chappie collected our fees at about 7pm and parked up near us. In the morning when I got up at 7.30 and looked out he was now out of the aire and parked on the road opposite. At 9am our chappie came along again to check up presumably for the late arrivals. I got the impression the Dutch chap was playing the system. I would not dream of not paying up ever!


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

Yeh! the Dutch and French are past masters at evasion :roll: 

tony


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

We parked in the CP at Gravelines (W side, next to big fish market) for 2 hours on a Sunday lunchtime- took little free ferry across to E side for Moules and a bottle.

Should we have paid? did not see signs.

Sorry if guilty.

Geoff


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## Bob44again (Aug 27, 2014)

Little difference to breaking a sea-side stroll with a rest in the deck chairs then moving on sharpish-like as soon as the attendant c/w his leather cash bag approached, eh? :wink:


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## Hydrocell (Jan 29, 2011)

We all like a freebe but if we stop at an Aire that requires a payment then I’m happy to do so I would rather pay a few euros per night to have that facility than get to a situation that we have at home where you have too stop on sites every night.


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## greygit (Apr 15, 2007)

This is like the UK at the moment all the tax avoidance (greed) is causing the demise of lots of essential services we take for granted.


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

Wouldn't it be nice if we had a simple set up here whereby we (MHFers) emailed each of the Marie responsible for the aires we use with a short note of thanks and appreciation.

It surely wouldn't be too difficult to find and record the email address for each. 

In fact I think I'll revisit my diary of this year's jaunt and see if I can do just that.


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## jhelm (Feb 9, 2008)

Interesting topic. I think it's very important to pay for what we use otherwise local communities will stop providing the facilities and we get stuck paying the prices of campgrounds. 

On our recent trip in Normandy I had a conversation with a nice British couple who were quite upset that another UK camper in the aire was driving around flying a British flag and had a license plate that said something that meant F..k You. Seems he was telling the French and others he didn't care what people thought of the British. The guy I was talking to told me that he felt the British were not that well liked in France (not my opinion) and people like this other guy just made things worse. 

We drive with an Italian plate, I can imagine that the French, Germans, etc. don't think that highly of Italians as far as paying taxes, cheating on fees and such goes, so the point is the same. We all need to try and pay our way and leave a good impression to the benefit of us all.


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## daffodil (Aug 7, 2014)

I ave ze french van and ze french registration, and I ave liveed ere for dix ans so you free loading rostbifs are not welcome ere, go back to the land of no aires and pay your igh fees non :lol:


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## KeithChesterfield (Mar 12, 2010)

At a couple of the Aires we used this year the money wasn't collected.

At Port en Bessin Huppain we arrived mid-afternoon and didn't leave until 10 the following morning.

At Le Portel we did leave earlier, around 9, but we were heading for the Tunnel to catch a train and not just to avoid paying.

What were we supposed to do to pay the €3.50 we owed to each Aire?

Find La Mairie, local Tabac or Tourist Office to leave some money?

Whilst in Honfleur a couple of years ago at least a dozen foreign plated Motorhomes arrived late in the evening and left very early next morning to presumably avoid paying.

A barrier entrance would stop any non-payment and, in my experience, those Aires with barriers are usually less likely to be full.

The two new Aires at St Jean de Monts both have a barrier – the old one used to suffer from late comers and early risers saving themselves some cash.

I believe it must be one thing those who set up new Aires should consider to stop free loaders, Foreign and Brits, playing the system. 

But it will probably cost us all more in the long run.



:wav: :wav: :wav:


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## zack (Jun 16, 2007)

Keith, it's not the one off avoidance of paying that I am commenting about, I know that sometime you will miss the collector coming round but at the main Aire at Gravelines it is a pay machine. I as much as anyone like to use a free Aire wherever possible and we are not the only guilty nation . It just seems to me we as Nation are getting worse with regards to respect and common courtesy.
Chris


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## brynric (Oct 17, 2009)

I have had difficulties on the Graveline aire in the winter. It has a built in solar panel and I don't think there was enough power for the whole transaction. 
I've also coma across problems with non-acceptance of credit cards. A kindly Frenchman used his card to buy a ticket on one aire and I gave him cash. Oddly on the new aire at Mont St Michel my card did work whilst a Dutchman had difficulties so a deal was done.
But it is a shame folk feel the need to avoid a few Euros. In 3 weeks our nightly average, including several sites is well less than €10.


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## 1302 (Apr 4, 2006)

nicholsong said:


> We parked in the CP at Gravelines (W side, next to big fish market) for 2 hours on a Sunday lunchtime- took little free ferry across to E side for Moules and a bottle.
> 
> Should we have paid? did not see signs.
> 
> ...


Nope. Its free on that side. We were there Friday night/Saturday am 

I didnt know about the ferry  WOuld have took a trip


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## Kev1 (Apr 4, 2011)

I like the idea of having E mail to thank the town Vllage marie
Good idea


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

> .. Kev1 wrote....I like the idea of having E mail to thank the town Vllage marie Good idea


Well perhaps one of our French speaking members would like to put some suitable words together (with an English translation) that we could all use as and when. I could do it with a little help from Mr Google but it's a loooooooong time since I sat in a French lesson classroom so I think my attempt would be pretty pathetic.


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## fatbuddha (Aug 7, 2006)

> Well perhaps one of our French speaking members would like to put some suitable words together (with an English translation) that we could all use as and when. I could do it with a little help from Mr Google but it's a loooooooong time since I sat in a French lesson classroom so I think my attempt would be pretty pathetic.


write it in English, stick it into Google Translate and then use the translation. if you stick to simple easily understood English, the French translation will be pretty accurate

et voila!


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

> ...........write it in English, stick it into Google Translate and then use the translation. if you stick to simple easily understood English, the French translation will be pretty accurate
> 
> et voila!


Hmm - I've tried G Translate for going the other way; French reviews (written by French speakers) into English - understandable yes but hardly "accurate".


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## EJB (Aug 25, 2007)

We stayed at a small aire by a leisure center in France in June, only stayed at two!
We had emailed in advance.
When we turned up the whole place was closed for the day but one of the 5 places had the posts unlocked so we moved in then in the morning went to reception and paid...we could have just left!
However during the evening a VW camper appeared, squeezed between two barriers, then left early next morning......obviously his normal activity :roll: 
Sad! :roll:


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Hmm. I dunno you know. This motorhoming Malarky is getting expensive. Last year our average costs for camping and services over 3 months was 46p per night which I find acceptable as a veteran freeloader. This year at the moment its up to £1.38 which is just crazy!  I havent got money to burn you know!

I often start my own aire. Last year we found a huge piece of land in the French Alps and parked up on it for a couple of days and of course like a tramp on chips they all followed us in.

Just spent 4 nights on what I assume was a defunct municpal campsite. The Aire was rubbish so we parked in there and sure enough 4 or 5 vans eventually followed suite. I have a high viz jacket, clip board and receipt book now and just go around and demand 5 euros off each of them.

As Gemmy said though. The French are the masters at fee dodging.


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## KeithChesterfield (Mar 12, 2010)

Receipts at the ready -


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

I am happy to wild camp and equally happy to pay my dues at Aires

I have also noticed people leaving without paying but maybe they needed to leave early??

There is always the Marie and it wouldn't be the first time we've posted our money through the letterbox when no one arrived to collect it

Only once have we refused to pay at a campsite in Italy, we arrived in pitch dark, no lights anywhere, couldn't find the electric point couldn't see the toilet block, the next morning the owner asked for 25 E, I think we were the only ones there

We refused to give more than 15E. He grumbled but accepted it, the sign said open, I think he was closed

I have my moments  :lol: 

Aldra


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