Neil, Hi
I don't think that's quite fair as we researched several marinas when we moved earlier this year. The prices varied by up to £400/year and we chose the WRC, which was the most expensive, because of the ambience and facilities available. James even threw in a month's free mooring and offered us the choice of two moorings as of last Friday. We chose the one which suited us better!
It is also of interest to read clause 10.1 of the Yacht Harbour Association's Code of practice:
Clause 10.1:
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This termination clause was drafted to comply with an Office of Fair Trading (OFT) requirement that berth holders who had paid in advance for annual contracts should be able to cancel their contracts on 16 weeks’ written notice and receive a refund of the fees already paid for the unspent part of the year.
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This could have been abused by berth holders who could take unfair advantage of discounts which would not otherwise have been available to them for the period during which they stayed, or who could occupy the berth during the best months of the year, and then leave at the time when the berth would be difficult to re-let. This clause attempts to minimize the loss to the marina, whilst complying with the requirement of the OFT that contracts be terminable on 16 weeks’ notice.
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Although a refund must be made, when calculating the sum that must be refunded, the marina is entitled to re-calculate the fee that would otherwise have been due for the period that the berth was occupied, taking into consideration the fact that the best months of the year are more expensive than the less popular months.
I also can't agree that it's an " overpriced over developed blot on the riverside (as i`ve said before in other threads). Personally I like the place and find it much nicer now that those dratted geese have been "disappeared"!