School Holiday Cashing in- Who's Fed up??

[Deactivated] on 08/02/2015 - 19:10

So I just seen a post on Facebook from my cattery stating that there will be a 10% price increase on all bookings made in the school holidays. They deleted my comment when i said not only do we pay extra to the travel agent and/or accommodation now we have to pay extra to board our beloved pet.

Surely a smaller price increase across the year would be more appropriate - just annoys me that people with children always get screwed over.

Thanks goodness my daughter is 16 and coming to the end of her schooling years .. i will save so much more money soon lol

Financial

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 08/02/2015 - 19:48
    -4

    Name and shame

  • tomclancy on 08/02/2015 - 20:20
    +124

    Supply and demand. If you were in business you would do the same. A cattery is busier during school holidays and needs extra staff yet the rest of the time quiet and have less staff on.

    just annoys me that people with children always get screwed over

    What a selfish comment. Totally untrue yet you make it personal as though the world is out to get parents. Me me me me me.

    Bring on the negs.

      • jason101 on 08/02/2015 - 21:14
        +8

        Think about private health insurance, when I got married I had to take out "family" cover (2 people) while all the families with 1-2-3-4-5-6 kids enjoyed the same annual premium.

      • Davo1111 on 08/02/2015 - 22:04
        +37

        errr kids education is compulsory, having a holiday isn't. Perhaps contact the UN and recommend a holiday be put on the list of human rights.

      • tomclancy on 08/02/2015 - 22:04
        +17

        stating that there will be a 10% price increase on all bookings made in the school holidays

        and then…

        go during the holidays and pay double … sometimes triple!!

        Your maths need work

        • [Deactivated] on 08/02/2015 - 22:31
          -5

          I am talking about the overall cost of the holiday

        • tomclancy on 08/02/2015 - 22:56
          +23

          @marialouise314:

          So what you are saying is cattery fees only going up 10% is a bargain compared to the 200% price increase for accomodation/flights? Shouldn't you be applauding the cattery for not slugging you the full whack?

        • PlagueistheCheap on 10/02/2015 - 21:03
          +1

          So does his grammar

      • Japius on 09/02/2015 - 12:53
        +3

        Wait the government fine you? How? Why? I have taken my daughter out of school for a couple of weeks for a holiday and I have never received a fine

        • GaryQ on 09/02/2015 - 19:28
          +1

          Must have been a Labor government
          LNP are all about User Pays

    • pennae on 08/02/2015 - 22:30
      +12

      Heh. I'm a teacher who gets told how lucky I am to have so many holidays. Never mind that there's always public holidays in "the holidays", yr12 mock exams are in "the holidays", interstate/overseas school trips are in "the holidays", in-service workshops and conferences are in "the holidays", and all the planning for term needs to occur during "the holidays".

      So paying 10% more for a cattery… Just another premium for "the holidays". Don't worry, it's not people with children being screwed over the most ;)

      8 weeks to go!!

      • [Deactivated] on 08/02/2015 - 22:39
        +2

        I will let my daughter know that .. she wants to be a teacher lol

        • pennae on 08/02/2015 - 22:44
          +6

          Most private schools also require teachers to do Saturday morning sport supervision. And drama teachers = school plays, English teachers = neverending marking, music teachers = band and concerts… There's a reason we get a salary rather than hourly rate ;)

          But… I wouldn't do anything else. I love the creativity that comes with the job, and you meet some great characters (both staff and students!). There's just so much variety and every day is a surprise.

          So I'm OK with "holidays" at premium prices because my work is hard fun :)

        • [Deactivated] on 08/02/2015 - 22:48
          +1

          My girls got her work cut out as a dance,drama, music, maths teacher then

    • Jackson on 09/02/2015 - 20:53
      +1

      I could confidently + your vote after reading just the first 3 words

    • dealman on 11/02/2015 - 12:39

      just annoys me that people with children always get screwed over

      Technically it's the people with children that Screwed in the first place,

      PS, if you really wanted to save money, don't have kids, they are kind of expensive.

    • tomclancy on 08/02/2015 - 23:15
      +24

      You live in a holiday destination so you don't feel the need to go anywhere, yet you still decided to splurge on a month-long holiday to the UK (which isn't cheap even outside school holidays). Then you find a house sitter which doesn't cost any money but you decide to spend money on a cattery instead of letting the housesitter look after the pet.

      It sounds like you have lots of surplus cash and yet you whinge about a 10% price increase for a service that you don't even need to spend money on in the first place.

  • Davo1111 on 08/02/2015 - 20:31
    +8

    Supply and demand.

    It's hardly price gouging as the market is saturated with these kinds of places. You could always pay a kid to look after the animal.

  • rowenaduncan on 08/02/2015 - 20:36
    +22

    I don't have children. But I would still have to pay the surcharge…

    • Davo1111 on 08/02/2015 - 21:08
      +36

      i blame OP for the surcharge. If they didn't have kids, then we wouldnt pay a school holiday surcharge.

      • [Deactivated] on 08/02/2015 - 22:34
        -2

        I have one kid and she 16 years old

  • [Deactivated] on 08/02/2015 - 20:39

    If you book during the school holidays … yes you do … do you book your holidays during that time and pay the extra?

    • rowenaduncan on 08/02/2015 - 20:42
      +11

      My Xmas holidays and Easter are on the same dates as your Xmas and Easter…

      • [Deactivated] on 08/02/2015 - 20:46
        -1

        Yes you have the same public holidays as I do ….. we all get screwed on these … did not answer my question ….

        • rowenaduncan on 08/02/2015 - 20:52

          What was the question? I don't think it's fair either. For either of us… I do try to take my holidays outside of school holidays. I figure it's harder to organise holidays with kids, but I can be more flexible.

  • YTW on 08/02/2015 - 21:17
    +19

    They should have framed it differently to stop people whinging about it…

    Prices are $X and you get a discount of X% for stays during quiet periods.

    • pennae on 08/02/2015 - 22:33
      +1

      This!

    • hayne on 10/02/2015 - 15:32
      +3

      You mean they should have a retail price for 12 weeks of the year and then a discounted price for 40 weeks of the year?

      Maybe you learnt about pricing from the carpet/rug industry and their permanent "closing down, 80% off" pricing strategy

      (And just for old times, here's a video from the Chaser https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jayAGGoU2Oc)

  • mskeggs on 08/02/2015 - 21:39
    +12

    Do you work public holidays with no loading? If so, do you do it happily?
    You want to have a holiday at this time, but want someone else to forego their holiday at this time to look after your pet.
    Why shouldn't prices be higher then?

    • rowenaduncan on 08/02/2015 - 22:15
      +1

      I do agree that public holidays should cost more (for the reasons you give). But school holidays? That's just rude. For those with and without kids…

    • [Deactivated] on 08/02/2015 - 22:35
      +2

      Already stated I don't mind paying the surcharge for public holidays .. thats never been an issue for me

  • [Deactivated] on 08/02/2015 - 22:12
    +7

    Simple, don't have kids or pets …says the man with 2 kids, a cat , a dog and a plastic goldfish :)

    I feel your pain.

    • rowenaduncan on 08/02/2015 - 22:20
      +1

      A surcharge for having kids? Why not a surcharge for having a Holden. That seems fairer to me. ;)

      • tomclancy on 08/02/2015 - 23:07
        +2

        Why not a surcharge for having a Holden

        There is a surcharge for having a holden. You buy it for $40k new and sell it for $10k 2 years later. It's called supply and demand which is what we are trying to explain to the OP.

        Please stop thinking anyone is being penalised or singled out because they have kids - the prices are higher for one reason: because they can and because the OP will still take the holiday. If the price of the holiday was too high (say 10x) then the OP would not take the holiday. It is the OP's choice to take the holiday even at the higher cost. They are providing demand.

        • [Deactivated] on 09/02/2015 - 06:53
          -4

          The op will still take a holiday because the op works hard for what she has, has a stressful job AND has relatives to visit that can't afford to bring their 5 kids to see me during school holiday as its too expensive.

        • tomclancy on 09/02/2015 - 07:28
          +13

          @marialouise314: That's great and I'm envious of the position you're in where you get to take nice vacations. Lots of us aren't as fortunate.

        • [Deactivated] on 09/02/2015 - 07:49
          +3

          @PBG: Sorry to hear that … without my holidays I would be in a bad place .. last year I took all my holidays at once to be able to have 4 weeks (pay all that money it has to be a worth while trip) and I slipped into depression/anxiety so I do sympathise if you're unable to take a break from work and go somewhere nice :'(

        • GaryQ on 09/02/2015 - 19:28
          -4

          If the Cattery has 100 slots for felines
          And 80% of the year, 60% of those slots are filled
          Then the Cattery has a vacancy rate of 40% when school is in
          As soon as the school holidays start - the vacancy rate drops to 0%|

          OP wants the Cattery to charge regular price during school holidays, and make a loss the rest of the year.

          Supply and Demand suggests - if Cattery is charging what it needs to survive for 80% of the year, the high demand periods attract a surcharge. Just like restaurants on NYE or Valentine's Day.

          The alternative - Kill your cat. The environment will thank you

        • Sweet Potatoes on 09/02/2015 - 20:20

          @GaryQ: What a horrible thing to say. If you can't say anything nice, maybe you should just keep it shut.

        • fantombloo on 10/02/2015 - 00:21
          +5

          @GaryQ: actually the natural environment would do best with the eradication of humans - ironically also the same species that brought domesticated cats here in the first place.

  • Odin on 09/02/2015 - 07:42
    +37

    "just annoys me that people with children always get screwed over."

    Hah, you've got to be kidding me. The government go out of their way to screw single people over and give people with children benefits and tax breaks

    • [Deactivated] on 09/02/2015 - 07:47
      -6

      I personally don't receive anything from the government … maybe I should rephrase to "people with children and that work full-time"

      • Odin on 09/02/2015 - 07:52
        +8

        You should look into that, there's almost certainly going to be some benefits or breaks that you can get.

    • JimmyF on 09/02/2015 - 14:54
      +6

      haha the people without children are the ones getting screwed over!!!

    • lemc6125 on 10/02/2015 - 00:37

      I'm pretty sure the government screw everyone over at some point.

  • mousie on 09/02/2015 - 11:16
    +5

    It's called surge pricing love. And if you took a look around you'll find others do it, including airlines, hotels. Let's get to a real problem shall we?

  • donbot on 09/02/2015 - 11:29

    You should probably get equally outraged that pricing spikes around major events too… Oh wait, thats right, you probably dont care about pricing for those because you choose not to attend them.

    Much like we choose not to have kids.

    But unlike you who has a choice about not going to major events to avoid price gouging, I have to put up with higher holiday pricing because my partner is a primary teacher.

    So yeah, if I had it my way, I'd charge you three-fold for whining 'woe is me' about school holiday pricing when you have kids… at least you had a choice!

    Now, like the poster above me said, go claim your family tax benefit, or child care rebate/benefit, or whatever other middle class welfare that exists for families, that us child-less full time working tax payers provide for and get NO benefit from.

    • tomclancy on 09/02/2015 - 12:05
      +1

      unlike you who has a choice about not going to major events to avoid price gouging, I have to put up with higher holiday pricing because my partner is a primary teacher.

      Clearly I don't share the OP's point of view, however technically you are incorrect here. You have just as much choice about not going on holidays as the OP has a choice about not going to major events.

  • Ughhh on 09/02/2015 - 11:32
    +4

    If you don't like the price, take your business elsewhere. Stop whinging, these are businesses to make money,not a charity for you.

  • ramshead on 09/02/2015 - 11:34
    +1

    No kidding on this site

  • gimme on 09/02/2015 - 11:58
    +15

    Actually people with no kids get penalised to support those with kids. Chances are I'm paying for your childs education and healthcare. Not to mention any child rebates you may get. Just saying, look at the big picture.

    • mskeggs on 09/02/2015 - 21:21
      +5

      If children are uneducated and unhealthy society will be worse off, not just their parents.
      Someone else paid for your education and healthcare as a child.
      I don't particularly agree with many things tax dollars are spent on, yet we choose to live in a society where we all pitch in for the greater good.
      Can't get much bigger picture than that!

      • gimme on 10/02/2015 - 14:53

        I don't disagree with that but what I'm saying we all cross subsidise each other so before anyone gets on a pedestal and cries foul they should think about what others are subsidizing for them. Sadly we live in a society where it's all about 'me me me' so govts end up making poor decisions simply to stay in power. Anyway I digress…

    • [Deactivated] on 09/02/2015 - 22:42
      -2

      Why would you assume you're paying for my childs education or healthcare? How do you know she not in private? I have previously said I do not get any benefits whether I am entitled to it or not … rude of you to assume that.

      • Less Point on 09/02/2015 - 23:03
        +7

        Private schools still get Govt. funding.

        I went to a private school. The school fees accounted for 30% of the school's running costs, the Govt. paid for the other 70%.

      • mskeggs on 10/02/2015 - 07:38
        +5

        Not rude, better informed.
        All Australian private schools get government funding.
        Australian healthcare is disproportionately provided by government funding. Most private hospitals can't deal with emergencies, for example.
        It is possible that some visa holders who are not permanent residents have to pay for government school places (not sure what the arrangement is if their children attend private schools), but regardless, all people in Australia gain substantial benefits from taxation.
        - Roads and transport are heavily subsidised by government
        - courts, police and the justice system are heavily subsidised by the government
        - the education of your children's teachers and physicians was heavily subsidised by government
        - your water supply is heavily subsidised by government
        - your power supply is heavily subsidised by government.

        Many services everyone uses were bought and paid for by past governments, as part of the ongoing social obligation. Just because the local motorway/dam/power grid is in place and paid for doesn't mean it doesn't have to be paid for, but instead of paying directly for the value received, you are expected to contribute to other areas of social expenditure.

  • ronnknee on 09/02/2015 - 13:51
    +2

    It's simply due to supply and demand which is fair. If you're happy to pay the price for that period, then go. Otherwise, choose another period or just don't go at all.

  • ferguscan on 09/02/2015 - 13:54
    +3

    What in the hell is a cattery?

    • gimme on 09/02/2015 - 14:00
      +4

      Hotel for cats. I'm sure the irony isn't lost on most.

    • JimmyF on 09/02/2015 - 14:53
      -1

      google, learn to use it

    • GaryQ on 09/02/2015 - 19:33
      +4

      It's a place to store your pussy when you are not using it

      • Baghern on 18/02/2015 - 14:20

        what happens after you tie the knot…

        sorry couldn't resist

  • JimmyF on 09/02/2015 - 14:53
    +3

    Did you complain to the travel agent about the price increase during the school holidays? Did you complain to the accommodation people for the price increase during this period? I bet the answer is no. So why is it acceptable for 'these' places to do it and not acceptable for others?

    You pay the extra for travel/accommodation so why not for your pet? It is a busy time of the year for the cattery as well, just like travel and accommodation places as well!

    • mskeggs on 09/02/2015 - 21:25
      +1

      At least some of the people at the cattery would likely wish they could take some time off during school holidays to spend with their own families. Seems reasonable they charge a little more during that time to compensate them for missing out on that.
      Obviously, if they charge too much you will look elsewhere or gasp perhaps you might have to choose a different holiday period.

      • JimmyF on 09/02/2015 - 21:36

        Agreed, but a 10% increase is nothing compared to what travel/accommodation places jack the price up by! It would seem the 10% is a holiday 'bargain' ;)

  • ankor on 09/02/2015 - 18:25
    +6

    Why is everyone in this thread so catty?

    • GaryQ on 09/02/2015 - 19:33
      +3

      The claws are out

  • dreadpiratedan on 09/02/2015 - 21:41
    +6

    The children! Won't somebody please think of the children?

  • Ughhh on 10/02/2015 - 00:34
    +1

    Looks like OP disabled account after not getting the sympathy she was looking for?

    • moogi27 on 10/02/2015 - 01:05
      +1

      Yeah seems that way. She did get negged to oblivion..

  • therooftop on 10/02/2015 - 13:01
    +5

    Cats out of the bag

  • travelwiz on 10/02/2015 - 15:00
    +1

    kennels/catterys airlines hotels might only ever fill in school holidays.

    The rest of time, they might have to offer loss leaders.

    If world worked like you suggested, no airline could survive.

    Travel agent is only making a very small percentage of what you pay. They aren't marking up the airfares etc. the airlines are, or getting rid of loss leader seats. It's simply supply & demand.

  • save my dollarydoos on 10/02/2015 - 18:43
    +1

    Get a family friend to house sit or utilise one of these house sitter organisations.

    Its free, they can look after your cat with more personal and attentive care that what I assume a cattery could and you get someone keeping an eye on your rolls royce and your other rich people things.

    ;)

  • Raihoo on 11/02/2015 - 08:22
    +2

    Next I feel we should complain about how much roses cost near, and on, Valentine's Day! :P

  • [Deactivated] on 11/02/2015 - 11:31
    -3

    Yep its a ripoff, specially 2-3 bedroom accommodation, soon as school holidays are over they drop $100 a night. Familys should boycott school holidays and take kids out of school.
    There is some selfish a././.h/?es in this thread.

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