Paying a deposit in France

[JoannaLesley]

What is the best way of sending a deposit to a French campsite? It doesn't take a visa card and we don't have a Euro bank account. I do, however, have around 50 euros left over from this summer. Is sending cash safe?

Jo

 

[v.meldrew2]

Jo

Sending cash has worked ok for us. This is a terible indictment of our banking system. Several years ago the banks stopped issuing Eurocheques, which you could write in any currency. This was easy and fairly cheap. Nowadays it costs a fortune to transfer money. Progress? Time we joined the Euro zone?

 

[Guest]

If you have the bank details for the site including their IBAN number then your own bank can transfer the appropriate sum for you. Yes, they will charge but you will have some security.

If you do decide to send cash ensure that someone at the other end has to sign receipt of it. Then again you have at least some proof of receipt, although not of actual contents.

Telephone the site after a couple of days to check they have it. Unfortunately I had a bad experience this year of a site in Holland denying receipt and there was nothing I could do at the time, so _100 went down the pan. Of course I will never set foot inside that campsite again.

 

[lee2]

The last few years I have sent 100 euros in notes and paid about five pounds to ensure a signature on receipt. To date no problems.

 

[Nidge1]

Hi Jo,

Strange that the French site wants a deposit!.We have booked numerous sites on the net and have never had to pay a deposit.

This year visited quite a few sites and no site asked us to pay until leaving. On sites that we used camping cheques a few did not even charge us for a extra Adult that accompanied us.

How different to sites in the UK!.

Regards

Nidge

 

[JoannaLesley]

Hi Nidge,

As we usually travel out of high season, we usually just take pot luck when we get to the area we have chosen. However, this year we were going a little later than previously (late June/early July) and to a more popular area (St Remy de Provence), so thought we should book ahead. We were asked for a deposit and paid by credit card.

Next year we plan to travel in August and the site we fancy is very small. I guess they don't want the situationn that CC sites have in the UK, with people reserving a place and then not showing up! I can't say I blame them.

Jo

 

[EvansofSprot]

Hi Jo,

Strange that the French site wants a deposit!.We have booked numerous sites on the net and have never had to pay a deposit.

This year visited quite a few sites and no site asked us to pay until leaving. On sites that we used camping cheques a few did not even charge us for a extra Adult that accompanied us.

How different to sites in the UK!.

Regards

Nidge

I did this year at a naturist site!

 

[NickinFrance]

Jo

Sending cash has worked ok for us. This is a terible indictment of our banking system. Several years ago the banks stopped issuing Eurocheques, which you could write in any currency. This was easy and fairly cheap. Nowadays it costs a fortune to transfer money. Progress? Time we joined the Euro zone?

The UK joining the Euro will make no difference.

Living in France it's as difficult for me to send or receive a payment from another Euro country as it is the UK.

 

[TonyH1]

Hi Jo, have you thought of asking if they will accept a payment through paypal. It's used a lot for payments on that well known auction site but you can make a payment to anyone with an email address I believe.

 

[JoannaLesley]

It's certainly worht a try! Thanks for the suggestion. The site hasn't yet resonded to my initial email query, although I know it is still open until next month. When I chase them I will ask about PayPal.(AmiArgent, perhaps?)

Jo

 

[JoannaLesley]

Just a further query. I know the site is still open - according to its web pages, but I have had no response, not even an acknowledgement to my query about prices for 2010. As they want a 25% deposit, I can't send that until I know what the cost will be. Any thoughts, anyone? Its a very small site and I am a bit anxious about being able to book a pitch for the dates we want. There are not many alternatives in the area.

 

[TonyH1]

Hi Jo, are you sure there aren't many sites in the ares? Is it worth starting a new thread under "overseas parks & touring" to confirm?

 

[JoannaLesley]

Hi Jo, are you sure there aren't many sites in the ares? Is it worth starting a new thread under "overseas parks & touring" to confirm?

Hi Tony,

I began there! Got nothing from this site and have been trawling all kinds of site finder/classified ads/tourist authorities since. We really like the look of this one and our needs are pretty specific - we want to be in a particular area, as daughter and I are walking part of the Canal du Midi. Also, she has an allergy to chemicals in pools (believe me, they even clean "salt water" pools with chemicals - she had the spots to prove it!)so we need lake access. Thanks for the suggestion anyway.

Jo