Help! Was I wrong to haggle?

Miaow121

Hey all,
I am used to haggling in shops, when I purchase vehicles or with energy companies etc, it is sort of second nature to me as I used to copy my Dad when I was younger. Normally i never have a problem - even if retailers don't want to give a discount they never seem to mind my asking - but recently I had a bit of an "off" experience.

I'm planning a UK holiday in October. I contacted a campsite who offer a few extra touches as it is for my birthday, and we were sending emails back and forth, me asking for recommendations for walking routes in the local area etc. When it got to the point of discussing a booking the owner "G" asked me to call at a certain time the next day. I did and was put off twice until finally G called me back.

After a bit of chatting I asked for the pricings of the accommodation etc we wanted, and it came out at £110 (which I was expecting having done my research). Politely I asked if he would consider a round £100 paid there and then over the phone and explained that as I was a student (this had previously come up in general conversation) the £10 would make a difference to me. He seemed flustered and asked "How much are you prepared to pay then?" I reiterated (again, politely) that £100 would really be great for our budget as we then have to factor in travel.

His tone suddenly changed and he said "I think you should go somewhere else then. We don't do a lot of discounts."

Surprised I replied that I would have to talk it over with my partner and closed the conversation politely.

It sounds like just a normal negotiation on paper but his tone definitely changed into something quite aggressive when he said his last point. I'm surprised because we have spent a couple of days emailing back and forth about his site etc and I thought we'd built up a rapport, his earlier replies seemed to indicate that he was open to negotiation; and, as I have said before, even if people don't want to negotiate with you they usually just go with a polite but firm "No" rather than getting stroppy.

Do you have advice as to what may have led to the change in tone of the conversation so I can avoid it again, and what I should do now? I was really sold on the idea of the holiday but I don't want to go if the owner is going to be angry with us....

Thanks for your advice,

greenface

Not a big ask and sounded like you were polite . I like haggling and i like a tryer too.As a holiday home owner. I would knock a tenner off and say if you have a good stay buy me a pint ,

springdreams

I can't guess why the change in tone by the owner - maybe he was having a bad day / week / month? Or maybe another guest had taken the mick / caused damage to the property?

If you still want to go to that particular park, get your OH to make the booking and pay the asking price.

If you are more concerned with getting a reduced price try another park - you never know, you might get lucky next time around.

jaybeetoo

I don't know what sort of camp site it is but could the owner have been put off by the thought of students coming for a birthday weekend?

flashnazia

I'm really scared of haggling after I tried it with a flower stall in leeds. He was closing up and getting rid of stock. I cheerfully asked if I could have x for y quid and he got very aggressive and swore at me.

Unfortunately some people get very offended when you try and haggle.

warehouse

I hate it when someone builds a fake rapport with me just to get some money off. It would have annoyed me too if I'd spent days helping out with all of your questions and being really helpful then get hit with that. It's insulting.

If someone is open and honest from the beginning about wanting a discount and THEN demands more time and questions then no problem.

InsideInsurance

It sounds like he had invested a fair amount of time in you giving you advice etc beforehand and so then to be lowballed was probably not something he appreciated. You also say he is the owner and so he only gets paid if you buy unlike an employee who gets paid if you book or not and can be quiet happy chewing the cud with you all day as they get paid either way.

I do haggle a lot too but generally I'd get the cash element of the pricing thing out the way first and then do the discussion on walking routes etc after we know we can agree the price. Now sometimes the price may go up a little in the conversations because we buy extras but at least the baseline has been established even if we havent committed to buy yet.

Miaow121

Hi everyone,
Thanks for your advice.

I just want to clarify that it wasn't a fake rapport designed to get money off - I hadn't decided where I wanted to go when I originally started talking to him; I like to get to know people and local areas before I book holidays, it gives me a feel for where I want to go. Holidays are rare for me so I invest time and effort in making sure they are worthwhile.

However, I do take your point insideinsurance and warehouse - he may have felt that I had been being fake. How would you go about it in this instance? You mentioned that you'd both talk about money first - but to my mind it feels ruder to basically cold call with no prior discussion and say "I'd like some money off", especially if you don't even know you want to go there yet because you haven't got a feel for the place... Practical advice would be great.

Flashnazia and Springdreams I think you are probably right in that it was probably just a bad day, possibly coupled with what we have mentioned above. I don't think I am going to go to that site, not because I object to the price, but it is a very small site - if the owner is offended/upset with us it could really put a dampener on our holiday. (I've got quite a distinctive name so even if my OH books it, when we get there and introduce ourselves they'll be sure to put 2+2 together)

Jaybeetoo that is unfortunately something we come across a lot. It can be quite distressing when you go to book something like this - a walking holiday for 2 in the middle of nowhere, clearly not intended as a booze-up - then because someone hears you are a student they shut down, even if they've been getting along well beforehand. It makes no sense because everyone was young at one time - if they didn't go around smashing up campsites at that age why do they expect that I will? I'm used to it now though, and I don't spend any time on people who pre-judge.

Greenface, thanks for your reassurance - that's the sort of attitude I have too, and I generally get along well with!

InsideInsurance

Miaow121 wrote: »

However, I do take your point insideinsurance and warehouse - he may have felt that I had been being fake. How would you go about it in this instance? You mentioned that you'd both talk about money first - but to my mind it feels ruder to basically cold call with no prior discussion and say "I'd like some money off", especially if you don't even know you want to go there yet because you haven't got a feel for the place... Practical advice would be great.

I wasnt saying he may think you were being fake, just simply you say you were going back and forth with emails which suggests it will have taken up a fair amount of his time. Obv it could have been just 1 or 2 emails which would be slightly different. He is after all there to rent spaces/ make money and isnt "tourist information".

Of cause these things can go either way, others will be happy to chat before the booking it secured but as soon as the money is in the bank then they wont give you the time of day as they are off to securing the next deal.

To be honest, my own tactics are fairly blunt. Two years ago I was looking to replace a chunk of my home cinema and so ignored the sales and ticket prices and simply asked the guy whats the best price he could do for what I wanted as I had the cash in my pocket to buy it today if it was the right price. The following year I wanted to expand the setup slightly so said that they'd given me a 30% discount last year what could the do this time for what I wanted. Simples.

greenface

InsideInsurance wrote: »

I wasnt saying he may think you were being fake, just simply you say you were going back and forth with emails which suggests it will have taken up a fair amount of his time. Obv it could have been just 1 or 2 emails which would be slightly different. He is after all there to rent spaces/ make money and isnt "tourist information".yes they are if they value your custom.

Of cause these things can go either way, others will be happy to chat before the booking it secured but as soon as the money is in the bank then they wont give you the time of day as they are off to securing the next deal. Another fairly common post and not my experince of owning and managing holiday homes .

To be honest, my own tactics are fairly blunt. Two years ago I was looking to replace a chunk of my home cinema and so ignored the sales and ticket prices and simply asked the guy whats the best price he could do for what I wanted as I had the cash in my pocket to buy it today if it was the right price. The following year I wanted to expand the setup slightly so said that they'd given me a 30% discount last year what could the do this time for what I wanted. Simples.

Just a few points from a caring homeowner and manager

warehouse

Miaow121 wrote: »

However, I do take your point insideinsurance and warehouse - he may have felt that I had been being fake. How would you go about it in this instance? You mentioned that you'd both talk about money first - but to my mind it feels ruder to basically cold call with no prior discussion and say "I'd like some money off", especially if you don't even know you want to go there yet because you haven't got a feel for the place... Practical advice would be great.

On a £110 break I wouldn't be asking for a discount. If I think a hotel or guest house is too expensive I'll shop around.

I visited the Isle of Wight one time without a reservation and spent a nice afternoon visiting hotels and B&B's asking for a room for 2 nights starting that day. That put me in a good position as I was going to be filling a currently empty room, so I was able to say what others were offering their rooms for, so sort of played them against each other.