 Poster: A snowHead
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I often bleat on about private transfers and how we always use them for a family trips either TO or DIY. Yes they are not the cheapest way of getting from airport to resort but IMHO they are almost an essential.
No waiting at airport on arrival for scheduled public transport or waiting for other flights to arrive for TO. Faster transfer time direct to your accom. As an example half term 2015 TO bus took 4 hours to get from chambery to hotel in Courchevel. Our PT did it in 1.55 by avoiding the autoroute which was jammed up.
On the return no trudging to bus stop or getting on the 4.30 transfer for 11.55am flight. Again 2015 HT as an example. TO bus left at 5.15, we got picked up at 8.15 arrived at Chambery checked in in 25 minutes, through security and a 30 minute wait for flight.
Sure if it's a group of adults then not so essential but with children it just makes the start and end of a weeks skiing so much nicer and less stressful stressful worth every penny.
Each to their own of course.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@holidayloverxx, the same way he knows that the police don't sometimes insist that motorists put chains on in the French Alps. 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Ok here goes. Assuming that there isn't a transfer on the other leg, which there normally isn't GVA to Tignes is 3 hours there and for us in Les Gets 3 hours back so the return is the same. That's 12 hours of vehicle use, drivers time, cost of access au marche in GVA, paying drivers Swiss min wage when in Switzerland tolls, insurance, salaries and vehicle costs. Convenience of no waiting, door to door service, knowing all the back routes when the N90 is a car park. Having 4 wheel drive vehicles so no issue with snow and only having 16 weeks in winter and 10 in summer to make a years profit. If you think it's expensive go the shared route, hire a car and probably fit chains n the dark or get the bus. I'm sure people out there make a profit on what you do so please explain to me why you think we can't. Prices are not artificially high, trust me the margins are tight
For the OP can you please change the title as we are called Ski Transfers so it looks like we are expensive and I'm sure it will come up on google. Can you just remove the word ski please.
Sorry yearly rant over
Andy
Ski Transfers
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Quote: |
For the OP can you please change the title as we are called Ski Transfers so it looks like we are expensive and I'm sure it will come up on google. Can you just remove the word ski please.
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I hope the OP will do that and that if he is unwilling, a moderator might be able to do it.
The market for transfers seems to be pretty competitive - I don't see that anyone is making big money. However, I feel the number of weeks available to "make a profit" is not the key point here. More to the point, a transfer from my house to and from Stansted, which takes less than 2.5 hours and a very straightforward journey, for 4 people is 520 euros. The OP said that UK airport transfers are much cheaper but I suspect that's not true - and the Glasgow/Lecht price quoted above is further evidence.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@under a new name, regarding your comment on car hire at Gva, have they moved the location or is it still in that car park about 5-10 minutes walk from the rental desks in the terminal? I think the location was called P51 last time I was there.
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@andy1234, yes, it's still there, but it used to be right in the airport.
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Mr NN is a fleet manager for a transfer firm-the rules and regs are epic, you're also dealing with two countries (sometimes 3) of taxes, compliance etc. I don't see any millionaire transfer company owners on our side of the PDS.
I think 600€ round trip is a bloody bargain from GVA to Tignes!! I paid 200 chf for a return train journey to Zurich last week in standard class.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| ansta1 wrote: |
| I often bleat on about private transfers and how we always use them for a family trips either TO or DIY. Yes they are not the cheapest way of getting from airport to resort but IMHO they are almost an essential. |
The situation for other resorts may be different but, based on my experience I'd never do anything other than a shared transfer from Geneva to Morzine. I use Ski-Lifts who use 13-seater mini busses which is what, 2 'family' groups and a couple of solos like me. For a large resort that's 1 or 2 flights worth and I think the longest wait I've had between getting to the Ski-Lifts desk and starting the walk to the bus has been 20min - or to put it another way time to buy a cup of tea from the place next to the desks, drink it and have a pre-bus pee.
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@anderoo, i don't see why you have to apologise for trying to run a business, as you say I bet most people on here need to operate in a profit making enterprise, or I am sure they would not be able to afford the luxury of a ski holiday, I know I do!!!. previous posts have mentioned easy jet being cheaper in some cases, but like other big corporations such as Tesco etc. I am sure they tempt people in with loss leading offers then raise prices to suit.
I know when I worked for a smallish tour operator in the alps, it was only xmas/half term and easter (depending on when it fell), when they could try and make a profit, all other times were barely covering running costs.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@anderoo, surely if you deliberately choose a business name that is as generic as possible, presumably to maximise search engine hits you have to take the rough with the smooth on people continuing to use that generic term in a clearly generic sense as the OP did?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@Dave of the Marmottes, I agree with you
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Don't think the transfer companies only work in winter, they seemed pretty busy last summer in Morzine. Charging extra for mountain bikes too I presume. May just be the popular mtb destinations though. Also found the lift queues longer in summer!
Simone
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You know it makes sense.
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Lifts in summer take one pax, one bike, so yes significantly longer queues. No extra charge for bikes, we'll happily use our hard earnt revenue to pay for trailers, maintenance of said trailer, extra Swiss tax (they make you vignette a trailer too), fuel cost of dragging it one way or the other empty, and associated costs of protecting the bikes. Summer isn't a money making operation for transfers, its simply a way of trying to meet costs of a vehicle stood idle.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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go to Austria - taxi (private) from Salzburg Airport to Ski Amade €100 ............RETURN !!!! 
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Simonskis, 4*60 = 240 not 480. I quoted the basic return cost.
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Nope, return coach transfer from GVA to Tignes is at least €100, not €60. €60 is the usual one-way price.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The buses are pretty expensive.
| Quote: |
taxi (private) from Salzburg Airport to Ski Amade €100 ............RETURN !!!!
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That seems like a bargain. If you look at http://www.suntransfers.com a return for 4 people from Salzburg to Flachau (roughly one-third of the distance from Gva to Tignes) o n 9 - 16 January 2016 comes in at 320 euros. They can't be getting much business if the going rate is 100.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Mjit, Ski lifts are now just an agent and run ZERO vehicles getaway vans are their choice supplier and have 8 seaters. I think you were subbed to either us or Skiidy and didn't even notice.
Just goes to show no one notices who actually does the transfers
OP or a mod this title is bad for our business please remove the word ski from this title please.
Andy
Ski Transfers
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Dave of the Marmottes, being the first in the area we had the chance to pick the best google name. Unfortunatly this will have a detrimental effect if people search for us so I'm asking to have the OP title to be changed. Surely that is acceptable.....no
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Your business is called Ski Transfers this thread is about ski transfers. A baboon could tell the difference so I suggest you stop whining or choose a business name that isn't a generic term.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Timberwolf, @pam w, return to Ski Amadé from Salzburg on a shared transfer is €50 or €30 one way per person. Often I have had the cab to myself anyway.
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@Dave of the Marmottes, being the first in the area we had the chance to pick the best google name. Unfortunatly this will have a detrimental effect if people search for us so I'm asking to have the OP title to be changed. Surely that is acceptable.....no
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@Monie&Dave, No same price with or without bikes for now at least.
Andy
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Dave of the Marmottes, If it were you bussiness would you care. I think you might. As stated we had the chance, being the first in the industry to choose a great name. All I'm asking is the removal of ONE WORD
ANDY
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Really change our name after 17 years....no I don't think that works. I'm not whining just politely asking for the removal of one word from the title Even a baboon will hit this on a google search and it's not great for our business if they see it on any search engine.
Andy
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@terrygasson, exactly the ultimate + 1 thanks
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@anderoo, The name is too generic and non-distinctive, it's basically a description of what you do. I understand the strategy: people searching for ski transfers and your company will probably be the first, but here comes the downside - if people are talking about ski transfers in any sort of negative way, there isn't much you can do about it. It's not enforceable. In many jurisdictions you wouldn't even be able to have it registered.
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@never summer, we named it at a time almost pre Google. I'm just trying now to avoid undesired bad publicity which is unfair on our company.
Andy
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You know it makes sense.
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It's also unfair to try to monopolize a generic term. While I understand your concern no-one else has put you in this situation so you need to accept the eventual consequences. People are and will be using words "ski transfers". A company in a ski transfer business with a name "Ski transfers" is a text book example of what to avoid in branding.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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You think you've got it hard - imagine me with my portfolio of businesses:
Savile Grooming
Isis Joiners
Cameron's Pork Bangers
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Nadenoodlee, 200 CHF to Zurich? from where?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@anderoo, perhaps I'm old school but the lack of capitals letters in 'ski transfers' in the title tells me this thread is unlikely to be about your business. The thread does contain info as to why transfers are the price they are, so perhaps even a publicity net gain?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@balernoStu, +1
I was thinking exactly the same with the capitalisation thing.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Seems a bad name for a company. Its like google just called themselves search engine or Porsche fast car.
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@Simonskis, if you look at your first post that started the thread on page one, then click the little bubble on the right and side with scissors on it, it will bring up a window where you can edit the post and title.
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Thonon- Zurich @under a new name, this was before I realized we were allowed to travel 1st class although it's much the same really on Swiss trains. It's quite a nice littl boat across the lake and then up to Z- I fancied a few less trips to Geneve airport for a while
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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The problem with the leisure industries, be it boats, horses, skiing or whatever, is that you are having to deal with Joe Public who don't like relinquishing their ill gotten gains.
People like to make a lot of money themselves but just can't seem to understand that a service can cost a fair bit and that people also like to make money themselves.
It's why I stopped a business that required interaction with the general public a few years ago.
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@emwmarine, i think most folk don't mind paying if they judge it to be good value for money. What I took from @anderoo, 's post was this part:
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and only having 16 weeks in winter and 10 in summer to make a years profit
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I may just be reading it wrongly. But that should read 6 months profit. There is ambiguity there that could be interpreted as only working 6 months out of 12.
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