 Poster: A snowHead
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I bought mine from lesarcs.com for €208 each (~£130) delivered. Crystal (our tour operator) has them for £185 if you buy when you book so I imagine the "discounted" price on the coach will be a little bit less than that. I can understand Crystal adding a bit on top but £55 is taking the proverbial.
Has anyone recently bought their pass from the transfer rep.? Where and how much?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Transfer rep?? What or who is that?? 
Always buy them when I arrive in resort.
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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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Elizabeth B,  In your case it's you!
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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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I ALWAYS buy in resort now. And usually daily passes at that so we can move around from place to place and have a lot more flexibility. It doesn't really work out more expensive either - a few Euros more for 7 separate day passes compared with a 7 day pass, but then if you decide to skip a day then 6 separate day passes works out cheaper than a pre-paid 7 day pass.
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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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Interesting question, when I've bought them from the tour operator (rep on coach) before they've always said that their price is the same as you pay in resort, I assume they get a commission, but I've seen a few references that imply the TOs are ripping you off 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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zebedee, I've always got them on the coach transfer simply because I thought it was easy and that I wouldn't be paying over the odds. Now I'm not so sure.
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at the ticket window in resort  I ain't being ripped off by no tour operator
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with questionable snow conditions, when you might want to take off to a higher resort, or make other changes to plans, there's a lot to be said for doing it day by day. When conditions are REALLY bad they won't sell you a long term one anyway (e.g. with very high winds which will close chairlifts) but if you have one bought in advance you are unlikely to get any refund.
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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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Another point - when the snow wasn't good a few weeks ago the lift passes were discounted, so again, anyone buying in advance would have been penalised. I get a season pass, in advance (pay before end November), costs the same as 2 weeks bought on the day, and anyone going more than once might investigate similar deals. I think quite a few resorts do them. They will also give discounts for students, OAPs etc. Worth exploring.
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I've found that the Euro price quote by Crystal on the transfer bus is the same as the Lift company office but they'll hit you with a pretty poor exchange rate if you use plastic and a further surcharge if that plastic is a credit card. They make their margin out of the lift company and, if my experience at Christmas is anything to go by, expect the third degree from the rep if you have dared to buy your pass from anyone other than Crystal. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I got stung once, many years ago, by the rip-off exchange rate that the tour operator used when I paid using my credit card. They quoted the same price in French Francs as the resort, but when converting it to sterling they added something like a 20% spread on the exchange rate. That was the final straw for me, and pretty much always went DIY after that. Never had any issues buying in resort - no queues, know exactly what the price is for what option, and no broken promises of "we'll get it to you at breakfast on your first day".
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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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always bought in resort in europe but seems cheaper to prebook when going across the pond and have delivered to the hotel before arrival
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hyweljenkins,
are you sure you didn't buy the Les Arcs domain pass but the TO is offering the Paradiski version?
Not that you'd probably need the latter (if you wanted to spend all that time skiing in La Plagne, you'd have booked La Plagne...), we tend to find the one day explorer option or indeed a 20€ daily uplift is more than sufficient.
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You know it makes sense.
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jtr, Being a rep myself, for the aforementioned company, I think you'll find that the exchange rate they use is better than what you would get from your bank and you won't get charged for making a foreign transaction (you may get charged for using a credit card but that depends on the country)
If you buy from a rep on a bus they will charge the same price or less than you would pay once you get to resort. If you're a rep you're not doing the job for the money but management is very hard on you if you don't hit sales targets - and this can affect future placements etc. Sorry if you've had a bad experience but don't stereotype us all.
The way to beat the system is to buy a pass well in advance on the internet.
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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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Online should always be the first stop for buying or price-checking any product or service. This includes liftpasses.
Online prices for most things are, usually, on the whole, several percent cheaper than offline.
Check the liftpass pricing online.
Phone directly the liftpass office in resort.
Phone the tour operator and see what deal they offer.
That gives you three pricepoints to compare.
Pick the cheapest from the list of three.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Never been ripped off by a tour operator. They make their money on the bulk buy discount.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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les arcs site
local -- eur 192 (£127)
paradiski -- eur 233 (£154)
crystal site
local -- £154 (eur 232)
paradaski -- £185 (eur 278)
eur 208 is for the decouverte tarif, allows 1 day on paradiski
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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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Frosty the Snowman, did you mean to follow that up with "'onest injun"?
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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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doctor_eeyore,
yikes. As the Ed might say. Shurely shome mistake? And yet...
Spindrift, Frosty the Snowman, that detective work by the good doctor does not stack up with your experience. (btw those are for 6 day passes, I couldn't quite reconcile the two opinions expressed, so I too went and checked: I can confirm the details on both sites: additionally
the 8 day pass for Paradiski on
Crystal website is given as £229 = 327€ @ FX of 0.7 € to the £ (or €341 @ 0.67)
Les Arcs website = ........................ 289€
Reverse calculation : the FX needed to get 289€ = £229 is an amazing 0.79, which we haven't seen since, well, since ever actually - my tracking goes back to 12th June 02, and the highest London spot market price I have recorded has been 0.7118 (4th June 03) so I am confident it's never been in that range. Even with a 5% spread it still don't get anywhere close. So I don't seriously believe the TO can claim FX hedging as an excuse for this one.
And note: These Arcs prices are available in resort at the kiosks, they are not internet discounted
Any comments from the TO reps on the site?
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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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If you buy passes in advance from a TO, they are likely to be more expensive - this is to protect against exchange rate fluctuation etc. If you buy on the coach, your pass will cost no more than it would if you bought it at the lift office, and you won't have to queue. Frosty the Snowman is correct in saying that TOs make their money by buying wholesale and selling retail, same as anyone else.
I'm sure I've explained all this in detail elsewhere.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I think there are tour operators and tour operators and practices vary.
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We get our lift passes for our guests - BUT - they are not pre-sold. They order from us just before arrival and we have them ready for them when they get here.
We charge in EUROS exactly the same as they would pay at the window of the lift ticket office.
WHY - it means that we don't have guests standing in queues on a Sunday morning i.e. then missing ski school or hosting. We know they all have the right pass for the area and so won't get on lifts that take them out of the area having to pay then a huge supplement.
This Xmas and NewYear we were able to get our guests 7 day passes whereas if you hadn't bought yours through a chalet operator you had to queue each morning for up to 1hr to get a day pass!!!
DO WE GET MUCH OUT OF IT - NO - If we are lucky we get a free pass for the season for one of us!!! With up to 10 staff that isn't much!!
I agree that some of the larger tour operators who pre-sell in the UK or on the coaches are looking to make a bit on top but we just want happy guests who get up the mountain quickly on the 1st day!!
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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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| snowandtrek wrote: |
| I agree that some of the larger tour operators who pre-sell in the UK or on the coaches are looking to make a bit on top |
Generally about 10% on the public price although it can vary from TO to TO within the same domain.
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snowandtrek, different ball game, your company is [it appears ] how the small specialist companies were years ago, the big boys are trying to cash in on every little thing to make an extra few €
long may the small independant operator continue to offer the type of service you do
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| CEM wrote: |
| long may the small independant operator continue to offer the type of service you do |
Agreed, and a small cheer for the internet which has enabled many people to realise that it's perfectly easy to make your own arrangements to suit individual needs. Helps keep the tour operators, big and small, on their toes.
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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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CEM, here's how it works:
You can buy in advance in sterling and probably pay extra - this is because the TOs build in a margin to compensate for currency fluctuations (if you care to read previous post).
You can buy on the coach and pay the same price as you would in resort, but not have to queue and usually get your pass delivered to your accommodation.
The TOs make money on passes as follows, depending on resort:
1. Buy wholesale and sell retail.
2. Buy and sell at public price, but get a remise from the lift company at the end of the season.
3. Sign up for a 'contrat lit', whereby they agree to buy the same number of passes every week as they have beds in resort - they get the passes very cheap, but take a risk on not selling them all.
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There is also the dead simple one. I've asked at the Obertauern lift company this year if you get a group discount. Yip, 10% for groups over 20 people. Excellent get 20 people to place their order with you and hey presto there is your profit.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Spindrift wrote: |
jtr, Being a rep myself, for the aforementioned company, I think you'll find that the exchange rate they use is better than what you would get from your bank and you won't get charged for making a foreign transaction (you may get charged for using a credit card but that depends on the country)
If you buy from a rep on a bus they will charge the same price or less than you would pay once you get to resort. If you're a rep you're not doing the job for the money but management is very hard on you if you don't hit sales targets - and this can affect future placements etc. Sorry if you've had a bad experience but don't stereotype us all.
The way to beat the system is to buy a pass well in advance on the internet. |
My original post on this topic disappeared after the hacking incident at the the beginning of the year. In that post, I clearly laid the blame at Crystal management's door, not the reps. I felt sorry for the reps because they were getting very heavy treatment from the resort manager. As for exchange rates, the Crystal rate during the transfer was 1.41, the Nationwide Debit card ATM was 1.489 (no surcharge) - i.e. about 5.5% better than Crystal.
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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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doctor_eeyore, The price you've got off the website is based on the brochure price which would have been set at least a year ago. I used to work in Les Arcs. If we sold a pass locally it would beat the resort price and you have the choice of paying in local currency or sterling.
I currently work in an American resort which charges $384, at the window, for a 6 day pass, we charge $320.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Having spent a very breathless morning in La Plagne chasing our lift passes, and the Crystal rep who had them, and was not where they told us to meet them, we started to sort our own out. Although the reps never charge any extra on the window price, there were a few things we noticed. The reps La Plagne pass did not include free access to the gondola down to Bellecote in the evenings, but the passes we bought ourselves did. The exchange rate we received from Crystal was appalling compared to the one we got from the bank, even after currency conversion charges. We ended up missing ski school trying to find our passes which were meant to have been delivered to our accommodation the evening before. (It was breathless as the lift was broken, and we had to run up and down 6 floors from one level to the other.
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FAQ
