 Poster: A snowHead
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I was looking for any feedback for Ski Beat on this forum and all I could find was PandoraGate and found it very tedious. Anyone been with them last or this season. I quite fancy a Plan Peisey chalet holiday. Many thanks in advance.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We used them last year and had a great time - lovely chalet, great host, good food, free flowing wine.
Travelled as a couple, and made lots of friends for the week. Will likely be booking with them again this year.
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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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i went (as a couple) last year to plan peisey and were in a chalet with 10 other randoms but turned out to be an amazing holiday. played games every evening in the chalet with the other people and the hosts were great and joined in. food was good, wine flowed as Torf, says. planning to use them again this year and definitely recommend them! 
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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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we have been with ski Beat for the last two years. They are great and I would highly recommend them. Stayed in chalet Herrison which is handily located very close to a new little chair lift. Going back to same group of chalets this half term can't wait.
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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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| Quote: |
found it very tedious.
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goodness me, what a surprise! 
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Thanks for the response halfhand. I have viewed the Pandora megathread. That was 3 years ago and it would be more helpful for a more up to date review i.e. last season/this season.
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Bluefox69, A leopard rarely changes it's spots.
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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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We've just returned from a week in La Tania. I can't fault them on anything. They were well organised, and we had a great week in a lovely chalet, with excellent hosts.
The only small glitch in the chalet was that the wifi wasn't working, but they warned us of this in advance and provided a 3G dongle for us to use as required.
I'm not sure it's fair to continue to entirely judge them on the basis of one incident, some years ago.
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Perhaps they've upped their game on the back of that one incident. Glad you had a good time sugarmoma666,
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The only small glitch in the chalet was that the wifi wasn't working, but they warned us of this in advance and provided a 3G dongle for us to use as required.
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wow, Im impressed with that
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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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I always found Skibeat to be a perfectly decent mid-range company but haven't stayed with them for a few years. Not the best, not the worst, book late and get a deal on price and you really can't complain...
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I went with them 3 years ago and they were great. No complaints at all. Would go with again no worries
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You know it makes sense.
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Uh-oh, I've just started reading that 24-page thread. My life is over.
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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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We stayed with them last year too, in Val d'Isere. It wasn't a particularly cheap week, but a very enjoyable one. We had the best chalet host I've ever had - a guy who has made a career out of it and done umpteen seasons so very experienced - and the chalet itself was more spacious than most. I'd go again if the price was right, but I usually find something cheaper in the end.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I stayed with them in Meribel Village (Chalet Cervin) before Christmas. Found them to be excellent - really nice and attentive. To be honest the food could have been better but our group was the first ever for our chalet hosts and they coped admirably.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Call me a cynic - but a lot of new/lost post numbers praising Ski Beat 
In the interests of balance - I stayed with them 3 years running but that was 8 years ago so hardly relevant. It was fine.
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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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Hi Boris,
Anthony Collins here, CEO of Directski.com & Ski Beat. Perhaps you are a cynic but I can assure you the positive posts are genuine and very much appreciated by all here in Ski Beat. Nothing like some positive feedback on a rainy afternoon. For the last couple of years, we've all been working our socks off to improve the Ski Beat experience and it's really paying off in terms of customer and staff feedback and repeat business.
"PandoraGate" happened before we acquired Ski Beat (but made for lots of interesting discussions around the time of the acquisition). It serves as a useful reminder to all as to the importance of doing the right thing for your customers!
Happy skiing,
Anthony
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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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antocollins,
Welcome to Snowheads. As a satisfied customer of Ski Beat before it was bought by Directski, I am puzzled by the present set up whereby Ski Beat's chalets are marketed separately by Directski as well as on the Ski Beat website, sometimes with very different prices and flights.
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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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Hi Jehu,
The Directski.com website introduces the chalets to a new market who may not be aware of Ski Beat.
We aim to offer the same holidays at the same prices through both channels and any differences are simply an issue of keeping two booking systems in sync during a very busy selling period. Also, there are some differences in the way our two systems handle prices, discounts and flights that makes it tricky to always have exact parity - but we're working on it.
Thanks,
Anthony
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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 worked for Ski Beat last season, my third (and as it turns out final) winter season. I have to say I'd definitely consider travelling with them in future; I saw most of the chalets in 5 of the 6 resorts that Ski Beat operate in and, apart from 1 or 2 that I didn't particularly like all that much, the vast majority were very nice indeed. I'd previously stayed at and seen various chalets in a number of resorts (typically through the bigger TOs, both on holiday and working) and the Ski Beat chalets were much better than anything I stayed in.
Obviously with a chalet holiday the key thing is going to be the staff; in particular the chalet hosts. What struck me most about Ski Beat was the amount of returning staff; a good percentage of staff had worked for the company in previous years. Of my staff 4 of 10 were returners, I know that Plan Peisey this year in particular has a very high return rate of staff. Also the age of the hosts ranged massively. I worked for Crystal previously and the hosts on our team there were high teens/low 20s, whereas two of the chalet couples I managed last year were in their 30s and 40s (one couple who were returning for their 7th season in quite possibly the nicest chalets I've been in, especially so for a mid-range priced holiday).
Some of the Pandoragate was clearly well over the top, but some did highlight the difficulties that smaller TOs face in particular with travel chaos; and having also worked for the biggest TO in the business I have an insight into how much all TOs are reliant upon the local coach companies and, no matter how prepared you are or think you are, an avalanche when getting out of resort or an airport diversion is not plain sailing at all and unfortunately a lot of decisions are made with the limited information you have to hand (no matter how much some people think that shouting and getting angry will make their coach arrive any quicker or their plane depart any sooner).
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Boris, I thought the same yesterday but concluded I was being cynical 
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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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have long been reading posts here and dared to make a genuine comment based on my own experience.
we are two families who have an annual ski holiday together and this year will be our third with ski beat.
Please don't make me feel unwelcome.
Am ridiculously excited tonight as flying to Geneva for a four night trip to Morzine with a group from work,can't wait all packed and hope everything goes to plan.
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Ski Beat have long had a rubbish reputation and over the years it has been known for 'friends' of Ski Beat (and other TO's in a similar situation) to register on this and other sites, simply to praise them, in a simplistic ill advised attempt to 'manage' their social media profile.
Hence, some of the regulars on here are naturally suspicious of folk who appear and immediately heap praise on a specific company/product etc
and it has to be said, the regulars are seldom wrong.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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If you read the full post, you will note I have been with Ski Beat and enjoyed it.
I am a self confessed cynical old fart, and therefore find it odd people would look around a variety of ski forum just to make a comment praising a company, product or service. Even more surprising that the CEO happens to post as well. Unfortunately here, and other forums I lurk, are ripe with people trying to big up a company/product/serice.
To all genuine first time posters - stick around it's a good place
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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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antocollins, I'm sure you can see it is odd that your first post is popping up here, out the blue, to defend your genuine posters. Stick around and answer future queries, it's worked very well for Crystal and others who have been very open and honest here.
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| Boredsurfing wrote: |
Ski Beat have long had a rubbish reputation and over the years it has been known for 'friends' of Ski Beat (and other TO's in a similar situation) to register on this and other sites, simply to praise them, in a simplistic ill advised attempt to 'manage' their social media profile.
Hence, some of the regulars on here are naturally suspicious of folk who appear and immediately heap praise on a specific company/product etc
and it has to be said, the regulars are seldom wrong. |
Probably a dumb question, but does this "rubbish reputation" extend beyond Snowheads? It's just it's not a view I'd heard elsewhere - in fact, I'd heard quite the opposite.
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You know it makes sense.
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sugarmoma666, You have used that line else where in you new posts, so showing yourself to be generally unfriendly, arguing the toss for SCGB, and ironically pandora was quick to reply to you. Lose the chip on the shoulder and all will be well.
Actually , just read all your posts. What is skibeat to you? Great if they lubed your bits up, do a trip report.
My thoughts not snowHeads.J
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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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Oh and trip advisor has both good and bad reviews.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Filthyphil30k wrote: |
| do a trip report. |
I did  (Well, kind of . . . for one day of the holiday anyway)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Don't you just love internet forums. Always full of cynics and the forum 'elite' who turn on the inexperienced just for fun.
I've been a lurker on this site for a few years, found some interesting info here and made the odd post. I've been skiing for over 30 years and travelled with many of the TO's in that time. I have to say I've seen and heard good and bad reports about most of them. The bad ones usually relate to bad or difficult situations and often unusually picky punters. As Dav said shouting louder doesn't make the coach arrive any quicker!!
Like others here I've had 1 trip with Ski Beat, 4 years ago, which was overall a good experience but did find the attitude of the sales staff somewhat strange. I tried to book at 5pm on a Friday for a holiday starting the next day. They had no flights but would not allow me to hold the place in the chalet my friends were staying in until the morning (they had lots of space in the resort) while I tried to find alternative travel arrangements. Needless to say I managed to negotiate a better deal the following morning and only then did I admit that I was already halfway across France.
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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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I had a ski trip with ski beat fifteen or so years ago it was so bad I wanted to go to the small claims court, Pandoro was quite positive about them imho.
There you go, a bit of balance.
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I had a ski trip with ski beat ten or so years ago it was so bad I wanted to go to the small claims court, Pandoro was quite positive about them imho.
There you go, a bit of balance.
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Boredsurfing, not a believer in "once bitten, twice shy", then?
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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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pam w, Nope we were good loyal customers went with them 5 times then they mucked up in grand style.
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As someone who was holidaying with Pandorra during the Ski Beat debacle it's reassuring to hear that they have worked hard to improve the Ski Beat experience and are more customer-focussed than the previous management.
Despite the dreadful journey/ resort managers/ comms etc. etc. our chalet experience was excellent and I am almost tempted to try them again
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FAQ
s
As a matter of interest, how many posts do people need to make before comments like this stop?
Did they all contact you to let you know they were going to post and let you know their Username 