Having been to Mexico this past spring I was amazed at the cheap rates charged for day long fishing charters even with the fairly high cost of fuel down there. ($320.00 US for 8 hrs) Then I realized that locals can live fairly cheap and wages to the crew are very small. So it kinda makes sense. Then I come home and the first thing I hear is that an operator in Sooke has signed up for Groupon and is offering summer (peak season) trips for $149 for 4 hours. WTF, are you that desperate that you have to give away your peak season for fuel costs? That is like going fishing and keeping 12 inch grilse, how much more desperate for a fish can you get? While the most common price on VI is 5 hours @ $120 per hour, Sooke is being downgraded yearly and some do 8 hour trips for$400.00. So congrats Sooke guides you are somehow living the north american lifestyle on Mexican wages!!! I guess it works if you don't pay tax, which means I pick up your slack, you don't collect the hst which gives you a further 12% advantage over those of us who do pay taxes and you never expect to own your own home. Make no mistake about it....Mexican wages won't buy a home in Victoria!!!!! After 26 years guiding in Sooke its about time to move on.You can't compete with stupidity.
Sooke- the new Mexico
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Little Hawk
Active Member
It's not only fishing & trucking but it also has spread across the building trades; in particular, carpentry.
Any douch with a hammer & saw can call himself a carpenter and there's an increasing amount of them out there willing to bend over for $20 - $25/hr.
I can't keep a truck on the road or replace & maintain tools for anywhere near that amount. But sadly it matters not to some people.
On the upside, many folks understand that you generally get what you pay for and I've often got work fixing the mess other 'hacks' have made.
I feel your pain...
Any douch with a hammer & saw can call himself a carpenter and there's an increasing amount of them out there willing to bend over for $20 - $25/hr.
I can't keep a truck on the road or replace & maintain tools for anywhere near that amount. But sadly it matters not to some people.
On the upside, many folks understand that you generally get what you pay for and I've often got work fixing the mess other 'hacks' have made.
I feel your pain...
Karma-Kazi
Active Member
We call them "Burger and Beer Guys" The ones who undercut all the other tradesmen. I am in the flooring buisness. And alot of the work is being done buy guys who just dont give a Frack. Aslong as there is money for a burger and beer in the end. My dad is the only full union company on the island and the union does nothing really. What a joke.
-Steve
-Steve
Fins -n- Skins
Well-Known Member
Well i am not a guide nor do i intend to do so. But with my wife being in the golf business, we have lots of competition and people always trying to under cut. Instead of bitching about it we look for ways to improve our business and offer the best in customer service. I know of some friends who took up the groupon charter and enjoyed it. I don't know why this charter guy went with groupon as with our business we would not, but i hear some businesses say it worked great for them.
You can tell who has never had to talk to Big Bill on their boat, nor isnguidingnlikely a large part of their income....
Reel Time
Well-Known Member
Please post the groupon add so we can all see, its probably only a handful available or the dates are specific to weekdays or off season, better to post and show us what you are talking about. The guides in sooke usually dont rip that far, I think if they go to C-bank then $120 a hour is justified, but my experience before I owned a boat, guide ripped out from sooke and did the troll out front all day, maybe burnt $50 in gas.... so they are a bit overpriced depending on where you go.
Hit em Hard
Member
Lets see $149.00 divided by 4 = $37.25 per hour. Are you kidding me!? All I can think is perhaps he is just starting out and is willing to take a loss to build a customer base. It certainly does not even leave any room to break even. Oh by the way I don't guide but have many friends who do.
h.e.h.
h.e.h.
Rum Buddies
Well-Known Member
a lot of times those Groupon fishing prices are per person with a minimum of 3 or 4 people in the boat. Also Groupon is very good at convincing "merchants" to lower prices and it could be very likely the operator setup a bad deal.
Either way if he runs a legal business he's allowed to have a sale, every other industry offers specials and discounts
Either way if he runs a legal business he's allowed to have a sale, every other industry offers specials and discounts
casper5280
Crew Member
Don't know and don't really care, but won't it be like Poppa Swiss says. $149 a person X 4 people= $600 and isn't that what the guides charge in Sooke. If I'm going to pay that much, I'll go with one of the guides on this forum as I know they can put fish in the boat. Don't mean to start a $hit storm, just sayin.
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lorneparker1
Banned
lorneparker1
Banned
10% is the number of not redeemed usually.
Agree with Kildonan, maybe he is banking on it not even being used. Example i just bought 4 oil changes, a free rotation, free flat repair, 1/2 off an alignment and a few other things, only paid $40. Damn straight i will use it but lots of others will forget and the retailer still gets his cash.
The groupon was sold out some time ago and was $149.00 for 2 people. He tries to get 2 coupons out together but that doesn't always work...so he has left the dock for 4hrs for $149.00. The peak busy season in Sooke with all the Fraser Chinook restrictions is down to about 2 months. You are going to sell you peak time on a 50% off Groupon? The summer is the time to bank money that will get you through the winter and pay for expenses to start the following season....it is not a time to work for free. He has also been around for more than 10 years and has another job.
Deewar25
Well-Known Member
was probably this one - even cheaper
[url]http://www.groupon.com/deals/gotcha-salmon-charters
[/URL]
[url]http://www.groupon.com/deals/gotcha-salmon-charters
[/URL]
Englishman
Well-Known Member
Gotta respond to this one. Mexico - poisonous polluted water, violent crime, drug addled underclass, largest most polluted and crowded city in the world (Mexico City), ugly overweight women (once past 25), e-coli laced food, terrible watery yellow beer, corrupt officialdom and pretty much zero conservation or environmental ethic (develop and be damned). Mexico loses!! Big time!!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world...tourist-town/2011/09/21/gIQAkHjZlK_story.html
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