[LM24] OK, So What Do We Talk About Between Last Year's Le Mans and Next Year's.....?

[GT6]

Originally Posted by GT6

Still waiting for my pack as well, but have been sent two sets of membership cards for 2014

My ACO pack arrived this morning hell of a lot there

[nobster]

No ACO pack yet, should probably arrive within a few days....

Bigger worries as we still have no news or whatsoever from Nadine, no answers to my email questions, no reply to our booking....
Has she dissapeared from the radar or has she had too many bookings?

[GT6]

Don't worry, had an email from her yesterday saying that she should be able to confirm things later this week or early next week and the debit should be on my credit card next week.

[Simmi]

Originally Posted by GT6

Don't worry, had an email from her yesterday saying that she should be able to confirm things later this week or early next week and the debit should be on my credit card next week.

Looks like she's sorting out her frequent customers. Which is fair enough. Doesn't help the people that aren't.

[vincegail]

Fair enough, maybe. But the lack of communication has robbed me of the opportunity of sourcing my TR tickets elsewhere (if necessary, which I don't know). My back-up supplier is sold out now. I don't really mind getting a 'no' for an answer, but give it immediately please, this is just annoying.

[GT6]

have faith, if it was a no i am sure you would have heard that by now

[CTD]

Originally Posted by vincegail

Fair enough, maybe. But the lack of communication has robbed me of the opportunity of sourcing my TR tickets elsewhere (if necessary, which I don't know). My back-up supplier is sold out now. I don't really mind getting a 'no' for an answer, but give it immediately please, this is just annoying.

I feel with you Vince!
However, remember the frustration you feel, is just a product of how much Le Mans means to you!, and that is admirable

But have faith! - all good things come to good people

[Mal]

Originally Posted by vincegail

Fair enough, maybe. But the lack of communication has robbed me of the opportunity of sourcing my TR tickets elsewhere (if necessary, which I don't know). My back-up supplier is sold out now. I don't really mind getting a 'no' for an answer, but give it immediately please, this is just annoying.

I still have some MB camping tickets if you need one - will be at agency cost price

[vincegail]

Originally Posted by CTD

But have faith! - all good things come to good people

Well, there goes my chance up in smoke

Originally Posted by Mal

I still have some MB camping tickets if you need one - will be at agency cost price

Thx for the offer! Will see how everything turns out.

[kpkorsager]

If everything fails, you could be part of the rather international group that CTD and I is having on MB. right now it looks to be a Danish, Romainian, Australien, German, Faro island, Austrian group, with only the first 3 confirmed.

So adding a Dutch/Belgian spice should not ruin the Soup.

Kenn

Mal: with the interest there is at the moment i might take some of the tickets from you. Should know by the end of the year if you have not sold them by then.

[Mal]

Originally Posted by kpkorsager

If everything fails, you could be part of the rather international group that CTD and I is having on MB. right now it looks to be a Danish, Romainian, Australien, German, Faro island, Austrian group, with only the first 3 confirmed.

So adding a Dutch/Belgian spice should not ruin the Soup.

Kenn

Mal: with the interest there is at the moment i might take some of the tickets from you. Should know by the end of the year if you have not sold them by then.

No problem - we have a pretty international group as well - we have 5 Americans and 1 person flying in from Shanghai. I wont let any tickets go until I have heard from you - at the moment I have about 8 tickets that are either unconfirmed or spare. If our plots are close is could be a pretty large group!

[wewantourdarbyback]

Originally Posted by Simmi

Just got the 2013 annual and I can confirm the spine is black.

If it's meant as a mark of respect for Allan then that's fine. I assume that is the case.

Would it not be because the colour scheme of everything this year was black and gold for the 90th anniversary?

[kpkorsager]

Originally Posted by Mal

No problem - we have a pretty international group as well - we have 5 Americans and 1 person flying in from Shanghai. I wont let any tickets go until I have heard from you - at the moment I have about 8 tickets that are either unconfirmed or spare. If our plots are close is could be a pretty large group!

Mal

If you know your plot numbers I could let my agency know and see if it is possible to have some near you.

Kenn

[vincegail]

I love this forum and all the wonderful people visiting it. Thank you for the kind offers!

[Mal]

Originally Posted by kpkorsager

Mal

If you know your plot numbers I could let my agency know and see if it is possible to have some near you.

Kenn

Kenn,

The last 2 years they have been L & K 40-50ish.

Obviously I wont know until later if we have the same ones

[vincegail]

Just received an e-mail from Nadine of the Le Mans Tourist Office, which I will copy here in its entirety (well the English half of it)

Originally Posted by Nadine from the Tourist Office

"Madam, Sir,

We have had no possibility yet of confirming you your order, because new terms of sale are organized for the next year.

1 - We are in the obligation to take expenses for all events taking place on the circuit. These expenses will be calculated on the total TTC of your order : 5 % (except on the sending cost)

2 - Any reservation of campsite or parking lot involves the purchase of at least 1 admission ticket.

3 - Without piece of news from you next friday, I shall take into account your 1st order increased by these new terms of sale

(According to availabilities)

During December we will contact you to confirm the availabilities or your booking and if all is ok you will have the invoice.

We want to thank you for your comprehension.

Best regards

nadine

5% mark-up OK, but please let us know sooner! And is this Tourist Office only, or also when you book through the ACO itself?

And the need to book General Entrance tickets too, is this Tourist Office only, or also too when you book through the ACO?

So here's fingers (still!!!) crossed that all will be fine after all.

[Aysedasi]

Well, it does sound like she knows you still exist!!!!

[GT6]

I got the same email the 5% will cost me a chunk of money but still much cheaper than other agents and still hopeful we will get what we want, I always get one GE with each camping pass so that bit is not a problem

[Kpy]

Originally Posted by vincegail

Just received an e-mail from Nadine of the Le Mans Tourist Office, which I will copy here in its entirety (well the English half of it)



5% mark-up OK, but please let us know sooner! And is this Tourist Office only, or also when you book through the ACO itself?

And the need to book General Entrance tickets too, is this Tourist Office only, or also too when you book through the ACO?

In answer to both questions:
just the tourist office, not the ACO, but you might stand a chance of getting what you want from the tourist office.
Best have Nadine's arm off!

[vincegail]

Originally Posted by Kpy

Best have Nadine's arm off!

Thx for answering those 2 questions, now I have a third.
What does this expression mean?

[GT6]

I think he means that we had no chance of getting them direct from the ACO so if nadine can get them for us we should be grateful
other versions of the expression is

Jump at the chance
Bite her hand off (i think this may be what KPY should have said)

Relax Vince i am sure it will all work out

[isynge]

Originally Posted by vincegail

Just received an e-mail from Nadine of the Le Mans Tourist Office, which I will copy here in its entirety (well the English half of it)



5% mark-up OK, but please let us know sooner! And is this Tourist Office only, or also when you book through the ACO itself?

And the need to book General Entrance tickets too, is this Tourist Office only, or also too when you book through the ACO?

So here's fingers (still!!!) crossed that all will be fine after all.

Recently every agent resale has insisted you buy GA etc through them as well the camping permit as well as having a degree of markup - I suspect this is the ACO now saying that the Le Mans tourist office is essentially an agent, which it is i.e. an intermediary between you and the ACO. This with a 5% markup seems perfectly reasonable to me.

A more sensible way of introducing this would have been in June this year - see people's point about how this might overly complicate some of their plans for 2014, especially as now I guess it's open to question how much of a difference there is between booking with the Le Mans tourist office and the likes of First Tickets?

[GT6]

Originally Posted by isynge

Recently every agent resale has insisted you buy GA etc through them as well the camping permit as well as having a degree of markup - I suspect this is the ACO now saying that the Le Mans tourist office is essentially an agent, which it is i.e. an intermediary between you and the ACO. This with a 5% markup seems perfectly reasonable to me.

A more sensible way of introducing this would have been in June this year - see people's point about how this might overly complicate some of their plans for 2014, especially as now I guess it's open to question how much of a difference there is between booking with the Le Mans tourist office and the likes of First Tickets?

Do First tickets give you the ACO members discount? and I bet there mark up is considerably higher than 5%

[isynge]

Originally Posted by GT6

Do First tickets give you the ACO members discount? and I bet there mark up is considerably higher than 5%

No idea if 1st Tickets do an ACO discount - I suspect they may well not do. As for their markup being greater than 5% I imagine it probably is, although again I'd stress that at no stage has it ever felt like gouging - more a case of a fair fee for taking a lot of the hassle out of booking and giving some very good direction in the early days when I was finding my feet.

[vincegail]

And don't forget the tourist office runs under the city council, and doesn't need to make a living out of it. The touroperators are privately run and need to make a living for their owners. So fair play to them, I see the benefits, and the reasons behind the downsides of booking with an agency. Which I've done twice before I was enlightened over here