Assistance with a family financial/math dilemma

[FamilyMatters]

I have a question which is causing family members some anxiety and so am after some assistance from others out there please?
I know this is probably obvious (and I have my own thoughts) but wanted to canvas opinion.

The scenario:
We have 3 couples going on holiday later in the year and we are renting accommodation for 4 weeks at a total cost of £2700.
1 couple are only staying for 2 weeks whilst the other 2 couples are staying for the full 4 weeks.

The issue:
How much do we charge the couple who are only coming for two weeks?

Look forward to reading people's answers/reasoning!

 

[Deleted member 4993]

I have a question which is causing family members some anxiety and so am after some assistance from others out there please?
I know this is probably obvious (and I have my own thoughts) but wanted to canvas opinion.

The scenario:
We have 3 couples going on holiday later in the year and we are renting accommodation for 4 weeks at a total cost of £2700.
1 couple are only staying for 2 weeks whilst the other 2 couples are staying for the full 4 weeks.

The issue:
How much do we charge the couple who are only coming for two weeks?

Look forward to reading people's answers/reasoning!

You are going to use (4+4+2 =) 10 couple-weeks and pay £2700.

One way to charge would be charge proportional to couple-week used by each couple.

 

[Ishuda]

I have a question which is causing family members some anxiety and so am after some assistance from others out there please?
I know this is probably obvious (and I have my own thoughts) but wanted to canvas opinion.

The scenario:
We have 3 couples going on holiday later in the year and we are renting accommodation for 4 weeks at a total cost of £2700.
1 couple are only staying for 2 weeks whilst the other 2 couples are staying for the full 4 weeks.

The issue:
How much do we charge the couple who are only coming for two weeks?

Look forward to reading people's answers/reasoning!

To make things easier, assume the 1 couple is staying the first two weeks and couples 2 and 3 are staying the full four weeks.

Or, another way to look at it is for 1 week the tariff is £675 which is split three ways for the first two weeks and two ways for next two weeks. The 1 couple cost is £450 and the 2 and 3 couple cost is £1125.

And yet another: Possibly you can only get the £675/week rate if rent for four weeks, otherwise the rate is £732/week. So the 1 couple is paying at the rate of 1/3 of the £725/week rate for 2 weeks [£486 total] and three couple are paying at the 1/3 £675 rate for the first two weeks and 1/2 the £675/week rate for the next two weeks [£1125 total] for a grand total of £2736. So they actually get a £36 saving the way compare to the actual £2700 and decide to split it as £9/wk meaning the 1 couple gets 2 times 1/3 of the £9 for £6 savings and the 2 and 3 couple get £15 each savings. That would leave a final tariff of £480 for the 1 couple and £1110 each for the 2 and 3 couple.

And yet another: The 2 and 3 couple are staying twice as long as the 1 couple so they should pay twice as much. Call the 1 couple cost x and the total cost is x + 2x + 2x = 5x. So the 1 couple pays £540 and the 2 and 3 couple pays £1080.

And yet another ...

 

[FamilyMatters]

Hi,thanks for your response.
Basically it could be pretty much anything then!!

My thinking was £2700 divided by 4 weeks = £675 per week
Divided by number of couples there each week
Therefore couple 1 pay £450 total and couples 2 and 3 pay £1125 each.

However my in-laws see it as total number of weeks couples are there so 2+4+4 = 10 weeks
£2700 divided by 10 = £270 per week
Therefore couple 1 pay £540 total and couples 2 and 3 pay £1080 each.

So there's no right or wrong way of working it out it would appear!!
All very confusing and difficult to decide which option to go for...

 

[stapel]

So there's no right or wrong way of working it out it would appear!!

The "right" or "wrong" way would depend upon the instructions for the homework exercise.

...unless this is really "from real life", in which case, the "right" answer is the one with which all the parties agree.

 

[FamilyMatters]

Hi Stapel,
This is no homework exercise (am 41 and those days are long gone)!
This is real life - so worse than homework!

 

[stapel]

This is no homework exercise...
This is real life...

Then "the right answer" will depend entirely upon "the rules", as agreed upon by the various parties.

Good luck getting that agreement!

 

[Otis]

my in-laws see it as total number of weeks couples are there so 2+4+4 = 10 weeks
£2700 divided by 10 = £270 per week
Therefore couple 1 pay £540 total and couples 2 and 3 pay £1080 each.

I agree with your in-laws (as, apparently, do Subhotosh and Denis). To be fair, each couple ought to pay the same unit-price per week.

If any member(s) of couples 2 and 3 feel that couple 1 ought to be somehow penalized for not subsidizing the extra two weeks enjoyed by couples 2 and 3, then they lean toward running their household like a corporation. No bueno!

In such a scenario, it would be better for couple 1 to vacation on their own somewhere else, where they can enjoy their vacation in peace. :cool:

 

[FamilyMatters]

Well that goes to show what I know (or don't as the case obviously is)!
Looks like I'm going back to my dad asking for more money...
Thanks for your answers.