How does this Club compare with the ‘Other’?
Comments
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we had a five week tour recently that included several stops. i looked at all the options for each area, the clubs, commercials etc and we only selected one CC site, which was Baltic Wharf as we had already booked it to visit our son on our way back to Somerset.
we were on C&CC sites at Woodhall Spa, Cambridge, Sandringham and felt no pressure to park on a particular pitch, merely to ne guided there one we had chosen, one that met our requirements of aspect, etc.....
rates we also a bit cheaper than the CC comparisons.
the CC booking system is a bit easier to use but i am not a believer in its cancellation policy, far too easy to chop and change.....not in itself a bad thing, but to allow this to go on only 72 hrs before the booking is too close IMV.
i also dont get this point about deposits where folk cant 'afford' a deposit yet paying the full fee on arrivial isnt an issue.
eg, if you book ten sites, each for a week as part of a tour, each week costing £150, a 10% deposit at booking time would cost £150.
why is this seemingly 'too expensive for some' yet they happily cough up £150 at the office for each week of their tour?
having paid the £150 deposits, each weeks break now only costs £135.....nice little bonus?
i have no issue with committing myself to a CCC (or a commercial) site with a deposit.....its an agreement that they will provide a pitch and i will honour the take up of that provision.
while the CC is over subscribed on pitches, it is happy merely to resell those to whoever may snap them up. however, it doesnt make it right (in my book) that folk can merely 'change their mind' at such short notice....
those who have to plan ahead, and who may have missed out on their first choices, will have booked alternatives. the fact that their first preferences come back on the market to be snapped up by folk who can 'go on a whim' is of scant consolation.
we often see on CT 'advice' from the old hands suggesting that its not really that hard to get on the top sites, you just have to be flexible......however, its the retired 'old hands' who reap the benefit as its difficult for those who had to plan (and even
then only ended up with a second, or third choice) to change those plans to take advantage of any 72 hr cancellations.the 'penalty free' should be extended to at least a week, cancellations within this reason should attract some form of 'penalty' (something added to next booking bill?) and, if these are valid reasons for cancelling (health, other serious reason) then surely
they would be covered by annual 'holiday insurance' policies?0 -
It’s also interesting that the C&CC appears to have fewer sites for more members, fewer site nights sold, and yet makes more profit.
Can anyone confirm the numbers?
At a last check they owned about 100 sites but this is supplemented by the Forest sites which they now manage and if my memory serves me correctly, now have a finacial interest in. Dividing the subscription income by the average membership fee gives about
250,000 members which is about 100,000 less than that of the CC.Their web site is definitely better managed and they have in my opinion lead the CC in the use of technology although they have not always got the user interface right. Shame they don't have a forum, I'm not too keen on facebook as a medium for exchange
of ideas and debates although the C&CC appear to be quite responsive to posts on their FB page.peedee
p.s. there are 20 forest sites so they have about 120 sites
The C&CC is now introducing a forum...Myself and a few other members, along with staff, have been testing the Beta site for a couple of months now. Several testers are not happy with the forum layout (including myself), but it has now been signed off by
the Comms Committee and should be going live in the next couple of weeks (Will be advertised on main C&CC site etc). I also understand it will be 'soft launched' this week. Unlike this forum, the C&CC forum is a basic message board type layout....but having
said that, I believe the C&CC forum architecture will develop in the future..0 -
Well said BoleroBoy. I had some additional comments, but the stupid time-out fairy got me.
thanks, John. try selecting your typed text and using copy to the buffer/clipboard to guard against the time out.
often you have been logged out without knowing it.....until you press submit....
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the 'penalty free' should be extended to at least a week, cancellations within this reason should attract some form of 'penalty' (something added to next booking bill?) and, if these are valid reasons for cancelling (health, other serious reason) then surely
they would be covered by annual 'holiday insurance' policies?I personally would not have any problem with this. However, it could be argued that the annual member ship fee is in itself a type of insurance. I doubt that any holiday insurance would cover you, almost certainly the excess would be more than the individual
deposits.0 -
The C&CC is now introducing a forum...Myself and a few other members, along with staff, have been testing the Beta site for a couple of months now. Several testers are not happy with the forum layout (including myself), but it has now been signed off by
the Comms Committee and should be going live in the next couple of weeks (Will be advertised on main C&CC site etc). I also understand it will be 'soft launched' this week. Unlike this forum, the C&CC forum is a basic message board type layout....but having
said that, I believe the C&CC forum architecture will develop in the future..Thanks for the heads up, they have obviously been looking at the success of this one
David
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the 'penalty free' should be extended to at least a week, cancellations within this reason should attract some form of 'penalty' (something added to next booking bill?) and, if these are valid reasons for cancelling (health, other serious reason) then surely they would be covered by annual 'holiday insurance' policies?
I personally would not have any problem with this. However, it could be argued that the annual member ship fee is in itself a type of insurance. I doubt that any holiday insurance would cover you, almost certainly the excess would be more than the individual deposits.
....just run me by how 'the annual membership fee is a type of insurance'?
yes, you could argue (obtusely) that by being a member, and by paying a fee, you qualify for short notice changes of plans merely due to current T/C.....but hardly 'holiday insurance'.
real 'travel insurance' will protect you from loss due to illness, thats what the cancellation clause is there for......of course it depends on the excess fee and the size of the deposit....
however, it doent cover 'whim' type changes of mind just 72 hrs prior to arrival, and neither should the CC system.....'penalty free'.....and i dont mean a 'wrist slapping' email....
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The C&CC is now introducing a forum...Myself and a few other members, along with staff, have been testing the Beta site for a couple of months now. Several testers are not happy with the forum layout (including myself), but it has now been signed off by
the Comms Committee and should be going live in the next couple of weeks (Will be advertised on main C&CC site etc). I also understand it will be 'soft launched' this week. Unlike this forum, the C&CC forum is a basic message board type layout....but having
said that, I believe the C&CC forum architecture will develop in the future..Thanks for the heads up, they have obviously been looking at the success of this one
David
I agree this forum is a credit to the club...
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Thanks for the information GTB, A C&CC forum will be a welcome addition and I'll look out for it with interest.
peedee
Peedee, i look forward to it and wonder if the threads will include topics like 'pitching to the peg', 'arrival times', 'deposits' and 'booking frenzy'?
i doubt it somehow, though i wonder which will be the hot topics for C&CC?
however, to get back on topic, the forum will become one of the similarities between the two clubs yet also one of the differences
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I got a lot of error messages but I guess it's not properly launched yet. I see that "overly negative views" will be removed but can't access much just now. It is via membership only and I signed in. I expect there will eventually be a lot of sections due
to all the different interest groups.0 -
like Brue, getting some error messages, so havent actually got to a post (with option to reply) yet....
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....just run me by how 'the annual membership fee is a type of insurance'?
yes, you could argue (obtusely) that by being a member, and by paying a fee, you qualify for short notice changes of plans merely due to current T/C.....but hardly 'holiday insurance'.
real 'travel insurance' will protect you from loss due to illness, thats what the cancellation clause is there for......of course it depends on the excess fee and the size of the deposit....
however, it doent cover 'whim' type changes of mind just 72 hrs prior to arrival, and neither should the CC system.....'penalty free'.....and i dont mean a 'wrist slapping' email....
I think you being a little pedantic. I did say "type" Paying it gives access to the T&C's which currently do not require a deposit, returnable or otherwise. Any commercial policy would certainly exclude, not wishing to tow because you think the wind conditions
are high, or having a very bad cold affecting concentration. Both valid reasons in my book.0 -
windy conditions or 'having a cold' might well be reasons for an individual not to travel to their destination....no issue with this at all....
however, i dont think that they are sufficiently 'serious' enough reasons to not travel and 'effectively' get your money back....ie, no penalty.
your right, any 'insurance' would laugh at you if you said youd cancelled your holiday 'due to a cold', so, by the same logic (and notwithstanding the current T/Cs) i dont think the club should be allowing members to do the same, certainly not within 72
hrs of the start of the break.as i said earlier, the club has no vested interest in changing this policy as other 'old hands' who have the time to take up the available slack, will do so....
however, this doesnt make it right....
BTW, not being pedantic.....i could say the same about you emphasising the word 'type'.....
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It’s also interesting that the C&CC appears to have fewer sites for more members, fewer site nights sold, and yet makes more profit.
Can anyone confirm the numbers?
At a last check they owned about 100 sites but this is supplemented by the Forest sites which they now manage and if my memory serves me correctly, now have a finacial interest in. Dividing the subscription income by the average membership fee gives about
250,000 members which is about 100,000 less than that of the CC.Their web site is definitely better managed and they have in my opinion lead the CC in the use of technology although they have not always got the user interface right. Shame they don't have a forum, I'm not too keen on facebook as a medium for exchange
of ideas and debates although the C&CC appear to be quite responsive to posts on their FB page.peedee
p.s. there are 20 forest sites so they have about 120 sites
The C&CC is now introducing a forum...Myself and a few other members, along with staff, have been testing the Beta site for a couple of months now. Several testers are not happy with the forum layout (including myself), but it has now been signed off by
the Comms Committee and should be going live in the next couple of weeks (Will be advertised on main C&CC site etc). I also understand it will be 'soft launched' this week. Unlike this forum, the C&CC forum is a basic message board type layout....but having
said that, I believe the C&CC forum architecture will develop in the future..Write your comments here...Sounds good - I might just add it to my forums. So long as they have a system which doesnt crash or have all the glitches as this one, it should be quite successful.
K
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windy conditions or 'having a cold' might well be reasons for an individual not to travel to their destination....no issue with this at all....
however, i dont think that they are sufficiently 'serious' enough reasons to not travel and 'effectively' get your money back....ie, no penalty.
your right, any 'insurance' would laugh at you if you said youd cancelled your holiday 'due to a cold', so, by the same logic (and notwithstanding the current T/Cs) i dont think the club should be allowing members to do the same, certainly not within 72
hrs of the start of the break.as i said earlier, the club has no vested interest in changing this policy as other 'old hands' who have the time to take up the available slack, will do so....
however, this doesnt make it right....
BTW, not being pedantic.....i could say the same about you emphasising the word 'type'.....
However, to bring the thread back on track the cancellation policy, along with the quality of sites, is one of the main reasons we favour CC sites. Currently our situation is such that we could have to cancel a site at short notice. We probably won't, but
the clubs policy means we can continue to plan our tours in advance. As we spend in excess of 100 nights on CC sites this is a significant amount of money. If the CC started charging deposits like the other club, it would cease to be so attractive to us and
we would start spending our money elsewhere. I think you may find that this scenario applies to quite a few in our age group.0 -
Steve, i just dont get this 'thing' about deposits being some sort of hindrance.....cash wise...
you will have 100 nights away....a good many more than most.
at an average of £20 per night, thats £2000.
if the deposits were 10% at 'frenzy day' youd pay £200 in deposits for those 100 nights (assuming all booked in one go).
if those 100 nights were 10 breaks of 10 days, when you arrived at the site, youd be asked for £200....exactly the same amount as the deposit.....
so why is it a 'burden' (as some will have it) to pay £200 at booking time, rather than 10 x £200 to cover each break.
once youd paid your deposit(s) the cost of each of your braks would be reduced by 10%, so youd only pay £190 for each break.
how is one more burdening that the other?
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BB I did not say it was a hindrance. What I did say was that we could have to cancel at short notice and the current system allows this easily. Generally we are booking somewhere else, so there is no loss to the CC. As you are very fond of pointing out the
CC product is fairly expensive. However, it is at a price that myself and lots of others are prepared to pay. Is it so wrong to expect certain fringe benifits when your paying top dollar.0 -
Surely this whole matter of deposits is a red herring? The club have said many times that late cancellations and no-shows have decreased since deposits were dropped. So why would they re-introduce them?
I do agree that the cancellation period is too short, 7 days would be better in my opinion, but aagain presumably there must have been some rationale behind the 3 day timespan.
A simple alternative to deposits has been suggested - inconveniences no-one other than those who might have to cough up because they cancel late or don't show. Seems a simple enough solution to me.
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I'd be interested Steve where you would spend your money elsewhere and not pay a deposit. Even the few cl sites I have used required deposits and commercial certainly do and I understand and surport this. I have had several conversations with members who
admit to booking up weekends and holidays at there favorite haunts knowing that they will cancel a good proportion of them. One couple said they wouldn't be able to afford every booking they made but as they could choose the best weekend for them nearer the
time at no cost or penalty they used it to there advantage. I am a member of both clubs, I like both but if I'm honest if I had to choose one I think I'd go friendly0 -
A simple alternative to deposits has been suggested - inconveniences no-one other than those who might have to cough up because they cancel late or don't show. Seems a simple enough solution to me.
If we are talking about registering a credit card, I can't say I am that keen. OK details would be kept separately but recent events with the web site do not fill me with confidence.
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I'd be interested Steve where you would spend your money elsewhere and not pay a deposit. Even the few cl sites I have used required deposits and commercial certainly do and I understand and surport this. I have had several conversations with members who
admit to booking up weekends and holidays at there favorite haunts knowing that they will cancel a good proportion of them. One couple said they wouldn't be able to afford every booking they made but as they could choose the best weekend for them nearer the
time at no cost or penalty they used it to there advantage. I am a member of both clubs, I like both but if I'm honest if I had to choose one I think I'd go friendlySorry perhaps I did not put it very well. What I meant was if the CC started charging deposits, it would loose it edge as far as I was concerned. I did not mean I could find anywhere else that didn't, but rather that if I had to pay a deposit I would book
elsewhere as well as the CC.0 -
BB Do yo have to pay a deposit for every site you visit in Europe? I suspect not then why should we have it here? for me it is one of the differnces between the clubs and puts me off booking with the other one.
However I will say that some weekends we ahve gone away last minute and just looked at what was available have been the best ones, no expectations and these we have booked through the other club mostly.
I do however object to their policy of allocating a pitch and have never been offered an alternative so thats another plus for the CC in our books, Oh and beleive it or not I find the CC booking system much easier to use and understand, the pricing policy on the other site is useless and is a pop up box instead of a price on the page of the site, so confusing but at least there you can book a hard standing pitch.
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It’s also interesting that the C&CC appears to have fewer sites for more members, fewer site nights sold, and yet makes more profit.
Can anyone confirm the numbers?
At a last check they owned about 100 sites but this is supplemented by the Forest sites which they now manage and if my memory serves me correctly, now have a finacial interest in. Dividing the subscription income by the average membership fee gives about
250,000 members which is about 100,000 less than that of the CC.Their web site is definitely better managed and they have in my opinion lead the CC in the use of technology although they have not always got the user interface right. Shame they don't have a forum, I'm not too keen on facebook as a medium for exchange
of ideas and debates although the C&CC appear to be quite responsive to posts on their FB page.peedee
p.s. there are 20 forest sites so they have about 120 sites
The C&CC is now introducing a forum...Myself and a few other members, along with staff, have been testing the Beta site for a couple of months now. Several testers are not happy with the forum layout (including myself), but it has now been signed off by
the Comms Committee and should be going live in the next couple of weeks (Will be advertised on main C&CC site etc). I also understand it will be 'soft launched' this week. Unlike this forum, the C&CC forum is a basic message board type layout....but having
said that, I believe the C&CC forum architecture will develop in the future..Write your comments here...looks like its alread up and running https://forum.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/
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I see it is on line to members now, I'm just haveing a look at it. I have noticed it has private messaging and lots and lots of sections.
Do a C&CC search for "Members Forum" to fiind it
peedee
Peedee
I have searched for the forum and gone to the Club's website but I can't find anything, have you got a direct link?
Thanks
David
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I see it is on line to members now, I'm just haveing a look at it. I have noticed it has private messaging and lots and lots of sections.
Do a C&CC search for "Members Forum" to fiind it
peedee
Peedee
I have searched for the forum and gone to the Club's website but I can't find anything, have you got a direct link?
Thanks
David
Write your comments here...its above David but is seems ot be worse than this one to use, I keep getting errors.
https://forum.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/
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