Membership renewal premium

seftonbarn
seftonbarn Forum Participant Posts: 15
edited June 2016 in Club Membership #1

In my recent renewal notice I see that my fee has gone up from £46 per year to £48 per year.  This is a 4.35% increase.  When inflation is running at 0.3% this makes for an increase that is 14 and a half times that of inflation.  And yet there apparrently
is no need for an explanation of this hike in the renewal premium.   Can anyone give me an explanation before I put pen to paper with an official complaint.

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Comments

  • Dickdastardly1
    Dickdastardly1 Forum Participant Posts: 153
    100 Comments
    edited June 2016 #2

    I think you need to factor in the increase in the National Living Wage....

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,044 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2016 #3

    Not everything is linked to the rate of inflation, sometimes market forces prevail. If a company thinks it can charge more, and people are still willing to pay, then it will push the boundaries. But you could always withdraw membership, and stay as a none
    member on those sites that allow none members. Or, do as we do, pay up, but use the freebies and special offers via Great Days Out, to get back your membership fee? Happy

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,140 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2016 #4

    There's another thread on here somewhere. It was done to death some time back.

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,859 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2016 #5

    This has been discussed before. What must be recognised is that the official inflation figures are based on many things totally unrelated to the Club's cost base. The increase in the NMW has had a major affect on Club costs so that, I am sure, is a major
    influence on the membership fee. At the end of the day the total membership fee is less than a pound a week and only you can decide if that provides you with value for money?

    David

  • seftonbarn
    seftonbarn Forum Participant Posts: 15
    edited June 2016 #6

    Thanks for both of your responses; neither of which are very convincing.

  • IanH
    IanH Forum Participant Posts: 4,708
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2016 #7

    The national living wage is merely an attempt to pay employees a half-reasonable wage. However it is often used as an excuse by unscrupulous employers to put up prices.

    It has also been put forward by some as an excuse for the huge price hikes in CC site fees, but that has been disproven here too.

    The fact is that the CC see the 'membership fee' as a means to cover their excessive admin costs. It brings them in millions of pounds, for no obvious benefit to members.

    They are simply milking members, in order to pay themselves high salaries and to over-staff their offices.......in my opinion.

  • Simon100
    Simon100 Club Member Posts: 665 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2016 #8

    Sorry! Are you really complaining about an increase of £2?

    You pay less than £1 per week for the CC membership. I am not sure what else you can get for that sort of money; a chocolate bar perhaps!

    As previously said, you have a choice of paying the increase or leaving the CC and paying a premium each night to use sites as a non member. 

  • IanH
    IanH Forum Participant Posts: 4,708
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    edited June 2016 #9

    But I pay zero 'membership' to use other sites.....so that's an increase of £48 on those sites (and they already charge less for the site itself).

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,140 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2016 #10

    So tell me, Ian, why do you belong to CC if the sites are so dear you never use them?

  • seftonbarn
    seftonbarn Forum Participant Posts: 15
    edited June 2016 #11

    I'm with Ian on this.  I pay my subscription for a service and not to be a servant to the CC like many posters.  It is normal for bill issuers to give an explanation for above inflation subscription increases.  And if the CC were to do this I would be happy.  But until that time I am not going to sit back and admire the emporers impressive (invisible) gown without complaining.  If the do gooders want to continue to pay regardless of getting no better service so be it,

  • IanH
    IanH Forum Participant Posts: 4,708
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    edited June 2016 #12

    So tell me, Ian, why do you belong to CC if the sites are so dear you never use them?

    As I've said before, we are using them less and less each year. Getting close now to it not being worth the 'membership' / booking premium.

  • seftonbarn
    seftonbarn Forum Participant Posts: 15
    edited June 2016 #13

    Sorry! Are you really complaining about an increase of £2?

    You pay less than £1 per week for the CC membership. I am not sure what else you can get for that sort of money; a chocolate bar perhaps!

    As previously said, you have a choice of paying the increase or leaving the CC and paying a premium each night to use sites as a non member. 

    Write your comments here...I think you may be missing the point.  You'll probably find that CC membership has gone up 14 and a half time more than a bar of chocolate in the last year.

  • moulesy
    moulesy Forum Participant Posts: 9,402 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited June 2016 #14

    Greetings from a rather wet Slovenia. Now "listen very carefully, I shall say this only once!" Wink

    Nobody forces anyone to be a CC member - there is no law saying you must join the club! In fact I've heard it rumoured that some non CC sites are actually better than CC ones.

    So, for heaven's sake, man up, people! If you don't like it the answer is in your own hands!

    Apologies, must just nip back to the bar now for another blueberry brandy before closing time! LaughingLaughing

  • Metheven
    Metheven Club Member Posts: 3,987 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2016 #15

    must just nip back to the bar now for another blueberry brandy before closing time! LaughingLaughing

    Whilst at lake Bled we purchased 5 bottles of blueberry liqueur after being given a free one after our meals, bit of a habit now after anything to eat Happy

    Tis' loverly

  • moulesy
    moulesy Forum Participant Posts: 9,402 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited June 2016 #16

    must just nip back to the bar now for another blueberry brandy before closing time! LaughingLaughing

    Whilst at lake Bled we purchased 5 bottles of blueberry liqueur after being given a free one after our meals, bit of a habit now after anything to eat Happy

    Tis' loverly

    Funny you should say that, Dave. We were at Bled today and enjoyed a free Kreminstka - the local cream cake - delicious! Happy

  • seftonbarn
    seftonbarn Forum Participant Posts: 15
    edited June 2016 #17

    Greetings from a rather wet Slovenia. Now "listen very carefully, I shall say this only once!" Wink

    Nobody forces anyone to be a CC member - there is no law saying you must join the club! In fact I've heard it rumoured that some non CC sites are actually better than CC ones.

    So, for heaven's sake, man up, people! If you don't like it the answer is in your own hands!

    Apologies, must just nip back to the bar now for another blueberry brandy before closing time! LaughingLaughing

    Thanks for your refreshing post.  And I hope that you are now enjoying your blueberry brandy.  I hope the weather cheers up in Slovenia (and England come to that) soon.

    But I must say i don't warm to your "man up" comments.  By definetion CC is a club.  I can afford to pay the subscription increases but as a member of "the club" I want to told the administrators accountble.  If they want to hike the prices above the rate of inflation, no probelm, just tell me why.

     

  • moulesy
    moulesy Forum Participant Posts: 9,402 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited June 2016 #18

    Greetings from a rather wet Slovenia. Now "listen very carefully, I shall say this only once!" Wink

    Nobody forces anyone to be a CC member - there is no law saying you must join the club! In fact I've heard it rumoured that some non CC sites are actually better than CC ones.

    So, for heaven's sake, man up, people! If you don't like it the answer is in your own hands!

    Apologies, must just nip back to the bar now for another blueberry brandy before closing time! LaughingLaughing

    Thanks for your refreshing post.  And I hope that you are now enjoying your blueberry brandy.  I hope the weather cheers up in Slovenia (and England come to that) soon.

    But I must say i don't warm to your "man up" comments.  By definetion CC is a club.  I can afford to pay the subscription increases but as a member of "the club" I want to told the administrators accountble.  If they want to hike the prices above the rate
    of inflation, no probelm, just tell me why.

     

    Well I do have some sympathy with you on that. The problem is that you don't have to look very far afield on CT to find members arguing that the "club" should no longer behave like a "club" but seek to emulate various commercial holiday chains. Not a view
    I share, by the way! Happy

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2016 #19

    Sorry! Are you really complaining about an increase of £2?

    You pay less than £1 per week for the CC membership. I am not sure what else you can get for that sort of money; a chocolate bar perhaps!

    As previously said, you have a choice of paying the increase or leaving the CC and paying a premium each night to use sites as a non member. 

    Write your comments here...I think you may be missing the point.  You'll probably find that CC membership has gone up 14 and a half time more than a bar of chocolate in the last year.

    ..Yes but has the club got smaller as have the chocolate bars and still got more expensiveCool

  • milliehull
    milliehull Forum Participant Posts: 4,760 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2016 #20

    In the nearly 20 years that we have been CC members the fee has only increased from £35 to £48. I dont think thats at all bad. Yes we also use some non CC sites and yes some are slightly better and also slightly cheaper. But we also use a lot of their other services as well and on occasion their swift and excellent advice over the phone has been invaluable.

  • young thomas
    young thomas Forum Participant Posts: 11,356
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2016 #21

    for someone who (say) has 50 nights away a year across a variety of suppliers, ans say 10 of these are with CCC, 30 with commercials and 10 with CC, the site nights for both the clubs (where an approx £50 membership sub is paid) it will add £5 to each night
    away.....thats quite a difference.

    so, although one might describe the fee as a pound a week, it really tramslates into £x per site night where this varies with usage and low users pay quite heavily for the privelige...

  • compass362
    compass362 Forum Participant Posts: 619
    500 Comments
    edited June 2016 #22

    Thanks for both of your responses; neither of which are very convincing.

    Write your comments here...do yourself a favour & don't sign the renewal , the CC is clearly not for you it's already got it's share of regular moaning so called members 

     

  • compass362
    compass362 Forum Participant Posts: 619
    500 Comments
    edited June 2016 #23

    Greetings from a rather wet Slovenia. Now "listen very carefully, I shall say this only once!" Wink

    Nobody forces anyone to be a CC member - there is no law saying you must join the club! In fact I've heard it rumoured that some non CC sites are actually better than CC ones.

    So, for heaven's sake, man up, people! If you don't like it the answer is in your own hands!

    Apologies, must just nip back to the bar now for another blueberry brandy before closing time! LaughingLaughing

    Write your comments here...the choice is a very simple one vote yourself out......

     

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2016 #24

    Thanks for both of your responses; neither of which are very convincing.

    ...If you do not want to pay the annual sub which not only goes towards the cost of the monthly magazine(it was bi monthly in the past)but also helps pay towards the services that are only available members,and also saves £12 per night if staying on club sites,and the cl network that is also by law only available to members,the choice in everyones hands IN or OUTUndecided

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,140 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2016 #25

    For goodness sake! Anyone who doesn't like the fee has the option of not renewing. If you want to find out the reasons behind the increase ask CC as there's unlikely to be an answer on the forum.

    Remember, too, the ferry booking service, insurances, Mayday, Red Pennant, day out vouchers and so on. If you benefit from any of these it becomes a little disingenuous to divide the membership fee by the nights spent on site to achieve a 'value' of the
    cost.

  • seftonbarn
    seftonbarn Forum Participant Posts: 15
    edited June 2016 #26

    In the nearly 20 years that we have been CC members the fee has only increased from £35 to £48. I dont think thats at all bad. Yes we also use some non CC sites and yes some are slightly better and also slightly cheaper. But we also use a lot of their other services as well and on occasion their swift and excellent advice over the phone has been inva

    Blimey another contributor impressed by the emperors gown.  I have only been a member since 2009 and the subscription then was £37 per year.  So it would appear from your explanation that the subscription increased from £35 to £37 between 1996 and 2016.  And yet you appear to be happy for the same £2 increase over a 12 month period (2016-12017)..  Come on guys.  Let’s hold the administrators account us rather than us to them..

  • compass362
    compass362 Forum Participant Posts: 619
    500 Comments
    edited June 2016 #27

    Oh god here we go again....it's down to choice & it's really up to you if you want to pay the current CC membership fee  , never mind come on guys  , you decide , it's not rocket science 

  • seftonbarn
    seftonbarn Forum Participant Posts: 15
    edited June 2016 #28

    To be honest I will pay the subscription if it goes up to a £100 a year because I can.  I am simply asking those that administor the club to which I subscribe to explain the above inflation increase.  I will not be bullied by the do gooders that measure their own contributions by the number of stars against theri name.  I will be submitting my complaint letter soon to the CC.

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,140 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2016 #29

    To be honest I will pay the subscription if it goes up to a £100 a year because I can.  I am simply asking those that administor the club to which I subscribe to explain the above inflation increase.  I will not be bullied by the do gooders that measure
    their own contributions by the number of stars against theri name.  I will be submitting my complaint letter soon to the CC.

    Sefton, I find your manner rather offensive. Why are you berating fellow Club members because the fee has gone up? If you want answers you must ask CC direct as you will not get them by not shouting about it on the forum and having a go at other posters.

  • SELL
    SELL Forum Participant Posts: 398
    edited June 2016 #30

    For me a £2 increase per year is nothing i worry about even if i did not worth the hassle i would just leave the club

  • seftonbarn
    seftonbarn Forum Participant Posts: 15
    edited June 2016 #31

    To be honest I will pay the subscription if it goes up to a £100 a year because I can.  I am simply asking those that administor the club to which I subscribe to explain the above inflation increase.  I will not be bullied by the do gooders that measure
    their own contributions by the number of stars against theri name.  I will be submitting my complaint letter soon to the CC.

    Sefton, I find your manner rather offensive. Why are you berating fellow Club members because the fee has gone up? If you want answers you must ask CC direct as you will not get them by not shouting about it on the forum and having a go at other posters.

    Sorry - I didn't mean to offend anyone and you are right; I should take my gripe to the CC.