Lighten up a bit
Just had our first weekend on a Club Site for a very long time , the wardens do not make you feel welcome not on this site anyway. They asked us if we had been there before and we said no that was it. We asked if we could order papers to which they said we do not do papers.They seemed more interested in spending time with their family who was on the site.Club sites are not cheap yes the site was clean toilets nice and warm . But the welcome we got was not good and to be honest the people on the site were not friendly either.. Sorry if that upsets some of you.
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Why would it upset me? It's pretty meaningless without knowing what site you're talking about.
If you really feel you weren't treated properly you need to take it up with HQ otherwise I can only assume you posted to get a rant started.
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Obviously not sure which site you are talking about Arriva, but we don't go expecting much more than a very brief hello and bit of help on booking in from the Wardens. I think it does vary from site to site regarding the newspaper thing as well.
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Tinwheeler no i did not post it to get a rant going , i was just posting my view which is what this site is for .We have travelled a lot over the years. Thank you takethedogalong for your comment .
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If you have 200 sites and 200 sets on wardens you are bound to get a bit of variation from site to site. We have just returned from Moreton in Marsh and I have to say that the welcome from the wardens was both pleasant and jolly, and I was able to order newspapers!!!
On that last point it might well depend whether the wardens on a particular site can make satisfactory arrangements with a local newsagent who is willing to collate an order, either for delivery or collection, which sometimes might be quite small depending on how busy the site is.
David
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Agree with David above, I've posted in the other thread about the same subject to a similar effect. We've been on sites with helpful wardens mainly, but have met the odd grumpy one too. We've also been to sites where you can't get away from some people when you meet them and also had people look away on approach and avoid eye contact. It really doesn't bother me, I spend very little time in the office, just a few minutes on checking in, and that's it. If people on site want to have a chat, fine, if not, then fine too. I'm there to do what I went there for, so as long as I can do that, I'm not bothered.
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I spent a few days at the end of April at Grafham Water. On the day I left, I received an emailed questionnaire from HQ.
http://sp1.arksurvey.uk/s3/Caravan-Club-Review-Survey-Link
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But your words are not meaningful without detail. What site was it and in what way could they have done better? If they don't/can't do papers, so be it.
If it was so bad as to affect your stay, what have you done about it? I simply can't see the point of posting a vague story (twice) without sufficient detail to alert other members to a possible problem.
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Lighten up a bit........the post title says it all .
Wardens are there to book you in , take your payment & its OK if they pass the time of day , say hello when you arrive or have a safe journey when you leave .
I'm afraid if you are expecting more you'll be disappointed in my opinion , they will of course help when & where they can .😇
Ultimately they are there to do a job , & they do an excellent job , any entertainment is up to individual members to sort out .
As for other members not being friendly....... I couldn't possibly comment 😘
So perhaps take your own advice .......lighten up a bit 👍
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Wardens are not created to a set standard they are Human, they are no different to the rest of us. They will have off days for a multitude of reasons. I spend as little time with them as I need to, I show respect, in their defence I get it back. I expect a level of professionalism from them, I don't expect them to be uncomfortably nice. I use every option of sites & have met the whole gamut of owners, managers & wardens, I have never met any that spoiled my stay-why?, because they are not why I'm there
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I know one who walks around her site on summer evenings, talks to her guests (note the word guests) , asks how they are, whether they have had a good day, whether everything is OK, and so on. A Club site? Well, no, afraid not.
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Are you saying, arriakids, that your enjoyment when you stay on a club site is dependent of the greeting you get by the wardens, whether or not you can get papers, and other people you meet?
Well for a start as to the last point that really isn't a fault of the club is it? Or perhaps only smiling campers should be let on? were the wardens rude? did you expect a big cheery hello or something? You were booked in efficiently weren't you
My enjoyment of a club site is dependent on the people I travel with, the state of the site, and the reasonable behaviour (which doesn't include smiling btw) by the people there.
As to the cost I really can't understand why you complain about this at all. You knew the cost in advance didn't you? I pay the set fees as I know I'm getting a clean and well run sites. Smiles are an added perk.
Like people have said focus on the important things in life
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and does that increases your enjoyment factor? serious question?
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and does that matter? does that increases your enjoyment factor? Isn't a well run site more important? serious question?
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It's called Customer Service - and the lady gets repeat business at her site because of the personal touch. That's how successful hotels and restaurants thrive too.
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mmm, well I wonder how club sites get to be so popular then?
For me the state of the site is more important. Such questions are just words, easily done. I'm sure they wouldn't go back if the site was a mess no matter how good the personal touch.
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Arrivakids - whilst I cannot condone the comments of those on here who will slavishly support everything related to the CAMC whatever they do or say, I have to say that 'only' asking if you had been there before and not providing a newspaper service is a bit thin as the basis of a complaint about a site.
I think you need to expand on your complaint, unless those were the only problems?
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There always seems to be someone moaning on this forum about the wardens and the way they work. This is not 'slavishly supporting' anything (and what a derogatory term to use about fellow posters!) but is a factual view based on my experience.
Wardens, by and large, seem to do the job as a way of life rather than for the financial rewards but they are human and sometimes have a bad day. I have been told that they are mostly on low paid short term seasonal contracts with no job security, paid holidays or sick pay.
It seems to me that some people think that they know how to operate a touring site business better that the club or the wardens. I wonder how many have any experience of running a campsite, or any other customer facing business?
In 45 years of caravanning I have met very few unfriendly or jobsworth wardens on either club or commercial sites. I would not do a warden's job or tolerate the abuse that many receive and I appreciate them and the work that they do.
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Just to correct a couple of the things you said, Tinwheeler.........wardens are just as entitled to sick pay and holiday pay as all other workers in the UK. Caravan site operators are not exempt from the law.
Regarding earnings, virtually all warden staff work as couples. The CAMC pay in excess of minimum wage and they are all on fixed hours contracts. Most are on a fixed 48 hours per week. So as a couple they will be paid about £40,000 per year with paid holidays and other perks.
They have free pitch fees (or free accommodation on all year sites) and free gas and electric. No rent or council tax to pay.
The clothing they wear most days is provided for free.
So not the best paid in the world, but hardly doing it as a hobby.
But I do agree that most do a very good job.
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Ian, what was the need of the first line and a half of your sentence? You could have made your point without one of your usual snipes at members who hold a different opinion than you do about the CC. As the title of the OP says "Lighten up a bit"
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Completely agree with you. It is a shame that once again people are insulted for their views (insult the poster rather than a good counter argument)
I also fully agree with the rest of your post. I can see no cause for complaint, the wardens were not rude, they did their job. the site was clean. What more do you want?
Also like you I believe the wardens to be the best selling point of the club. They live on site, not start at 9 end at 5, and because they do they take a pride in their site and do a great job. I am always glad they are there.
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"The site was clean, What more do you want."
Well quite a lot actually. A friendly welcome and helpfulness was what the OP was looking for and failed to find. My guess is that she won't go back there, and the wardens will neither know nor care. They are just paid staff with no stake in the success of the business.
A dissatisfied customer? Tough.
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Anyway, back to the OP, since this sort of complaining thread inevitably seems to lead to two almost diametrically opposite views of club sites accompanied by a few petty insulting asides, maybe it would have been better to leave a review of the site where you could have expanded on both the bad and good (since there clearly were some) features of your stay?
Reviews don't seem to bring out the same level of contention as complaint threads in the main body of CT and are more useful to other members who may be considering using the same site.
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Thankyou, for that Ian. I'm happy to be corrected in such a well informed and pleasant manner.
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she won't go back because the wardens (and again no more evidence has been given to believe this story or not but take it at face vale) were not friendly? Really?
This counts for more to you and the OP than a clean shower block and tidy site? You see the wardens when checking in, about 1% of your holiday and that's more important than your pitch, your family, the shower block, your visits? Well what ever makes you happy i suppose but if one 5 minutes checking in spoils your time so much well that is you and you should find places where this happens 100%
Me I would get on with my holiday.
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Maybe just maybe if these sort of matters we reported on on reviews then Head Office would become aware of both how often it happens - they could check quite easily with wardens on recent reviews if folks were working and how other members feel about there presence on site. And whether this type of booking puts others off. As someone has mentioned earlier on this thread Watts Cover, in some ways Rowntree and Bristol could easily suffer too 😯
As I have already said I have no objections to the town vehicle being sin written or not, could easily be a saloon car with sign writing 😉
There goes more flying bacon.
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I wonder if the persons who find the wardens curt and the other campers unfriendly are carrying about with them some sort of sign? Or is it just their own attitude that promotes an immediate lack of contact from others?
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