Seasonal Pitches 2018
Who in the Caravan Club decides on the dates for seasonal pitches?
For many years, around 10 of us used to Seasonal Pitch in Hawes from Oct half term to either 27th Dec or 2nd January.
It allowed those of us still working for a living a chance to use our caravan over winter. It was great, I'll not mince my words.
I generated significant funds for the club too, close to £5,000 paid a year in advance. Then there was the boost to the town of Hawes and the surrounding businesses.
We did all of our food shopping there, in addition to christmas shopping. It was also the time of our birthdays, so the local hotels, B&Bs and pubs clicked too as many thought having our birthdays there to be great, so many friends stayed over.
Last year however, it all went sour; the caravan club halved the duration and made you pitch it and uplift it mid-week. The cost too went up. Unsurprisingly, nobody bothered with a seasonal pitch at all. Quietly, the club dropped the availability.
So we expected this year to see the caravan club get its act together and go back to its successful old ways, but no. Its not run for the benefit of its members of the community in which they are based. They've offered the failed short dates of 2017 which had no success in creating revenue.
Indeed, the Hawes Parish Council have published minutes of a meeting in which they've labelled the club "DECEITFUL" over their attitude.
I've written to the club mag previously to try and get a response but all I got was a letter saying that the club isn't obliged to print my letter. Moderation and censorship.
So before this thread is pulled, does anyone know who makes these decisions as I'd like to know what makes them tick.
Thanks.
Comments
-
You may not get a response on here, members seldom do, but you may get a response should you post your concerns/complaint on the club's Facebook page.
0 -
Don't blame you really!
1 -
If you want to write to somebody far better that you write direct to the sites department or e-mail them. Seasonal pitches are usually only available on sites that do achieve a high occupancy rate and perhaps Hawes has become more popular with touring units which perhaps removes the needs for any season element?
David
0 -
Hawes can be inaccessible for weeks of the Seasonal Pitches. This is why the Club was wise to offer a approx 6% of its pitches as seasonal. Its a guaranteed income, paid a year in advance for what may otherwise be a deserted site if the weather is adverse.
You can understand why those of us who've paid approx £500 a year, a year in advance of usage and for many years previously, have now been cast aside when the club predicts full occupancy of a difficult to reach site in winter site thanks to some new toilets?
If the Club was a PLC, I'd grit my teeth, but its not; its a club for its members. If the site was full from late Oct to Christmas, again, one could possibly understand why. But its not. It never has, it never will be. Its a town high on the North Yorkshire moors.
Tell me David, could you please furnish me with the details of those whom I should write my complaint to?
0 -
I have to say that, in my experience, the staff's communication skills are not that great.
1 -
You can say that again; its something when you've got 2 pairs of wardens apologising for the club and the regional rep (who are they?) for being so mean and short sighted towards Seasonal Pitchers.
Its also somewhat embarrassing when the minutes of the Parish Council meetings are displayed calling the club deceitful. A club which you pay to be part of and which really should know better.
I'm getting on my high horse now, but I genuinely believe the club should look to help the communities and environment in which their sites are based.
0 -
First and foremost the club should be looking after the interests of its members. It is our money they are spending.
1 -
Hawes is a very popular site. I suppose it depends if they can fill it for Half term and Christmas. If they can, then it makes sense to only offer the shorter seasonal booking, which excludes the peak periods. A pitch let for two adults for the half term and Christmas / NY peak periods, generates more than the £500 you mentioned paying in past years. The club are after all a business and will seek to generate the maximum revenue they can from a pitch. From a financial standpoint, if they can fill it at peak for more than you paid. It matters not if it lies empty for the remaining time.
To me what makes less sense is why sites like Malvern, which the club find more or less impossible to fill, is not on the seasonal list.
0 -
Steve, why would someone who wont stay at a site for a weekend want to stay there for endless weekends?
if a site never gets full, surely something makes it less attractive to members?
if so, why would they want to come back every week?
the only reason would be a (heavily) discounted pitch?
0 -
The seasonal pitches are in fact just that, heavily discounted pitches. We happen to like Malvern and would certainly consider it if offered at a suitable price. At 130 miles from us, it would be easy to pop off for a few days in our second more economical car.
The problem with the seasonal periods, is that you are never going to suit everyone. Include the Christmas / NY and it would put the price up, and those like us that want to stay at home for this period are not interested. Leave it out and we would be, but it disappoints others.
0 -
One pitch at Hawes for Touring use will probably produce an income of £500 in five weeks. Why would any commercial company choose to rent it out at £500 for a year?
0 -
The Club removed the New Year aspect from the seasonal pitch a couple of years ago, but without discounting the price. That meant we left on Boxing Day as I worked the 27th generally. Although disappointing, this was acceptable to the 10 season pitchers. We continued to take advantage of the seasonal offer.
I can tell you from many years of experience that the weekend before Christmas is always dead while the site on Christmas day itself is never at capacity.
As for the half term aspect, it started on the Sunday at the end of half term, not mid week after it. The club lost nothing from the occasional visitor during peak periods. A beautiful business model really.
As for the comment that the club is a business, well thats not strictly true now is it? Its a club run for its members, thats why we pay a lump sum in front every year before then paying again to use the sites. It the club is gearing up to float (as it seems to me) will the members be given a generous preferential share option?
While I've been in business long enough to know that you cannot run at a loss (its illegal), I also know that nothing in business moves until a sale is made; hence why the seasonal pitches were a great idea; £5k up front, a year in advance, regardless as to whether you used the pitch every day or not at all. A guaranteed income.
So why then given I know the occupancy of the site, and that it is owned and ran by the club for the benefit of its members hare they refused to acknowledge or give a genuine explanation as to why they won't continue with it?
0 -
I'd love to, but I cannot get away from work. I did write a letter to the club mag, but the only response I got was a letter saying that they are not obliged to publish all letters which they are sent.
Nobody from the club has ever given me or the other 9 seasonal pitches an explanation when we have sent letters in. I'm venting my frustration here out of well, frustration.
0 -
I understand it may be difficult to get away from work but amongst the ten of you plus the frustration and the non replies to your question, there must be one of you that can raise the question direct.
How much importance are you putting on this?
0 -
I don't quite understand the post as Hawes still has late seasonal pitches on offer. Is the complaint about altered dates. Now that Hawes is back in commission with improvements perhaps the club is hoping for a higher take up especially with popular serviced pitches? In the past I've noticed the club withdraw or extend seasonal pitches presumably because of income forecasts.
0 -
"How much importance are you putting on this"?
Its a good question. While my life will undoubtedly carry on, maybe even prosper, the placing of the caravan on a winter seasonal was something we really looked forward to. Can you imagine?
We've made friends in Hawes, we've made a routine of having our birthdays there and having friends travel there to stay. We do all of our christmas shopping in the various villages between Leyburn and Kirby Lonsdale.
Sadly, while we used to have a drink and pass the time of day with the other seasonal pitch peoples, we never took their details. I suppose we should have organised ourselves better, but thats the English way isn't it? We (along with the Wardens) genuinely thought 2017 would be a blip and that the club would see sense for 2018.
I imagine the club wouldn't tolerate any dissident at the AGM, no matter how polite. In fact, I fully expect my posts on this forum to be moderated and/or Deleted User.
I still don't get the business logic of it, let alone the 'club' aspect it by ignoring your regular punters.
0 -
Basically you're getting a pitch at greatly reduced fees, nice while it lasts, we've thought about doing it too but possibly the club feels they can make more money on daily pitch fees. It must be very disappointing for you to lose this facility, especially over Christmas etc. It would be better if the club gave some sort of polite explanation especially if you've been a long term pitch holder, just on the grounds of customer loyalty, but it doesn't look as though they want to discuss financial planning. However they could thank you for your custom. Unfortunately I don't think they operate in this way.
0 -
The complaint is about the altered dates for 2018. They were altered so much for 2017, they were just withdrawn in the end. I'd be interested to see if the site is at capacity from 31st Oct to 27th December. Previous experience of the last 4+ years suggests not. Common sense suggests not.
None of the 10 Seasonal Pitches of over 100+ standard pitches used for Seasonal were serviced pitches. Thats a separate part of the site.
I don't know about the club's income forecasting tool, but can it take in account the accessibility of the site due to inclement weather? I think I can only recall one year in 4 when the site wasn't cut off due to flooding at some point from 1st Nov to 27th Dec.
The site has never been full to capacity during the run of the seasonal pitch since the club reduced the duration to exclude New Year.
0 -
When you say greatly reduced pitch fees, we're not talking that much reduced. The club wasn't losing money on us, we weren't some financial burden or charity case waiting on handouts.
Consider we had 58 days of winter for close to £500, paid a year in advance. None of the seasonals were used all day, every day throughout that time. Very few were even used every weekend.
I'd say over half never actually stayed the full duration, some arrived late, many left before Christmas day.
We couldn't leave 'vans plugged in, we couldn't leave awnings up. We could leave nothing outside of the 'vans. There were very strict rules in place which were always followed.
0 -
I maintain they are greatly reduced. Your figure works out at £8.60 a night. This year the base figure for two is £19.70 and a week spent over Christmas would cost £206 alone. So to me the £500 would be a bargain even if I only utilised it 50%.
The CC do not know how many days a member might spend on site. There are members that would utilise it 100%.
I would say you have been very lucky to keep the extended period for as long as you have.
1 -
So you'd rather see the site empty than take £5k in revenue at year in advance, even at the 'greatly reduced' rates?
I'm lucky to be able to afford to own a caravan and get most weekends off work I'll concede.
I don't agree that I was lucky in being able to purchase a seasonal pitch on a large and largely empty site in winter. It worked for the club and it worked for its members.
But if you consider a seasonal pitch lucky, then that luck was available to all members. Did you never feel like being lucky?
If the CC site didn't know the daily take-up, then thats their problem; the keys to the toilet block are handed back when one leaves the site and you always informed the wardens of your intentions. It wouldn't be difficult to work out usage, not that I feel this is relevant to the argument. If somebody did use their caravan 100%, then thats great and they would be considered to be lucky. The Caravan Club would be guilty of facilitating its members in maximising usage of their van, brilliant.
0 -
brue, I've written another letter them.
I'm just so frustrated that the Club should be promoting caravanning and motor home usage. It should be maximising site occupancy. It should be offering its members deals to encompass all of the above.
Instead I'm being met by apathy, silence and the seeming need for maximum profits or nothing at all.
I'm not asking for the moon on a stick here; my aims should be the aims of all involved and associated with the club.
0 -
But if you consider a seasonal pitch lucky, then that luck was available to all members. Did you never feel like being lucky?
We have often looked but until until this year not found a site or a period that we wanted. Often the site would be right but the periods unsuitable, rather like your current issue with a Hawes.
This year there is one that interests us, so we are putting in an application. However, given the very reasonable price, we will consider ourselves very lucky if we are successful.🤞😀
0 -
Hawes Parish Council alleged accusation of the C&MC's being deceitful, is that due to promises of seasonal pitches being made available at the old tariff/dates by the C&MC?
0 -
They're great Steve, really they are. Are you applying for a winter or summer (or in-between) Seasonal?
I hope you get your pitch to experience the sense of belonging and the mid-week anticipation of being able to get away at every available opportunity with the minimum of hassle.
0
