Deposits yes / no
Comments
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Couldn’t care less anymore, reading the constant arguments for and against is a waste of time.
I couldn't agree more. I take the advice often given on here, if you don't like it go elsewhere. I don't exclusively use both Clubs in fact this year far from it. I have been going elsewhere only using CMC sites if it was really convenient. Only 15 percent of my expenditure has been on CMC site costs. In 2016 it was 17 percent and 2015 24 percent. A lot of money is going elswhere
peedee
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It’s a royal PITA that I cant book this weekend until frenzy day and then ive got to be on the ball on that day, to make sure I get the booking. Crazy.
Can't say that I have had a problem with getting a booking and would be surprised if Warwick Racecourse was snapped up for first week in March.
Families have to plan their future holidays, by the very nature of school term time and Mums & Dads getting their workplace leave sorted early too.
I would have thought December quite early enough and many will not be able to sort out works leave until January or later.
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EasyT my wife’s staff are currently asking for their leave to be confirmed as far ahead as Christmas 2018!
Warwick racecourse opens the first weekend in March and that weekend is usually booked up within hours on frenzy day
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Most folk that I have come across have not been able to submit for holidays before January and some later. Often Summer holidays could not be confirmed before April. 14 months ahead seems a long time. I am surprised Nigel. Live and Learn. I wonder how common that is.
Again I am surprised that Warwick racecourse is so popular in March. It was busy when we visited a couple of years ago but we were there for 5 days over Easter Bank Holiday as part of a tour. It sounds as if you have had experience of booking the site.
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Probably not all that common, I guess it depends on company policy. My wife is a director of an independent estate agency so being a small business the rules over holiday booking are not set in stone and as such, the staff, especially those with children, try to reserve their leave as early as possible. I suppose larger multi nationals etc, have a written policy which is more stringent.
Personally, I feel the CMC booking policy whilst flexible and convenient for the more casual tourer, is now becoming outdated. The Club are trying to appeal to a broader range of ages and if they want to take more business from the other Club, and those 'family orientated' commercial sites, they need to allow the means to book further in advance.
As you have noted, many companies don't allow leave to be booked at least 12 months prior. So, if those families want to use this Club for their holidays the following year, they try and reserve the dates they want on frenzy day when at that time, they don't actually know for sure if they'll be able to secure the company leave. That's speculative block booking isn't it?
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we, too, use a variety of providers (home and away) with the vast majority not requiring a booking nor a deposit...in fact, most are paid for in arrears, upon leaving, including much of our UK stays (THS)...
deposits for uk sites dont bother me at all, if the process for payment works well then its just a few clicks as part of the booking.
and as others have said....youre going to have to pay for the break anyway, so its no problem to make a part payment early....(all CC sites are paid for fully in advance anyway)...unless you're a serial 'weather based canceller'.
i dont mind flexibility (our whole vanning ethos is based around non diary travel) but (if we arent doing deposits) i would like to see the minimum cancellation period extended to something far more realistic and akin to other travel companies....surely two weeks wouldnt be unrealistic, rather than the 72 hours we have now?
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Thats speculative block booking isn't it?
Block Booking - not what I consider as block booking really. I think of that as booking lots of (weekends normally I suspect) at the same site. I will book around 120 nights I suspect and probably 90 of them with CC. Is that what people think of as 'Block Booking'?
Speculative? Maybe some folk go on holiday for a week or fortnight in a hotel abroad and book the next year whilst there. That might be speculative - unless in the teaching profession or working for a firm that has an annual maintenance closure.
When I worked I had pretty much control of my work schedule as I was usually able to programme my work load. I could work 12 hour days if I needed to hit targets as well. Wouldn't have booked more than a few months ahead though normally.
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i would like to see the minimum cancellation period extended to something far more realistic and akin to other travel companies....surely two weeks wouldnt be unrealistic, rather than the 72 hours we have now?
Probably would suit you as one whose 'whole vanning ethos is based around non diary travel'.
Personally the present system works for me. With the exception of my F-I-L being taken ill I have been fortunate not to have to cancel or amend a booking other than to visit an alternative site or stay longer on a particular site due to vehicle problems or change of plan.
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Personally the present system works for me
In that case then, the Club shouldn't change a thing <rolls eyes>
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Personally the present system works for me
In that case then, the Club shouldn't change a thing <rolls eyes>
I am pretty sure that I would make any system work Nigel.I do like doing all my main booking in one hit (strangely some commercial sites do not take bookings until the year start).
I do like no deposits and ease of changing bookings on occasion.
I suspect that the system works for many and not just me. I am unlikely to cancel a booking due to weather as each site leads to the next. (Hurricanes excepted
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Regardless of whether the current system works for many or not, it'll be the behaviour of the broader membership as a whole that will dictate any changes that may be introduced in the future. The Club are not going to stick with 'the way we've always done it' if they are losing potential income.
It's a balancing act the Club have to perform to please as many as possible, dictated by the accounts and market share and not by a few personal preferences. If Facebook is to be believed, it is muted a change may be happening. Since the C&CC have allowed forward booking, I'd guess (edit- in fact I KNOW) some business to this Club is being lost. This Club need to react accordingly.
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Presumably though you have specified how long you are likely to remain on that pitch. So the site will have not been able to take advance bookings for, say the month you are there.
If you fail to turn up the site will be able to release that month and late bookers will be able to take advantage.
Apart from the booking a specific pitch bit and the nights fee, how is it any different than someone booking 2 / 3 weeks at a peak time and then canceling at the last minute? I am not sure the loss of £30 to £40 on a potential spend of £400 / £800, would make much difference.
In fact, in that respect the club are better off, as they have not tied up a specific pitch.
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It seems to me that people who are generally in favour of deposits want that system to ration availability in order for them personally to be able to book as and when. Being retired I could sit at my computer on the 6th December and book away to my heart's content. Do I do that no. I much prefer to book nearer the time and I have rarely not been able to get what I want. I also maintain flexibility so if one site is full I try another one.
All systems should be reviewed at regular intervals but that review might mean keeping things as they are. Things that could be looked at, is the December date the right time to start bookings? Should it be February/March when more people have confirmed holiday dates? Should it be a rolling system? Should there be a restriction so that members can only have two outstanding bookings for the same site? That might free up some weekend availability. All these things could be looked at without the need to introduce deposits. Those that want deposits have to be clear what they think deposits would achieve. The Club would have to balance that against possible loss of revenue because of people being reluctant to put a lot of money up front.
So much to think about!!!
David
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Answer to op YES
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“Since the C&CC have allowed forward booking, I'd guess (edit- in fact I KNOW) some business to this Club is being lost.”
Nigel, could you explain please. C&CC have always allowed forward booking so what’s changed?
Are you suggesting a drift of business from CAMC to C&CC or do you mean you made one booking with the other club?
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Hi TW.. The C&CC haven't always allowed forward booking as far into the future as they do now. I can't remember exactly when they changed this but at a guess id say it was 2-3 years ago
I'm not suggesting, i'm speaking from my own experience, so am confirming that as I did this year, I have so far booked 35 nights for 2018 to coincide with places I want to be at for particular events. Obviously something I can't do with this Club but would love the ability to do. Maybe i'm in a minority, but I need to plan ahead and secure dates further into the future than perhaps others do.
This amounts to approx £1000 business I'm placing with the C&CC because of the way they allow me to do this. A point raised by a Facebook contributor early in October which the Club (Helen) acknowledged and said they were looking into it with possible changes ahead.
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I think the CCC introduced the rolling release of bookings about three years ago and in my view that has more to do with availability with that club than deposits.
We have one annual event that's close to a CCC site so we book it for the following year when we're there. If it was close to a CC site we'd have to wait till frenzy day and hope.
I've always argued for a rolling release of dates. I think it takes pressure off the system
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My view is a resounding Yes.
not based on any objection to early booking, but on the point of, you make a booking you should adhere to it.
I think a deposit of the first nights fee should be payable for each booking,unless you have a fully valid acceptable reason for non Arrival in which case pherhaps a discount towards your next visit should be allowed if you give enough notice of non arrival.
This is surely a way the club should handle mass bookings, you want those dates.
Pay a deposit for them.
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Yep, thought so, and...
so do I and...
I agree... completely.
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If the Club are looking at making changes to the booking system as suggested they are doing by Helen on the FB page. Would it be unthinkable to implement a rolling release and only request deposits for bookings made long into the future, leaving short term planning without deposits
So, as an example, a rolling release system and if you wish to book beyond 11 months in advance, a deposit is required, anything less than 11 months, no deposit required. (11 months being purely a suggested example, it could be 9 months, 10 months, whatever the Club deem suitable)
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really K? I didn't pay any deposit on my summer holiday with Thomas Cooks. And I suggest you look at this here for no deposit car finance or google no deposit car insurance, or no deposit mortgages.
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add me as well
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7 years ago (about) I would have been in favour of deposits. Then, when I thought about it further I decided that it really was not going to improve site availability at weekends or, in my case, for longer bookings sometimes affected by weekends.
The only thing that would have improved it for me personally would have been if those booking just the weekend could not do so more than (say) 8 weeks ahead. That would have made it possible for ME to get bookings in that bridged a weekend and might have evened out the difference between weekend and weekdays as people could then get their longer period bookings without the initial problem of weekends taken provided they planned 8 weeks ahead. Changes in booking conditions such as that would have helped me, maybe the club in filling more weekday spaces but not those needing to book a specific weekend in advance such as Nigel or Jay.
I am of the opinion that re-introducing the deposit system will not improve things for members or the club and only result in increased costs. Might also reduce take up of CC sites?
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As long as club sites are full or at least better than the comeptition , which according to all the 'moans' on here seem to suggest, why should the club change it's current no deposit system?
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