D Day approaching

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  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited December 2017 #122

    Which are the 'usual popular sites' that are booked up? I should not think that there are more than a handful?

  • mbee1
    mbee1 Forum Participant Posts: 557
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    edited December 2017 #123

    But retired and non workers have the head start at the moment!

  • compass362
    compass362 Forum Participant Posts: 619
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    edited December 2017 #124

    The NOW retired members used to work at one time   & personally I never found booking my holiday days an issue with the club  ,  bearing in mind that only 10% - 15 % of ALL bookable availability for the next 12 months is taken up on booking day .

    I suppose entitlement is what's expected now days , where some people feel somewhat ignored  & yes I'll be using booking day to secure 3 sites for 2018 .

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited December 2017 #125

    And the very large part of the employed/self employed who work from home now,

    Only last week I read an article in my "company"magazine saying just how the way commuting 

     Is changing with new types of season tickets on trains and buses are to change to cover fewer people travelling every day of the week as in the past

  • young thomas
    young thomas Club Member Posts: 11,357 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited December 2017 #126

    but, surely, they'll be working.....from home...not playing about on a caravan website...undecided

    not that im interested in the honey pots (although BW is a convenient city stop, not too far and handy to visit our son) i can see why some (who do work 'normal hours') het hacked off when they cant get a weekend at some of the popular sites..

    what doesnt help are the posts that tell us how they 'go to BW x times a year' or 'we always meet up with our friends for our regular trips to York' etc....

    its fairly obvious that there are those who have time (sometime during FD) to get 'in' and grab a few dates before they get bagged, and there are others who try and try (after work, every year) but just see these sites full...

    yes, we can all choose an alternative, but it seems to me that the ones who 'never have a problem' and get bookings on FD, are the ones who 'suggest' this course of action to the 'poor unfortunates'....

    perhaps I'll have a go at getting a string of BW weekends this time, as i can always cancel of i cant be bothered to use them.undecided

    HARVEY ALEXANDER INTERVIEW

    i know most of the caravanners wont have seen this months MMM, but an interview with Harvey Alexander, director of marketing, describes how the booking system 'is not the best way to launch our 2018 availability'....'we're working on it for 2018/2019'....

    he says a new booking system will be introduced about this time next year, in time for the 2019 booking season.....

    "its looking at how we do it differently, its not going to be rocket science, it will be in line with the market"

    it is expected the club will introduce a staggered launch of its pitch availability.

  • Boff
    Boff Forum Participant Posts: 1,742
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    edited December 2017 #127

    Currently (5/12/17). The CL search is down apparently due to uploading data for the site booking day.  

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited December 2017 #128

    "Working" from home gives far more freedom ,but of course if not having been there? ,it may not be possible to comment, all I know is that modern work practise have made dog walking easier for those we meet when out with our dog what ever time of day,  and very much assists when having children wink

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited December 2017 #129

    How interesting to read the interview, it would have been good if these plans had been announced on the club web site so that all members could have read them! Thanks for the info.

  • fatbelly
    fatbelly Forum Participant Posts: 438
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    edited December 2017 #130

    Advice please guys, I only want to book a couple of sites tomorrow, I will be able to log on at 8am, but I was wondering in your experience which gives me the best chance of getting the sites I want? Using the internet or booking by phone?

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited December 2017 #131

     How good is your internet connection, this can affect your chances, ours is slow, good luck!

  • Spriddler
    Spriddler Forum Participant Posts: 646
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    edited December 2017 #132

    Perhaps the solution is to have D-Day on a Saturday (or Sunday) with staff coming in to man the phones? It would certainly take most of the sting out of the first day panic. 

  • huskydog
    huskydog Club Member Posts: 5,460 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited December 2017 #133

    Your chance of logging on at 8am is as good as winning the lotterywink

  • Spriddler
    Spriddler Forum Participant Posts: 646
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    edited December 2017 #134

    Correction  (too late to edit my previous post)......

    I meant to suggest that it would be fairer to those workers (who are paying my pension wink) and are unable to make bookings on D-Day.

    It wouldn't stop the panic though.

  • Kennine
    Kennine Forum Participant Posts: 3,472
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    edited December 2017 #135

    The CMC could lessen the number of bookings on Frenzy day by just having one person at head office manning the phone.

    They could also arrange for their website to run slowly and hang every so often.  wink

    cool 

  • SteveL
    SteveL Club Member Posts: 12,311 ✭✭✭
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    edited December 2017 #136

    it is expected the club will introduce a staggered launch of its pitch availability.

     

    So multiple frenzy days.🤔

  • compass362
    compass362 Forum Participant Posts: 619
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    edited December 2017 #137

    Strange ....I always thought that there was only one person manning the phone on D Day .😇

    On a more serious note , we have what we have & until somebody , anybody comes up with something different..... you takes a chance & rolls the dice .👍

    Years ago in the forces I was told All men are equal .....it's just that some people are more equal than others.... it's a myth .😜

  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101
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    edited December 2017 #138

    Forces?, they’re all good pieces of gear👍🏻

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited December 2017 #139

    Before the online booking system was introduced there was still a set day that bookings could be made for the next year bookings,  on all year.sites bookings could only be made direct to the site concerned,  add temp staff were employed at HO, mostly wardens from seasonal sites that had closed, for the rest of the network bookings,

    Ps on the very busy all year site add staff were employed to just man the phone

  • JayEss
    JayEss Forum Participant Posts: 1,663
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    edited December 2017 #140

    If they mean rolling release of pitches then great.

    If they mean increasing the number of frenzy days then that will make thngs worse.

    However as brue says upthread it would be nice to be informed on the club's own media rather than through an article elsewhere

  • young thomas
    young thomas Club Member Posts: 11,357 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited December 2017 #141

    Jay, when i read "it will be in line with the market" i assumed that they had (at least) looked at the rolling release process for their most direct competitor (C&CC) and, perhaps, a few major commercials too.

    i dont see multiple frenzy days being the way forward, it certainly appeared (from the earlier part of the interview) that customers had fed back that (despite the well liked cancellation and amendments process) it was the one day bun fight that made it "not the favourite part of booking their next stay away".

    for non planners like me, there's no favourite (or otherwise) part if the booking, as we generally only book one stay at a time, and not on FD.

    for those who have set dates to (try and) meet, getting stuck into FD might be seen as the only chance to get them....

    while this may or may not be true, it's what some feel is necessary, though "not their favourite'.

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited December 2017 #142
    The user and all related content has been Deleted User
  • JayEss
    JayEss Forum Participant Posts: 1,663
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    edited December 2017 #143

    BB there's already two frenzy days although the one for winter date release isn't as frenzied. The pressure is always going to be for the summer holiday dates and I don't see much changing in terms of demand but the rolling release of dates works really well with the other club. 

    I rarely book on or near frenzy day but there's always loads of availability across the network for ages afterwards. The honeypots are different and I can only assume those sites are the ones referred to. There's a case for a different system for the honeypot sites but I'm not interested in them so don't care too much either way 

  • young thomas
    young thomas Club Member Posts: 11,357 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited December 2017 #144

    agreed, there are two.....dont get me started on the "why cant i book a decent (week long) New Year break all at the same time..." issue this currently causes....wink

    like you, i think its the move to a rolling release like CCC that will be the way forward...smile

  • mickysf
    mickysf Forum Participant Posts: 6,474 ✭✭✭
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    edited December 2017 #145

    When you try to book those two (?) busy sites eluded to it will always be subject to availability. No matter what system is introduced this will always be the case. I guess at present that suggested rolling drip feed of cancellations (for what ever reasons) back into the system could be seen as a positive aspect for some folk. You just need to be actively seeking that opportunity.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited December 2017 #146

    Let's hope it will put an end to all these conversations and for me, most annoying of all, the posts following frenzy day from those who've booked every site planned (happy) and those who haven't (unhappy.) Frenzy day followed by gloating day, no thanks! frown

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited December 2017 #147

    I think that there are more than 2. Probably Rowntree York, Chatsworth and something Wharf at Bristol I suspect. None that I want. 

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited December 2017 #148

    People will still complain of not being able to get a pitch on required dates for some sites I expect

  • moulesy
    moulesy Forum Participant Posts: 9,402 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited December 2017 #149

    +1 smile (if I could I'd have given it a +2!) wink

  • moulesy
    moulesy Forum Participant Posts: 9,402 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited December 2017 #150

    It's just not fair! I've got a bowls match at 9 tomorrow morning. Could they please delay the start till midday? Thanks! wink

  • moulesy
    moulesy Forum Participant Posts: 9,402 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited December 2017 #151

    Hang on, they've got wifi at the club!

    OK,  as you were! wink