Positives of the booking system
Comments
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>>>Personally, I think the CC booking system sucks and it's the main reason (my no means the only one!) I'll not be renewing my membership next April.<<<
That's good then B1, leaves more scope for me to book, though I much prefer CL's.
Must say though, I very rarely have difficulty booking a site, on the odd time that they may be full, then I book another site or CL.....Easy......
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I'm sure my point wasn't lost on some members but for those who don't care they need to realise that without profit there can be no purchase of new sites and no site upgrades and fees will accelerate. The Club has a healthy balance sheet but compared to the C&CC it is treading water. Bury your heads in the sand if you like but deposits and other moves have been clearly working for the C&CC who have turned around their business in the last 5 years.
peedee
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Strong leadership & forward planning/thinking helps. Same old same old leads to stagnation☹️
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Alan, as has been said many times....each system has its good and not so good parts...
C&CC gives far more pitch choice along with the option to take EHU or not, catering for a wide range of customers from the basic grass/no EHU upto a fully serviced HS pitch....and pretty much everything in between....and is priced accordingly.
however, IMHO the system is a bit more clumsy to use, not so much for booking but (probably) for amendments etc, which ive not done..
then again, the deposits and rolling release process do seem to avoid the mass booking waves that CC (and its customers) has to deal with.
we cant compare the specific cancellation success/failure of either system as neither club provides comprehensive figures of 'how many' and 'when'....usually some wishy washy 'everythings fine' line from CC.
OTOH, CC system is good (its best IT feature), easy to book and amend, but lacks true customer choice, the worst being the many who book (and pay dearly for) a service pitch when all they really want is a HS.
Add to that the annual bun fight which always causes concern for members, as duly noted by the Marketing Director, and its clear there is room for improvement.
i really hope that the promised CC changes for next year retain the simple elements of the current system but add more customer choice of pitch, ehu and surface type.
if this is to be with us for 2019 season (as promised) they must be working on it by now
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I will say that the C&CC targets a wider range of users. Tenters being an obvious one along with those that do not wish to use EHU. I think it also embraces the rental side more, although I have not researched that aspect and might be wrong.
The caravan Club has a smaller target group in as much as they do not really provide for those not wanting EHU nor tenters in the main. If I did not wish to use EHU I would be using C&CC in preference as far as club pitches go. So as far as the CC target user I am he.
So with their booking systems and the fact that I am not interested in non EHU pitches and I am not concerned about possible age discounts the only thing that C&CC holds any appeal for me in is the occasional pitch to fill a gap or to replace a CC site with poor access/exit.
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EasyT I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the high standards of the C&CC sites , we are booking more C&CC in preference to CMC sites where possible 2018 .
We have been extremely impressed this year with sites used & they will continue to be a choice to equal CMC .👍
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One of the reasons I stay with the CMC is the flexibility of the booking system. I've been a member for nearly 28 years as family man with wife, 2 boys and a dog in a caravan, then motorhome and now as two retired people who can take advantage of the mid week discounts and improved MSPs. Add in the benefits of CLs, and I see a range of services that work well.
I didn't know the CMC ran honeypots. Are these the same as places where ladies, or men, of the night entice politicians and celebrities etc into indiscretions? No wonder there seems a link with premium pricing and demand.
As to balance sheets etc, I do read them and the reports although I suspect the reports tell us what the CMC wants us to know not the true overall picture. I'm comfortable with the strategic direction of the CMC though I am sceptical [not cynical] as to whether it can deliver.
I don't expect the CMC to be perfect because it has to cater for a wide range of people and it cannot please everyone all the time.
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...but i think the Marketing Director has looked beyond Easy T's current requirements and is looking at the future of the club rather than at its past.....and i mean this in a nice way....
the market is changing, our generation is coming to an end, to be replaced by campers who might have to do it more on a budget (like your early days) and the club has realised that a one size might not fit all as we move forward 10 years or more...
this means more choice, across price bands, promoting 'inclusivity' across wealth, from pods to grass pitches, from Winebego to Wingamm, from Transit to (dare i say) tents.....
change is a huge wrench for CC, it will be very interesting to see how this new, young MD guides the ship and how willing it is to follow....
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I've been a parallel user of both clubs since we started vanning about fourteen years ago. I've watched both clubs adapt and improve their customer focus however the C&CC is now streaks ahead in choice and pricing.
I'm afraid I agree with Peedee about the club. CAMC need to catch up and improve customer relations treating them as individuals rather than the old style regimented approach based on you'll have what you get, same price suits all. Choice is the key, being able to choose a pitch type and a price and best of all being able to book ahead without a scramble on one particular day. It does seem to work even though deposits and some minimum bookings have to be deployed with some welcome adaptability included.
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...but i think the Marketing Director has looked beyond Easy T's current requirements and is looking at the future of the club rather than at its past.....and i mean this in a nice way....
Therein lies a problem I suspect BB as far as present sires go. The sites are generally pretty full and particularly so over weekends. All (nearly) pitches have EHU and are well utilised. If the club wishes to widen its appeal and attract more members where does it stick them? Some seem to consider that we old farts are the past. Truth is that we are very much the present. Also this 'poorer generation' is a fair way behind in terms of making a large impact. I do not envisage a major change in demographics on CC sites over the next 10 years and maybe as much as 20 years - if at all.
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yes agree, I look at people while on site, during the week it's people my age who (hopefully) have 10/20 years left in caravaning/MH and during the (full weekends - even now) it's families who will have even longer. Club sites are popular despite what people would want on here.
People can say what they wish of course but the proof on the pudding, in this case is in the pitching. Are CCC sites as popular as club sites? For all the claims that the CCC is 'ahead' of the club I suspect the CCC would dearly love to have the occupancy levels the club has?
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change is a huge wrench for CC, it will be very interesting to see how this new, young MD guides the ship and how willing it is to follow....
In any organisation there are always those whose mindset is stuck in the previous century. The CMC have a massive percentage of customers who are old and retired and hate any sort of change. Any attempts at modernisation will be met with howls of protest.
All is not lost though, as most of those oldies will be reaching the end of their Caravanning lifestyle and will be replaced by younger divergent thinking campers, who appreciate a broad range of opportunities which will be available from forward thinking camping organisations.
K
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I don't expect to be surprised as I am pretty sure that their sites are fine Compass.
For me however they offer less than CC sites purely due to lack of flexibility with bookings. They do offer the ability to book a hard standing. If I was a weekender arriving on a Friday after work that would be a consideration. For me however. except on primarily grass sites, I have not had a problem getting a hard standing on arrival at a CC site in the last 10 years. This means that the only advantage that I am interested in is location in some cases.
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All is not lost though, as most of those oldies will be reaching the end of their Caravanning lifestyle and will be replaced by younger divergent thinking campers, who appreciate a broad range of opportunities which will be available from forward thinking camping organisations.
So when are these younger campers with more financial restraints expected to arrive? I retired 10 years ago and in that time more have done the same and they are not necessarily financially challenged on the whole. There are many folk in their late forties now who will be comfortable when they retire in perhaps 10 years time.
I think that most suspect that the reason CC do not offer pitch choice as far as HS is concerned is the fear that when all hard stands are booked that bookings will be made elsewhere. The CC do seem to be trying to increase hard standing availability.
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I have not noticed much difference in occupancy levels on popular sites belonging to both clubs, similarly they both have quieter times. The main pressure for both clubs is probably the number of sites held to accommodate users at peak times when profits are higher.
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But wasn't the C&CC virtually on the verge of bankruptcy a few years ago when they lost millions in a joint investment with the Forestry Commission? Perhaps when you have been that close you become a lot more cautious?
David
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We have been members for 30 years, with a short break at one point somewhere. It has certainly changed vastly in these three decades, some ways good, some ways not quite so good. I find the Club Site booking system excellent in truth, so easy to use. Up to this year, we had never ever had cause to cancel a Club Site booking, but have to say it is a very generous policy given to membership, with no financial penalties if you do have to cancel. I suspect given the age range of a lot of members, this is very much a plus. Most holidays require insurance of some sort, but not with CAMC. It is very flexible.
The Club does have to move forward, took a big step last year with a name change, possibly not the best use of funds, but at least it is evolving. More options such as luxury pods are widening the customer base, partnership with a very different type of site in Love2Stay, not sure what might come next?
In our 30 year membership it has evolved from a rather snooty, inclusive, Sites supervised by narrow minded Wardens, not welcoming to youngsters institution, into something much more welcoming and open minded. Still has a way to go to lose its reputation for being rule bound and rather regimented, but a lot of that panders to its core membership, who, let's face it, don't cope with even the slightest of changes too well. These next few years could be critical, personally I am expecting a few more changes, but if the CL network remains fairly strong, then it won't stop our membership, we still get a great deal in terms of value for money, mainly because we are flexible and use sites at quiet times, and are not regimented in places we stay, or when we go.
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Throughout this thread there is an underlying trend to resist any modernisation. --- Some of the present CMC retired oldies even claiming that they are the only age group who can afford caravanning in it's present form.--- This is not the scenario I am seeing among friends, family and the camping fraternity in general, with whom I come in contact.-- Today, many younger people have a much higher level of disposable income to spend on leisure activities than most of my contemporaries and I had at their age.-- Having tried it, they are not interested in the hassle and restrictions of camping in it's present form. -They like the outdoor life and activities, but unless camping organisations modernise to cater for those people, a whole generation will enjoy their outdoor activities by staying overnight in purpose built accommodation offering the levels of comfort and ease of use to which they are accustomed. ---So CMC and others, stay in the past if you choose, but be prepared to see your business shrinking in the future.. Any booking system will be the least of your worries.
K
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But from an other perspective the club has changed, is changing, for some rather too quickly it seems. Amongst these we see pods and other fixed means of habitation being added to their core provision on several sites. We see site staff being able to, and encouraged to use discretion far more often when circumstances allow (slightly later departures just to mention one). We see a new rebranding now establishing itself and from what we read of in MMM a revamped booking system is to follow. Unlike some I find that the younger generations are attracted to the pastime albeit maybe in many different forms. Some sites/locations are more family orientated and some less so. This is no different to many in our generation, who started in tents and when the children were small the locations chosen reflected their interests!
I believe it's not the lack of change for some, it's the fact that the changes, both real and some imagined, do not fit the 'demands' and desires of a few. It's been said many times that our needs change as we move through life, some just want those future changes to reflect where they are now. If they don't, the changes that is, fit exactly the model they want they cry a lack of modernisation and a lack of insight.
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One fundamental difference is that different age groups may use the Club Sites for entirely different purposes. As young users, in a tiny camper with no bathroom, we joined purely because we had to use sites with facilities available, and the Club provided a network (much wider than now) that suited this purpose at a great price. Our routine was arrive late, ablute, sleep, up, shower and off to do whatever adventure was planned that day.
I suspect that for a similar age group now, early, mid twenties, that is still all they need. So the cost of a Club Site per night is now expensive. Especially if you factor in buying a van or MH. And let's face it, not all Club Sites offer much in the way of on site adventure, some are good for water sports, others for cycling, a lot are good walking bases. But most are just very sedentary bases, and sitting around for hours is far removed from a mind set hell bent on making the most of every daylight hour and coming back exhausted! If you do decide to have a day off, then sitting next to a busy site road, shouting above the mowing going on around you, a couple of meters from lots of other vans is not attractive, at least not to us.
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The other fundamental diference is the ccc core biusiness Is Camping (Tents) which has shown far greater growth than other forms of camping, as younger families feel the squeeze on their finances, far more than us slightly "older"more frugal not so throw away society are now enjoying as the majority of houses these days have not the space to keep several cars and a leisure vehicle where as a tent and all the latest must have kit that goes with it is "easier to store at no add cost
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If both clubs are doing well, (however there appears to be more pitches left on CCC sites at peak) which case I can't see a problem, those that like the flexibility of the club (no deposits, no minimum stay, easy amendments...) carry on using the club, those that want to use the CCC carry on there.
I know this is subjective but I feel CAMC sites are superior in quality and certainly in clean facilities.
also are you comparing like with like? Yes you say CCC sites have similar rates but what proportion on CCC is tents v caravans/MH? On club sites it's all caravans/MH?
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but that's not what you said, you said fully booked nothing about weekends?
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Talking with the salesperson at Go Outdoors a few months back she eluded to the fact that tent sales were up considerably in the last two years. Couple this with the increased sales of motorhomes are these the target markets for the future. May be along with the lodges, glamping huts and tents etc. we see springing up around our countryside too.
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