Booking difficulty for pre covid members
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Does it have to be CAMC sites or bust????
Of course not..I have two excellent BoB upcoming bookings....with very large / level / spacious / fully serviced pitches ( one is also a 'Tranquil' site for adults only, but that's not the reason I booked it..) Both are in fact cheaper than CaMC sites for these dates...
But of course there is a deposit to be paid...and most CaMC members don't like deposits.....
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I think you're off target there, GTP. You make us sound like a bunch of skinflints😀.
It's not a case of don't like deposits but of appreciating the ease of booking/amending/cancelling without the hassle that's incurred when deposits are involved.
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The point I was making about total spend this year compared to other years is likely to be a lot less overall so if someone is concerned about how much they spend generally, that shouldn't be an issue this year. I don't have an annual budget I just spend what I need to. When planning trips first and foremost it is the location of any site that is important and I will often pay more for a commercial site it the location is better than a Club site. Sometimes I will use a CL if the location suits.
Your mantra seems to be that Club sites are not worth the fees charged for them. However tens of thousands of members, who are perfectly capable of going elsewhere, stick with using Club sites. I would really like some examples of sites that you feel are better and cheaper that similar Club sites so I could form my own opinion.
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OK, take at look at Old Oaks Glastonbury an award winning site, masses of positive reviews. Contrast that to nearby CMC in Cheddar, a nice site, but very ordinary in a popular location.
Random pricing example; 20/21 October (2 nights)
Old Oaks: super pitch (serviced) £51, standard pitch £47
CMC Cheddar: standard pitch £54.60
Not a massive difference, but don’t need to pay £64 membership to use the former and if I did I’d expect a discount. There are other examples, but hopefully that illustrates my point - CMC are expensive and not good value for members.
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I agree that Old Oaks is a superb site, Seaside. I’ve stayed there. There are a few things to note though such as minimum stay, deposits/full payment up front, charge for dogs, adults only.
I think Old Oaks still represents value for money but I don’t believe it to be better value than CAMC. In fact, when you take all things into consideration, I’m not sure the two sites are comparable - being AO would make it unusable for families.
Btw, I assume your figure quoted for membership is just a typo.
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Adults only and disincentive for multiple dogs makes it even better value in my view. As for deposit, not a problem for me. Even offers a peak season 60+ discount!
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Gawd TW, Cheddar is absolutely souless compared to Old Oaks. The only thing going for Cheddar is the easy walk to the main area.
Just had a look at Polmanter October rate £26.50, Godrevy £26.70. There is also an offer on at Polmanter, book seven nights and get £15 off. Ok you pay deposits or even all up front. That is no big deal if you have every intention of fulfilling the booking.
peedee
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Ah, I get it now. Whereas I’ve been looking at the bigger picture of sites being better/worse cheaper/dearer for the LV population as a whole, you’ve been taking the narrower view of only what works best for you. In that case, never the twain shall meet because we're all different with varying priorities👍🏻
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See my previous post, PD. The Old Oaks simply will not work for some folk.
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Doesn’t change the reality. As PD says, if you don’t have a dog, it’s a fair comparison. This is one example. If I could be bothered there are others. However, we could argue all day long about what constitutes a fair comparison between sites.
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Coming from Somerset it wouldn't work for me either...cheaper to stay at home, especially for the dog!
Half term prices are being quoted for CAMC when there's always an increase. Either side of that the mid week reductions help bring the prices down.
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Easy on line booking, easy on line cancellation, no payment till you get there, unlimited number of dogs for free, the comfort of knowing what the standards will be. - all those things make Club sites very popular.
Trouble is that after families left at the end of their hols I always found Club sites soulless, silent, unsociable places.
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This discussion, or a very similar one, has been had on CT time and time again over the years.
To summarise - there are cheaper sites than club sites, there are also dearer ones.
There are better equipped sites than club sites, there are also more, shall we say, basic ones.
If you have children or dogs or an awning, club sites almost always work out cheaper, if you just have a basic unit they possibly don't.
If you're a single person club sites often work out cheaper than commercials with their "up to 6 adult" offerings.
If you want to be flexible (buzz word for some) the club booking system and lack of deposit (returnable or not) allows you to change at relatively short notice (arguably a good thing).
At the end of the day, all such comparisons are pretty pointless - don't most folk choose where they want to go first and then look at available sites?
To pretend one or the other is always best is too simplistic - it's all down to personal preference.
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But it’s only your personal reality, Seaside. The picture is entirely different for other folk. Open your mind to the broader view and you'll perhaps see things differently. That doesn’t detract from The Old Oaks being a great site, though, if it fits the Bill😆
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We stayed at The Old Oaks several times years ago. It's an outstanding site and if you want to visit Glastonbury it's a great base, but then there aren't many "full fat" alternatives nearby.
But if we wanted to be based in Cheddar we'd use the club site every time in preference to, say, the neighbouring Cheddar Bridge site or Bucklegrove just down the road even though they might work out cheaper.
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Here’s another, both sites near where I live so know them well - both attractive sites.
19-23 October (4 nights)
Heligan Camping & Caravan Park (adjoins Lost Gardens of Heligan) £75.24 hardstanding including 1 dog.
CMC Melrose Farm (further down Roseland Peninsular near St Mawes): Standard pitch £99.20
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Who does that, PD? I think even those who like club sites, of whom I’m one, freely admit alternatives exist whether they choose to use them or not.
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Mmm, people can make up their own minds but see the last two columns. Great for some but not for others.
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But, once again, you're being very selective with your dates there.
So for fairness, how about this in peak season when families are most likely to use the sites -
Heligan (2020) - £36.90 for pitch + 2 adults + £4 per child over 3 + £4.90 per dog
Merrose Farm (2021) £29,.80 for pitch + 2 adults + £3 per child (over 12 I believe) + nothing for dogs.
(I couldn't find 2020 price for Merrose but I ssuspect from what folk have said about price rises it was a tad cheaper than that).
We haven’t stayed at either site but have visited both - both good sites, probably chosen for slightly different reasons, but shower/toilet facilities at Merrose a bit more modern.
Folk must make up their own minds but as I said above to pretend one is always better than the other for all folk is simply not credible.
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Yes, but I want to go now, not in the peak season with my kids & dogs. Could it be the Club knows it’s demographic well and realises the potential of maintaining high prices in all seasons?
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I think we’ve been discussing prices not standards. I agree Club site standards are generally good.
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But discussing prices, or at least trying to give specific examples one way or other, is pointless as evidenced above wouldn't you say?
The only conclusion you can come to is that for some folk, some commercial sites are cheaper than some club sites at some times of the year!
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