CL or not?
Comments
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Posted on 05/08/2021 18:54 by JVB66The difference being is that the card and booking is also tied to the reg number of the car /motor caravan
Wot is this 'card' you write of? It's the 21st year of the 21st century, it's all about an app these days, I checked in with a mobile telephone that can also make voice communications last week.
No signature check, no confirmation of ID, or if it was a screen grab, or photo of another screen.
Online booking has a box for reg no, but not 100% sure its obligatory. On our first caravan trip had put my own car reg in the box for 2 sites, turned up in a hired tug. Not asked for reg number at check in.
Wot if someone else tows your van to site for you and you arrive in your own car that has the filled in box reg number?
Wot if the reg plate on the 'van falls off and the marker pen written number of my mates old tug is on show?
Or you lend your unit and app screen grab to your mate? I'm a twin, would they ask for my full name, that my brother knows anyway, and date of birth, home address, credit card pin number on a CAMC site, they don't on commercial sites when he borrows the 'van.
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We mainly use CLs. In some case, like the one we are going to later this month, the on line booking form required my club number. Of course is some dishonest person wanted to, they could enter a number that was the correct number of digits and I am sure no one would check that carefully.
When I book by email I ALWAYS include my Club number.
When I book by phone I always offer my Club number, sometimes it is wanted, sometimes not.
CLs are for CMC members. People who use the CLs and do so by "playing the system" in some way are simply being dishonest. OK, you might not like the system, but it is the system.
Most CLs are run by people for whom it is not their main business. There is an element of trust in it all. If people abuse that trust, then either CLs will close, or we shall all be required to become far more official in our dealings with CLs. That would be a shame.
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CL owners have a facility for contacting the club and verifying membership numbers. Seems some use it and some don’t.
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I do the same as you when booking, hja, and agree with the rest of you post too.
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Please can we keep this discussion on topic and free from arguments. Thank you everyone for constructive feedback. If you do ever have any concerns about a CL Site you can email clresponse@camc.com
Many thanks.
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Just seen in the latest magazine that the site in question is now no longer a CL. It's a pity because it is a nice place in a good location, even though the hard standings used in wet weather are very close together. The grass pitches have plenty of space between them.
We'll never know the reason why they have left the club but I suspect they may be hoping to attract customers from a wider catchment which is why they didn't put "CaMC members only" on their booking website.
I guess that CaMC did get in touch with them following my report and they decided to take the action that they did.
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At least the site is still there, John, and if it's now operating under its own auspices, it won’t be risking the club's right to issue exemption certificates so won’t endanger the existence of CLs in general.
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we used three CLs on a tour last month and, although i gave my details over the phone when booking, our cards werent checked on arrivial.
a fortnight ago we were at a C&CC THS temp site and the cards were checked on entry.
after that we moved to a CS and again i gave details over the phone but we just arrived and set up and although the owner was about most days, our cards werent checked.
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Perhaps then, when booking a pitch, the CL owner could take membership number off the enquirer then, after the call, check with HO as to its validity.
Then if a non member is on site it is down to Grimstead Towers to sort it out with the owner.
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As a CL owner who has always asked for the CAMC membership number when someone books, I understand this question and why members might be concerned.
For information
- The membership card only contains a name and a membership number. There is no Photo ID element.
- CL Owners can check (if they wish) that a membership number is 'valid' ie within date via a text number provided by the club. No other information is provided.
- Some online booking systems used by CL Owners allow a question to be added that can capture the club number. There is no 'API' provided by the club to allow this number to be automatically verified.
Observations from my perspective
- Without a photo on the card of the member, the card itself is pretty worthless as proof of membership. We know that families will purchase one membership card and use it among themselves. A photo might discourage such activity.
- The club could provide some additional information on the Text Check facility such as the postal code of the member. This may help with some verification.
- The club could provide an 'API' so that those CLs with online booking could instantly confirm if a membership number was valid - and perhaps matched the post code given.
- Some CL owners I know routinely check every booking and also ask for membership cards as people arrive. Others just do the occasional 'spot-check' on dodgy-sounding bookings, others still are grateful for any booking and have probably never asked for a membership number or had the time to check it, or look at a card on site.
- I have yet to understand the new 'digital' membership card and the implications it has for CL owners.
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Ted. As with the majority of membership cards for any organisation I can't think of ones which have a user photo (unless you count bus passes in the same league.) I think an API might be beyond the known planetary reaches of CAMC at present but you never know it might happen?! Had they intergrated everyone into the system at the start it might have been possible?
Thanks for the informative input.
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