Pre-arrival texts
I’ve heard of a few people who have received texts just before their booking start dates reminding them of the 1300 arrival time. I’m told the wording makes it clear they will be turned away if they arrive early. This is in addition to the usual booking reminder emails.
I’m wondering if CAMC is taking steps to curb early arrivals. Has anyone here received a text?
Comments
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I have not stayed on a Club site since late June and not due on another until September so no experience of that yet. The text option seems sensible providing of course the Club have your mobile number rather than a landline one! It's certainly clear, from what I read in the reviews and on Facebook that a lot of people are up in arms at the way they have been treated when they arrive early. OK some will chance their arm whatever but others will just slightly miscalculate their arrival at a site by 10/15 minutes. Personally I don't think the booking confirmation emails are clear, unless they have changed very recently, because they mention an ETA of between 13.00 and 15.00pm. When people see estimated time of arrival they will immediately think there might be some flexibility? Far better to just have in bold " No Arrivals before 1.00pm" Early arrivals will be turned away. It would be nice for the Club to explain the rational for this change to members by sending out a round robin email regardless of set preferences. Those of us on this forum tend to be a bit ahead of the game as far as what the Club is up to but many rely of social media and the message is still not getting through everywhere, well it might soon if you get a text
David
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The club certainly needs to do something to get the message accross so texts must be a good move. The site reviews clearly demonstrate that some people see no problem with rolling up hours early in some cases. It’s never their fault though🤨
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Not received any texts yet but the email received a week before makes it clear enough. Although they could try not being so polite and add, if you do arrive early you will be asked to leave and come back at 13:00.
Arrive after 13:00 and before 20:00
Please note: the time noted above is the earliest campsite arrival time. Please ensure you arrive at or after this time, in order to allow our site teams to prepare the site for new guests arriving, and also keep things as safe as possible for our departing guests.0 -
We recently had phone call reminders the day before going to Steamer Quay (a small 40+ site so not an arduous task for the site manager ) HOWEVER!! Unbelievable to our ears when arriving at 1pm the frustrated manager told us he had turned away three sets of early arrivals who had received the call too. I'm sorry to say all the " good guys" got pitched first as the early ones had to park up and pay nearby and then turn around. What a frustrating and thankless task for the managers and no doubt leaving them open to verbal abuse etc.
The road leading to Steamer Quay isn't suitable for queuing and is on a blind bend. For some sites there is a bit of leeway for parking and waiting but surely if you've had a text or phone call you could at least comply with a polite request?!
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We get an email about 3-4 weeks prior to arrival for every site we have booked. Not had any texts though.....
As for people arriving early, they will only stop doing so if the club stops letting them on early.
We have noticed sites becoming more determined to not start booking people in before 1pm, but people who do arrive before 1pm and then clog up the entrance still get on first at 1pm. Until the club has the courage to introduce some sort of sanction for early arrivals parked in the gateway there will be people who do it. Easy to say I appreciate, a lot harder to implement........
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Let's face it. The Club is terrible at Communication. It, unfortunately, is an oft repeated phrase that I use and have been doing so for quite a number of years now.
I agree with both Brue that everyone in the club should receive this by email and also agree with RandomC. 3 strikes and you are out, no more bookings for 12 months. You can make a slight misjudgment once or claim ignorance once but some people make a habit of it.
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I knew of a few wardens in the past (before on. line booking)who kept little black books of those who did not turn up or turned up early with all sorts of feeble excuses who when they phoned the site again as most did then would find no pitches available for the dates requested
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No I don't get the txts, I'm feeling left out, I want my full money's worth from membership!
It's a good idea and from more and more sources people are being turned away which I fully support. I wonder if that reviewer who turned up over three hours early got one?
Hopefully the message will get through from somewhere, and yes start recording these people too gets my vote.
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I may be paranoid but I have been aware that since the advent of covid a very large proportion of the population have become extremely selfish and have time only for themselves.There is no respect anymore for rules !!!
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Evening
A few weeks ago we were given the brief to turn early arrivals away. Not going into details here but the message is getting across slowly along with a bit of seeing how thick a skin this role gives us. (some days that end of day beer can't come soon enough!!). We've tried a proactive approach by phoning arrivals a couple of days prior, now starting this week the club are sending out an sms message with a polite reminder of the 13.00 arrival time.
Come after 1 folks
JK
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Thanks for that, JK. All becomes clear.
The more ways the club uses to get the message across, the better.
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When we were at the NYM site last week, we once again, witnessed a load of units turning up early - despite a sign on the approach road saying, quite clearly "No admissions until 1pm". One even turned up at 1115. The warden was quite determined to enforce the rule and he was making units turn round and leave the site and it actually got quite nasty at one point. I was disgusted that members should be so selfish as to put him in that situation.
Not had a text as yet, but have always had the email about a week or so beforehand - making it clear what the arrival time is. Of course - there are always those (and there was one at Whitby) who proudly say "I don't do computers - so how would I know!"
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11:15 is early but .... At what point on the approach road would a warden have the authority to turn you round? It's not like the approach road is exactly busy .... how busy is the warden likely to be at that time when it's a no facility site?
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Some months ago I sent an email to EGH suggesting that members would need advising of the updated earliest arrival time s at most sites and suggested a text or email to all those with bookings as some would still show 1200
I was advised that's it was on the website and had been in the club magi itwouldn't be required?
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I think the issue should be why have the club changed the arrival time to 13.00hrs?
OK at a few sites 12 noon arrivals can cause problems but at most this is not an issue
As the price for the pitches is constantly rising I think a small thankyou from the club by allowing us extra time not less time on site would be appreciated by most people
We have witnessed people turned away at a few club sites this year which is very unreasonable, people arriving at 12.50 and told to go away and come back after 13.00 on sites that have good waiting areas and were not fully booked so available pitches
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Irrespective of why (and the club has told us the reasons), whether 1200 or 1300 the same problem exists with people turning up far too early. The only way to make people understand is to standardise the rulings and that is why folk are being turned away irrespective of parking space and the texting initiative is trying to hammer the point home. Arrival time is for arrival at the site and not arrival at the office having already parked up on the forecourt for half an hour or whatever.
Have you considered that letting people in at an earlier time may necessitate employing extra staff which could lead to further price increases? Anyway, it’s an hour and no big deal in the grand scheme of things👍🏻.
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There are quite a few members who seem to not appreciate the role of site managers and by whinging it seems for their own ends
I think they would be surprised at what goes on on sites
It would be quite an eye opener to actually do some time on a site
And as any one who has been on the coal face of the hospitality industry will understand
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Best start another thread or go back over old ones, ED. This one was started to enquire about texts and, thanks to JK, we now know the answer.
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Well one person's unreasonable is ...
You say it's very unreasonable that outfits are being turned away at 12.50, it could be argued it is unreasonable that despite being told to arrive after 13:00 a number of times and agreeing to abide by this time people still think it is reasonable to turn up early?
Ok so the club 'allows' people turning up early 10 minutes early as 'normal' or routine. or won't turn them away if it's just 10 minutes, then I'm sure it will become 'reasonable' to arrive 15 minutes early, after all that's only five minutes 'early' now and you can see where this is going.
No in my view have one set time and stick to it and I fully agree with anyone being turned away anytime before that, they are just chancing their arm and trying it on and not fair or reasonable to those that stick to the set time.
Sooner or later the message will get through and people will stop doing it.
I would expect that if I did it, not that I have or ever would, I'd be asked to go away.
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I’m sure you must have read page 2 of this thread, ED. One click is all it takes👍🏻
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Which is why a common approach is now being taken and emails, phone calls and texts being used to drive the message home.
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