Is it time for change?
Moderator Comment: Partly removed to avoid political comments
Is it time for our "Club" to implement a significant reduction in fee's to create a breakeven Budget Sheet for this and the next financial year. This isn't the time to add to the coffers and any approved and budgeted projects could still continue. If the reduction was significant then more members could utilise sites and see a benefit to their lifestyle and well-being. We all played our part in renewing membership during the pandemic and now is pay back time ?
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Or just let paying members decide if they want to pay?
My answer is no.
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Your proposal is like many financial proposals insofar as there are holes in the argument.
At the moment there is considerable talk amongst potential P.M.s about the way they go about "helping" people. If they reduce Income Tax it wouldn't help those at the very bottom of the pile, i.e those that do not pay tax which includes millions of pensioners. This is used as an illustration of how a 'decision" made or to be made is purported to be helping people but isn't where it matters most.
Your proposal wouldn't affect me at all seeing as I, like many others, hardly use Club Sites preferring C.L.s. I have mentioned on another thread that that decision is not solely as a result of prices. Some members won't have a used a site this year but still had a holiday thanks to these CLs and using Independent sites.
As I'm paying the same membership rates as yourself where would your proposal benefit me? As it's a club any proposal should benefit all members.
Anyway I think any reaction would be too late in the season and the club have other things on their plate at the moment with introducing deposits.
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It's always good to have a bit of creative thinking about finances, break even is the way many small companies operate, they pay their way and keep people in work. But bigger companies who do make a reasonable profit also contribute taxes which keep us all afloat (well hopefully?) So no, in this instance, for CAMC but maybe some "offers" to tempt.
PS I strongly disliked the voucher offer which sent some on a spending spree and left others paying their way as usual. It's club money on offer after all, paid for by all of us. (I think that was a kind of pay back?) I do like a bit of egality in club membership at that level, not just a few benefitting. I'm sure it was a roaring success for a brief moment in time....
I hope the club reads some threads on CT, there are some interesting thoughts on here.
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I wonder what plan CC Ltd has to deal with this downturn.
I think it's called a "Head in the Sand" plan. Lot of it about at the moment at all levels of society from right at the top of Government to the young mother in the village I was talking to today who believes her Amazon Prime and Netflix subscriptions are "absolute essentials" but is worrying how she can afford the food prices.
The mean "Common Sense" indicator for the UK is heading south at an alarming rate.
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A very political thread opening. What Armageddon is this, then? The party governing has been elected, so leave democracy alone, please. Factually incorrect anyway and parliament on holiday so nothing likely to be happening. A complete and utter nonsensical and childish thread opening.
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I called it " Time for Change " no idea who or why its been modified.
The club has no control over CL prices so obviously my proposal would not benefit members who only use CL's however that is a personal choice as is the vast majority who pay the premium of utilising Club Sites, the membership fee allows use of both.
I reiterate my statement that the vast majority renewed their membership (as asked to do) when there were no Sites even open and then when reopened with very restricted conditions and no reduction in fee's. The pandemic was obviously unforeseen and the club had no control of government restrictions but the membership did as asked so I say again its payback time. The balance sheet at this time does not HAVE to show positive.
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Leave it to market forces. The boom in staycations has bust and has already hit other forms of self catering with a reported 11 to 15 percent drop in the price of cottage rentals. In these turbulent times it will be very difficult to set a budget to break even. If there is indeed a downturn in the Clubs' fortunes, a more likely scenario will be an increase in offers to lure folk in especially to the less popular sites.
peedee
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I'm just wondering how the club can forecast its income for the remainder of this financial year and the next as you suggest to balance the books?
Won't speak for anyone else but I kept my membership going to ensure when the pandemic was over there would still be a club. That's my 'payback' and don't forget the discounted vouchers.
People have had probably two chances not to renew their membership so if they were upset they would have left by now.
As I said and PD alluded to let people decide.
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The impression given is that people remained members just out of loyalty to the Club. That may have been true of some but many have tie-ins with the Club that require you to be a member like breakdown and recovery plus other insurances. As to Club prices I tend to agree with what Peedee said that market forces will play their part. The Club have to cover their costs and in current circumstances that will be exceptionally difficult. We know from history that in some years the Club's site network has lost money and it has only be the sale of other services like insurance and ferry bookings that have stopped the Club making an overall loss. We are entering very uncertain times and it is difficult to second guess how the next year will pan out. It seems everyday we are getting higher and higher energy cost forecasts and depending on what support is given there could well be members who currently manage their site bookings comfortably who will be having second thoughts on whether they can afford to continue. So there are pressure on all fronts for both Club and Club members which might not be resolved just by reducing site prices. The problem could be much more profound than that?
David
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The OP seems to assume that the CAMC is still a club.
Having been a member since 1979, I can't recall when it mutated into a business, but it certainly has been a gradual process, accelerated over the last 10 - 15 years. As such, profit will come first.
Thank goodness there are no shareholders (yet).
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Not all of us chose to renew. I didn’t, purely based on the fact that I wasn’t happy at the time with some of the decisions the Club took during the first few months of the pandemic. So ultimately, we had a few months as non members, throughout the time the Sites were closed and travel restrictions in place.
It’s up to the individual to determine their priorities, and deciding what is and isn’t important to them. Many will have chosen to pay their fees regardless, and if that’s good for them, then it’s nothing to do with me. The Club operates on a commercial basis nowadays, so my decision was similar from our personal point of view. We subscribe to a few Membership schemes, such as NT, HHA, Cadw, and we looked at what each were doing, decided what we wanted to keep, where we could save and took action accordingly.
Its going to be a lot easier for some to look at Memberships in the next few months. Heat a home, feed the family or ditch some of the extras that are desirable rather than essential.
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I agree with what you say and I think this year will be the last year we will use CC sites as often as the CCC is getting to be far more member orientated even with mid week discounts in this site the CCC site we used with our age reduction was cheaper and the disabled facilities more user friendly
With the deposit system being implemented the USP of this club will have gone it may ?stop what some perceived as block bookings but with age comes for many health problems that could well need short notice cancellation and it has not yet been explained to the members how it will be addressed , speaking to a CCC manager it with them is very easy to sort out and at this time cheaper
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Yes there has been a profound shift.
Now that older people are stressed and stretched by the rising costs of home heating by gas and electricity, and by escalating food costs, and by high diesel and petrol prices, and by the prospect of ever increasing inflation …they aren’t going to take much notice if site prices are reduced - they will simply give up this very expensive hobby. And younger people won’t take it up.
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There was absolutely no inference of a political statement in my subject title.
Parliament is not on holiday as was suggested, it is in Recess - not the same.
I am pleased to see this thread has attracted various opinions and hopefully will be seen by the policy makers in G.T. 🤔
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Oh wow, hit a nerve there!
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I guess you didn’t see the first bit, Gray😀
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Why are you responding to me? Did you intend that this was a response to Tinwheeler?
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No, TW, I did see it. It was political, of course, but I don't give an opinion about its veracity.
My point was only to reflect my amusement at obbermockle's reaction, which, with or without the censored comments, made me laugh out loud; it struck me as somewhat OTT!
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Hi
I responded to you to explain without repeating my opening statements the background to the post,I did this under the misapprehension that you had not seen the full version, but I now see that you had.
Apologies for any confusion I may have inadvertently caused.
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A degree of profit is good, especially if philanthropically used. Sadly, I fear the World is very sadly short on philanthropy at the moment. Applies to relatively small companies, as well as the obscene profits being raked in by such as the big energy companies. With wealth comes responsibility and a need for fairness. Otherwise only those that can afford, can partake. Everyone else falls by the wayside….. or fails to survive🤷♀️
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Change is going to be coming soon. Every Member will be analysed, and penetrated in terms of value to Club, what outfits we use, what products and services we use…….https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/about-us/work-for-us/head-office/vacancies/commercial-analyst-support/
I can safely say, we are worth diddledy squat, not worth the effort in terms of Club spend🤣🤣
It’ll be back to referrals for Membership soon, “does this applicant warrant becoming a Member ie will they spend enough to ensure Club coffers are well lined?” Please provide two references…….😎
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