Non-electric pitches
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Yes, like spending £5.7 million on a new booking system………
The Club had the opportunity to include some new metered bollards at recently refurbished Clumber Park. But they opted for Premium pitches instead. It’s all about raking in as much money as possible, and they have a Membership happy to endorse this if it means they can park up bright shiny new top of range outfits with little or no effort. It was full of huge top end MHs when we stayed, hadn’t seen that many £100,000+ models outside of a show. All plugged in, humming away merrily.
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Good post GJ, and I think that those that use club sites, both MH and caravans, are like you (and me) who want EHU, if they didn't I can't see why they come to club sites when there is almost always an alternative nearby.
The 'green' issue is a different matter and to me may have a more important role to play with meters, but, and I've said this before, do people have the same view about all inclusive holidays, or hotels, B&B, and holiday lets... that have inclusive chagres for energy? I often wonder which uses the greater amount of electricity a campsite or a large hotel?
Yet I haven't seen anyone asking for meters in individual rooms or in such places?
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Catch 22. The money is with its ageing, utility/facility dependent, happy to sit around on site a lot Core membership, mainly in expensive outfits. So that’s where the money goes. But is it future proof, particularly given how the economy is heading at the moment? Younger potential members might not need so much, and hence are looking elsewhere and making their money go further. Certainly that’s what our younger family tell us. In fact, it’s actually what we do.
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Here is an heretical out-of-box idea for us on CT To discuss (The Club will, of course, take absolutely no notice).
Simply, we devise a way that each potential site user provides their own meter (and up-to-date certificate of accuracy). We already have to provide the hook-up cable anyway.
Using wireless (not necessarily wifi) technology the meter unit could register with a central control box on site and provide consumption information. The Caravan Club would have to fund these control units but that would be a mere bagatell compared to the money wasted on rebranding and the current (non)booking fiasco. Biggest issue I see is people trying to defraud the system but you chaps out there may see a way to control that.
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I guess you could cut the grass and clean the facility block as well to save the club money, Nav.
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Yes but the new booking system, although useless/difficult/complicated/... (delete or insert as appropriate and I'm not a fan) could be said to or justified by
a) give people what the have been asking for in terms of pitch choice and deposits?
b) every so often things like this have to bought otherwise we'd all be using outdated and slow software. I've not really looked into the costs but was it all on the software?
It could also be said that the new system is actually a nice little earner for the club, not up to paying for itself but I've paid out about £150 in deposits this past week, that is money upfront that the club has in its bank account which I assume they'll get some interest on or use it for cashflow?
I think I'm pretty average so I wonder how many people have done the same over the last few weeks especially for a long two weeks summer holiday? I've just looked at Seacroft and from 1st July to 25th August it is practically all 'lows' (and I assume that still means five pitches or less left) so a lot of deposits paid up front.
Personally I can't see anything wrong with the club making as much money as possible from those willing to pay it. If the demand is there, and it is, then go for it. Yes I know shame on me for being such a capitalist but I'll just have to live with that.
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To be honest Nav, I find it personally irritating that you cannot be offered an existing pitch at a reduced rate if you don’t hook up. The cry will go up that “people will thieve”, but we know this model exists and we have happily used it down the years.
It’s only on here that we would be considered as potential thieves, no matter that a bright coloured cable would be a dead give away.
A simple designation of certain pitches (another coloured post🤣) as “choice” and staff walking the site as they do would solve most problems. Anyone found transgressing, instant kick out of Club with no refunds.
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In May I stayed on a commercial site near Buxton. Whilst the hardstandings were all inclusive of electric, the grass camping pitches were not. If you wanted electric you purchased a pre payment card to put in a meter which would then allow you to use electric. At the end of your stay you put the card back in and it was credited with whatever hadn't been used. This was refunded by the site. The site was on a farm and it was clearly cost effective for them to install. Maybe not as expensive as CMC claim.
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Over twenty years on sites I've seen two distinct types of club users, in school holidays it's full of young families finding like we did that having a caravan/MH is just as expensive taken over a number of years as one single two week break going on a package holiday each year (and according to reports they have taken off again).
Then just like us those young children grow up and the young parents become the second type of club user, the ones going away in term time and finding it much cheaper than it ever was before - certainly for me anyway.
It's a process I've seen repeated and when talking to others of my age found to be confirmed with others.
Those those children grow up and some, not all, (50% in my case) want to repeat the process all over again, although in a smaller camper van/MH.
The circle of life sort of thing.
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Without doubt Corners, it is a very nice little earner for the Club, in more ways than one, and that’s because they know their core market. I don’t blame anyone for spending what money they have earned, in whatever way they fancy, we all do that one way or another, but I know how lucky I am to be able to do what I want.
I just see the Club as going back to its rather elitist roots, where you had to have a certain amount of disposable income to participate, otherwise go elsewhere, or don’t participate at all. It’s tipped a lot more towards those with lots of money in these past few years, (as have other providers), and I only feel that it’s right to acknowledge this, and wonder just how sustainable in the long term it might be? And wonder why the Club don’t seem to be doing as much for those who don’t have quite as much?
It’s obviously an issue for some, as we see lots more folks now on CLs, giving them a go because of the rising prices. The type of outfits seen on CLs differs in quite a way as well, a lot are older, not as expensive. Same on small private sites as well.
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The answer to this is individual meters on all pitches, then you can choose whether to use electric or not. Plus will encourage site users to be careful with use. Pitch fees reduced accordingly.
Am I dreaming, or have I read somewhere that the club are trialling this at Totnes Steamer Quay?
Presumably you will pay for electric on departure, or it will be invoiced on departure to the account from which you paid your deposit or site fees.
That would be fair, I think.
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Yes certainly right to acknowledge anything anything and good to discuss these any potential issue TDA but I would question why should the club be doing anything significantly more than it currently does to those that can't afford club prices? The prices are what they are and if they are too high for some, or don't give VFM find something that does.
To do otherwise is, in my view, to use club money that comes from 'us' to subsidise others. It is not what I pay my membership and site fees for. I'll pay for my own holidays only. Harsh? yes perhaps although I can't see it really, but when my time comes I won't expect any special treatment or anyone to help me out from their money, I don't see the club as a charity for me or anyone else.
Is it sustainable? Yes I think it is, it is not an old person's club as sometimes suggested and I've seen plenty of younger parents with families using club sites in the holidays, they'll go on to be the 'next generation' of club site users and the cycle continues. In my membership years now at exactly 23 years I've seen prices go up and up and up yet club sites continue to be well used.
I'm not against 'offer's' that bring in money or get people to use club sites when they might not (Kids for a £, MWD...) but not cutting prices just to help out those that do not want to pay for valid reasons what the club is asking.
My first club site cost just under £17 per night, now we go away away as a couple it's just over double that so not too bad really.
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To do otherwise is, in my view, to use club money that comes from 'us' to subsidise others. It is not what I pay my membership and site fees for.
You are already subsidising others for the excessive amounts of electricity they use. On the other hand you might be one of those with an all electric van.
peedee
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We have a pvc. It’s current setup of 100 ah battery, 120 w solar panel but a compressor fridge means we can only go for one night off grid, which we do from time to time.
We largely use CLs, in fact without CLs I doubt we would belong to the Club.
As electricity prices rise, so will pitch prices. We have stayed on sites which meter electricity and we know we use very little. We tend not to camp in winter.
As pitch prices are at present, low users subsidise higher users.
We are seriously considering improving the system in our van ( maybe another battery, maybe lithium) to allow us to off grid for longer. This will allow us to use a different set of CLs. But we are also considering joining the camping and caravan club which has far more not electric pitches, at a far cheaper cost.
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I am in no way doing that and neither is anyone else, the club pays the electricity bill not you or anyone else, isn't that true?.
The club sets the price for a pitch to include EHU and all we have to do is either accept it or not, just like any other holiday provider. What anyone uses is up to them an I have no interest at all in what they use. They like me have paid the price set by the club and what they do with it is up to them
But as you used quite a few club sites recently so you have accepted it as well.
And excessive amounts? Can you define what is an excessive amounts of electricity is PD? And how to achieve this excessive amount? We only have 16A tp 'play with' and even in the deepest winter my heating is quite good set at the 0.9Kw setting. I've said this before I will use whatever electricity I need to enjoy my stay away, are you suggesting I don't put the heating on? Or the others don't use a hairdryer? Do you do that?
Can I ask how you know that others are using excessive amounts? Do you monitor their use or have access to their use in some way?
Actually I do use all electric, we even bought a small air fryer with is far easier than using gas which I don't like. I am on holiday to enjoy myself and not on some form of challenge.
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As my learned friend posted no it's not.
I am completely lost as to the connection between having or wanting pay rise and using a club site. Is one needed for the other in some way?
Also petrol went up by what? More than 10%? energy prices up by whatever, food prices... but these are things that we need for everyday life while going on a club site certainly is not, plenty of other cheaper and better (we are told but I'm not so sure) sites out there so if an extra £4 a night is a massive increase and too much then use them.
That's the problem with percentages, 10% of something sounds a lot but it all depends on the something you start with. I don't think a £4 a night increase over this year to be that bad at all, I'd rather not have any increase but actually it's cup at costa coffee so I'll just do without one of those a day to make up for it, others will think otherwise but that's my point, everyone has to gauge that for themselves, there cannot be a blanket approach.
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The rate of inflation is an average across the board .somethings will go up far more some non so much
Ie the price of energy would have risen in the 100% range. if the government had not intervened, and placed on the countries debt
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We've managed 5% on some of our savings if you spread your money around in small amounts with various banks and building societies, they usually have a max limit of the amount you can put in like £1000/1500 but have enough of them and it's possible.
Post edit I noticed yesterday that Newcastle Building society is offering 4.something % on a one year bond.
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Ok a pint of beer then?
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Again parentages are misleading, they have to apply to a value. You're saying 8.7% is getting on for 10%? Is 8.7 p getting on for 10p - maybe, Is £8.70 getting on for £10? Is £87 getting on for £100, £870 to ...
In any case the price has gone up by £4 or 8.7%, all one has to do is decide to pay it or not. Could be any increase but the same question.
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