Changing sites once booked
Can anyone tell me if there is a way to change a site on a booking without losing your deposit?
We plan to travel down to the South West again soon, and it's a long drive. Sometimes traffic plays havoc with your plans and under the old system we've been able to change a booking to a nearer site when we're running out of time.
Can I do this under the new booking system or am I forced to race to get there on time if I want to keep my deposit?
I know there is a thread with 320 pages about the new booking system but I'm hoping someone can answer this quick question. Thanks
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Are you serious?
Page 30 of the current Sites Directory and Handbook clearly states that a deposit will be fully refunded "if you cancel or amend your booking at least 21 days before arrival". Haven't you seen that?
Obviously, if you cancel less than 21 days before arrival you lose your deposit.
I find it very surprising that you were able to change a booking so easily on a particular day "under the old system" when you were "running out of time".
The easy solution is to allow yourself plenty of time so that you are not "forced to race there". Why would anyone want to do that and risk endangering themselves and other road users by driving irresponsibly? No one else is actually forcing you to do so.
Surely it is possible to plan a journey aiming to arrive at a site perhaps late afternoon or early evening. You must be aware that you are able to arrive until 8 pm so by choosing a site at which you should arrive earlier you could probably be there even with hold ups before 8. At the worst, if you have chosen a site with a late arrivals area you should be OK whatever time you arrive. Of course, Club policy (and common courtesy) is that every effort should be made to let site staff know if you will be arriving after 8 pm.
I'm sorry if you don't like my comments.
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You can phone the head office call centre - if it is within their opening hours - and ask if they can alter your booking.
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If you cancel just say the first night then you would lose the deposit for that one night and I assume pay a new deposit or all the price for the new site.
From the FAQs
What happens if I cancel one night or more of my stay within 21 days of arrival?
If you cancel one night or more of your stay (i.e. make an amendment) within 21 days of arrival, you’ll lose the deposit value for those nights cancelled from your original booking (this is prorated using the value that each cancelled night represents of the total price of that stay - for example, if you cancel the first night of a two night stay and the first night represents 40% of the total price of the stay, then you will lose 40% of the deposit paid).If you amend your stay by ‘shifting the dates’ within 21 days of arrival, you will lose the deposit value for each night cancelled from your original booking, and you may be required to pay a new deposit for each new night added.
If I was in a similar position I would look to break the journey up and not have to rush if any expected delays happen. Hope for the best, plan for the worst, but it's your choice.
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Obviously, if you cancel less than 21 days before arrival you lose your deposit.
As I read the T&C’s you don’t, not if you switch to another site on the same day.
Therefore what the OP suggests should be possible without penalty. Slightly different, as we don’t have a booking, but we occasionally do the same on a long run over there. It would however require you to get through to the CC on the phone to sort out. I understand that can take quite a while at the moment. Plus of course not possible on a weekend or bank holiday.
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Sorry (and to pmgaskell) - it seems that I was wrong about losing your deposit if you want to make a change of site for the same date.
However, it does seem risky to try to change a booking en-route. Presumably, it would mean speaking to someone at Head Office, which could be very difficult, and there being availability at a convenient site.
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Things can go awry with travel plans. We were driving back home from Cornwall with the caravan. Traffic was absolutely horrendous. Probably both summer traffic plus accidents. We were getting nowhere fast. It was just ridiculous to try and continue journey, especially with young child on board. So we just pulled into a club site that was on our way. No phone call. No pre booking. Had they got a pitch, please? Yes, no problem. We were very thankful to be able to stop.
This is one of the issues with current system, and way we have to book ahead in uk.It is not sensible to drive when too tired.
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Not knowing the OP's starting point, destination and travel dates makes precise advice difficult however looking at CAMC sites in Gloucestershire and Somerset for April and May there is currently availablity at Cheltenham Racecourse, Tewkesbury (except for one Saturday), Bristol Baltic Wharf, and Hurn Lane, Burham-on-sea - all of which are within 20 minutes from the M5.
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……and numerous CLs.
If the journey is really long, I’d plan to stop overnight en route rather than leave things up in the air.
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I understand where you are coming from. It used to be very easy to drop into a Club Site enroute, and get the staff to alter your booking, adding a night at the enroute Site, and taking a night off your destination Site. I doubt the system will allow you to do this now without a penalty of some sort.
So if you are outside the 21 day cut off, best to phone HQ, get them to sort out an enroute site, and take off a day at your destination, hopefully you shouldn’t lose anything other than precious time spent on the phone to HQ. As Tinny says, best to actually plan a stop nowadays, unless you are happy finding a CL.
Its all part of the Club’s wonderful new customer friendly system. Let’s hope at some point there might be someone on the end of the bookings line on Sat and Sunday as well as mid week. 🤔 or perhaps there is, I could be mistaken🤷♀️
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Scroll down and see here for all the details regarding deposits.
https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/booking-experience/
It's very unlikely, in answer to your question except in exceptional circumstances. As others have said it's best to make your own contingency plans, eg an extra night somewhere.
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Assuming the OP has not booked yet it's only common sense surely to stop en route rather than racing to a final destination and turning up "cream crackered"!
If the OP would let us know details of their start and end points I'm pretty sure there'd be no shortage of suggestions for stopping off points.
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But that takes a bit of planning, not just "" Oh, we'll head to that Devon Club site and get there sometime". There is no indication of how long the OP intends on the club site, so one night spent away from planned destination may be 15% of the time on it so making the stay there not as attractive a proposition considering the distance travelled got get there.
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That’s where forethought comes into the equation.
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Spot on, TW. The OP has obviously done the journey before so should have so idea of how long it will take, even with the normal holdups, so should be able to plan a stop over one would think.
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