Has the club made the right move?
Comments
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It looks to me as if GE is asking the question and not making a suggestion.
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+1.
And that mirrors my experience down the years, even on sites such as Seacroft.
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I don't think that GandG are seeking to be divisive at all, but what from what I have seen many motorhomers and caravanners do use sites differently.
Caravanners have a car which enables them to have the freedom to drive where they want once on site. Of course many Motorhomers will also drive off the site, but others will prefer to stay pitched and use local buses to get around, something that a caravanner probably wouldn't do. There are other differences too, all of which are down to personal choice and individual needs, and I think the Club does a good job in catering for most, but will never appeal to everyone.
No ones being divisive here.
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You have missed my point ....Club sites ARENT destination sites which is why (when compared to such sites) the VFM decision is a harder one to quantify...
you could (just about) argue that Seacroft and Hillhead are 'destination' sites but having used both Id say they are still well behind some we've used (here and abroad).
with both clubs offering (in the main) 'bare bones' sites that have just a toilet block and a hook up, stumping up £40+ (and at some sites £50+) for 'a place to park' is become harder to reconcile hence the frequent references to folk using (switching to) CL and/or commercials.
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Your benchmark price for an 'average' club sites always appear to be around £40+, however this isn't the case at all BB. Of course there's a huge difference between peak and off peak but I've only paid £40+ for club sites with a service pitch this year. In August in Scotland the price was around £35 which is far nearer the average in peak I would say.
yes Seacroft and the like are even higher but that's because they have pools and a restaurant bar... and of course while the standard of a site is subjective and in my view they are very good and compare well with aboard sites. Even Concierge Camping doesn't appear that better than a club site yet treble the price at times?
But as always club prices and sites are what they are, if one finds better use them? But become harder to reconcile that's a personal view of course and from what I've seen this year occupancy isn't below previous years allowing for the staycation spike.
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I wasn’t actually responding to any particular point you made as talk of "destination sites" was made earlier than your post so I haven’t missed your point.
However, VFM is subjective and, as you say, hard to quantify. I think we need to accept that what one person sees as terrific VFM, another will consider expensive. I guess it all depends on ones financial situation as well as what one seeks from a site. Therefore, VFM becomes something of an insubstantial and mythical element.
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Btw, BB, you have misrepresented my words. I said nothing about some members being well heeled or well off. Those are your words, not mine.
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Black Knowl is at the top of the price list due to various fantastic factors and as such I can't see how it's taken to be an average club site and representative of most club sites.
I've just checked five other club sites we've recently been to this year that are more run of the mill and they're about £37 this weekend and then even less going forward.
But even at the prices quoted for BK, taking at look at availability into September on a standard pitch there's no more than four consecutive nights free at any on time (later in the month) and dropping down to £39 by the end, while on a service pitch (which are all full this weekend) it's £54 - £44 there is only two consecutive nights free.
Grass with awning follows a similar pattern till later on in September.
So these prices don't appear to be putting people off in any way.
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Why is it necessary to label people who choose to spend their money in a certain way 'well heeled' ?
One could argue that motorhomers are 'well heeled' as motorhomes tend to be more expensive than caravans.
Is someone who shops at Tesco 'well heeled' when theres a Lidl next door, or drives a BMW when a Skoda would suffice?
Those who label others have no idea how they fund their touring, or what savings they make elsewhere in order pay for what they like.
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Motorhoming and caravanning in the UK these days is not a cheap hobby.
I agree, folk can choose to fund their touring in any way they like...we've seen folk who have sold their homes to buy a large MH and live the dream...but at the end of the day, it still has to be funded somehow and todays prices are moving quickly away from those of the recent past.
as above, it's now not a cheap hobby and it requires a certain level of 'financial security' to be able to do it at the level that many of us do. Whether that means we (I) am 'well heeled' I don't know.🤷🏻♂️ what I do know is that I am happy to shop around in many areas and campsite prices is just one of those areas.
BTW, I shop at Aldi as it offers the best VFM IMHO.🛒
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I'd hardly consider any CAMC site facilities to be classed as "luxury". I've recently written a review on Seacroft. Yes it has a pool and a bar but the toilet and shower facilities are well past their best. No hot water after 9am.
We occasionally need to amend a booking largely because of my wife's work in the NHS. I've got into the habit now of only booking for 1 person and adding in the extra person for the requisite number of nights when I get there. If she knows she has to leave early we take both cars and I get a little rest and relaxation with the dog.
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Mbee, you are doing exactly what we shall do on our possible one and only use of a Club Site this year. I shall book us into Clumber the night before we set off, booking for just the one of us, and then I shall pop into reception and pay for me on arrival. That way, if I cannot turn up, the Club aren’t benefitting financially from my unfortunate circumstances. It’s only going to be for two nights anyway, and looking at availability, we might not even need to book a night ahead as there’s nothing down as “low availability”.
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Good news!
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David
It does beg the question as to what the Club see as something that should be refunded? I have just read a review on the Start Bay site and I quote part:-
"Sadly 4 days into the holiday I took poorly. We had to get home quickly as I needed emergency eye surgery for a detached retina so we left the caravan on the pitch. My husband had to travel back down (from Northumberland)a couple of days after my op to collect the caravan. Disappointingly we were charged a £110 early cancellation fee as we didn’t give them 3 days notice only 2. Considering we had paid over £700 for a 2 week stay and hadn’t left by choice we were a bit gutted. We did appeal but to no avail. All in all not one of our better holidays"
Now, obviously, I am not in a position to confirm the facts as I can only go be what has been written but I think most would agree that a Detached Retina is a pretty serious condition? I also appreciate that it is the balance of a holiday rather than just a deposit but surely the same amount of generosity should be applied to both situations but clearly the Club see it differently.
David
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Nellie
I can't imagine that to be the case as I somehow doubt that beyond Rowena and the media team that anyone knows who the moderators are on this group within the wider Club machine? It seems from what both David and WTG have said that in the case of a breakdown situation they are willing to allow the deposit to be postponed for want of a better phrase to be used at a later stage. So in those situations the Club are not really losing anything as the members who benefit from it will use the voucher against another stay. The key word being voucher, not a refund. The poor lady with the serious eye problem it was a triple whammy as not only did she need a serious operation, she lost half her holiday and the Club appears to have been somewhat harsh in how they have approached it especially as her husband had an exceptionally long drive to recover that caravan. Maybe had Green Flag been involved they could have had the van delivered back home on a low loader. In such situations there is always a lack of fine detail. However the real difference between the two is a refund of site fees would be a loss to the Club.
Maybe I have some sympathy with the lady involved because I have just had to cancel the best part of our 17 day trip to the West Country because Margaret's hip problem has flared up which makes it difficult for her walk far. ( we are waiting results of a scan) . I just cancelled the CMC site on line and had to phone the the C&CC to cancel their site. I was not expecting anything from either. Worse still was a commercial site where we had paid in advance and that was a lot of money we won't see again!
David
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David, sorry to read that your wife is again having problems with her hip and that you have had to cancel your bookings. My comments were tongue in cheek, but it appears to me that the club is not sympathetic where health issues are concerned.
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I agree David. A detatched retina seems like a good enough reason. Perhaps there is a reason why... or perhaps the appeals people were not aware ofcthexfull story??
Sorry to read about Margarets ongoing chip problem and that you've had to canel a trip out. Good wishes to you both.
David
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I am very surprised that the caravanners mentioned above by DK drove all the way home to Northumberland. For those of you who are unaware of the seriousness of a detached retina, let me recount my own experience.
It all started one afternoon during the early days of Covid, Wednesday 28th April 2020 to be exact. Mid afternoon, whilst sat on the settee, I suddenly thought "My nose seems to have grown! Realising it hadn't I decided to ring the Optician at our local Asda the following morning. Early the following morning I did ring and the receptionist said that due to Covid they were not accepting any patients but she promised the Optician would ring as soon as he arrived
The Optician called before 10.00am and he was brilliant. He quickly diagnosed the likelihood that it was a detached retina and that it was very serious and potentially life changing. Asking me to describe if the fuzziness was still in the lower part of my eye, he stated if this fuzziness had already reached the centre of my eye then it was already too late and I would lose sight in that eye. It needed urgent surgery
He needed to contact the local NHS trust who would contact me later that day. They rang early pm and gave an appointment with local NHs top ophthalmologist for the next day.
The following day the Ophthalmologist agreed with the Asda man and he then rang the Eye Hospital in Liverpool. I was then told if I could get to Liverpool by 1.00pm they would operate that afternoon
So a few hours later I was in theatre with a surgeon drilling lots of holes in my eye in order to inject gas to push the retina back into place. It was amazing to be able to see the end of the drill bit actually turning whilst in my eye and then later the thread used in stitching
So luckily my sight was saved. I do think that it would have 24hrs sooner if not for Covid. Without doubt time is of the essence with such eye problems
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MikeyA
I wouldn't disagree but you can only go by what has been written in comments and take them at face value? It would seem sensible to seek local help but some people are not comfortable being in strange places and might prefer to go back to where they are familiar, albeit with the risk associated with it? I suppose we will never know as its unlikely the poster of the review is familiar with Club Together? Glad you had a good outcome to your issue.
David
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