10% off offer
I see the Club is offering 10% off selected sites for a restricted period, though I would see if any were of interest, and one is, however there are several restrictions......min 3 night stay....OK........only between certain dates......OK, fits with what we wanted........but must book 21 days ahead.......so no use for anyone who makes a last minute decision, not that say 20 or even 10 days is exactly last minute.
What did surprise me is that 2 of the sites in Scotland are ones that I had thought were popular and well used.......Melrose and Stonehaven.
Only 22 days till we are thinking to set off, nothing booked as yet, will need to make some decisions soon!
Comments
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From the T&Cs -
Minimum 21 full days advance purchase
Does that mean full up front payment 21 days in advance? If it does it’s still better than many commercial sites.
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As a long time user of Melrose I've noticed the new deposits have changed the booking pattern. It used to be booked up far in advance now it's about six weeks though still full when it comes round when we've been there, for example September is well booked up while October isn't.
TW, it's confusing but then it states: Fully refundable deposit and free cancellations up to 21 days before arrival.
As there have been recent threads about inputting wrong dates be careful here:
if I book the Autumn Getaways promotion, can I later amend the booking?
No. As per the Terms and Conditions, these promotions are non-amendable - so please choose carefully your travel dates, thank you.
But as always... if it's what you want then it could be a good deal, if not walk away.
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Cheers, Corners. It certainly doesn’t look straightforward 😕
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Not very complicated - last night I booked a week away at a site we wanted to go to in 4 weeks time. The only quibble - the final checkout and emailed invoice doesn't show the breakdown, or if the discount was applied. A bit of maths shows it was. As it's 4 weeks away I only paid the deposit - who knows what might happen!
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But, as Corners showed, you cannot amend a discounted booking. Therefore, it is different to the usual booking terms and a complication to be considered.
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10% of an already high price isn’t such a great offer.
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Does anyone know how to book a stay commencing 15th September, 21 days in advance?🤷♀️
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I wondered that but it seems we’re late to the party as the offer's been around since July. Who knew, eh? 🤷🏻♂️
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Yes...quite. OH just happened upon it on Facebook yesterday, clicked on "learn more" and got nothing, so posted a question which was replied to by a staff member, giving a link to this offer.
Almost as if they did not want members to know about it!
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We were thinking about using Balbirnie in Fife to visit friends, we checked it out several weeks back, the price was fairly reasonable for the dates we needed, but we were not ready to book back then as other things had to be decided first.
Looking at prices now, OH reckons the price has gone up, but a 10% discount would bring it back to around what it was before.
So not really much of a "discount" due to this "dynamic pricing" business as far as we are concerned. Only considering it as there are no suitable CLs in the area.
We would much prefer consistent prices, clearly displayed, though as we rarely use Club sites it does not affect us that much. Just makes us less likely to use any.
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Thanks for that clarification, I had no idea. I recall getting a few emails, but obviously wasn’t paying too much attention at the time. Straight into bin usually.🤨
Whydo even the offers have to have so many T&C’s attached? It puts me off straight away. ☹️
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I don’t get emails, obviously, but there are times when CAMC makes little effort to publicise things and can rival the Civil Service for red tape and rules 🫤
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There is an "Offers" flag at the top of the main website page, on a PC it remains there all the time. All details there.
David
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Kjell, the 'dynamic pricing' element is so confusing...always up and never down, only offset by offers with obscure T/C.
I was looking at Black Knowl prices a few days back and 2024 prices (untweaked by DP) are actually lower than this weeks prices.
when we get to next year no one will have a clue what the starting level was...
of course, we each have to decide at the time of booking whether the deal is a good one or not, for those that don't book (sufficiently) early that answer might well more likely be 'no' if prices creep up towards departure time...
personally, I don't like the use of two systems to vary the prices...if there are offers why not just drop the prices, it seems simple enough for the club to raise them, but then it would be difficult to impose those extra T/C is the price panel just changed🤷🏻♂️
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always up and never down
not quite true, a few of us have posted that prices do go down depending upon when you book BB, in fact this 10% off is an example, as of course is your example
...are actually lower than this weeks prices...
If one books now then those are the prices?
No one will have a clue? why not? There will be a confirmation email and one can compare the prices nearer the time. I do just for fun and it is cheaper. In fact I think it was Steve(?) who did this a while back and it was cheaper the earlier one books, as the club stated a while back.
The club will drop prices and offer offers with extra T&C in order to sell pitches at times when it wants to get extra income, just like any other business, why not? As a club site user I don't have any problems with the club doing that.
Some people will benefit from these offers, and DP, while others who won't be attracted can find those sites which are cheaper and better.
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Always up and never down
not quite true, a few of us have posted that prices do go down depending upon when you book BB, in fact this 10% off is an example, as of course is your example
...are actually lower than this weeks prices...
Youve missed the point....perhaps I should have written, 'this weeks prices are higher than those for next year"....this is the real Club effect of DP.
If one books now then those are the prices?
No one will have a clue? why not? There will be a confirmation email and one can compare the prices nearer the time. I do just for fun and it is cheaper. In fact I think it was Steve(?) who did this a while back and it was cheaper the earlier one books, as the club stated a while back.
again, you've missed the point...I was referring to customers not knowing what the prices started at when they were first published...upto a year back.
The club will drop prices and offer offers with extra T&C in order to sell pitches at times when it wants to get extra income, just like any other business, why not? As a club site user I don't have any problems with the club doing that.
Some people will benefit from these offers, and DP, while others who won't be attracted can find those sites which are cheaper and better.
which they are doing....
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No I haven't missed any points BB, to answer your bold points
Prices for next year are cheaper (down) than next years, book early - DP. So prices do go down. The prices for these offer sites have gone down have they not?
Some, quite a few I suspect will know what the original prices are, some won't, and of course I would suspect most won't care at all as they'll either book or not, and of course they do in good enough numbers.
Indeed they are and why not if there's better and cheaper out there as suggested? but club are sites are full enough, look at Black Knowl (which you talked about) for September.
But it's an offer, those who actually use club sites and can avail of the timings will take them. Personally as such a user I have no problems with the club being run in this way. I might miss out or I might save some money but that's just the way things are generally with all holiday bookings.
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We are opted out of emails, although I guess these are sent to all Members. I do check the “offers” page as well thanks DK, but infrequently.
Too many hoops to jump through for our circumstances at the moment, so it’s no big deal, if we miss anything.
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Speaking personally, I find the smoke and mist application towards pricing very off putting. Widely used of course across the tourist trade, booking train tickets is similar. The only time I engage is if I know I can get a proper bargain, such as an £8 ticket from Doncaster to Edinburgh, or a Cornish Riviera Sleeper ticket from Paddington to Penzance for £20. Proper bargains. The piffling changes the Club offer aren’t in this territory. And even more galling, you have to pay a Membership fee to actually engage.
Spent last night looking at cottages for December. We shall book something a few days before the off, and I know I will find a very late bargain that will be cheap.
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Just off topic but we have a holiday booked with TUI for next February, very unhelpfully there's a family event just been organised so we looked into moving the holiday back by one week. Of course they said but a £50 admin fee for both
but the holiday would be £400 cheaper??? I asked why and they just said the magic words DP and they want to sell more holidays at that time. 1 -
February and November are traditionally “quiet” cottage months Corners, so you can get some good bargains. Excellent result there though, simply changing your dates😁
My chosen modus operandi is to leave it as late as possible, then contact cottage owners direct (most have their own website away from booking agencies). That way, I can ask a few questions, negotiate and not pay any booking fees. It’s often possible to get a two/three bedroom cottage a good bit cheaper if it’s for a couple only using one bedroom. Been doing this for years, so have some good contacts at nice places to stay. The owners are usually very happy just to have someone filling in a late week, so happy to offer a very decent price.
Edit…just realised it’s not a cottage you have booked Corners, but still a good result👍
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Well, OH has finally managed to book Balbirnie for 4 nights in October........much more complicated than previous booking system of course, but not helped by the software automatically filling in my mobile number, then telling her it was not entered correctly. Took her a while to work out what it did not like.
£20 deposit paid and box unticked for paying on arrival. £23.31 per night.
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That sounds like a bargain, Kj 👍🏻
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It is not bad TW, though it is a rather dingy site, a LOT of trees, but we have old friends to visit not so far away and there are no decent CLs any closer to them. There is a real shortage of CLs all over Scotland.
We have used Balbirnie once before, many years back, not sure if it has had any upgrade since then, I seem to remember it was rather "rustic" ! No serviced pitches, not that we need one. We will be out and about, so not too bothered about all the trees.
Just as a comparison, we have also booked a fully serviced pitch on a really nice holiday park just outside Crieff for the week before we go to Balbirnie, all their pitches are serviced, and that costs £26 per night, which is very good too.
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Kjell, there is a nice open area on the left just after the toilet block before one goes down the hill to the pitches at the back of the site. At that time of the year there will be few leaves on the trees anyway, so the site will not be over dark.
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Friends of ours have just booked a very nice glamping pod, fully ensuite on East Coast for only £58 for two nights. Proper bargain. Meanwhile, we will be paying just under £74 for two nights at Clumber……….🤔
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It is quite a while since we were last at Balbirnie, but I think that may well have been the area we were pitched in last time, if I remember correctly there was maybe a footpath through to the toilet block at some point?
It was earlier in the year when we were there, so , as you say, would have been more leaves on the trees then.
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From what I've seen, published prices for a year in advance will have increased in the way they always do, the club adds a percentage to its 'weekend/bank holiday/school holiday' prices for the corresponding previous year. The difference between todays 'this years' prices and next years is that this years have risen beyond their original level due to DP as we approach the due date.
This has given the impression that next years prices are lower than now. In absolute terms that's correct, but really this is the club raising this years 'last minute' prices for those who don't book early.
To my mind, this is the opposite of what DP should be doing...prices should drop gradually (in, say, the last week to 10 days) to attract last minute customers. However, the club prefers to 'discourage' last minute customers (those who don't/won't/can't book early) by raising prices and then send out an 'offer' email...🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
offers are great, but why there are always so many T/C attached I don't know. In some cases these alone will put folk off. Folk aren't daft, they will realise that these Club offers are really only offsetting the price rises that their version of DP has applied.
To continually bombard members with offers must mean that sales are lower than expected and this is likely to be a result of prices. The club must realise (you would think) that many customers are still finding things tight and are leaving decisions to tour (or not) close to the last minute.
For the club to be raising prices at the very point that these members are making this decision is only going to send that decision in one direction.
an 'offer' email a few days later won't save the day as the boat will have sailed for those looking for a specific date and finding the price too high.🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
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That offer I mentioned above is via the Club. An Experience Freedom Glamping Cabin, booked very last minute at an excellent discount, because they haven’t filled the cabins, so DP working as I understand it.
The Club is aware that it has a captive pitch booking core, happy to book a pitch at whatever prices it chooses to advertise. Hence the ridiculous situation of being able to stay in a fully furnished, heated, TV provided, electricity provided, ensuite little unit, for £16 a night less than some squares of of hardcore, with a walk to the loo and shower, and bring your own bed, cooker, hook up cable and chairs.
I would challenge the Club to do a trial of seriously discounting last minute pitches at a very good discount, and see what the results show. And don’t stick in all the ridiculous T&C’s that are so off putting.
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