Trusted
Hello everyone this is a warning to all. We tried to get a site over the new year around the Dumfies area nobody had one apart from Glentrool camping and caravan site. Here is or story.
We arranged this trip for two reason one was to spread julies mums ashes around the area she was born and two to get away for a few days after a very upsetting few weeks. We are both pensioners and can not afford to loss over £100 which we paid for this site. On top of all this we had a problem with our tow car which wont be fixed till new year. We made numerous phone calls and emails to Glentrool with no reply apart from one phone call which I was to late to get but rang back strieght away and got a answer phone. We wanted if possible to rearrange the visit to Glentrool but it looks like we will lose over £100 because Glentrool wont answer our request or just can be bothered as they have got our money. they also had the cheek the send email to ask if we enjoyed our holiday the one we never had.
My advice Book a site that is trustworthy in the fact that you can contact them like club sites.
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Comments
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Unfortunately this seems to be par for the course for many of the larger commercial sites. We have had the same experience twice in the last two years because of illness, the first one Covid and the second a mobility problem. Both sites very well known, one in Somerset and the other in Devon were not willing to move or refund which resulted in a heavy loss of money. OK so I signed up to their terms and conditions which were perfectly clear but it still left a nasty taste in the mouth. There are many fine commercial sites out there but unfortunately if you book in advance you are at risk of loosing money as you often have to pay 4/6 weeks before arrival. In future I will be inclined only to book a day or two in advance. Although its not always possible from a location point of view to use a Club site but both Clubs offer T&C's which are much more generous and at worst you are only likely to loose your deposit, not the full payment.
David
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With the uptick in demand for sites (and MH/ caravans) sites have become far tougher on their TC because they can...things may change going forward if demand decreases..
one pays ones money etc...
if you're happy with club sites then this might be the way to go, but spreading your wings for a (perhaps) better product or location could mean tougher T/C.
as David says, we book far later or have built relationships with a few commercials where they are happy for us to pay during (or at end of) the stay.0 -
Whenever we use a commercial type site (rarely in the UK) I always speak to them first to gauge how customer friendly they are.
I ask about their T&Cs, such as can I rearrange if we have sickness or breakdown/accident etc. If the answer is no then I don't book with them, it's as simple as that. If the answer is yes then I send them an email and ask them to confirm it in an email by return.
I appreciate that you've had a tough deal but did you need to scatter the ashes just yet, could it not have waited awhile until the better weather, when you would have had a better choice of sites.
I hope you manage to get a response from them, have you tried to see if they have a Facebook page, I always find a message on there gets a quick reply 😉
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Julie, That’s a lot of money to lose. I would be gutted.
My own tactic with commercial sites was only to phone the night before travel and ask if they had availability for the next day, but pay nothing at all in advance. But that was overseas. Does it work in that way here? Surely in mid winter few sites are full ?
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When we have used commercial sites out of season we have winged it and just tipped up on the day but a call a few hours or the afternoon before has confirmed possibility.
Of course during the summer months a call before possible arrival asking if an impromptu stay is possible is somewhat essential. Don't think we were ever turned down, apart from when site was full, but we have been asked to turn up early and not leave it to last minute. Never needed to pay anything in advance in these instances.These strategies are also acceptable on club sites but I guess a little easier for motorhomers regardless of club site or not. We always have had several other options available to us but never needed that last ditch lay-by. I guess holding a particular mindset is helpful.
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I can see why people plan ahead as it gives a sense of purpose and something to look forward to, not everyone is comfortable doing things on an ad hoc basis. Leaving things to the last minute might be fine if its a one off trip but more difficult if its part of a longer tour where force of circumstance might dictate you book (and pay in advance) on some sites? I expect its an issue that will never be resolved whilst the majority of customers are prepared to book and pay in advance. The only future problem I can see for sites that insist on operating that way is the march of the motorhome as owners of such vehicles are probably less likely to book so far in advance and it will be interesting to see if this impacts on business practise?
David
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I agree with much of what you say, David but not so much with your longer tour notion. If you mean a classic ‘touring caravan holiday’ I’d agree. However, as many of our longer trips used to be very much planned but not necessarily down to the specific nights and specific sites level, that detail was much more fluid. This mode of touring became more difficult post lockdown but not impossible and judging by our more recent observations may well become much easier once more. We loved, as did many others, this style of touring. I can, however, see that others may need security of booking and do not have the ability or confidence to be more spontaneously in their holidaying.
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UK only travel insurance is available at a price. In some cases where the prepaid cost of your stay is high it may be worth having but quite often it is not helpful because of the initial outlay and claims excess. As in this case one simply has to "self insure" and accept the loss. The advice given by Tammygirl is good and one thing worth noting is that unless the T&C's are prominently displayed and available prior to contract they are not applicable to either party.
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Booking terms and conditions are what they are for every company. You either go with them or you don’t. The Club in many ways is no different, and we know that folks who have booked Club Sites and then cancelled inside 21 days have lost their deposits, or in some lucky instances, had a credit voucher issued or carried over. The canny are simply not getting embroiled in the deposit scenario, and if happy to do so, are either just turning up, or checking availability and only booking night before or morning of departure. Goes for all pitch providers in our case, not just the Club. That way, we know if anything happens on the day of departure (unable to set off, sudden illness, very bad weather) there’s no loss of monies. Accept that this mode won’t suit some folks, in which case, you either take the loss, or take out UK travel insurance.
This time of year isn’t easy to contact many businesses, and it’s hard luck on the OP’s with their car problems. But it could have been bad weather, illness etc…. I’d simply ring or email Glentrool today, (not a Bank Holiday) and see if anything could be sorted. Criticising Glentrool on a public forum, over a minimally staffed bank holiday period isn’t going to achieve anything.
There are quite a few decent CLs, open all year and with toilets and showers, in the D&G area, for future reference.
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These are Glentrool's T&Cs. It’s stated that the deposit/full booking amount is non-refundable. It's hard luck on J&F, and quite stringent but something we all take a chance on when we pay anything up front but maybe an arrangement can be made.
We stayed at that site about 45 years ago when it was just pitches amongst the trees and we were eaten by mankilling midges. It’s changed a bit!
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I have never booked a commercial campsite in advance that didn't require you to tick a box saying you have read and agreed to the booking T&C's. (even the CMC require you to do that) The majority are the same or a variation of the T&C's posted by TW. Although we are looking at one instance, I am sure these campsites get several "challenges" a year with people wanting a refund because they couldn't make it to the campsite?
David
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Well, I’ve never seen such Ts&Cs quite as dogmatic as this, having said that in all my years of being a C&MC member I’ve never sought out their Ts&Cs, never felt the need. I guess these will have changed since the introduction of deposits so I’ll have to find them in order to make a comparison.
Not found them yet, I’ll keep looking!0 -
Plenty do enter into such contracts as evidenced by some of the comments in this thread. I agree with everything DK has said and especially his post at 10:23 this morning on page 1.
I always planned well ahead and, even for long tours, contrary to Micky it seems, I will book the entire package. I like order and certainty and sometimes that ends up costing. It's a risk you take and all those who say - why would anyone do this - I say that some of us like to know where we shall be laying our head each night and like to have all their ducks in a neat and tidy row. I do not expect everyone to be like me and I know that some like to be free spirits and go where the fancy takes them. I respect that. Equally those of that ilk have to accept that we are not all the same and not be so supercilious about implying that their way of doing things is the only sensible one. The notion of phoning a site the night before, for example, is a total anathema to me. I can't live hand to mouth.
The Office of Fair Trading does not exist any more and those three documents you refer to have all been withdrawn. In any case, OFT668 was to do with package holidays and OFT734 was to do with static holiday caravans; the scope of both is defined in the documents and would not be relevant to this case. Moreover, in any case, they were not law - merely guidance. I am, no expert, but as far as I can see, the nearest document now is the Unfair Contract Terms Guidance CMA37 issued by the Competition and Markets Authority. Reading key parts of that it seems to me that if the terms are clear, and the contract is ended by the customer, rather than the trader, then as a broad general rule, it is unlikely that the customer would have any comeback. That is putting it in a nutshell, but it is how I see it. I am not saying it is fair, and I have sympathy with the OP but it is what it is.
In any case, I think the main complaint of the OP is that the site could not be contacted until it was too late to get any recompense. If they'd been able to give some notice some refund might have been available. It would much annoy me to be unable to contact the site and is not a good way to run a business.
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I did say they were quite stringent, Micky.
You'll find CAMC’s as shown.
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Here you go Micky, loads of stuff for you to wade through.
https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/booking-experience/There have been lots of changes and updates since they were introduced some 15 months ago, and the Club have provided natty little videos of “how to…” which has cleared some of the murk and miasmic wading through everything.
Best advice I can give? Don’t book in advance unless you really need to, and check out availability as many Club Sites simply aren’t as busy as the used to be, so there’s often no need to book at all.
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I booked a site had to cancel due to breaking my foot 18 days before my holiday, as I'm on my own I obviously couldn't drive. I lost my deposit which although only £20 I felt was no very fair. If the same happens in the future I'll cancel the day before the booking starts as far as I'm concerned CAMC have shot themselves in the foot, I cancelled as soon as possible so the pitch could be rebooked! Will not be doing that again! Yes I know £20 isn't much for some people but if I'm going to lose it I'll wait until last minute!!!
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That’s not very considerate to any fellow members seeking to book a pitch!
I’m sorry you had an accident and lost your deposit but you did agree to those terms when you booked. Did you contact CAMC and explain what had happened? They sometimes issue a voucher if they feel the circumstances warrant it.
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Always amuses me that you have to tick the box to accept the t's & c's before you can book then moan that those terms aren't fair. In light of the OP's unfortunate circumstance it shows that both clubs terms are very fair.
JK
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https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/booking-terms-and-conditions/
Thanks folks, now found, it’s a bit long winded, if that’s not an oxymoron! Not an easy read or I guess an easy implementation. It’s just that we hear, by word of keyboard, that some seem to have more ‘luck’ in their claims for recompense than others. Is it a case of those that argue loudest, longest and most eloquently may have more success? I do hope not, Ts&Cs should be clearly understood and equally applied to all in my opinion.
In retrospect I’m reminded of that old adage, we should be careful of what we wish for. The genie is out of the bottle!
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Did you miss my earlier post, Micky? It’s dead easy to find 😀
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I’m talking about the finding of it, not the content, Micky.
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👍🏻😀
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I can, however, see that others may need security of booking and do not have the ability or confidence to be more spontaneously in their holidaying.
Those factors don’t really come into it. For our other tour of the year, nothing is booked. However in the UK, it makes for a much more relaxed holiday. We don’t have an extensive Aire network or the plethora of sites that spring up in the season elsewhere. We would much rather spend our time visiting things than sorting out a site for a night, particularly at the weekends or around the May public holidays.
As far as deposits / T&C’s it’s the primary reason for using mainly club sites. Although now we use a lot more of the other clubs, as the USP of this one is no more☹️. We do use commercials but would generally reject one that asked for more than a minimal deposit or if the balance was wanted weeks before. We have however made an exception next year, as we have booked into the Aire at Portmeirion. They require full payment up front, non refundable and non changeable. They do however make this very clear in the T&C’s that come up before you commit. Unfortunately, as they own the only site that gives out of hours access to the village they can write there own rules.
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Portmerion has a USP Steve, one that suits😀.
It’s a very valuable piece of marketing. Worth hanging onto, otherwise you’re just another mediocre player on a big field. IMO………
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The motorhome park at Portmeirion Village does indeed have tough terms which they make very clear up front. But the park is outstanding as are the facilities as one would expect for the price. £75 per night for us and our van. However, when I called to say we would be a day late expecting the worse, they thanked me for letting them know and offered to move our booking on one day at no additional cost, which worked for us. WaytoGo I must have been lucky that day.
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