Shock - Camping and Caravan Club not to attend show
Listen to the first 6 minutes of Motorhome Matt's latest podcast about this and more.
peedee
Comments
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@peedee I am totally shocked as well, I'm just lost for
But interesting that the same 'gripes' are voiced for the CCC, in fact more. As to the rest I've often said the CCC sites aren't as good as club sites, and the commentary appears to suggest they haven't improved ('same toilet block as 10 years ago' and perhaps now this is (not) paying off.
Our club refurbishes its shower blocks and facilities and this is paying off, just as said some sites are upgrading, being innovative, and charging more, just like ours. Also our name change was talked about positively.
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One day the two Clubs will merge.
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I imagine that it costs tens of thousands for either Club to attend these shows no doubt what they will be looking at is the return on that cost?you have got to sign up a lot of new members to cover that costs perhaps understandably they don't see the expected return.so are questioning how worthwhile it is?
David
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I don't think that this is an unusual decision. All businesses and organisations have a limited marketing budget, and it seems reasonable to explore other ways of drumming up turnover, especially if you have a particular event in mind, such as their 125th anniversary. Afterall, Swift didn't attend the February show for a couple of years, prefering to spend the money on some TV adverts.
I thought the most interesting part of the blog was the the apparent disatisfaction with CCC sites, as I've always understood from many on this forum that CCC sites are the best thing since bread was sliced.
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@TimboC My thoughts exactly, from lots of previous posts on here the CCC get it right while this club doesn't.
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The C&CC seems to be going through a period of many changes since the previous Director retired. It terminated more or less all its overseas programme (Winter Sun; the excellent Winter Rallies; Worldwide Motorhoming; and the rest) and made most of its overseas staff redundant, retaining only a small part of its services.
The Club then parted company with Camping in the Forest sites and a number of franchised sites. Who knows what the new Director and her team are planning for the future. I hope she does not plan to merge it with the CAMC, as Eurortraveller predicts!
As for its sites: I much prefer C&CC sites to CAMC sites (long-time member of both: since 1985 and 1986) for all kinds of reasons. We are on one now. Nothing at all wrong with the facility block; it would match any on CAMC sites. The site is full, and has been all week. In fact, we were able to book for 4 nights only as there was a cancellation.1 -
Ah well, time will tell if it’s the right way to go.
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@Not_going_gentle as TW says time will tell if it's the right way…
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I thought the most interesting part of the blog was the the apparent disatisfaction with CCC sites
That is the way you, @TimboC and @Cornersteady, interpreted it. I thought they were not only criticising the C&CC but the industry in general, hence the need for campsites to inovate.
peedee
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"The site is full, and has been all week. In fact, we were able to book for 4 nights only as there was a cancellation."
Same here at the Dartmouth C&CC site @Not_going_gentle although we did manage to book 14 nights some time ago. Never seen it so busy at this time of year.
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No interpretation needed. From 02.38 the commentry about C&CC goes;
'and campsites are getting a continued bad rep in our comments, all the time. People are saying they are overcharging too, £50 for a piece of grass, and a toilet block that was last decorated 10 years ago'
These comments are specifically about the C&CC, and they are supported by comments on TrustPilot, where they are currently getting an average score of 2.1 stars.
By contrast, this club gets an average of 4.2 stars.
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Absolutely @peedee - spent the whole day hiding from it. Just too hot to do anything😎
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That's just one self-promoting blogger's interpretation of it, as the C&CC sites I have visited and seen these last 6 weeks or so have, for the most part been full or nearly so, and one at least had a site full notice at the gate from early in the afternoon.
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These comments are specifically about the C&CC, and they are supported by comments on TrustPilot, where they are currently getting an average score of 2.1 stars.
By contrast, this club gets an average of 4.2 stars.
Yes they complain about the C&CC but are they specific? That is you interpretation, not mine. Promted by your post I have had a look at Trust Pilot, its not somewhere I go for mature reviews. Interestingly the C&mC has over 12,000 reviews, the C&CC under 500. There must be an awful lot of members (probably content) with nothing to say about the C&CC.
peedee
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We haven’t stayed on any C&CC sites this year, although we have several booked. Although in previous years we have generally found them well populated. I wouldn’t rate them as highly as CAMC sites, however they are perfectly adequate and if they are where we want to go we use them. Some we actually prefer to alternative CAMC sites. Some of there popularity at this time of year may well be the substantial discount given for being elderly. However, they also suffer from the scourge of dynamic pricing. I recently tried to book a single night a couple of days before and they wanted over £40, even with age related discount.😱 We booked in at Chapel Lane instead on a service pitch at £35.60.
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The accounts for the Camping and Caravanning Club are on line but do not make encouraging reading. For the year 23/24 they speak of costs outstripping income, occupancy of sites not reaching expectations, and a loss of nearly £5 million for the year.
The revolution in ownership and use of leisure vehicles which has swept Europe has clearly reached them. Suddenly people want different things. Traditional campsites are in the firing line. I wish them luck.0 -
The accounts for the Camping and Caravanning Club are on line but do not make encouraging reading. For the year 23/24 they speak of costs outstripping income, occupancy of sites not reaching expectations, and a loss of nearly £5 million for the year.
That is not how I read them @eurotraveller, the turnover was up 3.1 percent on 22/23 and they made a profit on direct sales e.g. site income. What screwed them was the increase in administration costs (overheads) up 12 percent due to inflation and minimum wage increases.
Certainly, like what others have reported up thread, the two C&CC sites I have used this year have been well attended, one was full on the Saturday night. Hopefully they will have got to grips with their overheads in 23/24
peedee
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We have been members of both Clubs, and we have always viewed them as quite different Club styles. Which for us is good as we prefer variety to cloning. Prefer the less manicured, less pitch perfect, set up with more grass. We don’t pick our holiday destinations based on the loos and showers as we use our onboard facilities. I think if you have quite set “must have” preferences, then CAMC is possibly the way to go.
On the Trustpilot reviews debate, C&CC has never had good ratings, they simply don’t seem to engage with anything left on there, hence the much lower number of reviews. CAMC however do, and it’s often the best way to get across a point as it is monitored, and you are likely to get a response. CAMC ratings plummeted back when the new bookings system and pricing policies were introduced, from a high base to a medium satisfaction level. Back to that high level now, although it’s reviews for individual sites rather than the organisation as a whole that might be the driver? CAMC know their target market better, whilst C&CC’s demographic tends to be wider, particularly in terms of age range and income, harder to satisfy?
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