No Shows
I guess this has been raised before but here goes. I like the current booking system as if allows me to plan my year in advance. My question is - does the current system of no deposit and 72 hours cancellation notice cause people to block book a lot of sites
and cancel at short notice causing availability problems?
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According to HO the 72hrs cancellation period has led to a decrease in non-appearances.
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also there are sanctions for those that do break the 72 rules
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like a slap on the wrist!!!
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It doesn't appear to be a system that many other large holiday accommodation companies utilise.
Edit: just out of interest, does the Club operate the same procedure for booking a pod, or cottage? No deposit, cancel within 72 hours without penalty? Anyone know?
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It doesn't appear to be a system that many other large holiday accommodation companies utilise.
<<<Edit: just out of interest, does the Club operate the same procedure for booking a pod, or cottage? No deposit, cancel within 72 hours without penalty? Anyone know?>>>
Would be interested to know the answer to that as well, also tents....
Edit, if you cancel within 72hrs then you do incur a penalty TDA, you must give 72 hrs notice.
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I think it's a fair system, we book most of our trips on the opening booking day and if we can't go then we cancel, always well in excess of 72 hours. That then frees the site up for others who choose not not book well in advance. It's great, if there was
deposit needed then we wouldnt be able to do this.0 -
It doesn't appear to be a system that many other large holiday accommodation companies utilise.
<<<Edit: just out of interest, does the Club operate the same procedure for booking a pod, or cottage? No deposit, cancel within 72 hours without penalty? Anyone know?>>>
Would be interested to know the answer to that as well, also tents....
Edit, if you cancel within 72hrs then you do incur a penalty TDA, you must give 72 hrs notice.
Rather Interesting reading about pods, seems they do operate similar to pitches. The cottages appear to be operated by another booking agency, so deposits and usual payments seem the norm.
Tents I know about, we have used tent pitches quite a few times.
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Could this thread become "Son of Sunday Departures"?
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Does
>this thread< help answer your question.peedee
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Bob,
There are a lot of people who beleive that 'block booking' does happen and that people do cancel just before the 72 hour cut off - maybe if the weather looks poor or they have other things to do that weekend.
This is borne out by the fact that many sites that show as full on the booking system, do have availability on site. Also, numerous people have admitted to doing it on this forum.
I (and several others) have been asking the CC to say how many people cancell just outside the 72 hour period - maybe between 3 and 7 days. Despite asking for this information for several years now, the CC will not even acknowledge the question, let alone
provide the information.Draw your own conclusions from this.....I know I have.
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I guess this has been raised before but here goes. I like the current booking system as if allows me to plan my year in advance. My question is - does the current system of no deposit and 72 hours cancellation notice cause people to block book a lot of sites
and cancel at short notice causing availability problems?When the Club issue statistics after the first day bookings open the average number of sites booked per person is quite low, I seem to recal about 4.5 bookings per member actually making a booking. That hardly suggests that many people are "block booking"
. There may be a few bad eggs who do book sites speculatively but it does not seem that it is so widespread. Perhaps also worth remembering that one persons late cancellation is another persons opportunity if you can book or extend a current stay at the last
minute. The system seems to work reasonably well in my view.David
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Bob,
There are a lot of people who beleive that 'block booking' does happen and that people do cancel just before the 72 hour cut off - maybe if the weather looks poor or they have other things to do that weekend.
This is borne out by the fact that many sites that show as full on the booking system, do have availability on site. Also, numerous people have admitted to doing it on this forum.
I (and several others) have been asking the CC to say how many people cancell just outside the 72 hour period - maybe between 3 and 7 days. Despite asking for this information for several years now, the CC will not even acknowledge the question, let alone
provide the information.Draw your own conclusions from this.....I know I have.
Doesn't the CC have a system in place where you can be notified of a cancellation if a site in which you are interested suddenly has vacancies? I'd assumed it was all part of the new 'app' ????
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4.5 bookings per member is quite high if you consider that many will perhaps only be making one or possibly two bookings for their main holiday. If that figure is based on the whole membership, irrespective of whether they use the online "mad day" facility
or not then that figure looks even higher.0 -
Does
>this thread<help answerDoes
>this thread< help answer your question.peedee
No but I wonder what the figures are from the Club for no shows. I got a bit of stick on "caravans r us" for saying I like the CC system. Allows me to plan ahead.
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Does
>this thread<help answerDoes
>this thread< help answer your question.peedee
No but I wonder what the figures are from the Club for no shows. I got a bit of stick on "caravans r us" for saying I like the CC system. Allows me to plan ahead.
I too like thr CC system.
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Or maybe .........
....or definitely maybe!!!
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I too like the current system. We try not to change bookings once made, but sometimes circumstances dictate otherwise. Interestingly we were at the Rosedale Abbey site last friday till monday & on booking in were told the site was full over the weekend,
but there were at least 4 pitches not used throughout our stay, so there are still no shows0 -
Hello all,
To answer the OP from the perspective of someone who makes, and cancels UK bookings on a daily basis, I can confirm that very few people "block book" even on peak booking day. The vast majority understand and adhere to the 72 hour cancellation policy for
the benefit of all. Those who cancel just slightly outside the 72 hour timeframe are, in terms of our policy, doing nothing wrong therefore we do not concern ourselves with those statistics: there has to be a cut off somewhere and it is only those cancellations
inside the cut off we actively look at. We have found the system works well and as I said, benefits all when it is respected.Regarding the Camping Pods and tent camping, as per the terms and conditions of booking, cancellations are "in accordance with the Cancellation Policy" (we speak of above) ie the usual 72 hours. No deposits are taken and payment, as per the standard pitches,
is made in full on arrival.The cottages are managed by Welcome Cottages and Sykes Cottages and therefore are subject to their own booking terms and conditions.
Hope all this info helps.... Thanks for reading. Helen
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Thank you for that clarification, Helen, particularly the first paragraph.
Just one question you might be able to answer or at least clarify - is HQ entirely satisfied that 72 hours is the correct cut off point for cancellations or has, say 5 days ever been considered?
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I guess there may be a very tiny number of pitches which remain in control of those that know best, hence the odd number of pitches which may appear vacant even when site sign says full! Must be just in case someone drives over a electric bollard or similar emergency!
I'm pleased the 'over' booking method like that found on airways is not adopted. ( they seem to factor in the percentage of folk likely not to turn up).Several times at airports I've been asked if I would like to be 'bumped off' as they called it. Even when offered incentives I have declined and some poor sole, I guess, may have been told that they will have to wait for a later plane.
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Helen,
When you say that the numbers cancelling just outside the 72 hour cut-off don't concern you, that really surprises me.
Given that there are so many regular complaints about these issues and so many people think that the cut-off period should be much longer, are you not a little curious about how many people are simply 'working the system'? I would be.
Another question......does the average of 4.5 bookings per member take account of all members i.e. does it include tens of thousands of members who haven't made any bookings - which would include an awful lot of zeros for those who cannot / will not book
on frenzy day, those who don't use Club sites, those who no longer caravan but forgot to cancel their standing order etc.Also, presumably the 'block booker' might make a lot of his / her bookings the day after frenzy day and therefore wouldn't be included in the 4.5?
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Helen,
When you say that the numbers cancelling just outside the 72 hour cut-off don't concern you, that really surprises me.
Given that there are so many regular complaints about these issues and so many people think that the cut-off period should be much longer, are you not a little curious about how many people are simply 'working the system'? I would be.
Another question......does the average of 4.5 bookings per member take account of all members i.e. does it include tens of thousands of members who haven't made any bookings - which would include an awful lot of zeros for those who cannot / will not book
on frenzy day, those who don't use Club sites, those who no longer caravan but forgot to cancel their standing order etc.Also, presumably the 'block booker' might make a lot of his / her bookings the day after frenzy day and therefore wouldn't be included in the 4.5?
Write your comments here...Good post - Interested to hear the answers.
K
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I guess there may be a very tiny number of pitches which remain in control of those that know best, hence the odd number of pitches which may appear vacant even when site sign says full! Must be just in case someone drives over a electric bollard or similar
emergency!I'm pleased the 'over' booking method like that found on airways is not adopted. ( they seem to factor in the percentage of folk likely not to turn up).Several times at airports I've been asked if I would like to be 'bumped off' as they called it. Even when
offered incentives I have declined and some poor sole, I guess, may have been told that they will have to wait for a later plane.We were told by the warden on one site when we booked in that the site full sign was put out because travellers were in the area and it gave them the excuse to turn them away if they turned up.
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