Hard standing booking trial
Comments
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As expected but very disappointing. I think members have been asking to be able to book HS for ages. After a two year trial we're not getting it because they can't sell grass pitches.
As I've already said I don't use Club sites when grass is in use as I won't pay club prices for a grass pitch. I need an incentive to use grass and that has to be price.
No change for me then. Other site providers get my money in the peak periods now and that will continue.
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Am I right in thinking that in any business, all goods and services being sold, have to be of good quality and to be "Fit For Purpose".
Now if a particular campsite has sold some pitches on which customers get bogged down or cannot freely leave and return during their holiday. Could those pitches be deemed " Not Fit For Purpose" ?
The situation has become more difficult as the Site Staff are now not given the tools to do the job of extricating any units which get bogged down on grass on their site.
Perhaps sites should only declare H/Standing pitches on their literature and take bookings for those pitches only. Then if a touring unit drops into the site unannounced or unbooked, They could either take a grass pitch at their own risk or go elsewhere.
There is always a solution to every challenge.
K
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Not a problem for us as we are away April, May, June July, end August, September, December. At Seacroft however arriving 7th July we had the last hard standing. Had to wait 5 mins whilst warden moved tractor and trailer.
If a site has much less than 70% hard standing we normally avoid. If mainly grass or all grass we will use as at Dunnet bay CC AS and (as was ) noww National Trust Houghton Mill.
I don't generally like grass
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If as DK says that is the reason for not rolling out the option of booking a H/S then I think the CC are very shortsighted or stupid. They should be looking at ALL the bookings they are missing because folk go elsewhere because they don't have the option. I for one will look more to the other club in the high season when grass is in operation, at least then I will have a choice and it won't be 'Hobsons' if I choose to use grass it will be a last minute booking and at a reduced cost, not because I couldn't/won't get there for the 12 noon scramble for H/S. The club IMO are driving folk into the arms of the other club and commercial sites that do give their customers what they want.
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If I can't guarantee to get a hardstanding I won't book. I take no chances.
As far as I'm aware, we have had no official result of the trial as yet. I am really dissapointed if the comments about trial turn out to be true. It will mean that I will continue to only use Club sites when grass pitches are not used, or I will only
use site with 100% hardstanding, or I will use full serviced pitches.David
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...... Where as a twin axle, perhaps some 500 Kg more has this distributed on two axles. Neither if positioned carefully, with a power mover, should cause significant damage, even to wet grass. .....
I think I could chew a wet grass pitch up quite well with my twin mover twin axle caravan ..... the side ways scub is quite noticeable
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You will get an answer "soon" (shortly),at some point
Hope it is quicker then the survey results.
In practice it would need a lot of work on the website if it were to be implemented to add the new options on each site page.
On that basis if they are going to implememt it then the start of next years bookings would look to be the favourite.going to have to disagree here, having designed, developed and implemented (and then supported) many large systems over the years, the adding of another element type to the price section should be a piece of cake....
i just dont think there is the will to drive any change through, certainly not on the old system.
however, even when specifying the 'new' one, again adding further pitch/price relationships is just replicating those which have already been specified....this is absolutely not rocket science.....yet it always appears to be...
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so what do those who would have liked a HS do when they arrive on site to discover that all those arriving slightly earlier have nabbed all the HS......?
do they go home/elsewhere?
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It won't make any difference to us while we have a caravan, we will continue to take the chance of being on grass. It has only happened a few times in 11 years. However, if we get a MH, I think we will certainly join the other club, to give us more choice
of sites. Clearly some CC sites are HS only, or have services pitches, so we would still use those. However, the CC would loose out to the other club / commercials in areas where these were not available.0 -
so what do those who would have liked a HS do when they arrive on site to discover that all those arriving slightly earlier have nabbed all the HS......?
do they go home/elsewhere?
I sulk and swear that I will never again book a CC site when grass is in use
I've followed my own advice for three seasons now - works for me. The CC has lost about 9 weeks worth of bookings for two or three adults and a child (which is quite a bit in the summer)
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so what do those who would have liked a HS do when they arrive on site to discover that all those arriving slightly earlier have nabbed all the HS......?
do they go home/elsewhere?
If it's not guaranteed, I don't go in the first place....
David
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so what do those who would have liked a HS do when they arrive on site to discover that all those arriving slightly earlier have nabbed all the HS......?
do they go home/elsewhere?
Good evening BB.
I am sure that many like me only go to those sites that are all HS and/or the grass pitches are closed off. My last grass pitch was 1999
Post edit, sorry David didn't see your post
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Its sad to think the Club's outlook is to facilitate the introduction of more hardstandings and serviced pitches. One warden couldn't believe I had booked an economy pitch and wanted to know if I had made a mistake! I hadn't. I would like to see a much wider choice of pitches at each site especially at those which have good ground and drain freely. I don't need or want hard standing and electric, especially the latter at every site I visit.
peedee
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Its sad to think the Club's outlook is to facilitate the introduction of more hardstandings and serviced pitches. One warden couldn't believe I had booked an economy pitch and wanted to know if I had made a mistake! I hadn't. I would like to see a much wider
choice of pitches at each site especially at those which have good ground and drain freely. I don't need or want hard standing and electric, especially the latter at every site I visit.peedee
I'm all for a variety of pitches, but only if we can pre-book the type we each want.
David
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Just to add, we recently came back from 3 weeks in northern France (similar climate to much of the UK).
We stayed on 5 sites and in every case they were grass pitches. No problems at all with mud or soft ground.
Perhaps if the CC were to install some effective drainage on their grass pitch areas, there wouldn't be such a clamour for hardstandings?
But they don't. So there is.
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We stayed on 5 sites and in every case they were grass pitches. No problems at all with mud or soft ground.
If you had been there in May/June of this year it would have been a differant story IanH, not just soft ground but your own mud bath and swimming pool on some sites
Most Scottish CC sites have 100% H/S's I know Dunnet has grass but it is on sand.
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I don't disagree that the CC need to get on and install all hardstandings. They don't seem to be too good on drainage. Especially if the flooded hardstandings at Broadway last June are anything to go by.
Never had any problems on French sites......usually in May or September.
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so what do those who would have liked a HS do when they arrive on site to discover that all those arriving slightly earlier have nabbed all the HS......?
do they go home/elsewhere?
Good evening BB.
I am sure that many like me only go to those sites that are all HS and/or the grass pitches are closed off. My last grass pitch was 1999
Post edit, sorry David didn't see your post
hi, Corners, and a good evening to you, too.
i posed the question because of the responses by DK, DSB, JS to name a few, where the non-guarantee of a HS meant (for some) a non-booking.
i was just taking this a stage further where, at booking time folk might have been prepared to take a chance, but, having got to the site, the first come process had left them 'without'.
so, (adding in your response to the mix) it definitely seems that folk really want a HS, yet (perversely) it seems that offering the (very much desired) choice actually can make matters worse..
not for the customers but for the club in lost bookings.
so, to maintain income, the club has decided that it cant offer that much called for choice to members which is, obviously, a shame for those who would have used it.
now, the tables are turned....because they cant get a HS at booking time (the nub of this thread) some members will go elsewhere....
is the club cutting off its nose to spite its face....or is it in the position of damned if they do.....?
a connundrum
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Its sad to think the Club's outlook is to facilitate the introduction of more hardstandings and serviced pitches. One warden couldn't believe I had booked an economy pitch and wanted to know if I had made a mistake! I hadn't. I would like to see a much wider
choice of pitches at each site especially at those which have good ground and drain freely. I don't need or want hard standing and electric, especially the latter at every site I visit.peedee
I'm all for a variety of pitches, but only if we can pre-book the type we each want.
David
David, i agree that customers like choice....
however, the more pitch types we have, the less actual pitches there are in each of those groups, so you may find your favourite 'selection' is all taken and you might have to go to your second (or even third) choice....
having said that, C&CC manage it and, like Peedee, we are happy to choose a 'lower grade' type....non ehu etc....
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I'll use a grass pitch. Just not for the same price as HS. I've been caught out once too often where I've turned up to find only grass left and at nearly £40 a night on one occasion in summer it's just not good enough for me to risk again.
We did use CC sites at peak times because they were cheaper and the kids preferred them but nowadays with just the two of us we won't use them unless it's out of season or cheap.
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so what do those who would have liked a HS do when they arrive on site to discover that all those arriving slightly earlier have nabbed all the HS......?
do they go home/elsewhere?
Good evening BB.
I am sure that many like me only go to those sites that are all HS and/or the grass pitches are closed off. My last grass pitch was 1999
Post edit, sorry David didn't see your post
hi, Corners, and a good evening to you, too.
i posed the question because of the responses by DK, DSB, JS to name a few, where the non-guarantee of a HS meant (for some) a non-booking.
i was just taking this a stage further where, at booking time folk might have been prepared to take a chance, but, having got to the site, the first come process had left them 'without'.
so, (adding in your response to the mix) it definitely seems that folk really want a HS, yet (perversely) it seems that offering the (very much desired) choice actually can make matters worse..
not for the customers but for the club in lost bookings.
so, to maintain income, the club has decided that it cant offer that much called for choice to members which is, obviously, a shame for those who would have used it.
now, the tables are turned....because they cant get a HS at booking time (the nub of this thread) some members will go elsewhere....
is the club cutting off its nose to spite its face....or is it in the position of damned if they do.....?
a connundrum
an interesting post BB
One point is that the club is converting grass pitches into HS on a rolling programme, another is that all the newer biult sites (Bridlington, Barnard Castle to name two, but there are others) are HS. It may be that over the next ten, twenty years grass
pitches will soon be consigned to the history books as more people want to use their MH/van all year.I probably think that the club didn't expect the reaction to their trial. Then again it did get a result if not the one they wanted
Will members go elsewhere if they can't get a HS, well I would and as you've probably guessed I like club sites. So if it would affect me like that...
It is a difficult question for the club!
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Perhaps the simple answer is a different pricing structure? Service pitches are already heading for £4 a night extra. If there was a £2 premium for a hardstanding pitch/or £2 reduction for a grass pitch there might be a greater incentive for people to book
a grass pitch?David
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I remember being at Bognor where some of the HS had a few inches of water on them. The warden advised us of pitches to avoid. HS isn't a cure-all.
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Perhaps the simple answer is a different pricing structure? Service pitches are already heading for £4 a night extra. If there was a £2 premium for a hardstanding pitch/or £2 reduction for a grass pitch there might be a greater incentive for people to book a grass pitch?
David
Raise pitch fee for hard standing by 50p and drop grass fee by £1.50 on sites with a significant %age of grass perhaps on the trial sites.
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Perhaps the simple answer is a different pricing structure? Service pitches are already heading for £4 a night extra. If there was a £2 premium for a hardstanding pitch/or £2 reduction for a grass pitch there might be a greater incentive for people to book
a grass pitch?David
I see in the financial report in the latest magazine that the CC are aiming to increase service pitches. This will give less choice and increased prices overall.
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I can't help thinking that grass must be more expensive to run, in the long term than HS, due to the amount of maintenance, and the time it remains out of service not generating revenue. If that is the case and prices are reduced to encourage grass take
up, those on HS will in fact be subsidising the reduction.0
