Hard standing booking trial
Comments
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If, as many seem to suspect, the real reason for the CC not adopting the 'book a pitch type' method is because they were left with a lot of empty grass pitches.......then surely the obvious conclusion to that is to get more hardstandings installed!
This would also tie in better with another perceived aim of the CC to reduce site staff to the bare minimum - because less maintenance would be required.
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The wardens would just spend more time sweeping the gravel back onto the hardstandings!
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You can't just leave us hanging like that, Oneputt.......what sort of pie?
Oh, the thread......they tried out booking hardstanding or grass on 4 or 5 sites for ayear......then they tried it for another year.....then they scrapped it "because members were confused".
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Having stayed on a terrible grass pitch at Sandringham recently I wrote to the CC asking why they charged the same for this pitch as the spacious hardstanding pitches - none of which were available for our visit. I copy below part of their reply which is
pertinent to this post."The Club has run a trial of pre-booking hard-standing/grass pitches for two seasons and member feedback confirmed that there was no overwhelming benefit to
the majority of the membership to extend it. Therefore, The Club has agreed that the trial is taken no further at this stage and the pitches on the five sites involved in the trial
will revert to their original state of standard ‘awning’ and ‘non-awning’. Lessons from this trial will prove very useful in determining how to improve the experience for members in the future. We will
be publishing full results of the trial in the November edition of The Caravan Club magazine."0 -
Having stayed on a terrible grass pitch at Sandringham recently I wrote to the CC asking why they charged the same for this pitch as the spacious hardstanding pitches - none of which were available for our visit. I copy below part of their reply which is
pertinent to this post."The Club has run a trial of pre-booking hard-standing/grass pitches for two seasons and member feedback confirmed that there was no overwhelming benefit to
the majority of the membership to extend it. Therefore, The Club has agreed that the trial is taken no further at this stage and the pitches on the five sites involved in the trial
will revert to their original state of standard ‘awning’ and ‘non-awning’. Lessons from this trial will prove very useful in determining how to improve the experience for members in the future. We will
be publishing full results of the trial in the November edition of The Caravan Club magazine."...You must have been unlucky as there are only about eight grass pitches ,the site was full then?
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Yes only 2 pitches available both grass - very sloping and muddy. We were given the option of moving to hardstanding the next day but as only there for 3 days felt it was too much effort to move. Would have been most disappointed if we'd booked for a main
holiday and were given this pitch.0 -
Each to their own. We all make personal choices about everything everyday.
However, N, some on here would have us do exactly the same as them as that's "the perfect" way to do it!
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Having stayed on a terrible grass pitch at Sandringham recently I wrote to the CC asking why they charged the same for this pitch as the spacious hardstanding pitches - none of which were available for our visit. I copy below part of their reply which is pertinent to this post.
"The Club has run a trial of pre-booking hard-standing/grass pitches for two seasons and member feedback confirmed that there was no overwhelming benefit to the majority of the membership to extend it. Therefore, The Club has agreed that the trial is taken no further at this stage and the pitches on the five sites involved in the trial will revert to their original state of standard ‘awning’ and ‘non-awning’. Lessons from this trial will prove very useful in determining how to improve the experience for members in the future. We will be publishing full results of the trial in the November edition of The Caravan Club magazine."
So there you are then........there would have been no benefit to you to have been able to book a hardstanding pitch.
A very reasoned decision by someone at Grimstead who has probably never seen a caravan in his / her life.
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if late in the year, or if wet, and a HS is the requirement, then perhaps not chance it....so go for all HS, either with CC or 'elsewhere'.
On most club sites, which have both grass & H/S, during the latter months of the year it's normal formthe grass pitches to be closed off and the H/S pitches are the only ones that can be booked, we've found.
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Having stayed on a terrible grass pitch at Sandringham recently I wrote to the CC asking why they charged the same for this pitch as the spacious hardstanding pitches - none of which were available for our visit. I copy below part of their reply which is
pertinent to this post."The Club has run a trial of pre-booking hard-standing/grass pitches for two seasons and member feedback confirmed that there was no overwhelming benefit to
the majority of the membership to extend it. Therefore, The Club has agreed that the trial is taken no further at this stage and the pitches on the five sites involved in the trial
will revert to their original state of standard ‘awning’ and ‘non-awning’. Lessons from this trial will prove very useful in determining how to improve the experience for members in the future. We will
be publishing full results of the trial in the November edition of The Caravan Club magazine."So there you are then........there would have been no benefit to you to have been able to book a hardstanding pitch.
A very reasoned decision by someone at Grimstead who has probably never seen a caravan in his / her life.
.."Staff" from Grimstead,are/were all sent to a cc site for a taster in a caravan
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So JVB.......Grimstead staff had to be sent on an 'away day' to find out what caravans are.
That says a great deal.......
Geez, I hope it wasn't filmed for a TV programme
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So JVB.......Grimstead staff had to be sent on an 'away day' to find out what caravans are.
That says a great deal.......
..Longer than a day.
Slow learners?
...I have seen them at Morton in Marsh and Alderstead Heath,with wardens explaining what a caravan is
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With a fairly heavy MH we normally go for a hard standing. Being able to book one ahead of arrival is to us a bonus. Last year we travelled over 120 miles from one CC Ltd site to another. On arrival (at about mid day) we were told that there was no pitch
for us as "early arrivals" had taken them all and the grass pitches were so soft (sodden in fact) we could not use them. IMO CC Ltd has made yet another stupid decision.When we travel down to the ferry we can be doing over 450 miles, parking on grass at the end of that drive is not something I want to do. Therefore I will book with someone else to guarentee a H/S.
Fully agree that this is another stupid decision by the CC.
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We have only ever been on a grass pitch once in the van, on a commercial site in Wales, in June this year. At the end of our 4 day stay, the ramps, which had been under the front wheels had sunk in to the soft ground by about 4 or 5 inches. I really could have done with a spade to remove them from the ground , the suction of the wet grass pitch was so great. When we left, we left behind 2 perfectly formed rectangular holes. If the CC are not happy for HS pitches to be bookable, then this may happen on CC sites.
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It sounds as if some of you have had your November magazine already. I think they're avoiding sending me mine!
David
Mine has arrived but I haven't finished October's yet.
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I have not read the article in the mag. I would have opened it for a change rather than straight in the bin had it arrived! I cannot look online on the laptop as the CC have decided the facility to view in their website from a PC is not needed.
However my view on the statement from Rochelle and what has been said about the clubs response in the mag is that the club is being very disingenuous.
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having read the 'report' in the mag, it seems the main driver for not continuing was that the number of pitches booked (assume for the trial sites in the trial period) were 1.4% down on last year.
however, no idication given as to what the figures were for sites overall or other (non trial sites) in those areas, for the same period.....
the other main reason seems to be 'confusion'....mainly aimed at customers who, apparently couldnt understand why some pitches were 'unavailable to them' on arrival, despite them being 'free'....
this is a strange one as this is exactly what happens when (say) a non-awning pitch is booked (because perhaps all the awning pitches had been booked) and the member drives round obviously 'confused' as to why there are unoccupied awning pitches seemingly
'available'....im 'confused' as to the differences in these scenarios....
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