Booking Deposits!
Now I'm sure that this will already have come up, but I can see no harm in re-visiting it.
I have had need of a site next door to my sisters home in West Sussex but could not find a suitable CL in the area. The CC does not have a site anywhere near, so as I am also a member of the C&CC I rang their Chichester site which is almost next door.
I was able to book the four nights in October that I required, and was surprised but very happy to pay the £20 deposit that was required.
I concluded my booking after receiving discount for being a pensioner, - very civilised!
But the question of the unexpected request for a deposit quite impressed me. £20 could not be regarded as excessive, but had I been one of those people that makes loads of bookings just on chance, might be enough to disuade me. A good idea methinks!
TF
Comments
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A bad idea methinks! The very reason I can't be bothered faffing with C&CC bookings is their less than user friendly online system, their rule of not taking one night bookings for EHU pitches at certain times and their desire for deposits. Give me the simple
CC way anytime. There you go, each to their own.0 -
TW I understand where you're coming from in respect of online bookings, but actually I phoned the site direct and was able to speak to a real person who was actually very helpful & friendly.
I too don't want to add to members difficulties when making bookings, but like many others often find a problem with getting booked in for a week or so because all the weekends have already been booked. I do find myself wondering how many of those bookings are taken up when the projected weather forecast is bad!
TF
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When i need want to book a cc site I
1 Go on line to see what is available for the period,if problem with w/end
2 Ring site in question direct, have only ever ,as far i can remember, not had a positive response on less than 5 occasions
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I see nothing wrong with the CC adopting booking deposits. They work well and lets face it, you get your deposit back when you arrive at the site and pay for your holiday.
If you have to go through the rigmarol of booking, it's so easy to pay your deposit at the same time.
OK, those who book every weekend on spec and cancel if the weather forcast is not so good, may be put off doing so if they have to put their hands in their pockets. The deposit system would be beneficial to both the CC and other members.
Booking anything is a commitment so what's wrong with confirming that commitment by paying the deposit.
K
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A bad idea methinks! The very reason I can't be bothered faffing with C&CC bookings is their less than user friendly online system, their rule of not taking one night bookings for EHU pitches at certain times and their desire for deposits. Give me the simple
CC way anytime. There you go, each to their own.Write your comments here...
Now I'm sure that this will already have come up, but I can see no harm in re-visiting it.
I have had need of a site next door to my sisters home in West Sussex but could not find a suitable CL in the area. The CC does not have a site anywhere near, so as I am also a member of the C&CC I rang their Chichester site which is almost next door.
I was able to book the four nights in October that I required, and was surprised but very happy to pay the £20 deposit that was required.
I concluded my booking after receiving discount for being a pensioner, - very civilised!
But the question of the unexpected request for a deposit quite impressed me. £20 could not be regarded as excessive, but had I been one of those people that makes loads of bookings just on chance, might be enough to disuade me. A good idea methinks!
TF
Write your comments here...Yes it's come up before......old chestnut , New day I guess , booking with the CC is so uncomplicated ......... be nice if it stays that way for ........Ever
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TF, I agree it's easy to book with either club by phone direct to the site - usually. However, when you get a recorded message telling you to ring the C&CC call centre only to find said centre closed the joke wears thin. Their mysterious pricing system is
out of this world and it's often impossible to book one night stops when touring. Try to amend a booking and it becomes even more problematic to deal with them and that's complicated further, on occasion, by their deposit system. Hence,
C&CC is not my club of choice although they have their usesYou found it worked for you this time and that's great but many a time I've given up on trying to book with them and looked elsewhere.
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We have decided to use Club Sites this Autumn for a long tour, and guess what, I am really impressed with booking system, and the fact that if I do change my mind we can cancel within a few days. I like this system. Doubt we will cancel anything, weather
doesn't put us off. Only downside is that I normally pay for holidays up front, this time we pay on arrival, but that is just a personal thing.0 -
wasn't this discussed a few weeks ago? what about the cost involved to the club?
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We have decided to use Club Sites this Autumn for a long tour, and guess what, I am really impressed with booking system, and the fact that if I do change my mind we can cancel within a few days. I like this system. Doubt we will cancel anything, weather
doesn't put us off. Only downside is that I normally pay for holidays up front, this time we pay on arrival, but that is just a personal thing.very true, some just want change for no advantage what so ever, remember when the club stopped taking deposits the no shows went down
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wasn't this discussed a few weeks ago? what about the cost involved to the club?
This topic is on a loop, just keeps going round, and round, and round....... Sort of like the internal roads on some Club Sites!
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To be honest, deposits could work, particularly for those who only use Club Sites, but so long as HQ stamp on those who either don't turn up, or abuse the system, then it's not worth the change. We haven't had a problem getting on any Club Site, so the block
booking of weekends is part of the myths and lore of the CC as far as we are concerned. The only ones that might be problematical are maybe Baltic Wharf, Rowntree Park and Chatsworth, but even then if you get organised and avoid special event times you should
be ok.0 -
I struggle to understand why some folk have such a low opinion of some fellow members. If you wouldn't dream of booking loads of weekends on spec and then cancelling if the weather's bad yourself, why assume others do?
Some sites charge deposits some don't; some CLs want deposits, many don't. So why not just go with whatever system works for whichever site you're wanting to book instead of insisting the system's wrong?
Just doesn't make sense to me. Come on, treat your fellow members with a bit of respect!
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The only people who have strong objections to deposits are probably those who are very likely not to take up all their bookings.
Oh, and the thing about it 'costing' the CC to take deposits is a complete red herring. This is often trotted out, but anyone with an ounce of common sense on financial matters and company cash-flow will see that deposits would actually be financially beneficial
to the CC.0 -
We are on tour at present, even before we left home we had to amend our bookings, which went smoothly.
Now we are away, we have had to amend again as we felt the drive from Norfolk Broads to York was too long, so we are stopping off at Ferry Meadows.
This involved moving York later by one night, lopping a night off Barnard Castle, and adding the night at Ferry Meadows.
Easily done as no deposits involved.
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If you are planning on touring you know where and when you want to go?!!! I'm with Tigerfish, charge/pay a deposit when booking... or don't book.
See Kjell's post for a very good example of why a change of plan might be necessary.
Have you tried C&CC?
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If you are planning on touring you know where and when you want to go?!!! I'm with Tigerfish, charge/pay a deposit when booking... or don't book.
Not the case. One may well know when one wants to go but not for how long one intends to stay at any one place at a time. Surely that's what tourings about?
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Agree Nellie, we frequently book on the hoof, depends on weather!
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The only people who have strong objections to deposits are probably those who are very likely not to take up all their bookings.
WRONG. I don't expect to cancel but like no depoits
Same here. If we want a site which asks for a deposit, we'll pay it but I like being able to book the CC way. Incidentally, we stayed ona CL this week, booked a couple of weeks ago, no deposit required and pretty difficult to find anyone willing to accept
our payment until yesterday. One's got to put some basic trust in members; don't assume they're less conscientious about bookings than yourself.0 -
We use a couple of CLs where you just post payment in a box! Never see a soul as we are out in day! That's trust at its finest!
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The only people who have strong objections to deposits are probably those who are very likely not to take up all their bookings.
WRONG. I don't expect to cancel but like no depoits
Same here. If we want a site which asks for a deposit, we'll pay it but I like being able to book the CC way. Incidentally, we stayed ona CL this week, booked a couple of weeks ago, no deposit required and pretty difficult to find anyone willing to accept
our payment until yesterday. One's got to put some basic trust in members; don't assume they're less conscientious about bookings than yourself.good post. I don't want deposits as they are not needed, but I have never booked like that. Also there is no evidence to say to happens, the oppoiste in fact
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We will always find there are those who are so nieve that they cannot believe that customers will be selfish and put themselves first no matter how it affects others. Be it Customers of Tesco , M&S or the caravan club.
They even claim that selfishness does not ever happen.
Fortunately most of us live in the real world and expect companies to ensure that the vast majority of their customers are not inconvenienced by those who dont care about others. They charge deposits on business transactions.
K
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Good to see you back from your recent self imposed exile, K, but, if you don't mind me saying so, that's a very sad philosophy which I'm pleased to say I'm unable to agree with. Why not try thinking the best of folk instead of assuming the worst, a far more
positive outlook on life!0
