Booking Deposits!
Comments
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So, the argument that it costs the CC something to take bookings is based on:
A supposition that all deposits are made on a debit card and not a credit card - so not true!
Debit card charges that someone has looked up from the internet......as opposed to what happens in the real world.
A fictional cost of £5000 based on this false information.
A comment by some CC director who has amply demonstrated his credentials on national television recently.
Why am I not convinced? Especially when these arguments are put forward by ardent supporters of the CC......who would say that black was white if the CC said so.
..So another post based on "information"that as usual you have no real answers to
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Credit card companies charge a fee based on a percentage of the value of the transaction.
So, for those who are clearly mathematically challenged, the fee is exactly the same for two transactions (deposit and balance) as for one transaction, when the total of the transactions is the same.
Incidently, those fees have recently been massively reduced by European legislation and anyway, for large companies were slways very small.
So.....no extra cost to CC for taking deposits but a significant improvement to cash-flow. Again, if some of those on here not in the real world, knew anything at all about business, they would know that cash-flow is king. And that should ultimately benefit
us all.As well as improving pitch availability by getting rid of the speculative bookings.
Write your comments here...The CC used to take deposits , they don't now & I wonder why it's something we all have to live with & dream of things of the past , it might happen again but until then we can all dream on
The reason that they stopped taking deposits was that the then new booking system that they brought/bought in was not up to taking credit/debit card deposits, while the C&CC bought in a Canadian system could do so, they kept taking deposits.
From what I remember deposits were not being taken when the online booking system was introduced.
Another made up statement to put a point across.
If you want to pay a deposit - go elsewhere and stop bleating.!!!
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I think it is a good idea not to take deposits, it means you can book as many nights as you want, cancel or amend all of them At no cost, it might be a stupid idea not to take deposits but if you want to change the system use it to its full capability.
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My own personal thoughts are that I prefer booking without a deposit - and I always turn up to booked pitches. When the Club stopped taking deposits, 'No Shows' actually decreased. I think the reason for this is that when people make a deposit they don't
feel obliged to cancel if they have a change of mind especially if they know they are not going to get the deposit back. If this happens the wardens cannot re-sell the pitch as they have to keep it not knowing if a member will turn up. The result is an empty
pitch and possible loss of income for the Club.I have no objection, in theory to members paying the full price before they arrive - at least the Club would get the full income for the pitch if it was a no show. However, this could be a bit fussy should a member want change and to go to a different
site on the network. If it was a different price this would mean reimbursement ot taking an extra cost.On balance I would leave things as they are.
Incidentally, this summer, when we went to France, Germany and Italy we booked all the sites. Three required full payment before arrival, three required a deposit and three required no deposit (but asked me to let them know if we weren't going to go). I'd
say, on balance, that's pretty equal!
David
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My own personal thoughts are that I prefer booking without a deposit - and I always turn up to booked pitches. When the Club stopped taking deposits, 'No Shows' actually decreased. I think the reason for this is that when people make a deposit they don't
feel obliged to cancel if they have a change of mind especially if they know they are not going to get the deposit back. If this happens the wardens cannot re-sell the pitch as they have to keep it not knowing if a member will turn up. The result is an empty
pitch and possible loss of income for the Club.I have no objection, in theory to members paying the full price before they arrive - at least the Club would get the full income for the pitch if it was a no show. However, this could be a bit fussy should a member want change and to go to a different
site on the network. If it was a different price this would mean reimbursement ot taking an extra cost.On balance I would leave things as they are.
Incidentally, this summer, when we went to France, Germany and Italy we booked all the sites. Three required full payment before arrival, three required a deposit and three required no deposit (but asked me to let them know if we weren't going to go). I'd
say, on balance, that's pretty equal!David
I basically agree with what you say but did wonder if a single deposit to allow you to book pitches of say £50 might be an idea, This could then be used to cover the first nights fees for any no shows or late cancelations and no more bookings would be possible
until it was returned to £50.It might alternatively be imposed after two no shows or late cancelations,
With electronic systems now in place it could be fairly easy to operate and would save you having to fork out large sums before a touring holiday,
The money could be returned if you left the club.
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TF, I salute you sir, another grand debate which, may I add was a bit mischievous, I read your posts with anticipation, it seems you always seem to reel in the same "catch" I suppose that comes with you being a Tiger Shark, sorry fish..
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Credit card companies charge a fee based on a percentage of the value of the transaction.
So, for those who are clearly mathematically challenged, the fee is exactly the same for two transactions (deposit and balance) as for one transaction, when the total of the transactions is the same.
Incidently, those fees have recently been massively reduced by European legislation and anyway, for large companies were slways very small.
So.....no extra cost to CC for taking deposits but a significant improvement to cash-flow. Again, if some of those on here not in the real world, knew anything at all about business, they would know that cash-flow is king. And that should ultimately benefit us all.
As well as improving pitch availability by getting rid of the speculative bookings.
Write your comments here...Good points well made,Sir.
K
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It might alternatively be imposed after two no shows or late cancelations,
Would that be late cancelations as per the CC description - ie under the 72 hours?
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A bit late to the discussion, but it's a busy week as usual. I don't mind one way or another about paying deposits. If something happened that meant we had to cancel, the deposit would be the least of my concerns. And the more you pay up front, the less you have to pay on the day.
We go to quite a lot of music gigs, local and farther afrield. And of course tickets have to be bought in advance. We've currently got eleven booked (nine before Christmas), which will feel like free nights out when they happen!
(Roll on Friday for our first freebie night out).
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Goldie - I know you like folk/traditional music. Have you heard of an Irish group called Dervish? We've just booked to see them at Salisbury in October (it'll be the 4th time we've seen them) but they're at Kendal Arts Centre on, I think 24 September - highly recommended!
(Sorry for going of topic folks, no other way of letting G know about this!)
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Having read S max Jonnie's posts and effectively been advised to "Go forth & multiply" I thought that I'd just do a check on our caravan nights away this year. Of the 44 nights in total, 6 were on commercial sites and 38 on CL's. We have one more trip this year planned and that is to the Chichester C&CC site for 4 nights. So to my genuine surprise this year for the first time we have made no use of CC Club sites. So S Max it looks like we have already complied with your advice.
But seriously I do not regard the none use of club sites with any satisfaction whatsoever for not so many years ago our useage would have been almost 100% club sites.
Our move away being driven almost entirely (and equally) by the rapidly increasing club site fees, and also the increased regimentation that became the norm in recent years.
TF
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So having been to no club sites this year, you gain no satisfaction with club sites and been driven away not by the subject of desposits, yet you post a thread on the very subject? I really can't understand why!
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So having been to no club sites this year, you gain no satisfaction with club sites and been driven away not by the subject of desposits, yet you post a thread on the very subject? I really can't understand why!
Write your comments here...good post
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So having been to no club sites this year, you gain no satisfaction with club sites and been driven away not by the subject of desposits, yet you post a thread on the very subject? I really can't understand why!
Write your comments here...good post
Well said - so what was the point of the original post except to divide opinion yet again.
Tiger - I said if you dont like the way it is run dont use it.
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Goldie - I know you like folk/traditional music. Have you heard of an Irish group called Dervish? We've just booked to see them at Salisbury in October (it'll be the 4th time we've seen them) but they're at Kendal Arts Centre on, I think 24 September -
highly recommended!(Sorry for going of topic folks, no other way of letting G know about this!)
We have front row seats at Kendal on Saturday for Dervish. But we start on Friday, as part of The Brewery's Sundown Festival, with Eliza Carthy & The Wayward Band. Also, front row, which is good, as the stage is just a foot high platform a few inches away!
The Brewery has some brilliant acts this Autumn.Sorry - off topic!
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S-max again - Sadly I'm not using them, and as I said that gives me no satisfaction. However I do think that in my last post I was guilty of thread drift, because it was a different question to my OP.
That brings me back to my OP and I would ask those critical of my original to read it again. I was not being overly critical of the existing CC policy, I understand that there are very many who prefer things as they are. I was merely reflecting a personal opinion that I was happy to pay a deposit and thought it might get over the perceived opinion that some members do excessively block book. Now the evidence appears to suggest that that does not happen and I so am happy to accept that.
But are you really saying that such matters should not periodically be aired, and the question asked if it is still relavent? Surely not!
S-max you must have seen my emoji's beside my comments to you which should have told you that it was said with tonque in cheek!
Sadly I have moved away from Club Sites not for any reason to do with deposits but for the reasons given above. Again though they were personal views regarding costs and regimentation and I would not expect everyone to agree with me!
TF
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But are you really saying that such matters should not periodically be aired, and the question asked if it is still relavent?
Of course they should, but only if you have an interest in club sites, if you don't go to club sites and deposits have no value to you, why post? At worst it could be seen as just stirring up trouble0 -
But are you really saying that such matters should not periodically be aired, and the question asked if it is still relavent? Surely not!
TF
It has been discussed almost on a yearly basis since CT started so its hardly a new topic and as far as I can see nothing new has come to the table that would persuade me they were necessary. Whilst I have been accused of being CC to the core (clearly
some people don't read all my posts!!!) on this matter I think the Club have got it right. I would need to see a list of clear positives that would come out of changing the system that would override all the negatives and as yet I have not seen that.David
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This forum seems obsessed with deposits tonight, both of a money variety and doggy, equine and human kind. Just saying...........
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As I've said on the many other threads discussing this topic I don't have a problem paying a deposit but I would like to know what sort of sum would 'concentrate the mind' which has been mentioned several times.
The other club charge 25% (or £25 minimum). Our deposit for 7 nights in the summer was just over £33. Is that enough to achieve what those in favour of deposits want?
i don't generally cancel at short notice. The last cancellation I made was 3 months before the booking. I've cancelled nothing this year. So deposit or no deposits isn't going to make much difference
The only thing I wouldn't want to see is a similar system to the other club if bookings need amending. I had to shift our booking forward due to ferry times and it took a phone call, a refunded deposit and the taking of a new deposit. A level of complexity
that is not needed0 -
+ 2.
C&CC make things far too complicated. It's frustrating to deal with them.
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The C&CC system is undoubtedly more complicated if you need to amend anything, but in fairness, we've used it more over the past couple of years without any problem. The only hiccup we might have had was resolved by phoning the site direct!
The deposits is not an issue really; as I said earlier, we just go along with whatever system works best for the sites we want to visit. Clearly the no deposit system works best as far as the CC is concerned.
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+ 2.
C&CC make things far too complicated. It's frustrating to deal with them.
In one way I find the C&CC booking system is better. Last week, finding we could get away at short notice, and having 2 vague ideas for a tour in mind, I used the search tools to find availability for the 2 tours, selecting the 'EHU with Hardstanding'
option. The grids for the sites showed the availability for the period we wanted and we were able to choose the sites which made for an interesting tour, hardstanding guaranteed. That was important, so I didn't even consider looking at CC sites.Not bothered whether or not deposits are required.
All that can be done pretty much on the CC site albeit not the hardstanding option - most are hardstanding anyway.
All without the need to pay deposits as well !!!
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Hopefully this isn't going to turn into a CC versus C&CC argument. We, along with many others, are members of both clubs and use sites belonging to both. Each booking system has its merits and drawbacks. We book according to where we want to go. The deposit
for C&CC sites is not an issue.On balance, I believe CC sites are consistently better than C&CC although, as I've said before, 3 of the nicest sites we've stayed on this year have been C&CC sites. Where the CC wins hands down is with the CL network; most of those we've used have been
far better than and CSs.0
