Positive suggestions for Booking Day.
If anyone disappointed or annoyed with the present Booking Day system has any positive ideas for improvements, let's have them! Who knows, someone may consider or even adopt them.
Here's mine. Once logged in, when the bookings open, the first page displays the "Where do you want to go?" box. That takes you directly to a queue for that particular site. You will know your placing and that you are in the system, no more repeatedly hitting
the booking button. For the really popular sites, the queue will no doubt be considerable, but for the less sought after, there may even be a direct link in. Those who then book will be able to either return to the "Where do you want to go " page, or sign
out and free up the system, no more sitting waiting for a slot in.
Queueing does work. When the Birmingham Hippodrome released tickets for a major West End show going out on tour I was placed over 3000 from the actual booking page, but I was in the system and could see I was moving up, not getting frustrated by apparently
being unrecognised.
Any other suggestions? If they are kept positive, the Moderators may let the discussion run.....
Comments
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Do as hotels do and offer two prices. A cheap price but pay in full and lose your money if you cancel. A dearer price but with flexibility and allowing cancellations.
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Scrap the whole booking day frenzy and go to a rolling 12 months calendar. That is the best and fairest way to deal with it. No fancy IT requirements, no big input from staff, no frustration for those who work and can't get booked. Staff wouldn't have to
be diverted from their normal jobs to just cope with frenzy day. Come on CC you know it makes sense.0 -
Scrap the whole booking day frenzy and go to a rolling 12 months calendar. That is the best and fairest way to deal with it. No fancy IT requirements, no big input from staff, no frustration for those who work and can't get booked. Staff wouldn't have to
be diverted from their normal jobs to just cope with frenzy day. Come on CC you know it makes sense.That would become a pain for me. Having to organise my thoughts 4 times a year instead of once
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Good idea maybe? but then you may need nearly two hundred queues,against one as you were in,
Years ago before tinternet bookings,you could book direct to all year sites,from the day bookings opened,and add staff (mostly seasonal site wardens) were employed at EGH to take the bookings so it was a Queue already for seasonal sites
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Deposit on booking....
Full payment 6 weeks before travel.......
Seems to work for Thomson etc etc......
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Scrap the whole booking day frenzy and go to a rolling 12 months calendar. That is the best and fairest way to deal with it. No fancy IT requirements, no big input from staff, no frustration for those who work and can't get booked. Staff wouldn't have to
be diverted from their normal jobs to just cope with frenzy day. Come on CC you know it makes sense.That would become a pain for me. Having to organise my thoughts 4 times a year instead of once
Why? if its a rolling calendar just make bookings once a year as you do now but not on frenzy day just any of the 364 other days
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Only allow bookings of 4 days or more on booking day. Weekends could be booked the following day with a maximum of 3 weekends on that day. After that, book as you like. To stop anyone booking 4 or more days over a weekend and then cancelling to just get
that weekend, if they cancel any of those days you lose the whole booking.0 -
Ahh but which day? The reason I now book for the year ahead is because in the past I would, for example, book at the end of August for sites in September, none of which were generally 'honeypots', only to be surprised to find a site that I wanted was fully
booked (probably by those damned retired folk!)
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Only allow bookings of 4 days or more on booking day. Weekends could be booked the following day with a maximum of 3 weekends on that day. After that, book as you like. To stop anyone booking 4 or more days over a weekend and then cancelling to just get
that weekend, if they cancel any of those days you lose the whole booking.Sounds complex and would not work. If I wanted to make a weekend booking under that system I would book your 4 days. Wait a month or so until folk have lost interest and then cancel the 4 day booking and book for the two nights as I know that I have just
freed the pitch.0 -
Pay at the time of booking,genuine people who are not just booking on off chance that they might want to go will not complain!
I might if I had to pay £2,500 up front (including the 5 none CC sites were I only had to pay £10 a night deposit). Of course what I would do is simply book Fridays and Saturdays
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Deposit on booking....
Full payment 6 weeks before travel.......
Seems to work for Thomson etc etc......
...But not for customers,there is no flexibilty
I have one booking like that this year. For me it is a pain having to remember to pay the additional before the end of August. If all 23 bookings were the same it would really cheese me off.
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Deposit on booking....
Full payment 6 weeks before travel.......
Seems to work for Thomson etc etc......
...But not for customers,there is no flexibilty
But isnt that the essence of the debate here? your (or my) "flexibility" to cancel without penalty and almost at the last minute (OK ...72hrs), means that speculative bookers (if there are any!) deprive people who come later to the booking process the opportunity
of booking that site (possibly!).I am not personally over concerned, having just taken early retirement I was able to devote yesterday to a frenzy of bookings for next year, which I am looking forward to taking up...!! (and did enjoy getting up early to join the madhouse..
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These are not really "bookings" at all. They are merely options to take up a booking later or relinquish the option with the penalty if it was not more than 72 hours beforehand of a slightly irate email! Have a go at trading currency futures if you want a bit proper excitement.
No-one has to put their money where their mouth (or finger) is so it seems such a pointless waste of resources. The rolling book-a-year-in-advance is what the members need, but unfortunately the computer system can't do that as it was designed to only work on a full single year.
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Scrap the whole booking day frenzy and go to a rolling 12 months calendar. That is the best and fairest way to deal with it. No fancy IT requirements, no big input from staff, no frustration for those who work and can't get booked. Staff wouldn't have to
be diverted from their normal jobs to just cope with frenzy day. Come on CC you know it makes sense.Totally agree, especially when the IT system can't cope either. I'm not concerend about individuals with time on their hands who don't like the idea that they can't plan and book every week or weekend just to suit them, (retirement is a fine thing...
)
Think about all the members needs and get some cash flow going from deposits too. It seems to work elsewhere.
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Think about all the members needs and get some cash flow going from deposits too. It seems to
work elsewhere.Well if you prefer the way things are done elsewhere there is a very simple solution
There is a simple solution and I use it, booking a year in advance especially for the Summer or Easter has a great advantage. I don't have the luxury of many weeks away, although retired I'm still like people in work who have limited holiday time.
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Ahh but which day? ...
You'd have any one of 365 to choose from
what about February 29th
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Scrap the whole booking day frenzy and go to a rolling 12 months calendar. That is the best and fairest way to deal with it. No fancy IT requirements, no big input from staff, no frustration for those who work and can't get booked. Staff wouldn't have to
be diverted from their normal jobs to just cope with frenzy day. Come on CC you know it makes sense.Write your comments here...You then create a "booking day frenzy" everyweeek where people want to book say a bank holiday or certain weekends to coincide with air show, flower show, baloon festival etc. and remember these weekends for next year dont fall
on a weekend this year so you would ahve to have a note in diary to ensure you book on the correct day.also do these roling days start at 1 minute past midmight for the next 12 months or 8,9???
Personally the CC way is fine and is the same as say Thompson,Thomas Cook etc who release holidays for next summer on a certain date and like them if you want a particular hotel, flight or anything else as Fred Pontin used to say BOOK EARLY.
Best way to improve it would be for those who think the grass is greener on the other side or with commercial sites then vote with feet and leave and let teh rest of us who are happy with the system even with some imperfections carry on while they would
obviolusly be better off in teh so called nirvana of the C&CC or the multitude of private/commercial sites out there. We were totally peed off with the C&CC system and staff rudeness so we did just that.0 -
I am confused about how this rolling booking system works. Does it release a day at a time, week or two weeks. If a day to be sure of getting an important weekend, you would have to book the Friday one day and the Saturday the next, otherwise you might loose out. If a week at a time and you wanted two weeks, you would again have to book in two halves to insure getting your two weeks by the sea. Seems more complicated to me.???
Seems MichaelT and I are thinking along the same lines. Posted at the same time.
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I wouldn't encourage CC members to leave I'd be thinking "how can we improve the booking experience" for everyone. I've had no real problems with either club, they both have a lot to offer.
Steve. The booking system with the other club isn't complicated, you can also choose a pitch type and see in advance what type of pitches are available. The pricing structure is according to the pitch type.
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Fortunately everybody has a different idea what constitutes a Honeypot site. I'm quite happy to let everybody who wants to go to York Rowntree park - Bristol;- Baltic wharf and Chatsworth fight over the pitches available. I wouldnt be interested in going there even if the pitches were free.
There are a great many great CC sites with much more to offer the caravanner in the way of natural scenic locations and outdoor pursuits in unmanicured landscape.
So the annual "Frenzy day" has absolutely no interest for me. Just keep it as it is---- some people like it.
Cheers..................K
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I wouldn't encourage CC members to leave I'd be thinking "how can we improve the booking experience" for everyone. I've had no real problems
Write your comments here...And herein lies the problem, how do you improve it for everyone when everyone all seem to want something different? Myself and maybe the majority (maybe not) are happy the way it works, we generally can book what we want when
we want it and accept that there may not be availability so look for other options (CL, Commercial, different area) its the minority that want something specific for them so they can book the "honeypot sites" so maybe the answer is more sites in popular areas?0
