The same Club, just better...
Comments
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What survey ???
i only use CL's and have never seen a survey , especially asking if I am happy with the name / branding of MY club
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I suspect that all promotional videos suffer from the same thing in that they only deal with fluffy concepts rather than cold hard facts. I don't see anything particularly wrong with the video but the hard nosed won't be convinced by it because they probably don't want to be? I did spot a deliberate mistake, did anyone else? All the site names have the word Certificated Location after them!!!
What we have not really learnt from this change are the real management reasons for the change. Had we had a better insight into that reasoning perhaps more people might have been more sympathetic to the change. Is the Club membership increasing, static or falling? If the latter two are the case the Club would be concerned as future investment could be at risk. Where is the future growth in this segment. It seems to be motorhomes, owned by younger people. How comfortable does the name Caravan Club fit with what might be the future lifeblood of the Club? I imagine lots of background analysis went into the decision for this name change. Perhaps what we all need to think about is what the Club will look like in ten years time, not what its like now, or what it was like 20 years ago. If we reflect on that maybe its easier to reconcile the decision.
David
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Glad you like the new logo JT,
This is the first step towards offering improved services to our members. Stay tuned while the Club continues to evolve
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Hi Spuz
The cost has been planned and budgeted in advance. It is being met from normal trading expenses. The amount is affordable, as it represents a tiny fraction of the Club’s turnover and will not impact any of the Club’s plans for investment in sites or club services. Many of the costs are in consumable items such as uniforms, signage and so on which need replacing on an ongoing basis in any case. We have delayed the launch of the sites directory and handbook (which will be distributed this month) for example to make sure that this has the new branding for all of its two year life and so there has been no extra costs incurred.
We expect that the new brand will generate a higher profile and increased interest for the Club which will improve membership recruitment and retention and increase usage of club services so that the Club is even more successful in the future than it is now.
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I re joined the club a couple of years ago after a long break from caravanning and was not dismayed to see that motorhomers were also members. I am equally not dismayed to see motorhomes on the sites that I stay on. The addition of the word "motorhome" to the title of the club that I belong to makes no difference to the service that I get from the club nor does it, in some way, make me feel inferior. Are there not more important things in life to get excited about?
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... and it continued "Everything we do is to help you get even more from the great outdoors."
As an existing member with a motorhome, I so glad that now knowing that I can take my motorhome to a club site will enable me to "get so much more from the great outdoors". - Except that the new logo may rather spoil the view.
And the lack of investment in sites that the money could otherwise have been used for may make the 'other club's' sites more attractive.
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Well, the new stickers at least have arrived here, so the new Motor Home Club has got my address correct for sending out the mythical handbook.
Now the IMPORTANT bit. There is very little work with a pair of scissors to slice off words and reposition so it reads "CARAVAN CLUB" if that is what one prefers.
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We did that so that those members who hadn't seen the announcement elsewhere could be certain of who they were receiving mail from
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Video issues, top heavy on white, middle class, elderly men. I am not saying the Club doesn't embrace diversity, but that video almost stereotypes the very image the Club is trying so hard to lose. Why couldn't they have let some of the younger staff members feature in the video? Head honcho's, no matter how dedicated, are sometimes not the best examples of putting across change. Meanwhile, the staff at the sharp end are left valiantly doing their best to win over existing members, answering the bewildered questions of those who had no inkling of what was in the pipeline.
Totally agree with your second paragraph DK.
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I suspect that all promotional videos suffer from the same thing in that they only deal with fluffy concepts rather than cold hard facts. I don't see anything particularly wrong with the video but the hard nosed won't be convinced by it because they probably don't want to be?
Your assumption David. The fact is that personally I dislike advertisements that only deal with fluffy concepts as is the case with many car adverts showing folk leaving hotels and having an active social life with a few brief frames of the product and B all meat.
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I have a caravan and a camper ... I did not need the club to spend/waste money to let me know I belong to it ... The membership fees have been going up year on year, already making the club the most expensive to be a member of ... How much is this management ego boosting change going to add to the yearly fees?
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Rochelle.
I think you are doing a good job as the face and representative of the club in such a challenging time during a change process. I appreciate that you might be limited as to what information you can share, as members may well be scrutinising every word of your replies. It is a pity that members of the committee cannot take part in on line discussions, about this and other issues especially if they want to prepare the club for the future. I have been in various organisations where management have taken part in on line discussions and yes they are difficult at first but if well planned and moderated they can be very beneficial, especially during a time of change.
Secondly are the agendas and minutes of the Executive Committee and other meetings available for members to view? They can easily be sanitised to remove business sensitive issues. This is especially relevant to the limited liability of full members of the 'Company' under paragraph 8 of the Articles of Association
Finally if there is an 'action plan' for the changes (understandably sanitised for business sensitive issues) can this be made available to members?
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I know you will have a crib sheet as you say the same thing a number of times but repetition doesn't make it any better.
You are no doubt correct in that the Executive Committee were fully involved and they may (or may not) be representative of the Club membership. We just have to see it from the other point of view and not continue to defend a particular view point. Personally I have no gripe with the change, just the BS surrounding it.
Some people clearly think that, for something like this, it would have been easy to have had a consultation exercise rather than simply rely on the views of 12 men and one woman (Really? Inclusive?). Might be a good idea simply to acknowledge that viewpoint and explain why it was done the way it was.
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Anyone know how much this 'Re-Branding' is costing?
We are going to use Adults Only sites a lot more in the future. Seem to be better maintained for little or no difference in fees so it’s questionable if we will renew if the annual subscriptions increase greatly next time. We’re not paying over the odds for the ideas of a few in control of the club (whatever the name).
Does anyone in club HQ read and digest what is written on here I wonder.
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If only that were all! It's all the money being spent on this announcement; on new signs, uniforms, stationery; etc., etc., that could otherwise have been spent on facilities and site & website improvements that members have been calling out for.
It's also the appalling way that they have apparently treated CLs & District Groups, some of whom have recently spent money on new stationery, signs, etc. without being warned in advance - and that they are now expected to pay for replacement stationery, signs, etc. immediately to reflect the new branding.
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Love it JayEss! The motorhome competitors will now be able to say a legitimate "up yours" when some fuddy duddy decides that the time honoured rally game of "getting it erected" is one of the tests!
Pass me that winding handle! (Also available on today's caravans!)
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Oh my oh my oh my.
My previous posts have all been supportive of the change and attempt by the Club to modernise the thinking and strategy of the organisation.
It is clear many of the "members" posting on CT cannot grasp the actual reality of membership. It does not give each of us a say in everything the organisation does.
We elect fellow Members to serve on a Board of Directors to oversee and run the organisation. The paid staff including the DG report to that Board.
The reality is therefore that having elected a Board we let them run the organisation. The Board, the senior staff team and the members on the consultative committee formed a view and took a decision to modernise the organisation.
We can have a view on whether or not we like the changes etc but if we really don't like what the Board do then stand for election to the Board and seek to change it.
Perhaps if we spent less time focussed on the internal workings of the the organisation and more time actually enjoying the great outdoors and using your caravan, campervan, Motorhome, tent etc for whatever you do we would get less worked up about changes to the organisation.
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With the AA & RAC you are effectively buying insurance, which presumably then comes to your aid on demand - and without additional cost.
That is a completely different model than here - where you are buying membership, which gives you a monthly magazine & the right to use the club's sites - on payment of yet another fee.
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My stickers have also just arrived by post, I feel like returning them to sender. I would have preferred the cost of postage to be used to send out a Members ballot form out prior to this becoming a fait accompli. What a needless waste of money and is causing bad feeling between members and disillusionment with management running the organisation
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".....,It is clear many of the "members" posting on CT cannot grasp the actual reality of membership. It does not give each of us a say in everything the organisation does...."
But being a full member of the organisation means...
8. Limited liability of Full Members
The liability of the Full Members is limited to £1, being the amount that each Full Member undertakes to contribute to the assets of the Company in the event of the same being wound up while he is a Full Member, or within one year after he ceases to be a Full Member, for:
8.1 payment of the debts and liabilities of the Company contracted before he ceases to be a Full Member,
8.2 payment of the costs, charges and expenses of winding up, and
8.3 adjustment of the rights of the contributories among themselves.
Yes only £1, but we still have a limited liability so should we have a say?
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I have been a member of the caravan club for 16 years now and have always enjoyed my holidays on club sites. I feel the committee has handled the rebranding badly. It is being presented to us as a 'fait accompli' and the funding of it is less than transparent. I accept that the club has to look to the future but perhaps the committee needs to be a lot more open in the future about what is being discussed behind the scenes.
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