Loosing More CLs, why?
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Absolutely spot on. I have always said a premium price should be paid to CL sites which provide all the facilities.
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There is nothing to stop a CL charging whatever they want, but they do have to have a draw. We have stayed on a full facilities CL at £25/night. It had fantastic views over the South Downs and it was in a place we wanted to be. The owners had done a great job of it.
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Hello everyone. Hopefully you're all out at a CL somewhere enjoying life. Just a quicky to all those who encouraged us to take deposits. No cancellations since and deposits pop through our letter box on a daily basis. We have raised our fee to £14 per night and no qualms there either. As a foot note we have space for the coming weekends if anyone fancies a look at us. Oh, and also, I've had an email or two from guests who have had great difficulty in posting reviews?.?.? EV
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Well that's gratifying to hear. Win win situation.
I think deposits focus the mind but then we're not cancellers unless there's an emergency and so far we have never needed to cancel a holiday be it package or motorhoming.
Out of interest what do you ask for as a deposit?
Listened to you and yours, I think that was the programme, on radio 4 where someone had booked a cottage for Christmas in February. Changed their minds and cancelled with 7 months still before booked date. Deposit was £350 which was lost and they accepted BUT the T&C which she claimed she hadn't read properly but ticked said if they couldn't relet they were liable for full amount around £1000-2000 if I recall. Naturally once radio involved they agreed that maybe it should be plainer on T&C. It goes to show people will book and cancel on a whim and are happy to loose deposit.
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Emblem Villa. Worcestershire. Type in emblem villa in certificated locations and you'll find us. PS. To all those who advised deposits, thank you. If it's 1, 2 or three night booking we ask for £14, for a week £28. For more nights than that £42. So far for short stays most folk have sent the full amount.EV
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Not far from Upton upon Severn, south of Worcester, near N/T's Croome Park and also the Malverns.
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My only gripe 're deposits was from a few years back. We placed a deposit (£20?) on a CL but then had to cancel. We gave the CL a few months notice of cancelling but she held onto the deposit saying that if she re-sold those nights booked she'd return it. Obviously I'd no way of knowing whether she was able to re-re-sell it or not. Needless to say, I lost my deposit. How much notice should be enough notice?
I now phone a few days before hand to see if there's room, if not, there'll be another CL somewhere.
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For the first time the other day whilst out on my favourite CL of all time I heard that the C&MHC had actually told the CL what to charge! I have no way of verifying this but if true, firstly, they have no right to start suggesting prices and secondly, would it be so that they can help justify the club site prices? Having said that, We joined the other club this year for their CS's and can't say that they offer serious competition to the C&MHC- was surprised- thought they might be more competitive than they are.
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I think when a new site opens they suggest what the site could charge (I guess this is rather like an estate agent and quotes the upper amount) but the owner is free to charge as much or as little as they want. I guess a lot will depend on what attractions are in the area, what facilities yo offer etc. but a site say next to Lego Land will be able to charge more than one in the middle of nowhere and the site inspectors would point that out no doubt.
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a site say next to Lego Land will be able to charge more than one in the middle of nowhere
I know which one I'd choose, MichaelT, and pay more for, and it certainly wouldn't be the one next to Lego Land!
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Hi
We have just visited Hereford, Hay on Wye area and stayed at 2 CL's, Ash Meadow and Ladymeadow Farm. Both sites have v.good feedback and given the good weather and the approach of the bank holiday weekend I was surprised to find availability. When I mentioned this with the owners they said bookings had dropped over the last couple of years in fact one of them was thinking if it was worth carrying on.
As Motorhoming and caravaning seems to be a growing market (judging from the ache in my arm from waving to fellow motorhomers!) it would be a sad thing if CL's decline in number, they are our favourite kind of site.
As many have mentioned the C&MC website is infuriating when searching where to stay, I click a link it tells me it doesn't exist! I open the site page it tells me I need to be logged in - but I was!! so I log in and the page is lost and my search has gone!!!!
We need to support our CL's I'm not sure how but it will be sad if they disapear
thanks Chris
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It doesn't help when the club's printed map shows numbered CLs in the wrong position. I know of at least 2, one of which only opened last year. I'm sure that it would get more visitors had the map been correct, as the map shows it being 20 mls or so in land when in fact it's right on the coast.
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At the risk of starting to sound a bit 'Wayne & Judy', the CC(CAMC) service to its CL network is as appalling as the website.
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CHRISLEGEND Many thanks for your kind words of support for the CL network. You are absolutely correct in your assumptions. The Club could support the CL network a great deal more effectively than it does.
As the 'Nominated Member' on Club Council I have been making efforts to enthuse, educate and badger the Club into recognising the CL network. I am making progress, but it is infuriatingly slow. CL's were a 'Breakout Session' at the last Club Council meeting. Whether any of the recommendations that emerged will ever see the light of day is open to debate!
CL owners have therefore got together to 'help ourselves'. We have formed a CL Owners Group network, where we share tips and 'best practice' and try and help new CL owners.
The Club could do a lot to assist CL's - particularly new owners who have missed the directory and are not well highlighted on the website. But getting anything done on the new website or promoted on Facebook seems an uphill task..
From the member perspective, using CL's, booking ahead, and then supporting CL's you like by writing a review is much appreciated.
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You have to ask is the club interested in the Cl concept. They seem to be moving towards more static objects like Yurts. more sites with seasonal units etc. How long will it be before the sites are full of statics and they decide we tourers are no longer welcome? Time Cl owners looked after themselves and looked at alternatives
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The club should exist to support and promote the leisure pursuit of Touring, otherwise its existence is pointless and it should wind itself up. It is clear to me that this club has lost its way, it is lurching from gimmick to gimmick, it is allowing the tail of paid employees to wag the dog.
The clue is last time I looked a Yurt or a Pod isn't pulled on wheels. At the same time it isn't effectively supporting CLs which are both small businesses and an invaluable resource for a lot of the club's members.
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The clue is in the name! CARAVAN AND MOTORHOME CLUB!!!
If I wanted to Yurt or Pod!! why would I buy a Motorhome or caravan??
Big sites have there uses but CL's are as close as we are allowed to get to wild camping - with the benefit of a loo and electricity! (actually thinking about it some of the big sites I have used are pretty wild too!)
The club should do much more for CL's
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I agree with most of what Chrislegend has posted but I think that one post has flagged up another reason for decline. The expectations of the caravanner.
"CL's are as close as we are allowed to get to wild camping - with the benefit of a loo and electricity!"
Surely to set up a CL with electricity and toilet / showers adds to the up front and ongoing costs of a CL. It is not reasonable to expect to install facilities on a 5 van site is going to be 10% of the cost of doing the same as a on a 50 van site. This acts as a barrier to entry for new CLs I could see the situation where an owner would make more money from a £7 non facility site than charging £14 for a site with facilities given the same level of occupancy.
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Well, now, there's a thing to have an extended debate on. Much to my disbelief and annoyed disappointment, a number of our guests have wanted to post reviews but failed miserably after repeated attempts. And when you consider the vast majority of first time bookings are made after considering a CL's reviews I think we can all agree that this is no help at all. EV
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EV, Many small sites like yours have listed themselves on UKCampsite.co.uk (you can do that yourself on line) and have encouraged their visitors to post reviews there. It's free, it's efficient. and is the first port of call for many of us when looking for comments about campsites in this country and overseas. Are you on that list?
If the Club website is not helping you then you need to be be pro-active and organise your own marketing and reviews elsewhere.
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Agree to a certain extent with comment above. Reviews provide vital information to prospective users (those canny enough to sort the difference between good information and someone having a personal moan) The Club's website is very poor in this respect, and losing all the reviews for sites at the upgrade has been a disaster for many. However, personal advice is not to rely on on reviews on Club website, but do as EuroT suggests and put your CL on UKcampsites. Another forum with active review posting is the Caravanchat Forum, you may want to consider joining (free) and put your site details up on there, along with other CL owners who have done the same.
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I think CL owners should also help themselves by adding photo's to the C&MC page for their site and also create their own website with more information etc. It is not expensive and easy to do with free tools. If a CL owner cannot be bothered to promote their site why should I visit? Also when they have visitors encourage them to add a review, I see many sites with no reviews or so out of date they are worthless and its nice to see a few photo's to see exactly what the site is like.
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I had done something close to 40 reviews for CLs, and I know another big user of CLs had possibly topped 100 reviews. The Club lost/Deleted User most of my reviews and a great many of the other persons when the IT upgrade took place, so I am afraid I no longer bother on this website now, but do them on another forum. I don't like having my time wasted and efforts discarded, so have found this a better option. Having to reduce photos down to thumbnails is a pain in the butt as well, so again next to useless.
Fact that some CLs have no photos or a website hasn't hindered us finding some lovely sites. We use other methods to glean the information we need. Helpful if they have though.
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Thank you folks for the advice, l shall be investigating further. Just to add though. As this is a members only club, and we CL owners are to invite these members to our locations, and then ask hopefully for a favourable review. Surely the club should have to ask for your permission to remove your reviews, providing they are appropriately written? I'm probably getting away from the point of this particular post, but for me, in my third season of CL ownership, I have to say, we need all the help we can get, and I speak from what I hear and see.EV
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