Would It Work ? – Open for sensible debate.
Comments
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"Frenzy Day" is not a problem to us either - we just ignore it!
I do wonder though, if the club took, say, Rowntree, Chatsworth and Baltic Wharf" out of the on line booking system, whether there'd be any frenzy at all. Are there any examples of other sites that get anywhere near full bookings on that one day?
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On the ocassions I've used frenzy day I've found I can't even get a slot on line til it's too late. We're not all on fast broadband! I don't know what the phone bookings are like? When Baltic Wharf is out of the equation there will be more pressure elsewhere.
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As said, I'm in a minority :-)
Looking at it from another angle, rather than what is best for individuals and their needs versus what is good for the Club by encompassing a broader range of needs, would bringing 'booking' day (I'll refrain from using frenzy day) forward to the end of August be a total disaster. This would open up opportunities for anyone looking to try and secure more advanced bookings, and would also attract repeat bookings for those just coming to the end of their summer hols (catching those who are suffering post holiday blues rather than those thinking more about the pending Christmas)
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The only 'speculative booking' that I have made was probably about 7 years ago when I still booked a month before a tour and that was a CC Braithwaite Fold as was. In February I noticed vacancy for 5 or 6 nights in September. We had not planned September tour. My intention was after our April/May trip I would see if it would fit in with a tour with consideration to what areas we had recently visited. If not I could release it then.
It was after this time that I started booking up in December as I kept finding an odd site here or there that I could not book on the specific dates that I required.
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With over a hundred Club sites showing vacancies the coming Saturday, and 29July is surely peak season, what is all the fuss about booking many months, or years, ahead ?
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Can you tell me now, or perhaps reassure me, that the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday 2018, will be available at Chatsworth if I wait until a week or so before, I think about getting it booked?
You can't can you?
Which is why the C&CC Bakewell have got the booking.
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2018 and 2019? Some of us are of an age that deciding if a BOGOF at Sainsbury's is going to be worth it is a struggle.
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....Ferrari Meadows)
Is this an oblique reference to speeding on site?
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Anyway, point laboured enough I think. Reckon I might go to the AGM this year, just for the craic, and it's not far to travel. Anyone been before? Is there free beer/wine/nibbles or is it buy your own tea/coffee/hobnobs
Any questions you think I should put to the floor? Or should I just discretely lob peanuts at our Grenville?
I could be awkward and ask why there's a distinct lack of sexual equality & diversity on the board of directors
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We tried mid Jan 2016 to book a week at Chatsworth for mid March. Only able to book Sun-Fri. On arrival told the Warden the prob. Was told highly likely there'd be a cancellation for the weekend & I'd get 1st option - which indeed turned out to be the case.
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Glad you got what you needed aaj, not always easy at that site. I am always rather puzzled by just how popular Chatsworth Site is to be honest, but guess it's proximity to some big urban areas (Sheffield, Derby etc...) make it good for long weekends, as well as those wanting longer holidays. Perhaps it's being very familiar with the place that doesn't make it a favourite, done the house, gardens, walks, Horse Trials, Country Fair etc... on a regular basis. The estate is very beautiful, but Baslow doesn't have much to offer we have found. Couple of pubs, an Italian eatery, that's about it. We have found travelling and staying further out gets you closer to more interesting places. Could be just us, not overly tempted to use site.
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some of this is due to not enough sites/pitches to go round and someone doesn't want to drive to say Cornwall with kids in the car only to find out the site is full ,then what sleep in a layby?
whereas overseas from the photos I have seen there seems to be no lack of sites or places to stay ,the whole culture is totally different
We the British seem to want to pre book everything from holidays to a meal at the local pub
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Many thanks everyone for contributing to this discussion and for your feedback, which has been forwarded to the Sites Operations and Product Development teams for their reference.
Our flexible booking system allows members to amend their bookings if they need to change their holiday plans at short notice. We understand that some situations can't be predicted, and we do want members to be able to postpone their holidays by moving their dates forward. We're always sympathetic to members who breach the 72 hour late cancellation policy for genuine reasons. However, members who persistently late cancel their bookings may be suspended and have all their forward bookings cancelled.
We know that a small minority of members book more sites than they need, and choose to deprive other members of their holidays by amending bookings then cancelling them to avoid any late cancellation penalty. We can't stop them doing this, otherwise we would be making our booking system too inflexible for members who have valid reasons to change their travel plans. However, when we see frequent changes to bookings which appear to be designed to avoid the late cancellation policy, we take this very seriously and will always investigate and deal appropriately.
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We know that a small minority of members book more sites than they need, and choose to deprive other members of their holidays by amending bookings then cancelling them to avoid any late cancellation penalty. We can't stop them doing this, otherwise we would be making our booking system too inflexible for members who have valid reasons to change their travel plans. However, when we see frequent changes to bookings which appear to be designed to avoid the late cancellation policy, we take this very seriously and will always investigate and deal appropriately.
Thank you for the response Rowena, it is good to see the Club is still keeping an eye on “serial bookers” and are aware of the way the policy is manipulated. I’m amazed you cannot prevent the practice and hope the appropriate penalty is not just a slap on the wrist. If the Club is unwilling or cannot prevent such flagrant abuse of the system, it should be dealt with very severely. I can now understand why the pleas to extend the late cancellation policy more than 72 hours, has fallen on deaf ears but what I cannot understand is why the Club clings onto a system which is clearly flawed.
peedee
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There bottom line is that this organisation don't really give a stuff about the abuse of the booking system or the execrable performance of the website and IT systems. If they did we would see some action.
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However, if it's true that site bookings are down on previous years' trading, as many suspect it might be, the club will investigate why this is, given that site booking fees are the bulk of the Club turnover. I never expected this thread to be passed on to any department for scrutiny, it is good that is has, but what is the underlying reason? Booking abuse or something deeper?
We already know the Club are responding to a stagnant membership uptake and with only approx 85% renewals, this can only have a knock on effect with less site nights booked.
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That's you opinion , mine is vastly different....... that's where its good that this forum enables members to debate these matters .
Until the system changes , we are ALL obliged to use it .😜
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Its not just the booking system, its the vast alternatives out there that are quickly accessed by the internet. Many are cheaper, offer better facilities and are easier to book. Its a sign of the times, we look elsewhere and where appropriate vote with our feet. In my case say 6/7 years ago never thought of anywhere except CC and sometimes Cls. Now use a number of providers throughout the year. Once you have tried the alternatives you look at them every time you consider a booking. The big eye opener was the club promoting Haven and finding their superb Euro pitches at off season prices.
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Yup, nothing more to add other than I used to always try and get a CC club site whenever I wanted to book a break somewhere. If trying to book a week for example, and the online availability showed a night or two as full, I'd book the available nights then constantly keep checking to see if the full nights had become available through cancellations, often right up to the last minute. Soon got fed up with how tedious this becomes and don't do it anymore. Still check online for available sites but if there are any nights showing full at the first time of checking I give up immediately and look at the other club or a commercial, within the same locality.
As posted above (numerous times
) this has also led me to start booking further in advance, because the alternatives allow it.0 -
I have also "tried on line" to book more than a couple of days when system showed "full"on some days, but as usual a phone call to the site concerned has usually got it "sorted
" so you just have to as is modern speak "think outside the box"
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