Who decides...?
We have not been out in our van in the UK much for about 18 months but today I decided to book a Club site for a couple of breaks. I am shocked and disappointed at the horrendous increase in pricing that appears to have been implemented. Who decides these rises which are way above the rate of inflation? Members of the club don't seem to have a say in deciding priorities at all. Sadly, I am not prepared to pay £98 for 3 nights away in April well outside the school holidays. After today, I am seriously considering whether it is worth being a member of the Club anymore. After all, motorhomes are much more flexible particularly in Europe where a night on an aire can be anything from free to a few Euros for services....
Comments
-
These price rises have caused many, many threads over the past couple of years, OGS.
Where were you looking to go? £98 for 3 nights in April is certainly more than we'd be prepared to pay. But how does that compare with other non-club sites in the area? And there must be any number of good CLs in the area whose owners would welcome your custom.
The sensible thing is to vote with your wheels - if the price is not right look elsewhere. All too often folk have come on CT complaining about prices but then paying them anyway. So what incentive is there then for the club to look at its pricing strategy?
Hope you find somewhere that suits!
(PS - having said all that, I don't think comparing a club site with an Aire is exactly like for like, is it?
)1 -
I guess it depends on the site. I've just randomly looked up Blackshaw Moor for 3 nights as it's a site we like, including a weekend and it comes to £57.90.
£98 certainly appears to be on the expensive site. Which site are you looking at Oldgirl?
David
0 -
I am paying around £54 for three nights at Hillhead mid April (after the school hols.) If I went to Plymouth Sound I'd be paying around £30 or £42 at Ilfracombe. Which site have you chosen OSG? Schools hols end two weeks after Easter, they have been staggered over three weeks this year.
0 -
I think we need to know the site and dates OGS? I've got two sites back to back after the 16th on service pitches and they are coming in at just over £25 per night for the two of us. Yours seems very expensive?
0 -
I have just booked Henley on Thames for 4 nights. I would have preferred to use Swiss Farm next door but that is £6 a night more so no contest really. It would be interesting to know what site is costing so much. I don't doubt they are around. We were at Bridlington last year, not in school holidays and that was pretty expensive.
David
0 -
It was Pembrey I was looking at. This is the breakdown for 10th for 3 nights.
Tuesday 10 April 2018 - Friday 13 April 2018
Pitch fees for 3 night(s) @ £16.40 per night
£49.20
2 adult for 3 night(s) @ £10.20 per adult per night
£61.20
TOTAL
£110.40
I realise now it is within the school holidays but it still seems an incredible amount of money. This was for a serviced pitch. The ordinary pitch was £98.
I would very much like to know who makes the decisions about raising the prices. As members do we not have representatives who 'fight our corner' to keep costs down?0 -
Pembrey is one of the more expensive club sites in peak and perhaps all the leisure facilities near it make it so?
Well if it seems an incredible amount to you then don't book it and find somewhere cheaper, harsh but that is it. Go a few days later and it's down to just under £27 per night but that's for a service pitch. Go for a standard pitch as it comes in at £22.90, go midweek and it's £18.95. Not that expensive?
As far as I know I don't think do we have representatives to fight our corner as you say, club sites are pretty much middle of the road for prices and appear popular at the prices set.
Did you book?
0 -
OGS, check out the council's site within Pembrey Country Park. It looks as if it’s £20 p/n peak unless I’ve misread it.
http://www.pembreycountrypark.wales/campsite/
You have the opportunity to vote at the club's AGM and to attend to make your voice heard and even to stand as a working council member if you wish. That's how you fight your corner regarding prices or any other matter.
0 -
(PS - having said all that, I don't think comparing a club site with an Aire is exactly like for like, is it? wink
Depends on the Aire, some Aires I will stay on any day in preference to a site. I do agree though if you don't like the price stop moaning and go elsewhere.
peedee
0 -
I would very much like to know who makes the decisions about raising the prices. As members do we not have representatives who 'fight our corner' to keep costs down?
I agree that it would be interesting to know how site fees are arrived at but I suspect it is a commercial decision based on the expected occupancy figures across the season and the expect revenue return. What we don't know is how costs vary from site to site and there may be differences between sites that add to the running costs which require higher fees. What we do know is that any surplus in revenue is ploughed back into the Club sites and facilities, it does not go to shareholders. You could always try a direct approach to the Club asking this specific question.
David
1 -
Unless I'm mis-reading OGS's figures, the average over six nights is £18.40 per night for a standard pitch. That doesn't seem exceptional for a 'full-fat' club site. Having said that, there's no way I would pay some of the silly prices that club sites charge for much of the year. I've just booked a few nights at a CL for £13 per night. I just hope that, with this incessant rain, it doesn't change into a marina berth.
1 -
We looked at Pembrey and Brecon for week after Easter, and to bring a child as well the price was far to high in my opinion, so now using a cl instead. I find club sites have gone expensive and by using CL's we can holiday more often.
The council run site at Pembrey Country Park is very popular, and improvements are made every year,
1 -
As with all types of holiday, prices go up at peak times. In general I don't feel the CAMC are particularly over the top with their charging structure. As far as this country is concerned I would categorise them as middle of the road.
However, with Easter being so early I do think that extending peak to the 14th April rather strange. For Clumber that means a family of four paying £38.70 a night. OK for a main summer holiday but I am not sure many will pay it for a week or two in early April. For comparison, with mid week discount the price drops to £22.45 on the 16th of April.
On the mid weekend of the holiday period late availability shows 5 pitches free on Saturday, 73 on Sunday. Depending on how much grass is in use that could mean there are very few on site. In any event it means the best case scenario is there are 73 pitches free out of a possible 188, so 115 taken. In actuality it is likely to be between the two.
2 -
I think that the club sets its peak prices on the school holidays and as far as I can remember the two weeks around Easter was always peak, usually of course the Easter weekend was in the middle unlike this year where it's Easter first, and all (well apart from the private ones) schools up here, Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham Cleveland, only just started their Easter two weeks holidays yesterday (giving all those teachers a well earned break
)So the 'peak season' this year extends two weeks from now.
0 -
Given the early date, I would have thought something similar here sensible. So perhaps peak for GF to Easter Monday and the following Friday, Saturday and perhaps Sunday. Even if they had not gone as far as also having mid week discounts, it would reduce the nightly cost by £12.
0 -
When working we usually expected to pay £25 - £30+ per night. So anything less is a bargain. I personally I think that's a fair price, it's 0.04% of our outfit price but if club sites do not appear good value to you (or one) then don't use them, are we not often told there are cheaper sites out there?
Why are people so horrified about club prices when they have spent literally ten of thousands on their outfit?
1 -
To reduce personal costs it's better to book outside peak times. It's always been expensive on a lot of sites during Easter but the cub still has it's £14 all in sites etc. I would agree about the site inside Pembrey Park but if OGS wants a full service pitch etc there's a premium on them in most places. We've stayed at Pembrey out of the main season but have also used a CL nearby. I presume the club can get it's premium on Pembrey due to the site position but at least the profit gets ploughed back into the club for other developments and improvements.
Some schools broke up a week ago, others finished yesterday so the Easter price increases can vary over the three weeks.
1 -
this was one which was far nicer than any £30 UK site we've stayed on...
this one was at Vauban's chateau and was free for 48hrs including free EHU and water in the pitch....
Moulsey was right, no comparison...
1 -
I still think it odd CS. Peak for the two weeks if you are jetting off to the sun makes sense. Not so much so for the sort of weather we have at this time of year. Apart from teachers 😀 Who have to take the holiday, most others won't want to use too much of there precious annual leave. So it will only be the bank holiday and weekends of the holiday that are popular. It makes sense for the club to classify them as peak, but for the rest it seems totally counterproductive. The workers won't come, at least not in significant numbers and most of us retired folk will wait till the price goes down.
2 -
You are probably right Steve, I've never been to a full club site at Easter, maybe very busy over the bank holiday but before and after a lot quieter. This year I decided to wait till April 16th to make a booking, I'm sure a lot of us might consider earlier bookings if the prices were lower. The sites will not be full so the present profits are based on higher feees for less take up. However some grass pitch places will still be unusable due to the bad weather so the club also loses on these, a difficult balancing act.
0 -
Yes I think it's the second week at peak that could be causing the 'oddness'? From talking to those that have to work for a living most attach their leave to bank holidays? And so when Easter was in the middle of the two weeks both weeks were fair game?
I remember talking to some year 10's once about holidays in jobs and how most people got around 25 days a year. You could see them comparing it to their school holidays and one remarked 25 days! I bet roman slaves got more than that!
1 -
I think I can answer you question a little Corners. Some of us haven't spent tens of thousands on our outfits, and having been Club members for a very long time, 30+ years in our case, have seen just how commercial the Club has now become, now just the same as most other holiday providers out there.
I am a realist, I understand that the Club has to adapt, providing a pitch to me is now more expensive in terms of staffing, energy provision, grounds maintenance, etc.... so I don't balk too much at the prices, as I know most folks who are Club members are probably like you, and will have spent tens of thousands on their outfit, and happily pay whatever the Club thinks a reasonable price. I do thank the Club for giving lots of options, including the small budget sites, and the mid week discounts, plus of course, the wonderful CL network.
Foot in both camps I suppose. But some of the sites, some of the time do have us gasping at the price folks pay. Thankfully, we can give the peak periods a miss, and save our money for other types of holiday.
2
