72 hour rule
Comments
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My advice to the OP on my post of the previous page, Quote " The second place is to notify Grimstead Towers of your findings" When that happens Grimstead will know, and take action. . We forum members have no need to have that information. There have been requests from forum members in the past about site identities and that info has been refused, ---- Nothing different about this thread.
K
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But K, the OP hasn't sought your advice on how or where to report problems.....
Chrystal has sought to engage us in debate about them......
Asking for further details seems entirely sensible & reasonable, do you not think......?
(the very last bit of my post might be a rhetorical question sorry...
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Ask a sensible question and you’ll get a sensible answer but talk in riddles and refuse to clarify details then you’ll likely get people's various interpretations as we struggle to understand what on earth you're talking about.
You have my sympathy if you have a disability but what has it got to do with the 72 hour cancellation policy?
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Hi Chrystal
Reading through your post again I still can't quite get your point. Apart from the "non working showers" bit which without more detail we can' t really discuss. Camera crew with several vans etc, I've had experience of this before and it's normally very well organised in advance with little disruption to folk onsite, everyone in the local vicinity is consulted. An uneven dusty road surface could be anywhere, we do have as has already been stated above an access statement for every site which highlights everything from road conditions to the height of the grab rail in the disabled toilet. Any other info you may require is only a phone call to the site away. We always do our best to accommodate anyone with a special request. The rest of your comments are beyond the control of any site. Finally, what does "blocked and smelly waste on pitches" mean please?
JK Club site warden
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Well, yes, I think it does matter. The OP made an oblique reference to one site, Burrs, but it wasn't clear if that was directly from experience or, as it seemed to me, picking up on another member's comments. The OP asked if we thought the 72 hours rule should apply given his/her change of circumstances. How can we (that is who the question was addressed to, not HO) be expected to answer without knowing what that change of circumstances involved?
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IMHO some of the changes of circumstances listed are not within the club’s control & others can occur at any moment in time. Maybe for future bookings a phone call to wardens 72 hours prior to travelling could clarify some points mentioned thus allowing possible change of plans.
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The point is the 72 hour rule and the available services and facilities on a site when you get there have nothing at all to do with each other.
If anybody arrives on a site and finds that it does not meet their expectations then that should be addressed initially with the wardens and if you feel you have not received a satisfactory response then the Club.
It has nothing to do with the cancellation policy which allows a cancellation due to a change in circumstances prior to arrival.
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If anybody has a specific complaint about our sites, we at Head Office in East Grinstead House, would be more than happy to help and respond.
As others have said, we would need specifics in order to comment about the site problems.
The wardens will always do their best to accommodate anyone's specific needs on sites.
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Well, Chrystal, I can see from the latest activity page that you've been looking at this thread again but chosen not to give us any more information!
So, for what it's worth, and based on your OP, here's my take on things, which I think is what you wanted.
If something changed the nature of a site fundamentally, such as absolutely no working showers, then, yes, you should be contacted and told that and offered the opportunity to cancel without penalty.
But for all the other points you mentioned, I don't think there is any case at all.
I do sympathise with whatever your disability is - having speNT many years helping Mrs M's mother, who suffered terribly with arthritis, to continue enjoying caravanning I am more than aware of the importance of accessibility needs.
I would say the best advice would be to contact the wardens on site yourself, maybe 4 days before setting off. If anything is then not to your liking you can take advantage of the club's very generous booking/cancellation system. Best I can suggest, I'm afraid.
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M, I thought I asked a simple Question.
If a member books in advance ,should they be told of and changes to the site, not explained in the information, should the members be told in advance. Just as we, members are expected to inform the club of our change of plans.
We take a lot of time choosing sites to suit our needs, and we love peace and quiet, as we had on the first site we visited.
Not too much to ask I think.
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One or two members adviseing a site of their change of plans,is a bit different to advising possibly 100+ members of a change of circumstances that might possibly only affect one or two of those arrivals at a w/end and the only thing in your post would be classed as a "change of circumstances? is the problem with some of the showers which could also happen after you have arrived
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The answer then is "yes".
We should be told that the showers aren't working if we have paid for a full facility site and offered the opportunity to amend our booking or a partial refund.
Wifi has always been a pain in the wotsit, we just use a data only sim in a chromebook, gave up on Arch Angel or whoever they are years ago....
The rest of your post appears to be rubbish without further details, countryside noises, road noise easily anticipated by looking at a map etc, and no mention after 4 pages of what you found lacking in disability provision...?
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And I think I answered your question as far as I could. Only if a site has changed fundamentally, such as no showers at all working, should we expect to be informed. There's no other factor in what you stated in your OP which would make me think there is any justification for being informed.
What has happened to using a bit of initiative? As I said, if you have a concern contact the site yourself 4 days before travelling to check. Simple question? Simple answer really!
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+1
Thats a great answer, M.
I don’t think there’s any more to be said in view of the information that hasn’t been forthcoming. It seems even the staff requests for elaboration have fallen on deaf ears.
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+1
Great posts
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I do think there are a few points here that the Club should address.
Bird scarers sounding like gunshot between 6 and 7am is not camper friendly. It must surely be a regular happening at whatever site Chrystal is talking about, so the Club could advise of the circumstances on the details page.
Very early road noise.....Club has no control over outside road noise, but there have been some reports of what sounds like sites being used by those there for work, leaving at what would be pretty unsociable hours for those on holiday.....Littlehampton has been mentioned in the past. Club could insist on no site movement between certain hours and anyone going out early to park in site car park.
Blocked and smelly waste on pitches.......presumably refers to a serviced pitch? If a member has paid for a serviced pitch, the drain should work and not be smelly.
Facilities not available......Club should absolutely advise anyone due to arrive that facilities are unavailable, as soon as there is a problem. Not to do so is just not acceptable.
I think that most members, who are not disabled, just do not realise how dependant many disabled people are on everything working as they expect, and how anxious a disabled person can get when there is even a small problem.
If you are not disabled, you will have no idea about this sort of thing so should not judge others who are disabled. Not everyone has sufficient facilities in their van to cope if site facilities are out of action.
My OH has a disability, though you would not know it by looking at her. She needs help with showering, and has do so on a regular basis, so we need either a working disabled room, or to use our own facilities.
We are fortunate enough to be self sufficient, but not everyone is so fortunate.
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Kj, you’re speculating. We don’t know what site(s) is/are involved or even how many of these events are supposed to have happened to the OP.
FYI, bird scarers don’t operate all year round. You want the site details altered on a daily/weekly basis, I guess.
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+1
on bird scarers, the club cannot make comments on every single thing that happens outside the site itself, even if it happens like clockwork. It cannot control these things.
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Is anyone doubting the OP's word, K? You seem to have either grossly misunderstood the situation or you're putting a deliberate spin on the situation. It surely can’t be the latter!
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Does it matter who these things happened to, or which sites were involved? We are discussing whether the Club should keep members informed about unexpected or possibly antisocial happenings on a site.
If bird scarers are likely to be used, it should be enough to note this and ask members to check with wardens as to the current situation.
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Are you seriously suggesting we ring ahead to sites we are booked on to ask if there are any loud noises occurring in the vicinity, what the traffic situation is like, whether the roads are dusty or if there is a film crew on site?
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No, as I am sure you can see, I am only saying that on a site where these noisy bird scarers are in use nearby, the Club should note this and suggest that members should check the current situation with the warden if the noise is something that they would find unacceptable.
You may not be bothered by being awakened at 6am , while on holiday by this sort of noise, but many others would be.
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Kj, that’s hardly reasonable. In rural areas, it happens. It’s part of rural life like cocks crowing and farm machinery working into the night at harvest time.
Wardens will be overjoyed to be inundated with phone calls about an event that can change from day to day!
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Every Club Site has an Accessibility Document available to view online, which gives details in terms of road surfaces, pitch surfaces, access to facilities, where suitable pitches for those with extra needs are located and a phone number to discuss before booking, so anyone who thinks they might need help can assess if the location is going to suit them. There is also extra information added to Club Site webpages, for example, York Rowntree Park mentions the building works being carried out adjacent at the moment. Some web pages mention road noise if close to a motorway, such as at Durham Grange. Aside from unplanned events such as boiler failure, loss of water supply, I am at a loss at to what more the Club can do to make sure sure sites are as members expect to find them. If the site is out in countryside, expect tractors, cocks crowing, sheep baaing, crow scarers banging! If it's close to a town or City, expect road noise, train noise, school noise, maybe even pub noise. Sites close to airports will have........aircraft noise!
Its not rocket science working out what a site will be like, and if it will suit your needs and wants.
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I wonder just how many Club sites it would apply to?
Where we live,and where our son lives, there are farmer's fields just over the fence, so certainly rural, but no bird scarers in use.
No doubt the Wardens would deal with such calls politely and with good grace.
Living in a very quiet area, we always check whether there are busy roads near a site, and would often avoid the site if that was the case. Bird scarers need local knowledge, or a note on the site details.
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Avoid Marazion Site in June then K, crow scarers sometimes, but not always in use. Surrounded by fields as well, so lots of tractors up and down. On the plus side, dinner often comes free as they deposit lots of potatoes, onions, etc.... on road sides when passing. You can't beat veggie "road kill".
The crows at Yellowcraig are loud all the time, and the seagulls at Godrevy can be heard late into the evenings. Exeter Racecourse resident Crusty Camp, long renown for their Saturday night raves is now no longer there. Expect the drumming of Woodpeckers disturbing the peace at Bolton Abbey, and you may hear the noise of happy children at the adjacent school in term time, but only on the bottom level.
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Farmers choose to use bird scarers, they do so only when needed and only use them when a situation demands. They are useful only with certain crops, when certain species of birds are a problem and only during particular phases of crop growth. They appear' only when needed and only used for a few days at the most and due to crop rotation and pest density they may not reappear in a particular field for years.
Farmers are not obliged to inform those living adjacent to such fields they are placed in nor are they expected to provide a pre warning. Just like many unexpected or randomly occurring events maybe by the time sites become aware of such events they may possibly be about over. Maybe just a note in a sites info leaflet saying it is situated in an arable area of the countryside should be enough.
Now on the subject of sites in pastoral areas, there are certain times of the year when beasts are prone to lowing which they can do starting at very early hours of the day.
Then there is the natural dawn chorus. Some birds are quiet tuneful where as others are a little more discordant to ones ear. Maybe sites should provide some sort of index to indicate the 'quality' or noise level of their specific dawn chorus, an event which is only really evident for a few weeks of the year .
Yawn!
Lets just get out into the countryside and enjoy it as best we can given that most of us are actually 'intruding' into it!
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Bird scarers can occasionally be heard on a number of sites but as has been said there usage is not predictable. Normally starts after dawn chorus by a good margin.
I agree that if showers have been out of action and are unlikely to be repaired imminently then warnings could and should be sent out. I also believe a partial refund should be given. The only other matter worthy of consideration in this rant is the drains which were supposedly blocked and smelly. Presumably reported? If not the warden may not be aware.
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