Discounts on club touring sites
Hi. It’s my first post and I’m about to make myself unpopular I think. Am I alone in thinking that the discount offer on club sites isn’t really a discount at all. I recently made enquiries about staying at a site in the Lake District. It is apparently impossible to book a touring pitch on this site other than through the club. Two nights on a standard hard standing pitch cane to £82 at which point the club “discount” kicks in bringing the total to £58. But I have to ask how many sites out there charge £29 a night for two people. In the end we stayed on the east coast for £17 a night.
Ive has discussions with the club admin about why club sites are so expensive. The answer I received is that the club don’t think that they are. I honestly think that the whole £12 a night club discount offer is not what it appears at all.
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Needless to say, if it’s a club site, you can only book through the club whether via the call centre, the site itself, or online.
Prices are publicised at the discounted rate of £12 p/n for members and it’s really down to the individual to decide if that represents good value or whether the club is for them. Many commercial sites charge more, especially in peak season, while others charge less. Take your pick!
Don't forget the members' perk of being able to use CLs at rates often far below those charged by club and commercial sites. That’s something not available to non-members.
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I'm curious to know how you were quoted £82 before the "discount"; as a member that doesn't apply to you at all! I think it's pretty clear that the £12 is, in effect, an add on for non members; I doubt many pay it because a stay of 4 nights, for example would pretty much recoup that if joining the club.
As for £29 a night in the lake district, I think there are several examples of commercial sites charging way more than that and with more stringent booking conditions but that is a well worn argument on CT. Comparing prices in the Lake District with those on the east coast is pointless really! At the end of the day, if you feel £29 is unreasonable the answer is to find an equivalent alternative charging less (but if it's away from the area you want to stay in that's self defeating. ) Or, as suggested above, as a member there are loads of really good CLs out there to choose from.
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Agreed. In 35 plus years of membership, we have never come across anyone staying on a Club Site for more than one night (or camping) that wasn’t a Member. It just wouldn’t make sense. OP made his decision, Lake District too expensive so opted for East Coast, what we don’t know is if he tried a commercial Site in the Lake District and that helped changing areas! Access to CL network is worth the Membership fee alone.
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Al, im sure the club wouldn't admit to being expensive...their prices rise every year and, as above, there have been many, many threads regarding CC prices....its probably the hottest topic on CT.
again, good suggestions re CL sites, these are 5 van sites with varying levels of facilities, from showers/toilets to a field with a tap....prices vary too....worth a try just to get a feel for something away from formulaic club sites (and prices).
you could even look at joining the other club....age discounts, CS sites, club sites offering more pitch variation....you can choose hardstanding or grass...or ehu or not etc...and they have a comprehensive program of THS (temporary holiday sites) which are often close to town centres (use rugby clubs, school playing fields etc) and you can rock up without booking, stay as long as you like and pay on leaving.....usually around £8-£10 a night.
good luck with your vanning.
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perhaps the hottest topic on CT (I thought dogs actually) but as you know the least common complaint (very small numbers I recall) into the club is about prices, make of that what you will.
Al - the club prices are what they are you have to decide if you want to pay them or not. No one is forcing you to go to a club site. If you can find a site that offers you better value for money go there.
btw it's business not personal
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Atm the Quiet site is £25 weekdays and £35 at weekends, Castlerigg Hall is just under £29 but add on prices for awnings and dogs.
IMHO both of those are far inferior to any club site.
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didnt know one was allowed to complain about dogs on CT, all dog stuff now collected in one place and its not a complains thread....more a 'nice doggy' one....
re compaints...if the site is 'bad' in some way, perhaps under delivering as in DD's thread....one can complain to the club and might get some tangible redress....site voucher possibly...
writing to the club and telling them 'its too dear' wont get you your money back....however, many seem to think its good to get it off their chest by 'complaining' on CT.....hence far more 'popular' than dog complaints.
no need to feel you have to defend the club, its only a forum.
just business, not personal
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I wonder if you read my post BB, complaints about prices, as you well know are very small. The smallest number of complaints is about prices. Guess out side of some posters on CT people are happy to pay?
Yet it is the ones getting it off their chest are the ones that don't (often) go to club sites, a extremely biased sample I would say.
I wonder who the club is going to listen to? Money rolling in or posts on here from this biased sample?
Bit rude telling me what to write BB? I wouldn't dream of writing no need to feel you have to attack the club, it's only a forum
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"I wouldn't dream of writing no need to feel you have to attack the club, it's only a forum"
you just did
i guess you didn't read my post...i told you why there might be few 'price' complaints to the club, because they wont result in anything being done...no redress for the complainant...prices are subjective whereas complaints about objective things like the hot water not working or the electric tripping out regularly can be redressed...
also, i felt i posted a very balanced view, offering the OP a few other options to add to those given earlier....perhaps he'll take one of them up...you know the one that goes like this...'go esewhere'
...and join C&CC.
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No I read it fully BB, and once again you attack the poster than the message.
But moving on, I disagree with your possible reason, I suppose it is because you cannot imagine that there are people out there who are happy with club prices?
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It comes under the term 'marketing' aka smoke and mirrors, billy BS etc
Stay 5 nights and you might as well join up to the commercial enterprise that used to be a 'club' eons ago.
As with modern life you have to look beyond the waffle of the sales blurb. Wait till you look into new caravans and motorhomes and you'll be enlightened
The CL network, insurance, ferry deals, car offers (we bought a Qashqai on a CAMC offer), fences (colourfence, a superb product with a 25 year guarantee) , strimmers (GTech) [products advertised in the CAMC Magazine] outweigh the 'discount' on a nights pitch fee and make joining worthwhile in our opinion.
Pitch fees are the highest we've paid over decades of camping. Not been on a bad site in all those years. They rise every year, and peak seasons get longer, so we do less peak season on CAMC sites purely due to the prices being too high. As people are often told by stalwarts of CT, go elsewhere, so we do.
An odd way of promoting a business to be told to go elsewhere.
Our spend on CAMC sites is reduced each year. Other sites we use give discounts the more you use them. We did the last few days of the school holidays with a 20% loyalty discount with just a pitch fee (massive pitch, put the caravan wherever you like on the pitch, no peg to align to), no per person per night fee. Our favourite CL gives the 8th night free.
The CL network really is the jewel in the crown and worth the membership fee alone.
Enjoy your camping wherever you pitch. There is massive choice out there.
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Ive has discussions with the club admin about why club sites are so expensive. The answer I received is that the club don’t think that they are. I honestly think that the whole £12 a night club discount offer is not what it appears at all
whether the club think they are or are not expensive is really immaterial Al, the point is whether you think they are. Or rather if one thinks they are. If you or one thinks that then indeed find a better price? You did so it's win win isn't it?
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You don’t have to take out a membership, you don’t have to believe as gospel how the Club describes it’s Product promotion. It’s like any other commodity one might choose to purchase. It either represents good value for money, or it doesn’t.
Being fully informed of just how beneficial it can be is down to the individual doing the right research. I don’t wish to sound rude, but ignorance is an individual choice given how easy information can be obtained nowadays. A little bit of self help goes a long way, and not all Club Sites are hugely expensive, certainly not all of the time.
We are like KS, we shop around and use the CL network, and aren’t concerned about using other than Club Sites, as we get the membership fee back in other ways. The more limits you impose on yourself (we only go there, we only go at such and such a time, we will only use Sites with full facilities, etc....) the more of a captive user you become. But it suits many to holiday this way, and they are happy doing it. Slightly irking of course if you have no choice, but that’s a different discussion.😊
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Pitch fees are the highest we've paid over decades of camping
Is that true of most things you've bought in decades Keith? Petrol? gas, electricity? Any product?
Whenever I buy a new car it will certainly be more expensive (model for model) than the previous one. The new Canon I'm after will certainly be. In fact in most things I buy it will be the highest price in decades. Do you expect sites to go down or stay the same?
Oh and isn't your pay packet the biggest it's ever been in decades?
But in fact I do agree with you when you imply one has to decide if club sites are worth the money.Then it's a simple decision isn't it? Why complain? (not saying you are)
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If the number of people saying they use club sites less and less on CT were translated into the real world then the number of I can't get a pitch posts should decrease? Site should be quieter?
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then you suppose wrongly, im afraid
folk always have the choice to go elsewhere, Lord knows, they're reminded often enough on CT....in this thread already.
no, my post merely suggested that, for whatever numbers involved, its just not worth their while compaining to someone who can do nothing about it after the event.....
as you seem to have all the numbers, i wonder if you could post the details of the different rankings for each of the complaint types the CC helpdesk has received?
await with baited breath...not.
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So - at the end of the day it all comes down to either price or the need to be in a particular location. Something we all consider.
With that in mind I use Club sites, other club's sites, Cls , Cs's and Commercial sites to satisfy my needs regarding the balance of choice between price and location.
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We found ourselves in an area without a Club Site, or even a CL we fancied. Only option was a CCC Site, right where we needed/chose to be. As we were staying for a full week, it made sense to join that particular Club, as we saved around £9 per night I recall, and we used a few CS sites whilst we remained members that year. So that was a sound economic decision. We didn’t renew our membership the next year, as we weren’t using CS sites as much as CLs.
Just in case anyone is wondering, it was in the immediate area of Hadrian’s Wall, Site was Haltwhistle. We have since found some decent CLs/Sites right on the Wall.
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I think Jk told you before BB
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I am off to The Lake District in a couple of days, and since no CL (or CS) was availabe in the area we wanted that had the essential of a mains drainage toilet, I booked Coniston Coppice. Huge site and we are paying £120 for five nights, so only £24 a night.
We were tempted a bit to go back to The Quiet Site since it has bathrooms ( i.e. a room containing a BATH, plus other facilities ) and a pub on site, so we could have been paying a little bit more for these facilities than at Coniston.
East coast is always cold, wet, or both.
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but you are implying that this penalty has to be paid? If indeed it is a penalty.
It is no more a penalty than paying to join any club is and therefore gaining access to their facilities. Is that a penalty? Is the membership fee for a golf club/gym a penalty?
No one has to pay it at all. Simply walk away.
Of course you wanted to be on a club site didn't you? No one forced to go there? You wanted to and it made economic sense to pay it. But as for being a penalty that does not make sense.
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Troutbeck head (a few from the quiet site ) has a room with a bath, and better views
It also has a wet weather drying room.
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Thanks DD, we found HH last year, very nice site. Bit dearer than we usually pay, but would definitely consider at low season. The extras are a tad wasted on us, we only need a safe, legal place to sleep. We use a CL at Gilsland nowadays.😀
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As posted by a few they pay their annual fee to be members of this club , to enable the use of numerouse other "perks"that are available with their membership, which also gives a £12 per night per night advantage on production of a current membership card against those who are on the "outside"
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I do think club sites are a bit expensive, but I suppose it depends on what one compares them with. I like the fact that I know (pretty much) what I’m going to get. As has been shown before, the prices have outstripped inflation by some margin, over the years, so quite unlikely that people’s income has kept pace. Of course, I have a choice, which I’ve exercised, staying at a mixture of sites. As has been said, CC sites in general are pretty well occupied, especially during peak season, but, will that trend continue in the future? I like the fact that the club is investing in things like ‘pods’ (contentious, I know) that allowed me to give our daughter and grandchildren a break while we stayed in the ‘van’. Of course, these investments don’t come cheap. To me, the real benefit of membership is the access to a great network of CL’s.
PS, we really liked Troutbeck Head, and will return next year 🙂
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Troutbeck head has a room with a bath, and better views
That is good to know for future, as it isn't in the Site Directory. I don't think I've even seen a symbol for "bath" in the Directory, or the list of symbols. Makes me wonder how many other sites are hiding a bath.
Also did not know one could see a lake from there. I felt it was "over the hill" a bit to see Ullswater.
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Don't pay for electricity currently, so that's the cheapest its been in my adult lifetime. You can figure that out given my profession and work in edge of knowledge environments
Don't pay for the roof over our head, so thats the cheapest its been in our lifetime.
Don't pay for landline telephone or internet, so again cheapest in decades. Something you could do easily with some research and thinking outside traditional utility structures.
Most recent plasma TV was 1/8th of the price first I bought 20 years ago. £6k+ then.
Don't buy cars anymore, haven't done since 1998, which I still have.
My biggest pay packet was in 1997, before that 1990. Nowadays its below the IT & NI threshold as any sensible person does
My last Canon 5D MkIII was over £12k, there won't be a next as I don't need another DSLR with prime glass.
Last printer was £20, considerably less than the first 30+ years ago that was £299
My first PC was over £2k, my latest Mac was £1200
Come to think of it majority of white and consumer goods have dropped considerably over the decades in actual pound figure and inflationary adjusted figures.
Looking at flooring for the house, 30+ years ago it was over £40/sqm, now at £5.99
In 1990 my Business Class fare PER to LHR was £4800, last time we did that it was £2200 but further and more stops 4 years ago.
Flights are cheaper than decades ago. As you know from your trips 'over there' without the caravan.
and yes, CAMC site fees are the highest we've paid in decades in contrast to other site fees in the same period. As in my earlier post our last site fees attracted a 20% loyalty discount, oddly enough for repeat business. Fact, not complaint.
I'm not sure your comment 'In fact in most things I buy it will be the highest price in decades.' is factually correct tbh but then I didn't teach sums.
My expectation for site fees is for them to be at a price I'm prepared to pay at the time I want to use them. The CAMC in peak holidays, to which we are tied having a school pupil in the family, are not at that price point, so as you all too often tell participants of CT, we 'go elsewhere'.
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