New Booking System for Overseas Travel
Comments
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Surfer said,
"We are all sharing our experience on this thread and the majority seem to agree that it is several steps backward however one thing we can be assured of is that this thread will be ignored and it will take several months for the new booking website to be updated!"
Lets hope the thread is not ignored, I have put a prompt on my post above. Bearing in mind it is the weekend and staff are off work let's hope there is a reply from HQ next week. We deserve it.
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Harry, this morning I had another go. First time of trying I was able to input height of car. Got a price, with the message that I could add vouchers or sites. So I selected the crossing I was interested in. Well, I don't want a site, but would like to see if 4 vouchers make a difference. Nowhere could I see how to add them. In the basket there was only the option of adding sites, nowhere could I see an option for adding vouchers.
I then started again (I had the ferry crossing in My Basket at that point). I started with the vouchers this time, added them to the basket, which I thought already contained my ferry crossing, but all I could see were the vouchers, no sign of the ferry crossing!
Logged out and back in, started yet again, and guess what? The drop-down box for the height of the car was no longer usable!!!
What a performance, I've not bothered again since, don't see the point, but like you, I hope there will be a response from HQ, surely we can't be the only ones having problems?
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Hi All, When the issue of adding site vouchers became clear I emailed the club asking how it should be done.
The answer was very unhelpful in that it simply said that you could add vouchers-which I knew you could and was why the question was asked.
I have mailed the staff member who responded again today and look forward to their reply as to why there is no simple way to add vouchers and a total lack of any information regarding this.
Looking again today it is still the case that you need to click' on the map showing sites, sometimes a couple of times, and the pop up box allowing vouchers to be added appears on the LH side.
I did a check selecting the ferry first and then added the vouchers, as above, and the original price was reduced when the vouchers were added and then went back to the original when the were removed from the basket.
Great, I thought,then trying to make a second check the ability to input the car height disappeared, the box was 'grayed out', and after several attempts the only option was to clear cookies.
Will post in regard to any response I get.
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I am a member. I am logged in. I have an I-pad.
I click Overseas Holidays then Book a ferry.
Up pops the advice Become a member. It blocks me going any further.
I click the map as Allan kindly told me to do to see if that will shift it.
It doesn't.
I am told There is an error.
Yes there is.
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Hi Euror, click overseas then click on Book for 2020 and that brings up the new look booking screen.
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Hi, re my email to the club about the ridiculous vouchers situation I have received a reply.
I was thanked for getting in touch and asked to get back to them if I had more questions. The Rest of the message was;
We are aware of this situation, due to Member feedback. This issue is with our webteam at the moment to arrange a more streamlined process on our booking journey for you.
To arrange a ‘more streamlined ‘process’ on our Booking ‘journey’???
I think the process was OK before but, if any streamlining was needed, why does it need member feed back to initiate it.
As for the use of the word journey in this context....................
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Thank you Allan. I appreciate your efforts.
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I gave up 2 weeks ago, due to the 'greyed out' height issue, and having to click twice in some fields.
I think the only 'streamlining' required is the webteam!
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After over 30 years of booking trips abroad I have never experienced such a difficulty in booking sites. 2 popular Spanish Sites booked at the beginning of the month. As the website was useless I booked over the phone. Extraordinarily that took over an hour. The third Spanish site I need to book is still unavailable. Different excuses given and no indication given as to when this will be available.
I hope the Club had a huge retention clause on this new system as I have to say from my experience it's very poor.
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I have only been using it to look at potential ferry crossings and the experience has been very poor. Clunky doesn't begin to describe it. Much of the problem seems to be that it is trying to run two booking systems, one for this year and one for next. Certainly on my iPad it seems to be getting confused as to when I want to travel.
Hopefully things will improve after the first of January.
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despite my issues with the new web site, i must say the travel team were great, finding me the best crossing deal (with or without vouchers) and booking us a site cheaper than i could do it directly or with ACSI. They even checked with the site directly over some 'confusion' with electric allowance (which varies with length of stay and, therefore, pitch price).
all in all, an easy experience but not what the club wants....everyone going via the call centre...
so, some good (my call centre experience) and some bad (the web site).
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Bingo! After trying yet again I've finally managed to get a quote for a crossing plus 4 vouchers. BUT, don't ask how long it took or how many times I tried adding the vouchers.
First I had to click on the map for French sites, after a few tries I eventually got the bit which allowed me to add vouchers. BUT, that is far from straightforward. I clicked on "Add to basket" which then took me to a different page, where I could add the number of vouchers. Great I thought, and clicked on 4. Nothing happened, no message to say "You have added x number of vouchers" or anything like that. The page stayed there and the basket didn't change (it shows the number of "items" in it, which was 1, my ferry crossing). Closed the page, still nothing. Went back to vouchers, added 4 again. Nothing happened. Until a minute or so later, when I had the vouchers in my basket, BUT, there were 8!! So obviously it did add the original 4, but you can't see anywhere that they have in fact been added. It just looks like nothing happens.
Trying to remove some vouchers isn't possible, you have to remove the lot! And start again. Sheer perseverance eventually paid off, but to say it's a shambles and a mess is an understatement.
I read allanandjean's post with the response to their email. I must say something has improved in that the height of car field now seems to work. Progress, but a long, long way from how it should be.
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the travel team member said they use the same system and it was quick....we need a response from the club with, perhaps, a few pointers.
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That's what I don't understand, yes, I'm sure they must be using the same system, and I don't doubt you when you say it was quick. But how?? I'm really curious as to how you can do anything quick on the system as it is. All I can say is they must know something we lesser mortals don't, in how to get it to be quick. I've used lots of different systems for booking trips, ordering items etc, but this one is really the worst I've come across.
Yes, maybe they can give us a few hints and tips from HQ, because it's like pulling teeth at the moment
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I have just tried to book 2 ferry journey's for 2020. Got a quote for the 2 ferries and put in basket. Tried to add some site vouchers to see what it did to the price and eventually the vouchers went into the basket, had no effect on price! Tried to remove vouchers from basket and nothing happened! Went back logged out and still vouchers in basket. Then system crashed and told me to ring.
Rung and booked 2 ferries, they didn't seem to be aware that a new system was in place and that 2 ferry journey's could be booked at once, they couldn't, had to go through it twice and pay twice. Glitch and not working well yet!
Can only get better I hope for next year.
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I too have experienced similar problems, with what I know to be incorrect search results, and difficulty with adding site vouchers, as they disappear from basket.
so I rang, and staff member acknowledged a few teething problems, but said many people are booking on line ...... perhaps so if they didn’t want site vouchers, or were so specific on their search they didn’t want to see alternatives? Staff member soon gave me quote for what I wanted (which did reduce ferry price significantly using site vouchers) although I didn’t book as still looking at options.
Still subsequently couldn’t access results myself though.
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so I rang, and staff member acknowledged a few teething problems, but said many people are booking on line ...... perhaps so if they didn’t want site vouchers, or were so specific on their search they didn’t want to see alternatives?
I'd call it more than a few teething problems.........Yes, perhaps without site vouchers it' a lot easier to get prices, but getting those vouchers is really difficult.
I'll give them a ring next week too, and get some quotes.
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I think I used this method if I remember correctly -
Get the vouchers first before the crossing. Click on Sites tab and select the 'location' button, then choose Calais france, and click search. When it cant find anything, click on 'search for nearby campsites' which should bring up the vouchers (4) at top of list, then add to basket.
Then move on to the crossing you want.
Just checked and for Portsmouth - Caen with 4 vouchers, was £255 return (crossing less than £168) using the afternoon crossing to France and the morning crossing coming back in May/June
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LorW
Thanks for that.
This is the result i got. Followed all instructions and got as far as night vouchers, selected 4 and added them to my basket. STALEMATE. This was the result:
Network error: Response not successful: Received status code 400
We have now gone a full working week with more of these booking problems and still no response from HQ. Why are members being kept in the dark over what is now a critical problem.
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I took note of lagerandwine’s comments above.
As a result, what I then tried was subtly different to how I had previously tried.
First several times, I started by clicking on ‘Purchase Site Night Vouchers’ and placed 4 in basket; they disappeared when I went through the ferry booking process.
Second route in was successful. Started by clicking on ‘Book for 2020 travel’, then search for a location where there is no site. I used Calais but probably others would work. The search results one gets lists nearby sites BUT ALSO at the top of the list is ‘buy site night vouchers’, which I did. This time, when I went through to book ferry, the vouchers were still in the basket, and the ferry price displayed as I was going through the process, decreased at the final stage to give the combined package price with the benefit of the discount.
i think the difference, and source of the problem, is that option 1 above one is going into the new 2020 process AFTER buying SNVs. Option 2 one is in 2020 process right from the onset. Doesn’t make sense but.....
FYI, I was seeking to book Portsmouth-Santander in May and Bilbao-Portsmouth in June. With 4 SNVs (approx £88), the net price reduced by approx £100, thus saving approx £188. Hope that makes sense. I haven’t actually booked yet as I’m considering other options but the above worked ok! Hoorah!
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Is four vouchers the minimum that one can buy to get the discount?
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obviously this thread hasnt reached those that deal with public relations...
ive just had this email, titled 'its ready now!'
"As a valued member who’s booked an overseas trip before, we want you to be one of the first to check out our new overseas booking system. After all, it was only made possible thanks to the suggestions and input of members like you.
You can use it today to book your overseas break for holidays between 1 January to 31 December 2020."
Hmmmmm.
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I've had that Email but have lacked the courage to venture forth, plus I haven't decided on next year yet. Given the flaky nature of it, notwithstanding Fredy55's guidance, I think I'll just visit the ferry company's site.
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