Club gift vouchers - no change rule
Hi,
The "no change" rule when paying with club gift vouchers probably won't come as a surprise to anyone who has previously used these vouchers or taken the trouble to read the small print. However, as a member of some years standing who has only just used some of these vouchers for the first time, following the recent 20% extra offer, I'm sufficiently irritated to post here as a warning to others.
It's not so much the rule itself, although it does seem antiquated compared with most other voucher and gift card schemes operating today. Rather, it was the way in which the wardens at our current site were quite happy to accept vouchers in excess of the site fees, print the invoice and only afterwards state that no change could be given.
Despite my querying this at the time and the following day, I was told that "rules is rules" and nothing could be done. I also doubt very much they will follow up on my suggestion that it would have been better customer service to offer a polite warning and give me a chance to pay the exact amount with a combination of vouchers and another payment method to top up.
The amount overpaid was not enormous, but the experience has left a sour taste in the mouth at the start of a much needed break. In the past, I've tended to be a bit sceptical of complaints in this forum and others about the club not really being a club any more and jobsworth wardens, but now I have a bit more sympathy with those viewpoints.
In retrospect, I only wish I had read Crookie's post from April this year: https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-together/discussions/welcome-hobby-talk/caravan-motorhome-chat/new-vouchers-clarification
At the end of the day, this is a case of "once bitten, twice shy", but I wouldn't want anyone else to fall foul of this, especially if they have been tempted into getting some of these vouchers as part of the recent offer.
Cheers
Jezlar
Moderator Edit:
With apologies to you as the original poster but, as your thread has been hijacked by people wanting to discuss the arrival times on sites, I've locked it to prevent a duplication of an existing discussion.
Comments
-
As you feel so strongly, especially about the attitude of the wardens, are you going to let Head Office know what happened?
Having said that, it is always worth reading the small print on any vouchers. If you had, you could have taken the initiative when paying.
Out of interest, how much was the overpayment?
0 -
It was a rather underhand way of changing the T&Cs as was the later imposition of an expiry date. However, it does prove the value of keeping up to date with this forum👍🏻
0 -
Hi Dunelm,
I was all for emailing Head Office this morning, but decided to test the water here first.
Fortunately the overpayment was only a little more than a fiver because I had some £10 vouchers. So, it's very much about the principle rather than the money! I did ask the wardens if they would have allowed the same thing to happen if the fees had been, say, £201 and I had only had £20 vouchers, but they didn't answer that one.
As for reading the small print, I totally accept this was my oversight
In my defence, I'd just had a nerve-wracking journey to get there and only picked up the vouchers the day before, so I wasn't as on the ball as I would normally have been.Cheers
Jezlar
1 -
My sentiments exactly ET.
The whole saga of the vouchers has been poorly handled, just when it could have gained the club a lot of credit. I'm sure there are many happy "members" but the change of demoninations and the applying of an expiry date without notice left a sour taste in others mouths.
The club really is poor at communication.
0 -
Evening,
The 13.00 time is indeed temporary jv, for the rest of this year.
JK
0 -
JK, could you please use your influence with HO and request that they indicate this change in policy to all members, either by email or a banner notice on the web site and FB. Thanks in anticipation.
0 -
Would be useful if the club amended the 'my bookings' to reflect the actual price to be paid.
had booked for August getaway based on full price, bought gift vouchers to cover the fees. First site was an exact amount to a full pound and the denomations of the vouchers fit perfectly. Second required a £4.10 card payment.
will now have surplus vouchers to use in the validity period, but currently don't actually know how much
this is all a line of code change, not difficult for a commercial organisation to do, surely. Or is it grab as much cash as quickly as you can?
0 -
Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but presumably you bought your vouchers when the offer was on, way before the chancellor's VAT announcement? So how was the club expected to amend anything before that was known?
As for not knowing how much excess you now have, it's been shown (at great length
) on another thread - simply knock one eighth of the original price you were quoted to find out how much you've "gained". 
1 -
I think I must be missing something around this issue?🤔 Lets say you book three nights, and the total to pay comes to £54. You have £60 in vouchers (3x£20) so surely the simplest thing to do, is pay with two £20 vouchers,(£40) and the rest by debit card (£14). No change required, you still have a £20 voucher left for your next trip. Am I missing something else?🤷♀️ Bit confused.
2 -
It certainly seems to be causing confusion. We passed the entrance to Clumber Park on Thursday at 12:30. There were queues back to Lime Tree Avenvue. Assuming the queue was solid, that would be 20 or more vans.
The club do not have a good track record in that respect. A few years ago we turned up at Berwick Seaview just after 12:00 and were told off for arriving early. Apparently the time had been change to 1pm six months before. When we booked 8 months before it was 12 and the club sent us an email a week before which confirmed this. I emailed the club and pointed this out but a couple of months later received another inaccurate enjoy your holiday email for a different site.😖
0 -
To me, the £20 voucher (or £10, £5) is just like a bank note, surely? Used to pay off part of your fee, just don’t hand over more than you spend, but use another method of payment to make up the difference?
I suppose you have to know no monetary change will be given, but that’s usually the case with vouchers, certainly the Tesco ones. Bit harsh on the OP though if it wasn’t pointed out to him. I know one Yorkshire person who wouldn’t have left office without her change or a voucher back😂 That would have interfered with cleaning schedule🤣
0 -
This is the first I've heard of the new arrival time of 1pm. I only know because I'm a member of CT. How many CAMC members aren't and therefore don't know they shouldn't be arriving before 1pm? A lot I suspect. So the majority of arrivals will arrive by 12, as by all accounts the reminder emails for bookings don't mention the new 1pm arrival.
Surely in this day and age an email to ALL members to inform them of this new arrival time wouldn't be an impossible task?
0 -
"crac" is spelt craic.
If the club wishes to change its terms and conditions I am sure it is quite capable of E-mailing its members with important message regarding terms and conditions ....... if it gives a tinkers cuss which based on recent performance is not all too certain
0 -
Morning
The last two weeks have been hard. I won't dwell on that but with the extra duties we now perform every morning makes it impossible to have reception ready for mid day. The last two days we've had arrivals queueing out on the road at nine am! Haven't yet worked out how to be in two places at once and to be honest I'm fed up with trying. Arrive at 12.00 if you like but you may be queueing on the main road.
JK
2 -
I am sorry to hear that, JK. Is the Club expecting wardens to do extra deep cleaning of toilet blocks, rather than employ extra day staff to do that regularly - especially in these difficult times when it is so necessary?
0
