Not moving with the times
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Diversity is fairly well defined for many different user cases but I would think the club would benefit from a policy on ensuring diversity and inclusion strategy with respect to Age, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and disability.
Curiously I can find a policy statement on the diversity of their workforce (legal requirement) and the diversity of the plant species on campsites but nothing on the membership.
Having diversity and inclusion strategy with external benchmarks ensures the club is reaching all facets of society and thus maximizing its revenue potential by being inclusive.
We may be the most diverse inclusive group in existence catering for the requirements of everybody but I have looked at the club hierarchy and been on sites. I really think they need to consider an initiative in this area or if they have one then make it known.
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David I wasn't saying the CT format was better I was pointing out that the success of CAMC on FB was dependent on fully functioning links to the CAMC web site. At present the web site doesn't get updated promptly or efficiently. FB doesn't operate the club, it's just a social mouthpiece with links to the club where the business of booking and finding further information etc takes place. When a link leads to a muddle, a blank or server error or out of date information this is where the club are not "moving with the times." No amount of FB time is going improve the main web site experience at present.
As for the demographics of the club, which others have mentioned, the UK population is ageing and the "grey" pound is important to many businesses. In some ways the club is lucky that van ownership is something people can continue with for a reasonable period of time...? (Well I gave up ice skating quite a while ago!)🤸
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I am so pleased you have enjoyed your holidays with the Club and hope you continue to do so.
I am not going to pull the trick of asking you to quote references and sources for your take on the demographic . I have only to look around to see that, on Club sites, the Caravans, indeed "outfits" suggest that many, possibly most, members, are not short of a bob or two. So I would pretty much agree. I have also noted that on a number of Club sites there have been modernized yet ancient campervans, some using a stack of breeze blocks as levellers. It would be easy to assume that the occupants of the motorhome were low income.
Assume. That's the point. My own caravan is much loved, fully functioning - and yet ancient. The thing that pulls it is indescribably old. And yet I have a reasonable income. I choose not to spend that on a new outfit. Perhaps it even gets sniggered at on arrival. Who knows.
I too regret the demise of ( one other poster responded to critics of the OP ) FHW and Woolworths, whose digital offer was not up to par. That does not make me or people who appear to be like me out of touch. Perhaps we have seen how rushing too far too fast in one direction can have consequences. Possible example : take John Lewis : no matter how good the digital offer was, ( and it was ) no matter how up to speed they were (even before these strange times) they were already on the slide.
They were fast, information led , and, as you say the market now demands, on trend. Hysterically on trend at times. I am sure their grasp of - or access to - marketing expertise outclassed the Club many times over.
I can see there is a valid argument here. Perhaps the Club isn't listening. Let's just make sure they listen to everyone. I can see there is a need for change. Always is. Just tempered with caution. And lots of it. We don't want to lose a good thing.
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CMC membership is a bit like buying your underpants from M&S. You know exactly what you’ll get; they won’t be particularly cheap, the quality will reasonable but they’ll be a bit dull and conventional. To continue the metaphor, that’s the essence of the M&S brand resulting in a constant struggle to maintain its market position even with a good digital platform.
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I read lots of references to diversity and the Club in this thread. The problem isn't the Club's, it's caravan and motorhome ownership in general. Have people not been to a show at the NEC? Plenty of disabled in attendance but people of colour almost completely absent.
Given the financial burdens facing today's 20-30 year olds, buying a caravan or motorhome will be a long way down their list of priorities.
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Page 22 of the Sept Mag "Ring in the New" looks to have some innovative ideas at Cayton Village and Troutbeck Head, not that Cayton Village is somewhere i would like to be, but I could be persuaded to stay at Troutbeck Head
Anybody know what a "new premium serviced pitch type is?"
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Agreed, I don’t think the mindset of the average 20-30 year of any colour is concerned in the slightest with buying a caravan - other priorities and definitely not cool. Campervans are the exception, the VW variety, not coachbuilt motorhomes - not cool.
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We need to be careful about getting too obsessive about diversity. People are different. Blimey, that’s a surprise! It simply leads to token, tick-box policies that waste everybody’s time, ramps up perceptions of racism and change nothing.
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Whatever it is, I don’t want one. Maybe somebody else tugs the caravan there and sets it up to avoid overly troubling the owner?
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Agree with many of the points of the OP but they don't stop me booking sites.
What stops me booking sites is that they are always "full". I use that term loosely because they become available around a Tuesday! Deposits desperately needed to avoid speculative bookings.
I don't also think they are keeping with the times. Many have compared CMC to a premier brand such as MandS which I'd agree with. In which case why are there so few Serviced pitches? Surely the majority of pitches should now be fully serviced for CMC to be considered a best in class offering?
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Don’t forget the other side of the coin, PH. There are many people who don’t even want EHU, let alone serviced pitches, so surely a good mix is more appropriate with the ability to book a pitch type and surface type of our choice.
I wish you hadn’t again raised the old chestnut of deposits and cancellations. It’s been pointed out time and time again that the club has said the number of no shows fell when deposits were abolished. As it is now, people can cancel in line with the T&Cs and free up pitches for others to use. I cancelled a booking this week as I don’t yet feel ready to brave club sites. Was it speculative of me to book that site back in July?
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If you are looking at pitches without EHU I would have thought that you wouldn't be the target market of the CMC?
I'm a member because it's a "premier" brand but feel as though it isn't moving with the times.
Regards deposits, just look around the none CMC forums and it's now clearly standard practice to book speculatively.
Regards your situation, booking in July, would you have done so knowing that to cancel would have cost you your entire fee (full payment would normally be required within 8 weeks)?
The current booking situation just isn't sustainable.
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I am not looking for non-EHU pitches. Who can say whether the target market includes such folk or not? That would be to speculate.
Premier brand? Really? I’m a member because I like the sites - club sites and CLs. If I wanted 'premier brand' I’d not be using CAMC's offerings but be seeking out the likes of Concierge Camping.
I think you can consider any booking to be speculative because none of us can guarantee we'll actually make it on the day. Have you never cancelled due to illness or mechanical breakdown? If not, you’ve been fortunate.
I would never make full payment 8 weeks prior to arrival. Any site that wanted that would not get my business. Anyway, you were talking about deposits, not full payment, and yes, I would have paid a deposit back in July and risked losing it because at that time I made the booking in good faith. However, if I knew I was going to lose a deposit, I may well have waited until the day before arrival to signal my intention not to turn up and other folk may not have bothered to make contact at all.
I know lack of deposits and the booking system is something you have posted about before, and you obviously feel strongly about it, but for every single post like yours there will be several others defending the system as people appreciate the ease of booking and ability to cancel as per the T&Cs. There is really nothing untoward about people following the rules and doing what is permitted.
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Just booked 16 sites in September/October, about 13 of them non-CMC. In all cases I had to pay the full fees in advance or 50% with balance a week so before arrival. I did ‘reserve’ a few CMC sites when I was struggling to meet my specific requirements, cancelling the CMC site when that was achieved. I guess if lots of us do that (why wouldn’t we?) it takes a chunk of potentially available pitches out of the system at any given time. Certainly wouldn’t do it if a fee was involved.
Sorry, don’t accept the EHU point, I’m a fan of the Club’s eco pitches, I don’t need mains electricity, or serviced pitch for that matter - just give me a tap and some sunshine. Each to his/her own.
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As it is, Seaside, you have not stepped outside of the rules at all👍🏻
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No, it ensures that the club is seen to be a place for, and is used by, all members of society and social groups.
If you dont have positive policy to ensure that you project inclusion then you end up with a club run by white, older, middle class people for white older middle class people. Then the next generation succeed the current ones and the status quo is maintained.
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Have you shopped in M&S lately? As I posted elsewhere, I find many of their clothes to be very poor in regard to fit. This I have found over the last 10 years. I know that I am not alone. No idea how expensive they are as I stopped using them a number of ears ago. For outdoor jackets and coats I usually visit several charity shops where I find a better selection and quality. I don't use them to save money but to get something hat suits me.
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I think in the world of deposits, I agree with Seaside that most require full payment some time before arrival. Certainly all the ones I've booked do so if CMC came into line there would be little choice to avoid the risk of losing money occasionally.
We will see what happens but there are many who know how to use the system, working within the current rules.
Equally, none of our friends are happy with this and many more on other forums.
As it's a club, maybe they could ballot the members?
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All the ones I booked for this May and have transferred to next that required deposits, were in the order of £20 / £30 with full payment on arrival. Like TW there is no way I would pay in full 8 weeks before, there are plenty of sites out there with better T&C's.
Just one question though. Why would the CAMC want to remove one of its major selling points and sink down among the rest of the industry?
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There were according to the club and site staff ,far more non arrivals when deposits were taken, than since no deposits taken as members were more likely to not bother adviseing sites ,they were not coming,depriving those looking for late availability ,which with the 72hr min cancelation seems to be working,
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Not sure what percentage of people of other ethnicity there are on sites. Obviously Black folk are more easily identified as such. KjNell (sp?) less so.
There are 3% of UK that might be classified as black. When I go into Chester (rarely) or Mold, or Wrexham or around my area I rarely see a black person, other than with occasional American Tour groups. I do see (hear) Eastern Europeans most times that I use local supermarkets but no Black people.
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Don’t forget the other side of the coin, PH. There are many people who don’t even want EHU,
I certainly don't for one or two night stays.
The other side of the coin regarding bookings is not everyone will wait for cancellations and if they cannot get bookings they will look elsewhere and might even eventually decide membership is not worthwhile.
peedee
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I can only recall paying in full on booking on one occasion. I could not find a more suited site for where I wanted to be. The caravan and motor home areas were pretty much full.
Personally I think the no deposit is a draw to many. I hate companies that take a deposit and then require payment a moth before arrival. I find it a faff.
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