Clubsite bookings 2021
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Very few people who book 18 months in advance can be so confident of taking the holiday, if they are then let them put the money upfront. The fact that there is always increased availability 72hrs before the day proves that cancellations take place. I am not convinced that so many people suddenly have an emergency..
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Mikey - like you, we're no longer club members so it could be argued that our views aren't really relevant. But I always used to think that the generous booking/ deposit/cancellation conditions were just a little reward/perk of club membership. Given how much the club was being hammered on another thread for the, allegedly, poor ways it has treated members this year, it would seem counter productive to now take this one advantage away from members, surely?
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actually, and not boasting, but £20 per booking isn't that much to lose if you can't make it and no inducement to tell the club you're not going to turn up - more no shows.
You use CLs then?
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It could be argued that if the Club is going to survive then it needs to somehow make the availability of sites to all a little more fair. Unless they suddenly acquire more sites then with the increased numbers holidaying in this country, whether by increased membership or less going abroad, site nights are going to be under more pressure than ever.
If you take early booking to the extreme, you could theoretically end up with a situation where every single night is booked up 12 months in advance. The proportion of the membership then unable to book even a single night are likely to book elsewhere and very unlikely to continue with their membership the following year. The result is loss of revenue from site fees and loss of membership fees. To say to everyone "Don't worry there will normally be cancellations 72 hrs before your holiday will not wash with very many.
If deposits do arrive soon, whether returnable or not, it will make most people think twice before booking willy nilly. If a deposit system is rejected then I hope each member is allocated a number of bookable nights to give everyone a fair chance.
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As a member of the Camping and Caravan Clubs we use their 5 van sites - CS's ---- Certificated Sites and occasionally their Club sites.
If you would like a recommendation of a brilliant CS and an outstandingly located Club site, don't be afraid to ask.
Regarding the £20 deposit I agree it is not too much to lose but say for example you have made 5 frivolous bookings "just in case" then the £20s may/will add up to a £100.
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thanks but a step too far
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Mmm, I use them but their booking and deposit faff leaves them wanting in many ways. CAMC makes things so simple.
I don’t think CAMC needs to worry about empty pitches as long as people are saying sites are full and they can't get a pitch, do you?🤣🤣
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Like yourself I also find that £20 is not that much to lose. Having said that to me it would be throwing £20 pound away, and would make me think twice. In 36 years membership I have only cancelled once, that was this year in the October half term. Reason being I had booked October half term at Norfolk Broads site, as I was in a tier 3 area so the club told me to cancel.
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No howls of protest here. I've said before that members should have a booking account. Relatively high deposits that are, to an extent, refundable. Let's assume you book over six months advance and pay a 50% deposit. The nearer you get to the date the less becomes refundable so, if you book, say, less than a month before you go you forfeit it all subject to safeguards like a death or illness.
Another way would be to restrict the amount of nights a member can book. For example, no more than (say) 5 weekends or 4 full weeks.
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There seems to be many on here that are more confident of normality returning much sooner than we think it will..... We have little confidence of lockdowns and restrictions being removed for some months yet, perhaps due to those who continue to break existing rules or many saying the vaccine isn't for them. This does not encourage us to book anything at all, so for the moment our van remains on the drive, declared SORN / untaxed, and the number of bookings we have made for 2021 as yet remains a big fat zero... This will continue until our confidence in things being safer and restrictions to travel are lifted.
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Booked 1 month on a site in Devon as we left the site last September, had to pay £35 deposit, if we cant go for whatever reason we will loose £35 and if we do not cxl within 6 weeks of the booking taking place you have to pay the full whack.
You can buy insurance to cover this for a minimal cost just in case you take ill etc. Have no qualms about loosing the £35, full 4 weeks would be a kick in the pants.
Not a great fan of club sites, so how they are booked or not booked is not a concern for me.
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Yet another option for consideration would be for card details to be registered at time of booking and the payment taken seven days before arrival. That could have several advantages not least it would save the need for payment on arrival which would save on the time it takes to book in at reception. It would mean only one transaction charge whereas a deposit would require two. If the payment was taken seven days before arrival it would mean people would really have to think about cancelling their booking sooner which would help with availability. There would obviously have to be some system in place to deal with genuine emergencies for people unable to honour their paid for booking.
David
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One of the answers at the AGM advised that the booking system was being looked at , ,and more information would be forth coming as to what was going to happen , ,so until then, what ever is proposed from this forum, which seems is not up with Face ache in the league of how it is "noticed?" by the club is not likely to be taken notice of ,
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The "no shows" have markedly reduced(i am informed) since the deposit system has been dropped, it seems in the minds of members,,they have a "black mark" against them ,when the auto email/letter is recieved and with the third time also e the advise that all future bookings for that year have been removed/cancelled
As posted before there are multiple reasons that "empty?" pitches may be noticed on sites when the wegbsite shows full
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I completely fail to see what most of the fuss is about to be honest. You don’t change a very good booking system, and introduce deposits, simply to cater for a relatively small minority who either
a) need to get ruddy organised and think ahead,
or b) are so fixated on a certain Club Site, on a certain date, that any form of compromise is utterly out of the question?
Its down to the individual Member to sort themselves out, not to bang on endlessly wanting the Club to alter things to suit their individual circumstances. Sorry to be blunt, but reality often is.🤷♀️
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yes +1 all round
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Agreed!
I can’t see that it’s a major problem and I’m sure I remember when cancellations and speculative bookings has been raised in the past that the club reply was the numbers were minimal.
Our personal circumstances are such that even as a retired couple we can’t book too far in advance or for lengthy spells away (caring responsibilities for my 90 year old Mother in Law). However we manage quite well, avoiding the hot spots and being flexible.
On the rare occasions we have wanted a particular site/date then we plan ahead (Southport Airshow a few years ago is an example).
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Can you explain, please, David, how the present system "...actively discriminates against full week booking in favour of weekenders"? I ask because I'm struggling to see that CAMC's system is anything other than equal to all people.🤷🏻♂️
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How do you know it is a relatively small minority? Purely by the number of times the booking system comes in for criticism, I suspect it is much larger than you think.
The system will only change when the Club thinks or knows it is losing money, difficult for members to prove but from purely an individual point of view, they do lose money from me because I will not faff about waiting for cancellations, I simply look elsewhere and some site, other than a CMC one, gets my business.
peedee
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Having looked at a good few other non club commercial sites and I really can't see anything different in booking terms at all? Maybe a minimal number of nights, usually two at BH or weekends (but having a two night minimum won't stop weekenders and the other club does that too) but that is all? They all appear to follow the same as the club? I haven't found one that favours long stays? Could you provide a link to one?
Could you explain how commercial sites have different priorities? or show one commercial site that is different to the club's booking approach?
Also how is the club not in the commercial world? You make it sound as if the club has some government subsidy or uses underhand methods to get people on their sites? But the fact is the anyone can copy the club's approach. Another fact is that it has a business model that make it very successful. But again any other site owner is free to copy it.
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Purely by the number of times the booking system comes in for criticism
But where does this happen PD, on here? If so a very small minority compared those that use club sites, also it is the same people who complain in my view and it is always those that cannot get their own way.
Another fun point is that it is those that use club sites the least who complain the most and want changes the most to get their own way?
Actually what criticism does the booking system come in for?
I would say (even those it is a small sample) that there are more criticism about not being to get a pitch rather than the booking system?
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But the club overall will not lose money, someone will buy that pitch if not you?
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Deleted User by TW in view of above deletion.
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well can't be sure but people upthread have said this is what they have done?
I suppose from the club's point of view it appears to work. Under the old system people who paid a deposit and for what ever reason didn't want to take it just didn't show but didn't let the club know, so a definite wasted pitch. At least this way there is a possibility that it will be then sold.
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