New Site Booking System
Comments
-
Yesterday we had posters berating others who in their opinion don't manage their finances well when paying by cash was mentioned even to the degree of disability being mentioned. Now today we have posters proudly stating to all and sundry how they do their spending and what cards do what. Is there a need to get all personal? I certainly don't want the world to know how I spend my hard earned. I know we get thread drift and all that but not really anything to do with the discussion.
The method of deposit payments will be announced in due course. Lush grass pitch anyone
JK
3 -
Well, it would be nice if he said what he meant, as that is not what he says in his first sentence.
0 -
we use a lot of grass pitches in the mid season...THS sites, CL/CS etc and prefer them, if conditions are right.
The thing with grass pitches is their variance in ability to stand up to typical vanning 'treatment' especially as the season draws on.
If booking a long way ahead is to include the pre selection of a pitch type, then the CAMC must be confident (to the best of its ability) to be selling grass pitches at a time when they are fit for purpose.
with customers probably not being able to swap to a HS as these may well be fully booked, perhaps the selling season for grass pitches should be shortened slightly (with the website/app reflecting this) to ensure that (almost certainly) the product will be usable.
should the season end be warm and dry, then site managers can add stock back to the system on a week by week basis where these pitches could be picked up by late bookers in the way cancellations currently work.
managing the stock in the opposite way (being too optimistic about the validity of the product) might be a recipe for pitch shortages and 'bumping off' for those who've booked to be on grass.
part of the pitch price is the confidence that what you've booked will be available when you arrive. If the grass pitch is only likely to be a pound less than a HS then it's fair to say that the customers expectation of that pitch being delivered in a fit state if it appears on the booking system should be met.
I know we can't predict the weather but with the pitch type playing a more important role in sales/booking, the club needs to only be selling grass pitches when they are wholly confident that the customer will get what they've paid for.
6 -
JK
I think the discussion was really about why some might choose to pay on arrival because they wish to micro manage their finances. They perhaps don't realise they could be inconveniencing those who are happy the pay the day before arrival. If you get sufficient people deciding they wish to pay of arrival it rather negates the aims of the new system in having a faster through put of members arriving on site. I hope the Club set as the default position that the balance of fees will be taken from the same card used to pay for the deposit. The Club could always introduce a handling fee for fees paid at reception
David
2 -
“…Lush grass pitch anyone…..”
Have you got one of those ‘gert lush’ pitches me babber?
0 -
JK, you’ve been part of the thread drift whilst talking of your cones & potholes🤷🏻♂️, it could be said finances & payment tools are part of site booking but I struggle to link road cones & pot holes to be honest☹️
1 -
Morning
I have 50 grass touring pitches (+40 seasonals). At the start of next season half of those will be bookable online the other half through me. If bookings jump up then more pitches go in the online pot. That's how it's always been and that's maybe why in the past you see loads of pitches become available for a weekend so weekenders get a bit of a chance. It will be the same the back end of the season, online activity will drive what's in the pot.
JK
1 -
Well they don't need it for life members do they? Although for some a direct debit saves £10 on the annual fee rather than paying by card annually. Others have insurance direct debits too, direct debits usually offer a cash incentive to reduce work input, banking fees etc.
Incidentally all the jiggling with credit cards for a few extra points, rewards etc mentioned by some might mean they are actually losing £10!
0 -
Which rather thwarts the idea of speculative bookings resulting in cancellations. It also explains why the warden can very often say "yes" when the computer says "no".
So, the reason for the club switching to deposits is as I previously stated.
0 -
I didn't say that jv. Offsets are long gone. We're talking low season, like sites with grass and gravel not having grass for sale until a certain date. Same with all grass sites except not all pitches on sale in low seasons.
Dash for Cash, that's got a ring to it
JK
1 -
As many have said in this thread, one would be less than sensible to book a grass pitch many months in advance as the weather is variable. So, in a year or two's time, The Club will be able to say that the pre-booking of pitch type has shown that most members do not want to use grass pitches.
This will then be used as the justification for doing away with many of them, perhaps even as draconian a move as retreating from sites where lease or planning conditions do not allow for development of hard pitches.
4 -
I would guess that those who want to visit an all grass site and make sure they have their dates fixed will do so, whether it's deposit based or not. Places like St Agnes and Godrevy in Cornwall are very popular in the main season. We wouldn't hesitate to book grass sites if we wanted to secure the dates. The main risk is early in the season where prolonged rain can delay openings, but most accept this risk. These are places that won't ever have hardstandings, they're in AONBs etc and planning won't allow such developments. In winter they successfully meld back into the landscape.
0 -
Sorry misunderstood , many sites with grass pitches do not release them when season starts , is that going to still show as full with grass untill you can release them as they become available to let ? at the later part of the season will it be your input that will also be listened to? when well worn pitches will need to reduce your capacity? even if all are booked?
0 -
Yes, Yes, who knows and no.
0 -
Nail on head 👍
0 -
But the problem is the current system hasn't worked for many. With the ever growing number of motorhomers in the Club there is a demand for hardstanding pitches. There are also many caravanners that also prefer hardstandings. Grass pitches are often situated away from the site roads so even more likelihood at best the grass will be damaged and at worst someone will be stuck in the mud. I think it will be a great idea to book a hardstanding. If on any site the choice is only grass I will go elsewhere. Being able to book a particular pitch surface is the industry standard these days and to that end the Club, until the changes happen, are behind the times. They have clearly recognised this otherwise I imagine they wouldn't be changing it. I suspect there has been more customer feedback on this compared to deposits?
David
0 -
If the club was suffering a lack of bookings I would agree with you but it's the opposite it's busier than ever, I would also prefer a hardstanding in poor weather or when the grass pitches are in a poor state as many would but I am also happy to use grass in good weather so the present flexibility of the system suits me, as for customer feedback all the club has stated is "you said" well it wasn't me I would appreciate a little more information such as who said and how many.
4 -
"It will be the same the back end of the season, online activity will drive what's in the pot."
...not condition of the offering?
0 -
..but the decision has already been made...I'm just trying to establish there's a sensible way of only including saleable product at all times of the year...
0 -
Brue, just a bit of info on membership payment: we aren't life members, but CAMC don't have our DD details. Neither do they have our credit card details. We pay by credit card when membership payment is due, but haven't got it set up as a recurring annual payment. As far as we're concerned, the less companies etc that have those details, the better. As well as that, if for some reason we didn't want to renew membership, there's no chance of payment being made inadvertently. Although of course we do have DDs for regular payments like you describe. But it doesn't cost an extra £10 to pay the annual fee by credit card; I do know that's the case with the C&CC though.
Off topic I know
0
