New Site Booking System
Comments
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£30 is neither here nor there for most of us I guess.
I just did a dummy booking for Looe, a fortnight for a family of four, in July /August. The deposit required will be £168 upfront. I think most working families will want clear guidelines as to what they might get back, should something occur during the period inside 21 days of booking commencing. It’s going to need clarity on how much is refundable, and inside that 21 days, how to claim back a more substantial deposit. Insurance of some sort is one option of course.
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😂😂, you’d be surprised-be it a good idea or not a lot of folk don’t like change. . .Any change☹️. I’m shocked by the angst tbh🤷🏻♂️, it’s not going up in price or doubling in price we are merely being asked for an upfront payment(small one at that) as a kind of surety. I have no issue whatsoever be it 25% or 50% no worries. If I couldn’t afford these prices I’d not be booking at all. I pay a smaller amount later to square the bill👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻
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Perhaps the Club have been cleverer than we credit them? Because there has been so much prior publicity about deposits but the introduction has been delayed until April perhaps this was done deliberately in order to let those that want to book their summer holidays enough time to do so without the need for a deposit this year? That avoids the sort of deposit illustrated by TDA . For anyone going away for a 2/3 day weekend the amount of deposit is not that onerous but for two weeks on a Club site it is. Giving this 3 month leeway at the beginning of the year may well take the sting out of needing to pay a deposit in the future?
David
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I have read many comments for and against proposed new club rulings, but yet, non have given any consideration toward senior members and those with disabilities, who find even todays rulings very difficult to manage, especially when forecasting their health in months ahead.
It may be obvious that we are in the minority, however, to impose a 3 week cancellation period with loss of deposit, which could be £60+ for two week bookings, will leave many with little option other than to leave the club, accepting financial losses, or constantly view sites on a daily basis for cancellations.Personally, with CFS/ME and constant migraines, I have a 12hour window to accept if I am fit to travel on any one day, with my wife having to endure all the tasks in preparing, packing and managing her own health both for outward and inward stages of our holiday.
Would the club be prepared to keep the present 78 hour cancellation rulings, with a deposit if necessary, for disabled members who can give proof of long term disabilities?
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It’s been discussed, AHM. We all have issues of one sort or another and I’m not sure the club could accommodate individual circumstances. However, why not contact them directly and make your point?
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I can’t see a problem with introducing a deposit, it just means I will pay a bit less when I arrive , and every other holiday company I have booked with wants a deposit of some sort . Just remember this is a leisure business,the “club” disappeared a long time ago
if you can’t afford it then don’t go on holiday
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We don't yet know how the Club intend to deal with circumstances like the ones you mention and others such as emergencies and family crisis. As TW suggests its probably a good idea to flag your concerns up direct with the Club as we can't always guarantee that the powers that be see such comments here. The Club have clearly decided that 21 days is now the new 72 hours.
David
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It is possible to reduce the deposit on that stay down to just over £95, but, and this is why I asked the question, will amending a booking incur some kind of admin fee at all? It sometimes does with certain companies when booking something. It’s an anomaly that perhaps needs clarifying.
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Today we have booked 5 nights away with the other Club and paid a deposit. The difference is we are going in 2 weeks and will almost certainly go. We would never book 12 months in advance even for a foreign holiday.
We are looking at a holiday in March/April for the other side of the world and have not even booked our flights, yet many on here are booking a caravan site for next year!
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I appreciate that quite a lot of people view CT but dont contribute, and the changes have been in the magazine twice.
However, I would expect that the majority of members have no idea of the changes yet to come. I base this on my own experiences of communicating with a large group of people in writing and by e mail and still found many, many didnt take in the info they were being given.
The fact that the Club has given advanced notice but has not implemented immediately (correctly) will mean that those who simply skimmed the magazine, and just noticed "something about some changes" to the booking system will not have internalised this.
I predict absolute uproar once people start to have to pay deposits. Given much of the rationale for the changes is supposed to be to make bookings easier, I foresee another problem in the short term. If I have understood correctly, all existing bookings are to be converted to hard standing without deposits, and members being given the opportunity to amend, which many wont bother with. So, some will assume that when they arrive on site they will be able to select a grass pitch even though they are now booked for a HS. I guess that will sometimes be OK and sometimes not. But the other possible scenario is that those booking once the new system starts will find a shortage of HS pitches for certain dates and sites, and so the Club will not have made things easier for them. Possibly, with pitch surface selection, it will be more difficult in this first year.
We dont have any sites booked yet, CAMC or otherwise. We havnt even decided when and where we are going. First trip will be March, but probably not a CAMC site or CL.
I do think what will be fascinating, and we may have to wait until the end of 2023, is how the preferences for HS & grass pitches work out, and also the Serviced pitches - given some say they book a SP to guarantee HS pitch.
I do feel for the wardens for this next year - they are going to have a lot of explaining to do, I think.
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Pretty much my take, too...
when I was first working in IT and started giving presentations, a colleague of mine gave me this advice...
"tell 'em what you're going to tell them, then tell them, then tell them what you told them"
even then, often the message didn't get through😉
im confident the first time many will have come across the changes will be when they try their first booking and then the 'absolute uproar' can begin...
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But doing the logical thing is an anathema to those at HO.
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So ... I will repeat what I said many pages ago ...
With this change to the booking system, the Club voluntarily gives up it's enviable USP 🤷 An act of self harm. In turn, this means the Friendly Club and Commercial sites no longer need to improve their offering or keep prices lower to compete ... so who are the loosers? You. Me. All of the touring community. I guarantee the competition cannot believe their luck ...
The deposit system as we currently understand it, discriminates against families as they have to pay considerably more than a (often boomer ?) couple for the same size pitch. To be fare, the deposit must be charged according to the pitch type and not the number of occupants. (If you rent a cottage, it is a fixed price regardless of the number of occupants)
For those that need to cancel at late notice I feel for you. You pay an annual membership fee and pay a higher pitch fee than all other comparative sites ... you deserve better.
Most members are unaware of the proposed changes. Caravaning friends and neighbours knew nothing until we alerted them. Our kids who are busy training the troops or delivering babies and are so busy with their jobs and COVID had no idea.
To the person who suggested that youngsters want everything laid on and were happy to spend £100s for a few days glamping is wrong. Youngsters are buying caravans (and tents) in order to provide affordable holiday(s) for their kids. Caravan storage here is circa £250 covered per annum.
The rationale for introduction of deposits to increase pitch availability does *not stack up*.
There are a huge number of cancellations but the way they are calculated is misleading. Add to that the number of 72hr cancellations that are then resold and the argument again falls away.
The *only* reason to introduce deposits is to generate cash flow especially during the winter when members are thinking of sunnier times. I think the Club has been persuaded by Accountants who have never experienced a CAMC lifestyle and to be honest are not invested in whether it is successful or not.
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They said that about the name change, having too many grass pitches, too many hard surface pitches, upping prices, Adopting Glamping & pods, not letting Moho’s use facs for free, letting folk get food deliveries. . .ad infinitum, yet the C&MC are still here & going from strength to strength. Thru the decades things have changed yet C&MC prevail👍🏻. They will be here when you & I have long gone TT😊
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The deposit system as we currently understand it, discriminates against families as they have to pay considerably more than a (often boomer ?) couple for the same size pitch.
You make a very valid point. If the reason for the deposit is to prevent multiple speculative bookings, there is no need for this disparity. A more reasonable way would be a fixed charges of say, the full price if less or £25 for up to 3 days, £50 for 3 days to a week, £75 for a week to 10 days and £100 for anything over that.
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The deposit system as we currently understand it, discriminates against families as they have to pay considerably more than a (often boomer ?) couple for the same size pitch.
Very true and I hope the club picks up on this, but a few points, firstly as been pointed out somewhere there is an easy fix to this which gets a family the same or even cheaper deposit than a couple, and secondly if a family is using a site where children are charged a pound a night it isn't going to be that much? A14 night stay for two children the deposit will be an extra £5.60.
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If folk do minimise deposits by only including for one adult on the original booking, isn’t that going to lead to delays at check in. Unless of course those who have paid upfront are waved through. Although unfortunately, if it catches on it will also lead to fewer paying upfront and waving through may be impossible. Which in turn may lead to less bothering to pay up front as there is no advantage.🤔
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A bit rude there Cy, not needed is it? Touched a raw nerve?
In any event surely it is only a pointless activity in your own view? But you have often posted about the demise of the club with many empty pitches have you not? As I said could be this time.
What's 'disgusted of Doncaster' letters got to do with me? I never mentioned that? I think you have confused me with someone else?
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Yes agree with all of that, I was not condoning such behaviour just pointing out there is a way around it. In any event as I said I hope the club picks up on this, but while it does affect families isn't that the same as any holiday?
You've raised another good point with pre-payment, even with it (And I hope it happens) I assume there will be a chance to amend the payment to reflect any changes in the number of people? Myself and Mrs C are always there but it's amazing how nearer the time the 'kids' fancy the idea of a free and/or cheap weekend away. (It's often free)
I may have missed it but is waving through a possibility?
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If you can’t check in without getting out of the vehicle, I can’t see much point in paying up front. I accept you will have to come back to let them know the pitch number and pick up a barrier card / block key. When I put waving through I was meaning checking in from the vehicle, rather than just being waved through. Perhaps, fast tracked would have been more appropriate. If the system gave the wardens a familiarity figure, based on number of sites stopped on, they could perhaps modify the list of instructions, to further speed things up,
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That's already been mooted on here, paying a deposit for one adult, there are people who will use these tactics. Some will opt for payments on arrival as this will also avoid loss of funds should there be a cancellation, this is a financial loop hole which some will relish. I'd be interested to hear if there's a way round this for CAMC! Maybe an admin fee for repeat tactics?
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Yes you can pay in installments, here is what the FAQs say.
Can I pay in instalments?
Yes, the new booking system will allow you to make a payment toward your balance at any point as part of the 'manage my booking' screens within the new website booking system. This is designed to help you spread the payments over a period of time.peedee
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With the way Caravan Club prices are going, maybe we need an option to spread payment over the following two years?
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I am just wondering whether people would go to the bother of just booking for one just to reduce the deposit? I have just looked at the Broadway site for a week in summer and the difference in deposit for one as opposed to a family of four (two adults, plus two children) is £28 by my calculation. If it did become a regular thing I am sure the Club would clamp down on it.
David
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Can someone please advise (date) when this new booking system comes into effect
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