The 1pm arrival message getting through
Comments
-
I don't know what job you do but obviously not public facing, I do and they can be very demanding and incredibly rude, so I for one definitely think wardens deserve a 1 hour break, especially when they can work until 8 O'CLOCK on most Friday evenings with not a lot of thanks
4 -
Dickensian? Surely it’s about agreeing to a set of rules and principles, which incidentally we have when joining, and then realising how our actions impact on Joe Public and staff. We should not deliberately go against the flow, breaking those rules and annoy fellow members. Life, particularly leisure life, is about the enjoyment, the safety and the comfort of all and that includes those who ‘serve’ us. It’s not about abusing them and each other which will make lives difficult. If the system isn’t fit for purpose and changes are needed it’s not for us to aggravate and take matters into our own hands in making a point. What is obvious though is increasing staffing levels will increase the costs of nights stays. Maybe we just need to chill, act sympathetically and let all enjoy their hard earned breaks be they holidays or lunch.
We know the times, we know our journeys, we know how to arrive on time. We just need to do it. The consequence of not doing so is being asked to leave and return at the correct time. What is wrong with that? This is increasingly happening to those who can’t. The message is getting home me thinks!
I’m sure you are not advocating turning up before time though, are you?
4 -
How about a departure time of 11.00 no arrivals before 12.00.
This would help those that are arriving a bit early to find somewhere to park for awhile.
Most truckers and other travellers tend to lunch between 12.00 and 14.00. Which means if you are with caravan trying to find a layby or heaven forbid a service area that has sufficient parking for a long outfit you would be doing so prior to the lunch crowd, rather than smack bang in the middle of it.
I agree that it not acceptable to arrive more that 15 mins early, however there are some sites that even 15mls out you would struggle to find a parking spot for a 12m outfit.
Our friends got charged 5 euro for arriving before 14.00 at Riva Bella. I know that site us 'over there' but it does show you that even there some sites have a problem. They did have a choice, go away and come back at the appointed time or pay up. Maybe that would stop some arriving early 🤔
Once we have pitch type selection I wonder if that will make a difference, certainly MHs do sometimes get nervous of arriving later if the weather has been wet and there is a chance of going on grass.
0 -
One issue in very busy periods is staff having the opportunity to do groundwork on and around pitches. The best time would be that period between last departures and arrivals. Trouble is that’s also arguably the best time to clean facility blocks and also grab that bit of nourishment which is needed. Hats off to staff who manage this, hats off to members who help facilitate this by sticking to the agreed times. It shouldn’t be a time to traffic manage unwelcome early arrivals!
5 -
I find the whole issue totally bemusing. We dont stay on many Club sites, but we know the check in time is 1pm. I get irritated when we arrive at 1sh or just after with a long queue of early arrivals. Great if people are being turned away.
We have been to sites (in UK) with lots of different check in times, some 2pm. We just adjust our journey accordingly. Interestingly - we want lunch (as well as wardens) so we probably start looking for somewhere from about 12 noon (or maybe we know somewhere) and have lunch, and then leave at time to get us there at appropriate time. Not rocket science. (We use paper maps, and google our route before leaving home)
0 -
Club Sites seem to be under a lot more pressure nowadays. Busier than they ever have been at times, possibly staff shortages or cut backs, possibly different work rotas in place. Factor in the scramble to get a good pitch, and it’s not going to be easy.
0 -
"How about a departure time of 11.00 no arrivals before 12.00.
This would help those that are arriving a bit early to find somewhere to park for awhile."
The problem with that is (a) it penalises (working) folk who can only turn up late on their arrival day, possibly just for the weekend and (b) you will still get folk thinking it's perfectly ok to roll up early and expect a warm welcome from the wardens!
The answer, surely, is not to be "arriving a bit early" in the first place? Just set off an hour later!
3 -
Trouble is that’s also arguably the best time to clean facility blocks
Micky, I for one would argue that the best time to clean the sanfac block is early afternoon. I have said on another thread that I often find the campsite at its quietest somewhere around 2.30 -3.30 and we will sit having a cold or hot drink after being out until then and then have a shower. 9/10 the shower block will be empty or just have 1 other person in.
Why close the block mid morning? Leavers want their shower but are forced to condense the time to before 10.30 at the latest.
Anyway I hope they don't follow my post as it is I that will be inconvenienced by not being in convenience, if you get my drift.
3 -
You may well be right, but that is possibly also the busiest arrival time. This is a real conundrum but one which is only compounded by folk who repeatedly and deliberately tip up before the allotted time and cause ‘upset’. Oh , and I totally get that drift but the solution may be costly!
0 -
How does having an arrival time of 12.00 (which it used to be) penalise working folk arriving late on arrival day 🤔
Leaving by 11.00 might not be to their liking but you can always pay for another day and leave later in the day/evening or ask the warden if it's OK to stay a bit longer. I know that option is available on the less popular sites, Sundays are usually not as busy as Fri/Sat
Of course you can always plan to do something on the way home.
I agree arriving early is not acceptable no matter what the timings are, but as I pointed out trying to find somewhere to park over the busy lunch hour is nigh impossible and with the best planning timings can be off.
0 -
Have to admit, the morning loo block deep cleaning baffles me as well. Surely this is best time to get the “around site” maintenance done, as folks leave pitches. Say 9am to Noon. Half hour uninterrupted lunch apiece, still staffing reception. Then two on desk to deal with 1pm rush of arrivals, after that split up so that one staffs desk while other does a loo block, then swop over. Loo checks to be done in morning to restock rolls, quick tidy.
I suspect there are issues around solo working myself, but that’s just a guess.
0 -
It’s an overseas site but, as you always insist on the relevance, surely if you can arrive later there then you can do the same here, as can we all. 🤷🏻♂️
To return to UK sites, C&CC tried around 20 years ago charging a fee to those who arrived early but soon gave up on the experiment. I suspect they found it either unenforceable or that it caused more trouble than it was worth.
Anyway, the whole point is to give staff the chance to clean and prepare the site and to leave access unobstructed. To start letting folk in for a fee rather defeats the object.
8 -
"How does having an arrival time of 12.00 (which it used to be) penalise working folk arriving late on arrival day"
It's obviously not the arrival time which penalises them if they can't arrive till say 4 or 5pm, it's having to depart at 11. That one hour is surely a lot more valuable to them than to those who can turn up on the dot of opening time? And paying for the extra night and leaving later surely defeats the whole object of having an hour between arrivals and departures? No, the onus should be on arrivers on plan their journey, both from start and en route IMHO.
4 -
Agree with all of that.
Also there are single set of warden sites. They will be cleaning from perhaps 10.30 so there will be no one to accept that payment.
Additionally what happens even if this could be done on other sites and there is no vacant pitches as not everyone leaves early?
On a large three wardens set site the office was actually closed from 11 till 1pm to allow more work to be done on site.
Moving the times forward or backwards won't make any difference at all.
It's very simple don't arrive even to wait before 1pm
2 -
I think there may well be several other issues too. Single couple site. Even a two couple site rotas must be a headache? Single person doing two person jobs take twice as long at best. When will that ground work be fitted in, who is available to answer phone calls, how about comfort breaks? What about fitting in time off duty. How about finding time to address those real needs of folk that must happen all the time, can’t be in two places at once but some will expect it! I really don’t think things are as simple as some suggest, that includes that lone working issue mentioned!
3 -
yes agree, as I posted a large three set warden site closed the office from 11 to 1pm. Also when I passed that site a few weeks later (wasn't staying there) there was a warden at the road entrance at 12 with a clipboard so I assume she was there to turn traffic away, or rather stop them even coming into the approach road. It was certainly have been a long way round about 10 miles I would think as there would be no easy way to turn a caravan around past the site.
0 -
Before this thread gets closed down because of the comments being made, I'd like to introduce the idea of the Club publishing details of locations that one might stop at with a caravan and tow vehicle within, say, fifteen miles of every site on the main approach roads. Of course, it would not guarantee that any of them would have any space on the occasion that a member needed to use them
2 -
I understand that but that's not what you posted
The problem with that is (a) it penalises (working) folk who can only turn up late on their arrival day, possibly just for the weekend and (b) you will still get folk thinking it's perfectly ok to roll up early and expect a warm welcome from the wardens! undecided
I fail to see how paying for another night would defeat the object of having a clear hour between arrival and departures, there will be lots of other units on site.
I agreed that arriving to early is unacceptable.
0 -
Yes, and we, Ok I would be willing, could make such references in either reviews or on a sticky thread?
Melrose just before the turn off northwards onto the A68 to A6091 there is a large layby (actually where I stopped the last time from being too early) and Troutbeck head at least two good laybys on the A66 before the turnoff for the A5091. Actually google maps shows them quite well they are not difficult to find at all for any site, just takes a few minutes zooming in on your route.
0 -
"I fail to see how paying for another night would defeat the object of having a clear hour between arrival and departures..."
Because paying for the extra night and then leaving later that day, which is what I think you were suggesting, means 2 way traffic into and out of site and, as has been argued so often in past threads, possibly deprives those arriving at the correct time their choice of pitch.
We seem to agree that arriving early is not acceptable, so it's either got to be "leave by 12, arrive after 1" or "leave by 11, arrive after 12". I happen to believe that the former is fairer for most users.
1 -
Why should it be closed? Some very valid solutions and apt discussion taking place which help us grasp the associated issues and constraints not alway fully appreciated. These in turn can assist modification of belief and understanding. Good to talk, sometimes this can proffer change for the better
0 -
That would be helpful to those who make good headway on their journeys, Nav. It would need to be kept up to date but I’m not sure the club and it’s IT systems are currently capable of coping. It’s worthy of further investigation though👍🏻
0 -
I think it is fairer, also more time to pack away and leave. We have it down to under an hour now so all to get all done by 11.30 then final comforts stops/eats before setting off. Leaving by 11 would rush things.
0 -
Arriving at 12.00 or 13.00 has never really worried me.... For our short 3-4 night breaks, we are lucky if we leave home much before 1pm. If we've booked a serviced pitch (which is what we usually do) it's usually 'hobson's choice' when we arrive.... saves a lot of messing about... 🤣🤣
When we go on a longer break, and we go from one site to another, it's still at least mid-afternoon before we arrive. I can't recall ever having to queue when arriving at a site..
David
0
