New Booking System
Comments
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Ignoring the map and using a list is only okay if you know the name of the site or where you want to go. Like many others, we like to browse the map to see CLs and sites along a route or in a specific county.
Why would it be designed to work on desktops and laptops and not on small screen devices - this is hardly forward thinking by the club - or indeed future proofing.
If the app wasn't ready to roll-out it should have been paused - or at least allow users to continue with the old version.
Nobody can be happy with the way this has turned out.
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I disagree with your last sentence.
I have always been able to get around easily enough without an app.
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It's not only knowing the name of the CL or the area, but new CLs could be added but are unknown to us, the paying "Members".
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hja
I am sure you are right on all counts as well as being diplomatic
It's not unusual to have posts from people who don't normally participate in this forum and other social media. The name change was probably the first manifestation of this but in that case it came as a surprise to everyone so perhaps more understandable. However the possibility of deposits has been around for at least four years and it seems very odd to me that many don't seem to have picked up on it, but hey ho we are where we are. It would seem for many the Club is just about booking campsites and that is the extent to which those members get involved.
David
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We have been on several sites since the unanoused implemtation of thus booking system and it seems when speaking to members there are many who are unaware of it and that that it had been implemented
Those that were aware were mostly at a loss as us of how to make it work
It now nearly three weeks and the site we are on now speaking to other members of our age range I have yet to be aware of any who do not think that members are it seems just a cash cow for the money. cruncher's at EGH but otherwise irelivent and that also includes site staff
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I've been an advocate of deposits for a long time and I've successfully booked some sites for next year even though I've tied up £412.86 in deposits.
It's more annoying that the glitches haven't been ironed out. Having just checked my bookings for next year I'm finding that my next payment isn't due until 7 May 2026! Hopefully, I will have enjoyed many holidays before that date!
What I also find annoying is that the club have said very little. The magazine came a few days ago and noting at all in it about the new booking system or the fact that it's a useless piece of c**p.
As hja said above the answer is "communication, communication, communication" of which there has been a distinct lack of. I've looked at the Trustpilot reviews and the Club reply every time with a stock answer. How such a piece of technical software should have been allowed to go live without sufficient testing is beyond me. I can understand minor glitches when it goes live but for there to be so many major problems on roll out is extremely poor management by someone.
Heads need to roll I'm afraid.
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I was referring more to the shambolic and incompetent nature of the situation rather than how you tour and do your research. The app is vital for us when touring for long periods on the road - just like ACSI, Camperstop and Search for Sites apps when in Europe.
Nobody (at club HQ or users of the app) can be happy with the way this has turned out.
Whether we like it or not, we're being pushed into a digital world and this level of digital ineptitude makes the club look archaic and inaccessible in a modern world.
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Took me longer to input my information and I still couldn't put in the dates of birth and feel I shouldn't have too as totally unnecessary. Only way to do it was to scroll through 65 year dates which then I was timed out.
Put in one town and get towns with that name all over the world.
Why have we lost an hour as now have to arrive at 1pm and not 12.00 but still have to leave at 12.00 when leaving the site, and prices gone up?
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Most posts are blaming the writers of the new software package but perhaps we need to rewind a little and ask the question “was the Software Requirement Specification (SRS)” and the “User Requirement Specification (URS)” that are essential documents for defining what the software has to do and how usable it is, fit for purpose? These essential documents are normally written by the client (CMC) and given to the software writers before they’re able to quote for the work. Given that most of the CMC office staff have probably never booked a site or even used one then its likely these essential documents were deficient. Unfortunately the lack of communications from the Club means we will never know.
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Jane , regarding inputting DOB my wife found out by accident how to do it. Keep the calender month depressed then rolling years appear . I give Yvonne total credit as I had given up the will live by this point in the booking procedure.😁. We were using an I pad , don't know if if it's different on other devices.
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There is not just one bit of software operating here, there may be thirty to forty different bits, probably written by different companies at different times, and probably not all in the same computer language. There may even be more bits - far more - if the chosen solution of two bits of software not being able to communicate is to write another programme to handle the interface between them. Probably seemed a cheap solution each time another bit was tacked on.
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But why should members have to "get around" when the old system worked well and they new one doesn't?
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The previous website used to tabulate late availability sites in a really easy to read format, with dates across the top and sites down the left edge. It showed at a glance how many pitches remained at each site for the next few days. Is this tabulated format still available and, if so, how do I find it please?
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My first use of the new booking system today and I have to say it's very disappointing. Much prefer the previous website and booking system.
We used to enjoy booking at the last minute and properly touring in our motorhome, moving on as and when we feel, without the need to plan everything and pay deposits 3 weeks ahead. The ability to amend our plans no further than 3 days ahead was very important to us.
I'm afraid the Club has now lost something for us and we'll have to consider whether it meets our requirements going forward.
For us, this definitely isn't a change for the better. Very sad.
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While I agree with your comments regarding the new system why can't you continue to book at the last minute like you always did? Deposits are paid when you book be it for a site tomorrow or a year from now, not three weeks before?
The idea of deposits was to make more pitches available at the last minute, or within a few days or a week or so, and should work in your favour.
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Sound advice to all staff of the club and moderators of this forum is the old maxim ... "When you're in a hole, STOP DIGGING".!! In other words, don't try to defend this shambles of a Booking System and the change in Booking Conditions - instead listen to what your members are begging you to understand and reverse this for all our sake's.
In the meantime you may like to see these minutes of a past committee meeting published previously ... may be tongue in cheek but perhaps uncomfortably close to reality!
A CAMHC Executive Committee meeting sometime in early 2022 in deepest East Grinstead.
CHAIRMAN – Right Jack, I see you’re next on the agenda, “Changes to the club UK site booking policy”. That old chestnut. What have you got for us this time?
JACK – MARKETING DIRECTOR - Our members have had it too good for too long sir as we’ve discussed many times. No other organisation in our market offers deposit-free bookings and a mere three day notice for cancellations. There’s no easy way to say this – we’re scrapping it and replacing it with a 20% deposit paid for at the time of booking and increasing the notice period from three days to three weeks!
CHAIRMAN – But Jack, that then, as you marketing folk would say, removes our USP – our “Unique Selling Proposition”. We’d be no more than a booking site – no clear advantage over any of our competitors out there. I know it would help increase cash income by ensuring members were forced to fill our sites that they’d booked come rain or shine or granny’s funeral but let’s remember, they are “Club Members” after all. We should be driven by what’s best for them. What possible reason can we give them for it?
JACK – We’ll tell them it will increase site availability. Now you know and I know the improvement will be marginal and will not come close to the downside of reducing their flexibility but we’ve been training our call centre staff for six months to repeat the “Better Availability” message and most of them can now do so without even the slightest giggle!
CHAIRMAN – I don’t buy it, they’re be uproar when we launch it. They’ll be no hiding it.
JOHN – HEAD OF IT – That’s where my team come in Mr Chairman. We’ll announce the change to booking policy at exactly the same time that we launch the new Website Booking System. But what we’ll do is throw some well aimed spanners into the new booking system. It will be the booking system from hell. Alan Turing himself wouldn’t be able to work his way through it!
JACK – That’s right. They’ll be such a commotion about the IT system that most members won’t see that we’ve craftily changed the policy as well.
CHAIRMAN – Brilliant – when do we launch? April 1st?
JACK – Even I think that may be a bit obvious. Sometime in September perhaps – on your birthday sir?
CHAIRMAN – What a lovely birthday present! Done!!
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You don’t have to pay deposits 3 weeks ahead. Last minute bookings are still possible. You can book and pay on line this evening for a site that you want to go to tomorrow - and have nothing more to pay when you arrive there tomorrow.
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Or you can just pay the deposit tonight and the rest on arrival.
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My bad, I seem to have introduced some ambiguity. I did say the ability to amend our plans with as little as 3 days notice was very important to us. It's the loss of flexibility we don't care for.
During a tour, our plans often change and we could previously release a booking, 5 days ahead say, and amend it to a different site. With the new system, any amendment within a ridiculous window of three whole weeks will now cost us a lost deposit.
There was a good penalty system in use for those few bad apples who abused the previous system and didn't provide 72 hours notice of an amendment. There was no need to move away from that system.
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Be advised, this new system isn't even safeguarding our personal data properly.
I have just received a booking confirmation by email, with a PDF attachment quoting somebody else's registration number.
It states that I am arriving by motorhome (correct), but the registration number quoted belongs to somebody else (it's actually assigned to somebody's - presumably another member's - white Jaguar XF). Oh, and I'll apparently be towing a caravan... Which is news to me, because we don't own a caravan.
I emailed straight back to point out this troubling turn of events - leaking personal data between members' records is a serious matter, after all - but obviously the auto-reply came back that they are too busy and will need 10 working days to investigate.
Do you think they'd make time for the Information Commissioner?
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Ah OK no worries, I think (but check) from what has been discussed, that changing to a different club site will not incur any loss of deposits.
Happy touring.
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Why book at all unless you are travelling in peak season. We don't very often tour in the UK but this year we did a 30 day tour in June July and out of the 14 sites we used, only 6 were pre booked. We just turned up or phoned a day in advance for a pitch for the remainder. It is possible to tour freely in this country especially with a motorhome. You don't have to stick with Club sites and with more councils beginning to recognise the benefits of providing motorhome stopovers/parking, it can only get easier.
peedee
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A slap on the wrist with threats of loss of forward bookings and, ultimately, to membership itself if the sin was repeated, or so I believe. The only time we cancelled within 72 hours due to mechanical breakdown, we heard nothing.
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You can book and pay on line this evening for a site that you want to go to tomorrow - and have nothing more to pay when you arrive there tomorrow.
Sounds great - until you try to book this evening and there are no pitches available!
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You can check availability up to night before. Simply start a dummy booking and it will tell you if there are less than five pitches available at your chosen site.
I looked at a Club Site possible for us last night. The system is so clunky and user non friendly I gave it the boot, opted for search for sites instead and we have found a nice CL. Cheaper.
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Ref deposits and late bookings.The balance of payment is taken out the night before so it's deposit plus any payments due. See the new booking T&Cs. You could opt for payment on arrival but if you don't turn up the full balance is still due.
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We had a pow wow in a members motor caravan last night several if us that is and three things were agreed on the booking system is crap and definitely not user friendly
Use the EGH call centre when possible to book (they may get better results) only book the day before travel
And if a need to get a tour together only booke one person to save money on deposits and sort add person/s on arriving at sites
And even better use alternative companies sites as they may well be cheaper than the cc dash for cash to the detriment of long time members
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