New Booking System
Comments
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If you read the T&C small print, they reserve the right to do this at anytime they like, and it doesn’t matter when you book, you will be charged the new price. You will get an email telling you about any price rises, but not sure on the cancellation policy if the price rise falls in the 21 day cut off period.
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I saw a post on a Facebook Group encouraging members to vote against those standing for election including the Chairman! I suspect the people that really need to be voted against, according to some, are not standing for election? It could be that the AGM is coming at a difficult time viz a viz the new booking system. Perhaps better to flood the AGM with difficult questions which will need to be answered, see link in the AGM thread elsewhere on the Forum.
David
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What’s the nonsense about “We all have to book sites many months ahead”.
Some sites on some dates yes, but in most cases late availability lists are very revealing.
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A lot can happen in 21 days though PD. Anyone with underlying health issues that could mean not being able to travel will tell you this. So that’s a fair percentage of the older membership affected.
Then there are the carer’s (like myself) who cannot guarantee dates for any period upfront, lots of those around as well. (It’s why we seldom book anything but cottages upfront.)
Then there’s the weather factor, how happy are folks going to be to book say Looe months in advance, at a cost of something like £500-£600+ and not know what the weather is going to be like? I know a lot of folks who have had bad weather for a big holiday and it’s put them of places for good. (I personally have to be dragged kicking and screaming to the Lake District, as it’s rained torrentially on every previous visit).
That 21 day cut off is very punitive, weighted very much in favour of the Club retaining monies for one reason or another.
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Tonight is my first experience of the new booking system and not an experience that particularly impressed me. The booking by map option was very slow and clunky and for some of the time unresponsive. As previous poster said, why do they need all of our dates of birth and car length. As member of near 20yrs I wouldn't have thought this was relevant. I am hardly likely to be underage.
I feel sorry for the wardens who are going to get all of the flack for the issues encountered by the members.
Somewhat disappointed by the advertised price "from". I am booking a half-term break and as a teacher I get fleeced every holiday because I have no choice when I can go away. Off peak I could have had an extra night for what I paid. Roll on retirement!!
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Not impressed with the new booking system. Not sure why my 5m van (essentially a people carrier with no signage) prevents me from making a booking; and as if by magic when I change it to a 5m car, the booking is accepted!
The 25% deposit removes USP in one swoop.
2023 membership renewal will be considered thoughtfully.
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Please return to previous booking in system, it was so easy to use compared with the current one which is a complete disaster. It is so frustrating I am tempted to cancel my membership.
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You cannot expect the Club to take into account everyone's individual circumstances. It maybe that this new sytem proves kinder to those less fortunate members than they think hy providing a better opportunity to make late bookings.
peedee
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I don’t mind them reserving the right to put the price up, as long as you are given the right to cancel with a full refund. However, I do think the clause relating to reducing the number of people staying meaning you loose a proportion of your deposit, if done within 21 days, a bit mean spirited. It’s not as though they were occupying another pitch, or room if we were staying in a hotel, when I could understand it.
This is clearly stated on my confirmation of booking:-
Amending or cancelling
Remember to Book Smart! We know plans sometimes have to change and that's ok. Just let us know as early as possible if you can't take up your pitch so it can be made available to fellow members. Unless otherwise advised, your deposit is fully refundable if you amend your booking or cancel your booking more than 21 days before your booked arrival date.
You will lose the deposit paid for amendments and all cancellations made within 21 days of your booked arrival date (for example if you cancel a night or multiple nights of your stay, or if you reduce the number of guests on the booking within 21 days of your booked arrival date you will lose a part or all of the deposit paid).1 -
Surely all plans and developments receive initiation approval from the top and then a final sign off?
I sincerely hope some in depth questions will be asked at the AGM. Whether they receive due attention will remain to be seen but the main responsibility for running the club is from the top.
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Another reason for just booking for one person and then amend on arrival. Even though its an amendment can’t see how you can loose a deposit if you are adding people. If you are a family with teenage children it would seem quite a likely scenario that you book well in advance and then teenager gets a better offer than holidaying with mum and dad. Parents now left with amending booking and losing some deposit and possibly fee for that child.
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I don’t expect the Club to take into account everyone’s individual circumstances, certainly not my own, that’s why we seldom use Club Sites nowadays, just playing Devil’s Advocate, and highlighting the changes to T&Cs. Others will have to find their own way of getting the most from this business. We already suspect it will be easier to get something later than it has been, but that’s more to do with the current economic situation and price of a site night. Not that we have ever struggled prior to this.
Anyone want to take a bet on the Club surcharging at some point for adding additional family Members on arrival? Don’t be naïve enough to think they won’t be considering it.
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Sadly, I think the AGM is a forgone conclusion. It has a format, heavily time consumed by committee voting, thank you’s etc……
What would be far more useful would be to see the minutes of meetings held at senior level where the proposal were first put to Committee by Officers, noting who was present, what questions were raised, what debate on the proposals happened, how any likely areas of Member dissatisfaction/ approval were anticipated, what methods of communicating/ delivering the new T&Cs were suggested, how any feedback was to be dealt with, etc…..
The Club glaringly lacks transparency, but tends to get away with a lot of changes because most of the Membership doesn’t really care, or is happy just to go with whatever is foisted upon it in the name of growth and profit and reinvestment.
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thanks, I wasn't sure if I had to give some sort of notice., but if it's just a case of cancelling the direct debit, that's straight forward. I was trying to book a late holiday , but I got in a muddle. Can we still call the site last minute and book or do we have to go on line or phone the booking line ?
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the new booking system is awful
you are forced to look at club sites, but you can choose not to display C.L.
and it doesn't show you prices of a C.L.
the old system you could untick a club site,
so it would only display C.L. and you could see the prices of a C.L.
I think the club want us to go on the club sites, but they are expensive, they charge you a pitch fee and charge for each person, they say there are toilets, showers etc on club sites, but I have all of them in my van, the only way I can get C.L. with prices is on my phone app
BRING BACK THE OLD SYSTEM WHERE i CAN JUST DISPLAY C.L.s WITH PRICES
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The 21 day cut off is not punitive at all. That’s what insurance is for. You wouldn’t book a cottage in Cornwall or a holiday in Spain without taking insurance out so why would you not with a campsite.
The cost of two weeks on a C&MC site is now extremely expensive so insurance is the way forward.
Likewise why should the club restrict the number of members? It’s a business and runs to make a profit! I run a business and never turn new customers down.
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When you get to 80 years of age, with several medical conditions, the insurance premium is large, I did get some quotes, then there is the excess.
We tour, rarely stay more than 5 nights anywhere, not sure how that would work with insurance if a tour had to be cancelled?
However, though we have remained members for the CLs and our caravan insurance, we have not used any club sites this year, due to the high prices, and are unlikely to do so in the future, so will not be bothering with insurance in UK.
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The trouble with that, as I see it, is that you would be punishing the people that volunteer to help run the Club not the management who were the proposers of the new booking system. OK it sends a message but perhaps aimed at the wrong target? At least asking a question should get a reply from the management.
David
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If you have problems with the online service (very much an experience, but often not the experience which you would like), try the phone booking line as they seem to know what is available as I found recently when I was at Burrs and wanted to book for Hebden Bridge for the following day 2 days.
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Surely it’s collective responsibility?
Any of the elected people have had ample opportunity to make their voices heard by now and they could have explained how this all came about. They could be said to be condemning themselves by their silence.
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I think if you "volunteer" at such a high level in a multi million pound business then a certain amount of expertise on offer is your "raison d'etre." These are serious offerings with a certain amount of kudos, commitment and collective responsibility. I do hope we see some good questions and serious answers at the AGM, not the usual bland and media speak responses. I respect those who take on these works so I'm not targeting anyone but I sincerely hope the response recognises that something might be awry in the way the new booking system has been formatted, set up and introduced?
I note in the "new booking experience" section there are updates and explanations and even work arounds suggested by members on here! eg use the search facility top right with the magnifying glass symbol....well yes but the idea was to have a new booking system not work arounds. What next, will they suggest using Google?
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There are two sorts of furore they have to consider.
Firstly there is the way the system works which I am sure in time will become much smoother and probably more acceptable to use.
Secondly there is the furore around many members ( it seems) realising what taking deposits when booking actually means. Many seem to have been taken totally by surprise by the change. I think those of us who regularly contribute here or on Social Media might find it difficult to understand how it has come as a surprise but as said previously some clearly don't bother with Social Media and probably don't read the Club magazine? Also once they drill down into the new system they also realise that there are some quite harsh T&C's in contrast the previous simple no deposit system. This is probably more the case with those that only use Club sites and perhaps don't use sites outside the Club so have little or no experience of deposits and sometimes full payment weeks before arrival on site. It's probably the this section of the membership that perhaps the Club need to be worried about?
David
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Can anybody explain the Club's new policy regarding amending a future booking to a different Club site within the next 21 days please? It's beyond my pay grade.
For example, keeping it simple and assuming all sites cost £30 per night, suppose I've booked 10 nights at site A starting in a week's time. The nightly rate is £30 so I've paid a deposit of £60, being 20% of 10 x £30.
A couple of days pass and our touring plans change. We now wish to spend the first 5 nights at site A, followed by 5 nights at site B, which is also £30 per night. So I immediately amend the last 5 nights to site B and in doing so would pay a further deposit of £30, being 20% of 5 x £30.
I elect to pay balances on arrival.
I presume upon arrival at site A they would request £90, being 5 x £30 less the £60 already paid for this site.
Then upon arrival at site B they would request £120, being 5 x £30 less the £30 already paid for this site.
So my total outlay would be £60+£30+£90+£120 = £300, exactly as expected for 10 nights at £30.
Please bear with me...
Now suppose I had originally booked 5 at site A and 5 at site C, again £30 per night. The deposit requested would be £60 (each site is £150, so the 20% deposit for each would be £30).
If my plans change to exactly like before and I switch the 5 nights at site C to site B, just like before, I would pay an additional deposit of £30 to book site B, being 20% of 5 x £30.
It strikes me I would then lose the £30 deposit paid for site C. This is in line with my booking confirmation, which states, “You will lose the deposit paid for amendments and all cancellations made within 21 days of your booked arrival date”
@Cornersteady, this would suggest that changing to a different Club site can indeed incur a loss of deposit.
Now, it doesn't seem any more 'sinful' to cancel the last 5 nights at site A than to cancel the same 5 nights at site C, yet one will incur a £30 loss of deposit while the other doesn't incur any penalty.
Have I got anything wrong with the logic above?
For preparing to tour, the moral seems to be, book all your nights at your first site, then amend as you go, rather than the other way around. I'm sure this wasn't the intention though.
I feel that amendments from one club site to a different club site during a tour should never incur a loss of deposit, but my booking confirmation states the opposite.
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Actually, we do book cottages without taking out insurance, and that’s sometimes three or four cottages per year. We book cottages usually direct with the owners and talk to them direct, so we know exactly what our booking terms and conditions will be. We also don’t usually book more than a couple of months in advance nowadays, and sometimes under a week in advance to get last minute bargains. Booking direct with owners, rather than through a bookings agency has huge advantages. We often do repeat cottage visits, so have built a trustworthy relationship with owners.
Overseas, definitely need insurance👍
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Rephrasing more concisely
...My Booking Confirmation states: “You will lose the deposit paid for amendments and all cancellations made within 21 days of your booked arrival date”
If I book 10 nights at £30 per night, I’ll pay £60 deposit. If, a week before we travel, I cancel the last 5 nights, do I lose, (a) the whole £60, (b) half the £60, or (c) nothing?
(a) would be pretty draconian,
(b) would seem fairest, but contradicts the booking confirmation statement
(c) doesn’t penalise people for booking nights they aren’t going to take, which was the purpose behind taking deposits AND contradicts the booking confirmation statement.
Anyone know which applies?
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David
- I think the club in most people who have posted on here will , for a change notice is taken of the majority of the membership , this time instead of how they have tried to spin what they say as" the members? asked and we listened?"
I have never seen so many new posters who have posted their dissatisfaction with the many problems that have been hilighted since the unanoused introduction of a system that has proven to be for the majority of members unless IT literate , able to use "workrounds"to attempt to get it have some semblance of a system understandable by members
It is and now since the 12th Sep a complete disaster with no real sign of improving
And it seems as more members post the more problems seem to come to the surface
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The new booking system has certainly taken 10 steps backward! I am also a member of the Caravanning & Camping Club and always advocated the CAMC booking system over the CAC system. I am not sure anymore. Who designed this new edition???? I am IT literate, but this does not feel user friendly. I have no problems with the deposit system. The other point I wish to make is that the site fees are now beginning to get expensive. Don't forget this is a members Club!
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