Camping & Caravaning Club lack of service?

[miley72]

Is this typical, or just a one off?

We are members of the C&C Club, and have just tried to book 5 days on a club site, but as it is a late booking for next week, it's on 4 different pitches on the same site, St David's, as we are a motorhome it's no problem to us or them to move, especially as we're out for the day anyway normally.

So we rang the campsite directly, and was told it was full for the period.

My wife pointed out that the website showed spaces, for all the dates, and read them off. She was met with a change of tone, he became quite abrupt, and refused point blank to take a booking. It was the site manager himself we were talking to, as my wife took his name. Effectively he wouldn't move us from pitch to pitch, but if someone came in off the road he said he would give them the pitch.

I rang the club reservation service, I pointed out that I had been a member for some years, and wanted to book a club site, and the response was that member or not, the only people that could book it was the campsite directly. It was admitted the this wasn't the only complaint about this, but other members usually just accepted it.

He put me through to the Club site manager, and I got a message stating that it was outside office hours, and they were open from 9.30am onwards. As far as I'm aware it's well after that. So I rang back, and oddly enough got the same club reservation man, he couldn't get any customer service, any manager, any director, to answer.

I think this is abysmal service, and I will be wanting a refund of my membership, as I can't see what I get for it. I have been told the Caravan Club is much better, both at customer service, and the attitude of club sites in general. We did eventually get a call back from the C & C Club customer services, but they had no power to do anything at all, she agreed she could talk to membership to see if we could get a pro-rata refund, and not surprisingly no more contact since.

We have joined the Caravan Club over the phone this afternoon, and then booked a week at a Club site in Devon online. No deposit required, and they will accept bookings for one night as well, so ideal if we're touring in the future.

In our experience the attitude of C& C Club sites isn't a one off, anyone else have any experience of both clubs, and which is better?

 

[Alan_374365971]

This sure isn't a way to treat a member of the club. I have only been a member of the C&CC for about a month now and we have j8ust got back from a short trip in the Lakes. The staff there were very helpful. This is how it should be. Like you said... what do you pay your money for ??

 

[waffler]

This is not typical. The HSMs are in our experience excellent. The point with the CCC is that they have so many different pitches at different prices that they sometimes show vacancies but can't accept a particular unit. (Our van is 7.2 metres and too big for some pitches.)

Service from hQ has also been excellent. I asked for clarification by e-mail over insurance. Within 15 minutes of opening someone had phoned me and sorted out my query. Three days later the members services manager phoned me to make sure I had been dealt with.

Dealings with Caravan club HQ has not been as good. They do respond but not with the vigour of the CCC. Having been in both for some years we think the CCC is more member centred than the CC, who seem to be more business oriented.

As an aside you can go to all CCC rallies, holidays without booking.

 

[woodsieboy]

Hi Michael

We left CCC because we were unhappy with the direction it seemed to be taking,and the attitude of wardens at Chertsey. I don't think they take any notice of people leaving, but it is the only option open to us. I firmly believe that if I am paying for a service and I am not happy with it I will take my custom elsewhere. So far we have been impressed with CC sites and the wardens have always been very helpful.

 

[miley72]

Now as you remind me, they also failed totally to give me a quote for my motorhome and car, in the end I got so fed up with chasing them I cancelled my motorhome insurance, and moved both to another broker, who had no problems with insuring both, mirroring my no-claims, and giving free european breakdown cover for the same price with Safeguard, so I also saved on the RAC cover I'd been paying for through them as well.

 

[miley72]

And our motorhome is 6m long, it would have fitted onto any pitch, the conversation never got that far, it was an instant blank refusal to accept any booking at all.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

michael, see the two threads under General .....

Request to move pitch - what would you?

and

C&CC OFFICIALS OR COMMITTEE MEMBERS

.......... it doesn't seem as the C&CC are flavour of the month on this forum :O(

 

[miley72]

Quote from Chris

"Service from hQ has also been excellent. I asked for clarification by e-mail over insurance. Within 15 minutes of opening someone had phoned me and sorted out my query. Three days later the members services manager phoned me to make sure I had been dealt with."

You must have a magic touch, I've just rang customer services (again) on their direct number, straight to voicemail, so much for service!

So in spite of promises that the Manager of the Sites Department would ring me, I have had only the one call from customer services, no further contact, and now nobody answering the phone at all.

 

[Chrissylizzie]

We were members of the C & CC a few years ago and left because on arrival at one site we were charged for early arrival - 5 minutes. We rejoined this year as I wanted to book a particular site on-line. On arrival at this site the greeting was only OK and we were shown to our pitch which was reasonable enough.

The notice on the office door stated that opening hours were between 9 - 10 a.m. and 12 o clock for new arrivals. One morning we discovered a flat tyre on the car and went to request directions to the nearest garage. It was after 10.00 and reference was made to this fact.

Later in the week we requested if it was possible to move pitch and they were very reluctant cooly stating that we were on the overflow site anyway. No way were we on the overflow site as it had fully functioning hook-ups, toilet block etc. We didn't bother to move.

On the way home we stayed two nights at a Caravan Club site. The greeting was warm and helpful, the office was open all day and in our experience (30 years) this is justification as to why we prefer the Caravan Club for the general attitude and professionalism. Granted they are quuite business like, but I can live with that so long as we get the rest with it.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

We were members of the C & CC a few years ago and left because on arrival at one site we were charged for early arrival - 5 minutes. We rejoined this year as I wanted to book a particular site on-line. On arrival at this site the greeting was only OK and we were shown to our pitch which was reasonable enough.

The notice on the office door stated that opening hours were between 9 - 10 a.m. and 12 o clock for new arrivals. One morning we discovered a flat tyre on the car and went to request directions to the nearest garage. It was after 10.00 and reference was made to this fact.

Later in the week we requested if it was possible to move pitch and they were very reluctant cooly stating that we were on the overflow site anyway. No way were we on the overflow site as it had fully functioning hook-ups, toilet block etc. We didn't bother to move.

On the way home we stayed two nights at a Caravan Club site. The greeting was warm and helpful, the office was open all day and in our experience (30 years) this is justification as to why we prefer the Caravan Club for the general attitude and professionalism. Granted they are quuite business like, but I can live with that so long as we get the rest with it.

Quote ... "Granted they are quuite business like, but I can live with that so long as we get the rest with it".

I'll second that.

 

[peter_374367393]

Hi Michael - If you are new to the C.C website,choose the site you intend going to, if you look at the site overview -click view details and price guide - that will give you a menu - you may find the site map of interest (you can print it off) I find it of use when going on a new site. You can mark any pitches you might fancy (if free of course) It shows positions of toilet block and service points -pitch numbers etc. You will have no problem at all changing pitches if one you like better becomes available - will be interested on how you like the clubs pitch choice system

 

[peter_374367393]

Hi Michael- Have you seen Parksy the Moderator's reply about contact from the C&CC on the general forum. Seems to confirm what you said about their lack of interest in your problems.

 

[miley72]

I think there's no interest at all.

As a response from the Camping and Caravanning Club we have received a cheque from them for a pro-rata refund, which is better than nothing. But no comment on why we have left.

We have now joined the Caravan Club and have just been on our first site with them and the difference was amazing. We could pitch were we liked, so we had a nice quiet pitch away from the roads, but a short walk to the toilet emptying point, and could park forward or backwards onto the pitch to suit ourselves (our back is slightly higher than the front, so it usually saves getting the chocks out if we can go on forward in some cases). Very friendly wardens, that didn't treat us as a nuisance in their tidy park! I wish we had moved years ago.