CARAVAN CLUB CHARGES FOR 2011

[Wayne_5133334]

I am surprised that no one has expressed any concerns over the huge hike in prices by the Caravan Club for site fees in 2011. Yes I know I don't have to use them and can use CCC etc instead, but it is our club. Why are the prices so high, is it the vanners who want to heat awnings 24/7 or only go Fri and Sat or those who generally book and cancel or simply don't show. It could be the Hon Treasurer who lost a million quid in Iceland (don't worry chaps its only members dosh). Of course the club have now unilaterally impossed a mid-day access rule, (which committee agreed that one wonders) but all said and done £25 or thereabouts for most high season nights is a bit steep.
Me, I am going CCC and CL's in 2011, with some, yes some bolshy wardens on CC sites why do I need to pay for the experiance. In Europe you can arrive at any time of the day, no being turned away by jobs worth wardens.
Wayne

 

[JD6620]

Yes the price rises raised an eybrow, but to be honest I was expecting it with the hike in VAT and ever increasing energy costs. As far as I am aware the sites network does not make a huge profit, so if thats the cost to have quality sites and facilities then so be it. I also agree with the mid day rule, when are the wardens meant to prepare pitches if arrivals are trying to get on before the departures have left. Its ok on hardstandings but it takes time to get round and cut the grass pitches. As for bolshy wardens, I've never come accross one, and I've met quite a few.
Fortunately we have a large choice with two main clubs with various types of sites and prices. You pays your money and takes your choice.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Myself and management have been discussing this today. A few minutes ago we were looking at the £10 pn CC sites using Google maps. We have also been looking at CL/CS's. We have found a few and combining it with the age concession that the C&CC gives we should be able to reduce the costs. I know the C&CC sites in general aren't all up to the standard of CC sites but at least they have frozen their prices for 2011.
Like JD6620 I agree with the 12 O'clock rule. I've rarely met a bolshy CC warden but with some of the *r*p they have to put up with, especially early arrivals, I think I'd be bolshy.

 

[DavidO]

Wayne
Look at this months CC mag, In 2009 the sites lost £3000K hence todays prices

 

[Wendy-Norfolk]

I suppose we must be classed as one of the lucky ones who don't have to take our breaks during peak season, so therefore the price rises do not come so much of a shock! Because we don't use the site facilities, to keep the costs down, we use the £10 a night sites, and those without facilites, as a preference. If you are able to combine this with the C&CC age concession, it really doesn't make a large dent in the pocket!

As far as bolshy wardens are concerned - you always get the odd one!!

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

I suppose we must be classed as one of the lucky ones who don't have to take our breaks during peak season

We also go whenever we want now but the trouble is that includes the high season. If we want to keep this up we need to look at sites that aren't £20+. I know sites like Chatsworth are popular but why? Chatsworth in high season would cost us £184.80pw (£26.40pn) yet the facilities are exactly the same as most other CC sites.
We will restrict these sites to the low season from now on because like Wendy, we prefer to use our own facilities except early/later in the year when it's difficult to keep the washroom dry. The problem with CLs though is having a suitable dog walk and this takes preference above all else for us.
We also look at deals early and late in the year. For example we are paying something like £124 for 2 weeks in May at River Valley in Cornwall. This site also has an indoor swimming pool and dog walks which apparently go for miles. I can't wait. Chatsworth at the same time would cost us £254.80. I know where I'd rather be and I'm also saving £130. I must admit I'm totally gobsmacked because until I just worked it out I didn't realise there was such a difference. I thought the idea of joining the clubs was to save money

We have 4 weeks planned for June, just got to book it but August/September is causing us some head scratching because we need to be in the Mansfield area for my mothers 90th birthday. Such problems, sheesh

 

[Dustydog]

We're spending Christmas and new Year at Carnon Downs a CC affiliated site . £129.30 per week. I think that's great value especially for the time of year and the likely electricity consumption.

What is with people wanting to arrive before midday? I think it is absolutely selfish to arrive early on site when people like me are either having a lie in or trying to decamp without the pressure of being rushed. I've always aimed to arrive between 12 and 2pm. So yes I support the new rule.

It was a great shame the club lost money in Iceland but I have to confess we had savings with the Icelandic Bank as did thousands of others. We were getting an excedllent return. Fortunately we got most of our money back. I still don't understand why the club as a charity couldn't recover theirs.
Watch out those who save with the Post Office. It's the Bank of Ireland. If they do go bust it's the Irish Government you will have to look to not the British Government.

Overall I still believe the CC offers great value for money when compared to some commercial sites. We also use CLs and a number of Best of British Parks.
Lest we forget the CC do not take deposits. trangely enough the CC do not publish their annual accounts on thei rwebsite; well I can't see it and my hard copy is in the caravan

 

[trucker]

Wayne
Look at this months CC mag, In 2009 the sites lost £3000K hence todays prices

David if that is true, why does the club insist it hasnt got a problem with,
1/ No shows
2/ W/endes filling up on a Friday and emptying out on a Sunday, leaving alot of sites virtually empty during the week, thus not allowing somebody to book for a 7 day stay.

NB this is not a post having a pop at w/enders as I do a few during the year, just a comment on the age old problem the club has.

Kevin

 

[Robtel]

I didn't know that the "12 o'clock arrival" rule was new, thought that was always the way of it. Doesn't it say somewhere in the booking sections of the C.C. that the pitch booking is from noon till noon? Anyway I agree with it, there has got to be some way of regulating/organising the arrival and departures from a site plus I've always found that if I was planning or hoping to arrive before midday a phone call to the site beforehand has always, so far, gave me the o.k. to do so.
The prices are a little interesting though, will be even more interesting to see how the prices on commercial sites go. Wonder if the recent talk about more people spending their holidays at home will encourage some sites to think they can get more money out of us!
Robert

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

I've just been going through all the campsites that I've looked at in the past, liked them, so put them in my Favorites. My intention is to print them out in County order with comments alongside of them. Needless to say I've deleted quite a few because of the prices and I'm sure I wouldn't have added them if they were expensive at the time. One site in the high season for a service pitch is charging £35pn and if you want a premier pitch it is £40pn.
That's not the end of it though. C'mere there's more. Awnings are £1.50pn and dogs £2pn

I must add that these prices are for 2010 and their tariff boasts that they have held the pitch prices over from 2009. It will be interesting to see what they come up with for 2011

 

[DavidO]

Kevin
I have no idea re the CC problems perhaps they should try better mid week offers, but if they continue to loose money on the running of there sites we will all suffer

 

[Jo-AnneFairway5402010]

i didnt know anthing about this. im a cc through and through but im also a member of the ccc but never used it really.
where does it tell you about the increase?. where can i find it
does anyone know how much hillhead will be high season 2 adults 2 kids?. if its to expensive ill be using cl's and cs's

jo

 

[SteveW77]

Wayne
Look at this months CC mag, In 2009 the sites lost £3000K hence todays prices

Well they loose over £1500 a year from me.
As I can hardly ever book a 7/14 day break at a site that I want to go to, as opposed to those that have pitches available.
I usually end up on commercial sites, where I have never had any trouble booking for a fortnight.
It does not take many people like me, who vote with their feet to start running into a loss making situation.
The solution?
I don't know.
Is it possible to set aside 1 or 2 pitches on the popular sites, for people who wish to stop longer than 2 nights?

Steve W

 

[bigman]

I think if you read the accounts in full, you will see that the CC has shown a healthy return over all. It is a shame that price have to go up, but with members demanding higher and higher quality facilities, and more members leaving heating on in awnings all day and night, what do we expect. I for one think that the standards of the CC and the hard work the wardens put in is worth paying for. I use both clubs but CC standards are far far greater.

 

[Wayne_5133334]

But are we getting Value for Money. Lots of Wardens ridding on new tractors, lots of electric fires left on in Awnings 24/7 without any comment. Tighterned belts could do the CC no harm after all there will come a day when even the rich amongst us say enough is enough.
The CC seem oblivious to the on site costs and how to control them, better on site management could benifit us all and reduce costs.

 

[forestgump]

the loss off money due to no shows must be big but more is the people that canot book a pitch due to block booking .Imy self have tried but gave up so took my money els where so lost my trade and the no show money but thats there poor runing off the club

 

[graham_somersham]

I am a member of both clubs but tend to book CCC if I am staying for anything including a weekend and restrict my use of CC to midweek when their discount scheme is operating. The CCC over 55 discounts can also make a big difference when like me you are counting the pennies. I generally stay about 100 nights a year on various sites so any savings that I can make add up to a considerable amount over year. Unfortunately for me CS and CL sites often work out more expensive than the main club sites as I am a solo caravanner and the pay per person system is ideal for me. Last summer I was on a CS and a large transit towing a six berth caravan arrived together with a car containing 5 people, total 7 people caravan, awning with sleeping annexe and two dogs. They paid exactly the same as me which did annoy me a bit. If the CS and CL's charged per person I think I and many other solo caravanners and couples would use them more, especially those in more remote locations. The advantage of the CC is that they have more sites open from Oct to April giving me more choice during the winter months.

Regarding wardens I certainly find the CCC people a lot more laid back and helpful but on CC sites I tend to get looked down upon as I drive a 15 year old van and have a 20 year old caravan which I don't spend every sunny day washing down...

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

I hope all the CC members have been honing their typing skills for 9am in the morning. Don't forget the stress pills either

I see you can only book one site at a time and then will go to a holding area until you can book another. This will prove interesting although I doubt if I will find out. I will do the same as last year, wait for the rush to finish and book in the afternoon. I didn't have to wait to log in and never failed to book a site. We'd planned our years camping by then and we attended them all. Later on in the year, for the first time, we did fail to book a week but that was only because the weekends were full.
So far we've booked 2 weeks Cornwall, a week at each of Delamere Forest, Beddgelert and a Cotswold CL.
Still need to book weeks at a Devon CL, Burrs Country Park, Top Lodge, Englethwaite Hall and Strid Wood. No doubt there will be a few weeks away to fill in. I must start whittling away making clothes pegs to pay for it.

I'm only typing this trying to cheer myself up because of this poxy, depressing weather and the dark nights

I forgot, there's another depressing day coming up soon, my birthday

 

[Wendy-Norfolk]

I'm glad to say I will not be participating in the annual booking bun fight - good luck to those who are!!

 

[joeby]

if the CC are charging more than other site owners and losing money ,its got to be down to bad managment and heads should roll , and if they lost money in iceland thats there own fault , and the people who made the decision to invest in iceland should be sacked and lose all there severance pay and pensions , its allways joe public paying for peoples mistakes , i have allways been self employed any mistakes i make ,i pay for it , the goverment is a prime example every **** up they make , we pay for it , and yet no body seems to get fired , they normally get a big bonus or get layed off with a handsome severance pay off , there is a CL i go to in Warwickshire that i pay £7.00 per night with electric , so how come a small site like that can earn money ,while a large outfit charges over 3 times the amount and is losing money , something wrong some where

 

[joeby]

if the CC are charging more than other site owners and losing money ,its got to be down to bad managment and heads should roll , and if they lost money in iceland thats there own fault , and the people who made the decision to invest in iceland should be sacked and lose all there severance pay and pensions , its allways joe public paying for peoples mistakes , i have allways been self employed any mistakes i make ,i pay for it , the goverment is a prime example every **** up they make , we pay for it , and yet no body seems to get fired , they normally get a big bonus or get layed off with a handsome severance pay off , there is a CL i go to in Warwickshire that i pay £7.00 per night with electric , so how come a small site like that can earn money ,while a large outfit charges over 3 times the amount and is losing money , something wrong some where

 

[Dustydog]

Rowntree park , as usual , has no continuous one or two week slots available, Every single weekend is fully booked.
I'm so slow these days I forgot about the great bun fight.
Never mind the only loser is the CC .Members like me know there are other excellent non CC sites available at equally competetive prices, plus a great time to try out all those magnificent CLs.
I had hoped the CC would have at least saved some full week slots at Rowntree Park for 2011.
Bidding on e-bays easier

 

[Philspadders]

its a farce with so many cc members obviously having time on their hands to sit on their pc on a wednesday morning booking up all tthe weekends for next year, and then revelling in it.,

many of us have jobs and simply can not get the web to book these sites.

I live locally to Chattsworth and can only get at weekends, Once again , 3rd year running its booked up 12 monrths in advance.

With 2 young children and long working hours my weeknds are precious... i would love to b able to *** homre friday night , hitch up, put kids in car and within 20 mins be at Chatsworth. It cant be done.

I would like to ask anyone who has booked more than 1 weekend at Chatsworth to cancel one of them. Go one , lets be fair about this.

 

[Carwyn]

I did my bookings for the year this afternoon. For the third year running Beechwood Grange at York was already full for Easter so doing Cotswolds instead then.
Was shocked when the costs for each booking came up - about five or six quid more expensive every night.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Rowntree park , as usual , has no continuous one or two week slots available, Every single weekend is fully booked.

I've just replied to PhilSpadders under 'How long did it take you' in General about exactly the problem you've just had DD.