caravan club sites... booked full... again !

[ian_374294599]

we`ve been caught out again this year... looking thro` the most popular caravan club sites most are booked full at least 1 day on every weekend throughout the summer.. this means we cant book our traditional fortnight`s stay (even though the sites in question are only part-full midweek)

then you ring the sites and they say ring them the day before as they always get cancellations last minute.. you cant plan on that can you!

isnt it about time they re-started a small deposit (say a tenner?).... so people would have to think twice just before booking every weekend up solid knowing that they can simply cancel the day before with no penalty?

 

[Angus1]

This has been raised more than once, and the consensus seems to agree.

If the club was really for the members they should do something about it, even if its only a ballot. They could quite easily stick a form in a future magazine for those who feel strongly to use to express their preferences in an easily accountable manner.

 

[CRUSADER2801]

Ian - could not agree more. The fist nights site fees should be taken as a minimum.

This has now been raised on a number of occasions. Until yesterday afternoon I did not know whether or not we would be able to go away for next weeks bank holiday and spent yesterday afternoon calling 6 CC sites receiving similar responses. Ended up booking a commercial site instead.

This is even more frustrating when the sites allow none members. Why not only allow none members at off peak dates or only allowing them to to book 24 or 48 hours in advance? Otherwise where is the benefit of being a member.

If enough people raise with the Club then surely they will consider reinstating the booking fee.

 

[lolly_5087162]

Hi

Tuesday of this week I could not book any site for love nor money, yesterday I booked 8 sites, today 1 booked 1 - however, this was done by ringing the CC direct as the site I booked for this weekend was showing full on the CC website, but had vacancies when I rang.

Lolly x

 

[MikeJE]

Does the Caravan Club have problems holding deposits for bookings due to a need to have a separate account for them rather like solicitors holding house deposits ? I think this point was mentioned in the C.C. Mag once.

Maybe if enough of us e-mailed the C.Club they might decide to take action.

On this theme I once suggested paying school dinner money in a lump sum for a term - the school getting the benefit of any interest. The idea was deemed " too complicated " for much the same reason.

 

[wombat1]

Even if you had to pay up front for the first night, months in advance, I will still book all of my planned holidays around bank holiday weekends months in advance.

If circumstances arise, I will still cancel at short notice.

The problem is there are not enough sites/pitches to go around.

And with the reported increase in this pursuit, it only going to get worse.

 

[CRUSADER2801]

Don't see how holding the funds should be an issue. If one nights fees are taken as a deposit as the deposit is non-refundable then there is no additional admin after the deposit has been received. Many private sites operate such systems without the resources available to the Caravan Club.

Alternatively it would be very simple to set up a Clients account with their Bank to hold funds taken in deposit.

I wondered of their new booking system had a design error that would not allow them to account/identify deposits at the time of arrival, or whether they simply wanted to avoid Bank charges by cutting down on automated transaction posting costs or cash banked values.

I have previously e-mailed the Club but the response gave no reason why they could not handle deposits, simply that a decision had been taken.

 

[MikeJE]

Even if you had to pay up front for the first night, months in advance, I will still book all of my planned holidays around bank holiday weekends months in advance.

If circumstances arise, I will still cancel at short notice.

The problem is there are not enough sites/pitches to go around.

And with the reported increase in this pursuit, it only going to get worse.

Dadio,

The cause for concern here is people who make multiple bookings at various sites for the same dates then make a final choice at the time depending on, say, weather conditions or wether something better turns up elsewhere.

 

[GeorgeB]

(This is even more frustrating when the sites allow none members. Why not only allow none members at off peak dates or only allowing them to to book 24 or 48 hours in advance? Otherwise where is the benefit of being a member.)

I agree whole heartedly! members must be given priority over non members where the site is open to non members!

Likewise;

(The cause for concern here is people who make multiple bookings at various sites for the same dates then make a final choice at the time depending on, say, weather conditions or wether something better turns up elsewhere)

Surely in this day & age, its not beyond the computer capabilities of the CC to recognise the membership number and bar any member from making multiple bookings for the same date.

Taking a deposit for the first night is a simple thing to do, & if you cancell at short notice; non member = loose deposit, member = credit against your membership number to be used as another deposit in the same year, if you cease to be a member = loose deposit credits & also credits not transferable to next years membership.

 

[emmerson2]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the Caravan Club book by computer? If so, surely it would be a simple thing to check a member's bookings? In other words, check his number, and if there is already a booking for that date, then refuse to accept the second one? As for non-members, then do not allow forward booking at all. After all, we as members should surely get priority. If not, then what is the point of being amember? If I was ever refused a booking because the site had non-members on it, believe me the smelly stuff would hit the fan in a big way! I realise that the Club has to fill the sites wherever possible, but not at the expense of members.

 

[emmerson2]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the Caravan Club book by computer? If so, surely it would be a simple thing to check a member's bookings? In other words, check his number, and if there is already a booking for that date, then refuse to accept the second one? As for non-members, then do not allow forward booking at all. After all, we as members should surely get priority. If not, then what is the point of being amember? If I was ever refused a booking because the site had non-members on it, believe me the smelly stuff would hit the fan in a big way! I realise that the Club has to fill the sites wherever possible, but not at the expense of members.

Sorry, Georgeb. I didn't read your post before firing mine off!

 

[lolly_5087162]

Hi Emmerson

It is not possible to book more than one site for the same dates with the CC

Lolly x

 

[emmerson2]

Hi Emmerson

It is not possible to book more than one site for the same dates with the CC

Lolly x

Thanks for that Lolly, but that does seem to be one of the problems as I read it.It has never been a problem for me, as I don't think I've used sites more than a dozen times in 40 years. I much prefer CLs.

 

[LadyMo]

Hi folks,

In a lot of areas the Caravan Club do not have a choice in the sites being for members only.Agreements have to be reached with local councils particularly when the site is leasehold only.

The biggest annoyance though has to be the ones who book and then don't turn up and don't have the courtesy to phone and cancel.No-one is too far from a phone these days.

 

[MrsRobinson]

C & CC online booking takes deposits - 25%. And if you have to cancel, they will hold it then transfer it to your next booking.

I've no problem with paying the 25% upfront - less to pay when we get there.

 

[Guest]

I agree with many of the comments. As a 'traveller' back to the UK I cannot pre plan my stay here and it is indeed frustrating to try and book several days away, only to find that on Saturday morning you are expected to leave until Sunday night in order to let hordes of great unwashed arrive for their regular weekend 'beano'. Obviously, these selfish souls can not ever think that possibly someone could be travelling from the North and not be able to return home just to allow them their 48 hours of mayhem. Possibly a limit on bookings per site in any one season would help, but no doubt the selfish ones would get their aunties or whatever to book for them. After all, they only have their weekends?? Yeah, just like the rest of us had but managed without p....g everyone else of at the same time.

I also fully agree with the comments regarding non members.It makes you really wonder why you pay the Membership Fee when all Tom, Dick and Harry can book when they like. Peterborough is my main gripe about this.

Ok, I sulk back in my corner, but give us a break....

 

[Richard_374304430]

Unfortunately Its all down to one group of people, try to book an apartment in Teneriffe from October through to March you really stand no chance because they are all swamped with pensioners, the bars and resaraunts are all empty in the evenings because they stay in their hotels.

Cant say I blame them either, I will probably do the same.

But thats whats happening to the CC sites, those of us who work dont really stand any hope of getting on sites.

 

[Hamer_5041128]

Mike E,

It is not now possible to make two bookings on caravan club sites for the sme dates, never mind multiple bookings for sites on same dates. The new computer software has stopped it. If you are on a site and want to extend your stay rather than move on to the next site you have booked, you will first have to cancel or adjust your booking for the site which you were going to move on to.

Hamer

 

[MikeJE]

Hamer,

The multiple booking problem was mentioned here some time ago - maybe the new system has eliminated that. However, earlier this month, whilst on a site and trying to extend my booking by one day at the same site, the computer refused the booking on the grounds that I was already booked for that day elsewhere. The first I had heard of it. Perhaps the system needs some fine tuning ?

Mike E

 

[wombat1]

Dadio,

The cause for concern here is people who make multiple bookings at various sites for the same dates then make a final choice at the time depending on, say, weather conditions or wether something better turns up elsewhere.

I agree thats BAD.

The answer is for the CC website to disallow bookings by a member, at differeent sites that fall on some/all the same dates.

I would support such a change.

 

[Hamer_5041128]

Mike E,

It is the responsibilty of the member to make sure if they wish to extend a booking or make a new booking, that they do not already have a booking for the said dates. If it is to extend the booking then all the the member has to do is ring the site to which they were moving onto and cancel the required number of days.

This makes sure that there is no chance of double booking. The new system seems to be working fine. All the member has to do is make a phone call.

Hamer