Caravan Club: so arrogant

[henrypartridge]

Just read the latest edition of the Club magazine and it has made me very angry. I'm posting this to see if forum members agree or if they think I'm bonkers, which I accept may well be true.

The first thing that I read is that the club is hosting a ball at Grosvenor House in London at £85 a head. It's supposedly to celebrate 105 years of the club or some such nonsense. (What has a ball got to do with caravanning?) I don't know if it's black tie or not and I don't know if it is costing us members anything in the form of a subsidy: it doesn't say.

Turn over the page and there is a stark announcement with no hint of explanation or apology that the subscription next year goes up from £40 to £42. That is a 5% increaee when wages are not rising, interest from savings is declining, and caravanners, like everyone else, are having to tighten their belt. Surely this is the time to be holding subscriptions at the present level.

Personally I am a member of both clubs and the ONLY reason I am in them is to use the CLs. I believe both clubs have become quasi commercial organisations. Club sites are fine bit of no personal interest, insurance is fine but is run by outside firms who use the clubs as introducers. The magazines? OK, but be honest, would you PAY for them in a newsagent? As a retired person whose income is under pressure I think the time has come to be in just one club, and it won't be this arrogant lot.

So, is it just me, or do you think these price increases should be stopped? Personally I've decided that in times of austerity I can only afford to be in one club and I choose the Caravan and Camping Club. I'm not a rich guy or a toff so I think the Caravan Club is not for me.

Oh. And I don't want to go to a ball. In London.

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

hi Henry,
the membership of a club any club has a price, question is "is it worth it" obviously you think not thats fine others like me think it is even with a 4% increase over the year it pays for it's self 10x over. mayday and insuarance alone save a fortune, try getting the same deal anywhere else beleve me iv'e tried.
so a few top nobs want a knees up in london good for them do I want to go?.er no do I care no as long as the club gives me the benifits of being a member that it does.
snobbish well you get that anywhere wait untill the site you booked with the C&CC turns you away after a long drive like they did to us because the unit was a hard top and they only allow tents wether your a member or not.
caravanning is not a cheap hobby and has not been for many a year we do it because we love it membership of the CC actually keeps the cost down overhall so for us it's a good deal.

 

[Martin24]

I have to say that at £85 per head the ball seems quite reasonably priced in this day and age. Our college ones twenty years ago weren't a whole lot cheaper and many black tie events are priced considerably higher than that. It would seem more an invert snobbery. Just because we are caravanners it doesn't mean we wouldn't like to go to a rather jolly knees up! Caravanning has never been a cheap hobby or not in my life time anyway. The cost of living is high at the moment and we all have to live with it. The deals the club offer especially with Mayday deals (for us a saving of over £120 compared to the AA) more than covers subscription to CC. We belong to both clubs purely for CL's and CS's too, even the children don't like club sites and prefer to entertain themselves on an iscolated site. Wages may not be rising but overall costs are. Any organisation is facing the same increases in running costs as we are all at home. Although from habbit we tend to look for a CL first and rarely use CS's we will remain in both clubs just incase. I agree that the drain on income at the moment is a worry for many people ( Not even going to add up what our three have cost this christmas) but I think we all need to accept that even club membership costs will be increasing which is a sign of the times more than anything else. Any organisation needs to keep capital reserves for emergencies and needs to show some sort of profit to keep reserves realistic whether it is a nationally organised club or the local bowls club. Hmmmmmmm wonder how much the local bowling club membership is going up this year and if they enjoyed their Christmas party, or indeed if any of the members caravan too.

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

good points there Martin, my local fishing club tickets have gone up 20% for next year to £25 up in arms no?. because the restocking of fish lost in last years cold spell cost over £10k that money has to come from the membership plus it goes to what I was saying earlier the more facilities you use the less the membership fees become buy a ticket go once @£25 a day go once a week and it's 50p a day.

the CC is the same only use a couple of CL's during the year and nothing else the membership fees might be a issue (bearing in mind of course without it those CL's are unavalable) but add the insuarance mayday and CL's then the membership fees are virtually free.

word of warning here, if you think the AA or RAC offer the same cover as CC mayday read the small print and ask this question if a wheel bearing goes on the caravan will you recover just the van if the tow vehicle is still roadworthy and wait for a shock even with the best cover @ 3x the price the answer is NO, same with insrance £100 cheaper than anywhere else for the same level of cover adding these together is more of a saving than the membership fees if you never use any of the club sites,

 

[Royston]

What Henry has failed to advise us that the ball has two functions, First part a good night out for people Four course meal plus entertainment, plus the chance to partisipate in a charity auction hosted by Sir Ian Botham on behalf of Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research .
It annoys me when people rant on this forum without giving the complete picture.

 

[Surfer]

At £85 a head it is probably lower than cost when you take into account free transport to the venue, cost of food, hire of hall, supporting acts and bands. Personally I think every member will be subsiding the cost whether they attend or not. Probably explains why the CC is showing a loss on its events profit and loss sheet for 2010.
Although it states members only, more than likely the chairman and his cronies will probably have some of their buddies along who are not members. It may be for a good cause but at what cost to ordinary members who cannot afford a fancy suit or the cost which is £170 a couple. As pensioners we stand no chance of attending and why do they always choose London when Birmingham is far more central to the UK than London?
As for the £2 increase it is neither here nor there, but when you also take into account the increase in site fees, then it all adds up over the year. Obviously as they seem to be making a loss on sites because of their stupid booking system, they need to recoup these losses elsewhere.

 

[Martin24]

Idea! Anyone not happy with how the club is running an event, why not contact them and get the facts first then we can have a reasoned and informed rant rather than work on suppositions?? As far as sites that are not making a profit, then these should be closed.

 

[DeliDave_]

Anything with a black or any tie is offlimits to me.We are in it for the small sites but might cut back to the C&CC this year but if you use CC sites the reduction in price might pay your membership.The magazine is a pat themselves on the back thing but aren't they all.I don't personally think David Bellamy should be preaching in the CCC magazine but thats life
If you don't like it you should choose to leave,no offence intended

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

hi all,
If anyone is in doubts about thier membership of the CC there is one simple test;-
1. hands up all those who are members of the CC
2. take them down if you have CC insuarance.
3. or if you have mayday cover.
4. still got your hands up ?? take them down if you spent more than 20 nights on a club site or CL.
5. anyone left?? if so your the ones not getting the benifit of club membership

simple enough.

 

[Martin24]

hi all,
If anyone is in doubts about thier membership of the CC there is one simple test;-
1. hands up all those who are members of the CC
2. take them down if you have CC insuarance.
3. or if you have mayday cover.
4. still got your hands up ?? take them down if you spent more than 20 nights on a club site or CL.
5. anyone left?? if so your the ones not getting the benifit of club membership

simple enough.

Exactly £80 up on mayday for the two of us and where else would we get 10 nights at Dartmouth in the middle of the school holidays for £50!! Yes holiday accomodation for two adults three children and two dogs, with parking by the door, comfortable clean beds, full kitchen and bathroom facilities, cooked breakfast all for £5 per night fully inclusive!! Me thinks that's worth £42 a year! And that's totally disregarding politics of clubs!

 

[xtrailman]

hi all,
If anyone is in doubts about thier membership of the CC there is one simple test;-
1. hands up all those who are members of the CC
2. take them down if you have CC insuarance.
3. or if you have mayday cover.
4. still got your hands up ?? take them down if you spent more than 20 nights on a club site or CL.
5. anyone left?? if so your the ones not getting the benifit of club membership

simple enough.

I am a member of the CC.
But my Valencia can be insured cheaper elsewhere, the same cover was offered £25 cheaper, so it simply not true that savings are automatic via the club.
I have stayed with the club only because the cost saving wasn't enough to warrant changing policy.
Second, i am not a member of may day, but am a member of green flag, isn't the cover the same?
Lastly we only used one CC, CL, for one week last year, so a total of 7 nights. So i very much doubt my membership has paid for its self?
I remain a member only because they send me a monthly mag, which isn't very good, but better than nothing, but mainly because the annual fee is very reasonable.
I don't know the full facts about the ball, but really i would sooner the CC spent the club funds on caravanning sites/ improvements.

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

I am a member of the CC.
But my Valencia can be insured cheaper elsewhere, the same cover was offered £25 cheaper, so it simply not true that savings are automatic via the club.
I have stayed with the club only because the cost saving wasn't enough to warrant changing policy.
Second, i am not a member of may day, but am a member of green flag, isn't the cover the same?

hi Ray. Read the small print on the schedual of cover me thinks you will find it is not the same cover at all.
on renewal I read all the print in all the sections (I have plenty of freetime on my hands now) invented some senarios then asked some questions based on the senarios the answers were astounding, I even asked the same companies for private quotes outside the club,
in every case the club deals were better by far.and the policies more inclusive

 

[DerekBrad]

I think you'll find that Green Flag will not cover vans over 7m in length, whereas Mayday/Red Pennant will do so. Brittania (CSMA) cover up to 8m. You must check the length allowed to be on the safe side. I only found out last week that my 7.19m van would not have been covered for the last year! Therefore have joined CC simply for Red Pennant and Mayday.
I hope that all of my fellow caravanners enjoy a peaceful and happy new year.
Regards
Derek

 

[Surfer]

Idea! Anyone not happy with how the club is running an event, why not contact them and get the facts first then we can have a reasoned and informed rant rather than work on suppositions?? As far as sites that are not making a profit, then these should be closed.

Actually the facts about the club running the CC sites at a loss is in the October CC magazine so hardly a supposition. I think that the sites running at a loss are due to their stupid booking system and they are too arrogant to admit it.
As for the ball as a pensioner there is no way we could afford it never mind renting the penguin suit. In effect they are discriminating in a way against a segment of members who simply cannot afford to splurge £170 on a one off event which serves them no benefit except for the club patting its own back. Thats is almost two weeks on many club sites.
The CC does offer a lot of benefits, but there are many of us that simply cannot afford to use Club sites due to the high costs and if we were able to, we would have to leave come the weekend as the weekend probably would be fully booked. Better to use a commercial site with equal or better facilities for long stays which could be why the sites are running at a loss.

 

[xtrailman]

The CC are only brokers.
Green flag are the same as mayday aren't they?

 

[DavidKlyne]

The CC are only brokers.
Green flag are the same as mayday aren't they?

Ray
Yes you are correct that Mayday is run by Green Flag on behalf of the Caravan Club much the same as the C&CC option is run by the RAC. If your van length fits into what is covered by Green Flag you have no problems although I suspect there are a few other bells and whistles in the Mayday version that might be different from the standard cover. I only pay £62 for my Mayday which dosen't seem too bad to me. Even had to use them the other day (solo) when I had a puncture on the motorway. In those circumstances I doubt there would have been any difference between Mayday and Green Flag!
David

 

[xtrailman]

The CC are only brokers.
Green flag are the same as mayday aren't they?

Ray
Yes you are correct that Mayday is run by Green Flag on behalf of the Caravan Club much the same as the C&CC option is run by the RAC. If your van length fits into what is covered by Green Flag you have no problems although I suspect there are a few other bells and whistles in the Mayday version that might be different from the standard cover. I only pay £62 for my Mayday which dosen't seem too bad to me. Even had to use them the other day (solo) when I had a puncture on the motorway. In those circumstances I doubt there would have been any difference between Mayday and Green Flag!
David

I have the exact same tick chart with the green flag, as the mayday one.
On the premium cover, i payed a little less using green flag, due to a offer through the post, which i received shortly after joining the CC insurance, which again i got on offer.
Let me know what the differences are?

http://www.greenflag.com/breakdown-cover/caravan-trailer.html

 

[GrahamDerby]

I had been with green flag for years , but when i came to renew , i said to the person at green flag that i thought it was dear. He asked if i was in the CC , when i said yes he quoted for exactly the same cover £30 less than i was paying before. Good deal or what !!!

 

[anotherDavid]

I am not the worlds greatest fan of the CC but use it for insurance , ferry booking and the odd night on sites. We are all spending a small fortune on this hobby so I am not going to burst a blood vessel over £2. Why not drop one of the clubs?

David

 

[ChristineandAlan]

Hi Ray,
Mayday covers any length caravan,where as Green Flag is limited to 6 m 40 you would have to check the smallprint im not sure.
All The Best Alan P/T

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

Hi Ray,
Mayday covers any length caravan,where as Green Flag is limited to 6 m 40 you would have to check the smallprint im not sure.
All The Best Alan P/T

mayday also does double journey cover, greenflag does not. looking though the T&C's of the schedual on a previous post's link I could find no mention of van recovery if the towing vehicle was still operational and roadworthy ie just a trailler problem, mayday absolutly does but then neither the AA or RAC does that even with the best most expensive cover.

 

[forestgump]

i am a member of britania i left the c/c last year afteer the price rise lack of pitches ect ive have plenty off sites and no prolems with recovery off to i.o.w. again and site has given disscount on ferry my van is 7.98 mtrs so life gose on £40 better off

 

[Dustydog]

Henry is fully entitled to his view. However any large organisation like the CC does from time to time host charity events which from my reading is exactly what the Grosvenor is all about. The Club has a wide range of members from all walks of life .If some want to dress up in penguin suits and bid exhorbitant sums of money for things like a holiday on the Costa Brava then let them do so. I understand the profits do go to the Charity mentioned.
It's not for me, I hate dressing up these days, preferring that dogged scruffy look

.
This year my car insurance increased by a third. I rang around and can honestly say the CC car Insurance people were doing a price match less 5%. They guaranteed to beat anyone else on a like for like basis. They won. No complaints from me there. Same for the Mayday and caravan Insurance , still the cheapest for me.
It is worth just mentioning that where a problem arises on a claim the Club's Insurer's tend to be more lenient than the outsiders who stick rigidly to their T & C s just to reject a claim.

 

[xtrailman]

As i said in a earlier post green flag sent me a offer shortly after insuring with the CC.
And offered premium uk cover at a reduced price.
The literature didn't mention mayday, but the cover was the same.
I've just looked over the literature sent on renewing again, and found in small print " mayday vehicle rescue is provided by green flag"
So it appears I'm in what you call mayday.
Very confusing, because at no time have i given green flag my CC membership number, and the renewal again came separately.
And again with a reduced renewal offer.