First attempt to book through CMHC new system- Nil points.

[Sam Vimes]

Today was the first time I used the CMHC's new booking system. Got through all the details and as far as the Payment section. Entered card details and my bank sent me a security code which I duly entered. A very brief confirmation message popped up with a reference number, only to be replaced a milli-second later by a pop up which said Payment Cancelled and just an OK button.

I pressed the OK and it took me back to the Payments section again. So I tried again with the same result.

No emails from the CMHC about anything. Tried the online help which like most is pretty useless. Office not open at weekend so couldn't call them and the 'Live Chat' feature appeared to be a 'Dead Chat' feature.

I'm assuming it works for some folks so why not me?

 

[Bluetonic]

I hate the new system, trying to find a cl is a nightmare.
As usual, club sites are already booked up most weekends.
I gave up and booked a commercial site for half the price with better facilities

 

[RogerL]

I hate the new system, trying to find a cl is a nightmare.
As usual, club sites are already booked up most weekends.
I gave up and booked a commercial site for half the price with better facilities

I find it easier to use UKCampsite to plan which CLs to use and then Google the CL name which goes straight to the CL details - trying to use the CC website is a nightmare.

 

[Buckman]

I have never noticed anything different when searching for a CL, howeveralthough we do not use CAMC sites, I have looked at the new booking system and it is a nightmare. Even the ferry only section is bad!

 

[Sam Vimes]

I tried again this morning but stopped before getting to the checkout because I couldn't reconcile the price being advertised with what they wanted to charge me. So a call in the morning to hopefully get this booked.

It used to be much simpler.

 

[Buckman]

I tried again this morning but stopped before getting to the checkout because I couldn't reconcile the price being advertised with what they wanted to charge me. So a call in the morning to hopefully get this booked.

It used to be much simpler.

A lot simpler and cheaper to book a commercial site with more facilities.

 

[Raywood]

I have found it a backward step, being too complicated and far less user friendly, but it did work for me.

 

[Buckman]

I have found it a backward step, being too complicated and far less user friendly, but it did work for me.

Tried to look for a CL and it was a very frustrating process using the Map. Gave up and went to Michelin and found CL within seconds.

 

[Dustydog]

I gave up a long time ago booking CAMC on line . There must be a group of “anoraks” who stay up hours on end to bag their weekend. As usual and very well documented on here Chatsworth Is not available to old dogs like me.
Relax. There is life after CAMC website. As said earlier UKCampsites is brilliant. CLs are booked direct but subject to CAMC membership,. Their magazine is worth the subscription. The CLs and a lot of private sites offer wonderful situations and facilities. Eg South Meadows Belford Northumberland 👏👏

 

[Mel]

Have you come across this one.

Cl Booking - Home

Welcome to CL Booking - CL Owners new availability website & App showing real time availability for beautiful campsites around the UK – Happy searching

clbooking.co.uk

Think it is a newish booking site and is still gathering clients, but I found it helpful when looking for 5 van sites.
mel

 

[Beachball]

I hate the new system, trying to find a cl is a nightmare.
As usual, club sites are already booked up most weekends.
I gave up and booked a commercial site for half the price with better facilities

I tried it once but got fed up now i like Pitchup and cottages.com for some great holidays also a garden for our two dogs .

 

[Beachball]

Have you come across this one.

Cl Booking - Home

Welcome to CL Booking - CL Owners new availability website & App showing real time availability for beautiful campsites around the UK – Happy searching

clbooking.co.uk

Think it is a newish booking site and is still gathering clients, but I found it helpful when looking for 5 van sites.
mel

Hi Mel I would agree it look great

 

[Sam Vimes]

Everyone is free to make whatever choice they want. For us the CAMC sites have all we need and the standards are consistently good. We don't need anymore facilities than what they offer and somewhere else that's cheaper doesn't necessarily mean its as good as or better.

I called the help line this morning as the Live Chat still wasn't working. After a 20 minute wait on hold - I was multi-tasking, so not wasted time - I got through to a very pleasant lady and explained my two problems with the booking site.

Q1. I couldn't reconcile the per night price with the total being asked. There was a 50% discount being offered.
Q2. I couldn't pay for it.

There was an almost audible sigh and then an admission that there were a lot of problems with the new web site and I wasn't the first to have these problems.

A1. The difference in price was due to the way the 50% discount is applied. It's just for the pitch fee and not for the per adult fee. The old system used to break these charges down but the new one just lumps it all together. I did state that it wasn't obvious and perhaps misleading to some extent, to which she agreed and took note.

A2. The web site has problems and she took the booking manually.

So, second trip away now booked. Let's hope the new web site improves before my next booking.

 

[RogerL]

Everyone is free to make whatever choice they want. For us the CAMC sites have all we need and the standards are consistently good. We don't need anymore facilities than what they offer and somewhere else that's cheaper doesn't necessarily mean its as good as or better.

I called the help line this morning as the Live Chat still wasn't working. After a 20 minute wait on hold - I was multi-tasking, so not wasted time - I got through to a very pleasant lady and explained my two problems with the booking site.

Q1. I couldn't reconcile the per night price with the total being asked. There was a 50% discount being offered.
Q2. I couldn't pay for it.

There was an almost audible sigh and then an admission that there were a lot of problems with the new web site and I wasn't the first to have these problems.

A1. The difference in price was due to the way the 50% discount is applied. It's just for the pitch fee and not for the per adult fee. The old system used to break these charges down but the new one just lumps it all together. I did state that it wasn't obvious and perhaps misleading to some extent, to which she agreed and took note.

A2. The web site has problems and she took the booking manually.

So, second trip away now booked. Let's hope the new web site improves before my next booking.

I believe the previous system only applied the mid-week discount to the pitch fee - so not as big a discount as the headline %.

 

[otherclive]

I tried it once but got fed up now i like Pitchup and cottages.com for some great holidays also a garden for our two dogs .

Late this morning we headed for home after clearing a house in Coventry and stopped for lunch in Moreton in Marsh. Whilst there we decided to look at mobiles in France. Expensive lunch as we booked a three bed in Dordogne for two weeks on a five star site at just over £700 inc taxes, cleaning bedding etc. Cheaper than U.K., and in an area we have visited many times before. A caravan pitch was £370 for two weeks.
Now need to think about a ferry.

 

[Raywood]

Not as expensive as having the car serviced and finding ourselves buying a new car when we went to collect it. Looking can be very wallet sapping.

 

[Dustydog]

Not as expensive as having the car serviced and finding ourselves buying a new car when we went to collect it. Looking can be very wallet sapping.

I feel the same every time I look at Mrs DD🤪🤪

 

[Sam Vimes]

A deviation from topic I know but our first ever caravan was an impulse buy.

We went to the garden centre for some compost. On the same site was a caravan dealer and being a nice day we thought we'd have a look around. Never thought about a caravan until then but came away a few thousand pounds lighter and a very nice unit which served us well.

 

[Beachball]

Late this morning we headed for home after clearing a house in Coventry and stopped for lunch in Moreton in Marsh. Whilst there we decided to look at mobiles in France. Expensive lunch as we booked a three bed in Dordogne for two weeks on a five star site at just over £700 inc taxes, cleaning bedding etc. Cheaper than U.K., and in an area we have visited many times before. A caravan pitch was £370 for two weeks.
Now need to think about a ferry.

Hi Clive sounds reasonable for a two week stay what the five star site called might look for 2024

 

[otherclive]

Hi Clive sounds reasonable for a two week stay what the five star site called might look for 2024

Beachball, we wanted to go further south to Val de Cantobre in the Grand Causses but no vacancies in early September and June is out as we hope to be signing contracts for BIL’s house. It also allows my wife to go to Turkey with the lower two generations. We know the Dordogne area well and this campsite sits on the banks of the Dordogne overlooked by the Chateau Beynac and 15 minutes to Sarlat. Taking Portsmouth Ferry to Caen, nicer drive and a bit of deja vu for me.

Camping Marvilla Parks - Domaine de Soleil Plage | Sarlat | 5 étoiles

Camping de charme 5 étoiles en Dordogne avec piscine près de Sarlat, Périgord Noir. Camping avec parc aquatique, accès direct à la rivière et base nautique.

www.soleilplage.fr

 

[woodsieboy]

Just tried to book Easter next year on line, all went well until checkout, I booked 4 nights and price was for 4 nights,but booking shows the 4 nights in the cost section , then says booked 3 nights, so phone the site, ' sorry you need to phone Head Office' so phone East Grinstead, 'we know there is a problem, the system doesn't recognise the number of days in the year, we are working to get it fixed'now it may be me that is just unlucky but I am beginning to suspect this new booking system was not fit for purpose when it was installed, or is it just anything caravan related nowadays works on the principle that if it can go wrong it will go wrong. In my case I will find out next Easter.

 

[RogerL]

Just tried to book Easter next year on line, all went well until checkout, I booked 4 nights and price was for 4 nights,but booking shows the 4 nights in the cost section , then says booked 3 nights, so phone the site, ' sorry you need to phone Head Office' so phone East Grinstead, 'we know there is a problem, the system doesn't recognise the number of days in the year, we are working to get it fixed'now it may be me that is just unlucky but I am beginning to suspect this new booking system was not fit for purpose when it was installed, or is it just anything caravan related nowadays works on the principle that if it can go wrong it will go wrong. In my case I will find out next Easter.

Sounds like the system can't cope with a Leap Year - 2024 is 1 day longer