Poor CC site

[plotter]

Just back this week from St Agnes CC site.I have used many CC sites over the last 35 years but this was without doubt the worst experienced.The site location etc is great however the warder (warden) insisted in instructing vans which pitch to have,insisted on siting it himself,placed many vans on a corner well back from the markers meaning that they were much closer than fire regs allow.
He also had a problem with grass cutting,some pitches were cut several times whereas ours was not and at the end of our 12 night stay our grass was over 8 inches long meaning that your feet were soaked everytime you ventured out.
In addition he guided a fifth wheel outfit on to the pitch next to us and despite the door being on the offside positioned it normally meaning they were very close and were very intrusive.

 

[Martin24]

Often the wardens make or break a site I know when we used to spend a lot of time at threeways and stover it was very variable, some excellent, some dictictorial to the extreme and some downright lazy, when I last went to threeways (in adulthood) in 2001 I swore I would never return and indeed have rarely returned to any club site. We very much stick to the CL network and occassionally venture on to CS's. We did go to Longleat last year and even the children said they would rather be in a field despite the attraction of lions on the doorstep, partly the wardens and partly the other site users.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

We very much stick to the CL network and occassionally venture on to CS's.

A lot of CLs are all they are cracked out to be.
We are on one now near Mansfield.
In the club handbook it says H/S but they are all grass. Price £10 pn but actually £15 pn.
When we arrived the lady had left a message with another camper telling us where to pitch when we arrived. I did think there were a lot of vans for a CL but went to look at the sloping area against the hedge and there was dog mess there, trod in, so pitched further along the hedge. It was only after setting up and erecting an awning that I noticed an enclosure saying CC CL and 6 pitches, still grass, behind a leylandii hedge screened from the other vans. They had actually told us to pitch on the commercial side of the site. All week the most that has been on the CL is two outfits and one of them seems long term with a commercial van as a tug.
I could have made a song and dance about it but couldn't be bothered with taking the awning down and moving again.

 

[Gagakev]

Please dont shoot me down because I dont know

What is the purpose of visiting a CL or CS if they are connected to a commercial site, I would have thought you use CL + CS type of sites for the the peace and tranquility! I drove past Broadleigh Farm Park the other day and thought I would look at the web site and they have the same, in fact 3 different feilds.
So I suppose the question is does this happen often?
Oh and you can proberly guess I havent used one yet but we are thinking about one in the future.

 

[Martin24]

Some do have a commercial side but a lot don't, all part of the homework you need to put in before booking. We're going locally for a couple of trips during the hols while swmbo is working. The Cl part which we have specifically asked for is completely seperate to the commercial part and on a different level. Where the commercial bit comes in handy is if you want a specific area and the CL is full, then you just have to grin and bear it. With regard costs always a good idea to confirm costs on the phone as often book and website are out of date. The advantage to us of the CL/CS network is cost. Dartmouth during the school hols last year cost us £50 for 10 nights. Marazion this year £6 per night. We don't want facilities and electrics and we don't want hordes of people so it suits us much better.

 

[otherclive]

Plotter did you make your feelings known to the warden, or have you contacted the Caravan Club? Organisations need feedback in order to effect improvements. A blitz on a forum is not the same. Sometimes on busy sites the CC will allocate pitches to ensure that all booked outfits can be accommodated. Also the CC handbook and website do advise checking CL rates as they do change. I always confirm rates direct at time of booking and generally have it by email too.

 

[plotter]

I did raise the issue of the 5th wheeler with the warden but got short shrift just the comment that CC rules allow vans to park either way around,which is fine but if both have awnings then they can be virtually touching.After a couple of days the fifth wheeler to another pitch with better views.I am fully intent on emailing the CC together with photos.
I only raised the issue on here to hear others views in case I was being unfair although I dont believe I am.

 

[Raywood]

If the awnings were as close as you say that is a fire hazard and you should take the matter up with the club.

 

[mealsonwheels]

Fill in one of the report forms at the back of the CC Directory to let them know what's going on. What a disappointment it was for you, when you're so looking forward to a nice break, then to have all that.
We tend to stick to CL's most of the time and we always use Google Earth to see the layout of the CL and exactly what is in the immediate vicinity. It's also helpful to be able to see what the approach road is like and exactly where the turning you need to take is.
It's right about warden attitude making or breaking a holiday. Give somebody a little bit of authority and quite often it goes to their heads. Great shame. Good luck with your future trips.

 

[ProfJohnL]

This is another example where poor service has occured and the perpertraor has basically got away with it, and it makes me angry!!!.
Whenever you book a caravan pitch, you enter a contract, which is binding on you and the caravan site operator.
If the sites does not conform to its advertising or statutory regulations on safety etc, then the site operator is in breach of contract, and you can, and should, invoke SoGA to either get the problem resolved, a refund or an alternative pitch that does conform. Its your right and what you have agreed to.
For too long site operators have used fact that we are too placid to complain about such failings. They have come to expect us to simply roll over and accept poor service. Its your money thats being wasted or even possibly fraudulenty obtained, because the goods or service being supplied are substandard or less than advertised.
Obvoisly things like poor weather cannot be blamed on the site operator, but things like unsafe pitch distances, Unhygenic facilities, dogs off the lead, ball games (where the rules state they are not to be played) noise after hours, green or distant views that arn't are all within the direct control of the site operator and thus where they form part of the specific appeal of a particular site are pertinet to the contract.
Things will not get better unless the owners of these issues are told about them. Don't wait until after the holiday, tell them when these problems arise. Dont let them steal your money or holiday.

 

[GrahamDerby]

Lord B W . I know the site you are mentioning we used to stay there often. The whole of the site used to be a cl and the new CL part was a wilderness. There statred to be a lot of workmens vans appear then the owner cleared the wilderness and put in new taps and electrics. What you have now is one large field as a caravan park , and a CL that is behind 60 foot frees with no view and no sun so have not been back since, and dont intend to.

 

[Timbo1]

Plotter, I'd be interested to know whether you put a Review on the CC website about your disappointment? I recently put a review about Houghton Mill, an extremely disappointing site, and it was removed! Only the supportive reviews were accessible.

 

[Dustydog]

Last night, early hours of the morning, our wardens were called out of their beds to attend a medical emergency.
Paramedics arrived and the patient rushed to hospital. Sadly the prognosis is not good I am told.
This morning there were our wardens doing the papers with big smiles but black bags under the eyes.

Most wardens are now trained in the use of the fibrilator equipment kept on site.

So it does show there is another side to every coin, just a shame Plotter had a bad experience.