Request to move pitch - what would you do?

[RogerP]

Was away last week at a C&CC site in Cornwall and witnessed a bizarre situation.

We arrived on the Saturday at the same time as a retired couple. We were pitched on a hard standing and they were on a grass pitch opposite us.

Over the week we got chatting and found that both of us were leaving on the same day (Saturday gone).

On Friday morning I noticed that the couple were a little upset. When I asked if I could help it turned out that the warden had asked them to move to an adjacent pitch.

Apparently the warden claimed that the pitch they were on was booked out for the next 2 weeks and the new people would be arriving on the Friday afternoon. Therefore he needed the pitch vacated.

For one night they were asked to move to the next pitch along , which they did , but had to wait around most of the morning for that pitch to become free.

Whats annoying is that , firstly , nothing was mentioned to them when they booked in about their pitch being already booked for their last night. The pitch itself was nothing special (i.e it wasn't nearest to or furtherest away from any of the sites facilities , it wasn't any bigger or smaller etc etc) and the fact that the site wasn't full , the warden could have placed them on any number of pitches that were vacant for our stay.

I could have understood if it was a case that the arriving people had requested 2 pitches together but this didn't seem to be the case.

To cap it all off , the mysterious new arrivies never turned up on the Friday!

We dont use C&CC sites that often but this one in question is in an ideal place for us , its not the best of sites but because of its location severs our needs.

However this incident has put us off , the couple were really messed about and effectively lost the last day of their holiday for what appears to be no reason.

I'd have refused to move as this was down to poor site management in my eyes.

 

[Zbungle]

I'm with you on this one - I'd have refused to move. What would the warden do? Drag my caravan to the new pitch single handed?

It would have been easier for the new arrivals to go to a different pitch for their first night and move on the following day (if they really wanted to). As it was the warden's mistake perhaps the first night on the 'wrong' pitch could be at the C&CC's expense. At least this way if the new arrivals don't arrive (as was the case) nothing is lost.

 

[LMH]

That's terrible, it's the wardens fault, they take the bookings and should know if they have 'double booked' - although in this case, it sounds like there were other pitches available.

I wonder if the people who never arrived anyway were known to the wardens, maybe 'regulars'?

I booked an ehu pitch a few months ago but the warden said at the time of booking 'I'm afraid we can't offer you ehu for your last two days' I said, 'that's fine'. Anyway, when I arrived, the warden said she had made a mistake and we would have ehu for the duration of our stay.

Lisa

 

[MM1]

Hi... I had this happen to me and was offered a full refund for me and my parents who were also staying on the same site... After all thay had to waste 1/2 a day helping me to relocate...

 

[AnnM1]

They could have asked till they blue in the face but I wouldn't have moved. I understand that it is not permitted to hold pitches and that new arrivals should find a vacant pitch to their liking. Normally, in the C&CC they lead you to your pitch - something I don't like at all as they can put you where they like.

I would complain to the C&CC but I doubt if you will receive an acceptable reply. They will probably put your letter

of compalint in 'File 13'! However, you would have had the satisfaction of putting your complaint on 'paper'.

Ann

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

I simply wouldn't have moved. If the new arrivals were that desperate for the pitch they would have had to wait until the following day. If those people put in a complaint to H.Q. they would be wasting their time.

Thanks RogerP for reminding me of why I'm no longer a member of that club :O)

 

[Alan Partridge]

I am a member of the C&CC and I was not aware that it is even possible to choose a pitch, let alone to book it. There must be more to this story. In the absence of a reasonable explanation, I think my response would have been a permutation of the words 'stuffed' and 'get'.

Even if it was a question of pitch type availability, rather than a specific pitch, it would surely have been a case of double booking, which still would not explain why the incumbent had to move when it was not even established that the other party would in fact be there.

I must try booking a specific pitch to see what happens!

 

[GeorgeB]

Move pitch! I'm with LB & Alan on that one, only my reply wouldn't be so polite, my reply would have been a permutation of Off & F**K

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Due to my aristocratic upbringing George I'm afraid the furthest I could go is to say "Shoo, you nasty man, go away" ;O)

 

[Tapestry]

Hi

What a disgusting way to treat existing customers. The c&cc needs to change its advertising. Do not use the term 'The Friendly Club' if it can't deliver what it says.

There is no excuse for the way the elderly couple were treated. Its unreasonable for the wardens to expect the couple to move pitches the day before they were due to leave, due to poor management, when there were other pitches available. We would not have moved pitches.

The experience of the elderly couple and others written about on this forum remind me why we are not members of the C&CC. We holiday with our feet and cash, - using c&cc competitors sites.

Annette

 

[ThePlotter]

Maybe the newcomers (who didnt) were non members that pay more so the warden was giving them more attention than members.

 

[Dustydog]

Possession is 9/10ths of the law.

No way would I have moved. Aboslutely ridiculous. Glad I stick with the CC.

Cheers

Alan

 

[GeorgeB]

LB,

Who in their right mind would ague with you! especially when your gamekeeping staff are lined up behind you with their loaded, but barrels broken!, shotguns over their arms!

Certainly not me your Lordship

I remain sir, etc. etc.

 

[Pat_374304630]

Absolutely ridiculous.Shame on the c&cc.I've a good mind to cancel my subscription.At the very least they should now contact the couple in question and offer a free holiday.

 

[Surfer]

We joined the C & CC earlier this month to take advantage of the CS network but if this is the way they treat people then we will be cancelling when I get home this evening. Membership pack will be in the post by tomorrow!

Absolutely disgusting inexcusable treatment of a vulnerable couple.

 

[davedee]

One warden has acted in an unforgivably stupid and thoughtless way.

Don't go to that site again - I wouldn't.

But don't start WWIII over it!

You can't say that all C&CC sites are run in such a kack-handed manner.

There will be the odd idiot running a CC site, I'm sure.

Did the victims complain to the club and give them the chance to compensate or at least apologise? We don't know.

Did Roger inform the C&CC of what had gone on? We don't know.

Never mind.Lets just plough up all C&CC sites and burn their wardens, all of them, at the stake!

Dave

 

[Paul_5064559]

I have a feeling that we do not know the full story here. For example we do not know what was said at the time this couple arrived. I (and others I know) have taken a pitch knowing that I may not be able to stay for the full duration required on the understanding that if cancellations took place I would be allowed to remain. Furthermore, I think that I might have been curious enough to raise the issue politely with the warden for my own peace of mind.

 

[Billy_bear]

im in my 9th year of membership now and have never had a problem, i have been taken to pitches and asked which one i would like, and not found a warden yet who is not helpful and happy

bill

 

[Chaps]

We would refuse to move unless we'd been prewarned that we'd have to up sticks on the last day. To be honest, in that situation we would probably have moved on to another site on the way home rather than mess about so much as we usually split our journey anyway.

As has been posted above though, don't tar all C&CC wardens and sites with the same brush. It could have been a simple misunderstanding and lack of communication.

 

[Surfer]

Membership pack all wrapped up and ready for post tomorrow. There have been other incidents and this one was the cherry on top. Do we hold a record for being members for the sortest span of time? A whole two weeks.

Guess we should have taken on board our past experiences and also experiences of those on this and other forums regarding the so called friendly club!

 

[davedee]

oh dear...

 

[LMH]

One warden has acted in an unforgivably stupid and thoughtless way.

Don't go to that site again - I wouldn't.

But don't start WWIII over it!

You can't say that all C&CC sites are run in such a kack-handed manner.

There will be the odd idiot running a CC site, I'm sure.

Did the victims complain to the club and give them the chance to compensate or at least apologise? We don't know.

Did Roger inform the C&CC of what had gone on? We don't know.

Never mind.Lets just plough up all C&CC sites and burn their wardens, all of them, at the stake!

Dave

LOL! Burn 'em in their caravans.

Lisa

 

[LMH]

Ian, it's up to you whether you cancel your membership or not, if you send the site book back etc,along with the box, it will cost you a few quid.

I booked a Caravan Club Certified Location, a booking which I had made months and months ago, I gave the site six weeks notice that unfortunately, due to circumstances, I couldn't keep the booking but I understood that I would lose my deposit. The reply from the ignorant cow on the end of the line who I presume was the owner, was curt and rude.

Do you think I should now cancel my subscription with the CC? We stopped at Chapel Lane cc site the other year and they totally cocked up our booking. It was all sorted in the end.

Oh, and another horror story, we booked the Brynich site in Brecon four years ago, when I booked it they quoted low season price, I queried this as it was for Oct, school hols, no, they said, it's deffo low. We arrive, high season prices, they directed us to a soggy and I mean soggy grass pitch. I explained if I drove my car and van over the grass, the whole outfit would sink. The only other pitches available were super pitches at a really costly price. We had no option but to pay. We voted with our feet, only stopped a few nights rather than a week as the wardens were just as bad as the weather and went home.

Just out of interest, have you been caravanning for long?

Lisa

 

[andrew1608]

we have only had that problem once, and it was in spain, the warden came and said they had made an error luckily it was just cutting our stay short by 1 day and we got a bottle of champagne for the trouble. On many site if the prebook and pay a deposit they will not guarantee a specific space, if you want one with mains electric etc, you are just booked a pithc to that spec and it's just luck if the pitch you want if vacant.

Places like haggerston castle when you book they put your name against a pitch, but if it's busy it turns into a free for all i have seen that before.

 

[alunhve]

Unless there was a very particular and acceptable explanation as to why the move was necessary I would refuse to move. There will always be some Wardens that will try and help regulars to get a preferred pitch despite the reservation of specific pitches not being permitted. I have never had such an experience and in fact had the opposite on a recent stay at the CCC Lynton site.

On arrival we had been positioned at the top end of the second field which meant that it was quite a walk to the nearest water point and further to the toilet block. My brother - in - law has difficulty in walking long distances because of nerve end damage in his feet so when after a few days a pitch became available further down the field closer to the Water Point and toilets my wife approached the Warden and asked if we could move and he was totally ok about it as long as we had completed the move before 12 so that they knew where to take new arrivals to.

Alun