Hi all... how do people feel about having to pay for your stay several weeks before you travel?
This is for a small farm type campsite in Norfolk for 5 nights at the beginning of May.
I don't mind paying a deposit to secure the booking (which we have) but especially given the current uncertainty and the risk of having to cancel I do not want to have to pay up front. Is that unreasonable?
They are now bothering us with emails asking for full payment.
Another site we've booked for the 9 nights before haven't even asked for a deposit which as far as I'm concerned is standard behaviour.
In fact, nowhere have I been asked to pay up front in 10 years of camping yes some have asked to pay on arrival which is fair enough and I have said we will if they want that.
Your thoughts?
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I think that UK campers have brought this upon themselves. You only have to look at one of the club websites to see that people are booking nearly every weekend and then cancelling at short notice. That may be acceptable to a large organisation but smaller sites simply cannot afford to operate in that way.
DaveS1
Last year we stayed on a small campsite with 6 pitches. It was fully booked Friday to Monday -only we turned up. Owner told us happens all the time and means he has raise prices to cover no shows.
I would say we see more sites we visit now ask for money upfront.
Appreciate your uncertainty that you might need to cancel but cannot see how a business can operate on that.
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Sign of the times I'm afraid, the influx of thoughtless new campers (Covid Campers!) has ruined many an aspect of camping that used to be a far more 'gentlemanly' affair and impacted on all. Nearly every site is suffering last minute cancellations and no-shows at unsustainable levels, so they have to cover their business costs, and whilst deposits and later final payment used to work, not sure the new campers care about losing a deposit, so are still no-shows!
I don't like the new payment model, but I can understand why it's been introduced. Even the mighty CAMC has had to modify it's payment model as they to suffered excessive abuse of bookings, and that was with a subscription based member clientele!
As others have said, it seems to be happening more and more - I’ve just booked an overnighter and a 2 night stay in June on our way home from the ferry from France, and had to pay up front for both. Frustrating as it is, if you feel you may be at risk of having to cancel, then I would suggest travel insurance would be the way forward (or choose sites that require deposit only).
It may seem unusual for a campsite but isn’t it really the standard business model?
You order something on line, you pay at that time and wait for whatever you purchased to arrive.
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Last summer we spent 4 weeks touring around Dorset, Devon and Cornwall staying at 5 different sites. 3 of these didn’t ask for either a deposit or any payment up front but 2 of them wanted a hefty deposit on booking and the balance 4 weeks before arrival. Funnily enough, these two sites were larger than the other 3, I wouldn’t exactly call them holiday parks but they certainly catered for people coming for a holiday of at least a week, rather than just a few days, so maybe this has something to do with the request for payment up front. After all, I wouldn’t expect to book a holiday in a hotel in Spain and pay when I turn up.
I have booked about half a dozen non Club site this year. They have all wanted a deposit and all require full payment between 4 and 6 weeks before arrival. This I think is fairly standard practise, especially with larger sites. Very few other types of holidays allow you to pay on arrival day? I can see what you mean about the unpredictability of things these days, particularly with COVID. Fingers crossed that if you can't make it they would be willing to move the bookings?
As long as the Terms and Conditions, including those relating to payments and refund, are clearly stated upfront for all to see, then it is up to me to decide whether it is acceptable or not.
If I am not happy with the T&Cs for whatever reason(s), then I shan't book that site.
I am not in the position to dictate how a business should be run, campsite or otherwise.
Hotels such as Travelodge requires full payment upfront at time of booking irrespective of the type of room rate selected, so why not campsites?!
DK
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I don't blame sites for asking the full balance before arrival. Gone are the days when you could book a pitch, pay no deposit, and pay on arrival on a lot of sites. It seems a lot of bookings are made on trust, and then people don't turn up. Result: empty pitches, lost income for the owner. Especially on the type of site you describe, ie a small farm type campsite. They are the very ones who can't afford to lose bookings taken on trust and are then let down by no-shows.
Unfortunately, the fact that something may prevent you from taking up he booking is not the site owner's problem. If I was the owner of a site, I know I wouldn't accept bookings without a deposit first and the balance at least a week before arrival. I've been to a number of small CL type sites and been told of people not turning up, so can fully understand the reasons.
------------- Ina
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Quote: Originally posted by David Klyne on 02/4/2022
I have booked about half a dozen non Club site this year. They have all wanted a deposit and all require full payment between 4 and 6 weeks before arrival. This I think is fairly standard practise, especially with larger sites. Very few other types of holidays allow you to pay on arrival day? I can see what you mean about the unpredictability of things these days, particularly with COVID. Fingers crossed that if you can't make it they would be willing to move the bookings?
David
No objection to paying a deposit and then paying about 4 weeks before the date. If given sufficient notice many will allow you to move your booking to another date without any penalty. The CAMC should have started taking deposits many years ago.
I can’t recall any campsite I’ve booked in advance that doesn’t require full payment approx 4-6 weeks in advance. Standard procedure, as said above, for hotels etc.
I rarely book more than a week in advance, so it's not unreasonable to pay a deposit or full amount, however in all my years as a motorcaravanner, I've only ever had to pay a deposit once.
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Topic: Up front payments
via mobile 02/4/2022 at 10:42am
