As David said, Friday nights are in great demand. Many people, maybe starting out on a Saturday morning for a week or fortnight off will want to stay until a Saturday morning at least, maybe a Sunday morning. But some like to leave on the Saturday to get a day at home for unpacking, washing clothes etc.
Then those having a weekend away may start out on a Friday afternoon, so they want to stay until Sunday too.
Some longer stays may be able to make it there for Friday too, so it is always busy on a Friday.
And as others have said, there are those who make lots of weekend bookings early on and then see how the weather turns out, or whether they can actually manage to get away. As there is no deposit to pay it costs them nothing.
We experienced this last year at Beechwood Grange. We arrived on a Saturday having booked to stay until the following Friday, intending to move on. Then we decided to cut our 14 day trip to 10 and do some stuff in the house instead. We were enjoying Yorkshire so much we asked to stay till the following Tuesday, but the Friday (and only the Friday) was already fully booked (in mid September).
We went on a waiting list and were lucky enough to get a cancellation. Walking round the site on the Friday evening about 10pm, we found at least 4 empty pitches. Presumably some folk had not had the decency to cancel.
Apparently the Club is monitoring the "no-shows" and those who do it too often will be warned.
Personally , I do not think this is good enough. Deposits should be taken, and a system of reserving a few pitches for longer stays worked out.
------------- Jennifer
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The no show issue has been going on for a long time. I've spoken to a few CC wardens and even before the online booking system came into operation, people would book on the telephone and then duck out at the last minute.
I tend to stay away from the main sites when they are busy in any case, but I know many people do enjoy them in peak season. It doesn't seem unreasonable at all to ask for a deposit on booking. It would be much fairer than to deny someone a pitch just because someone else is being selfish and thoughtless by not bothering to cancel their booking.
Right, I think we need to get things in perspective here!
For those of you demanding that non members should not be able to book in advance:-
Campsite owned exclusively by the Caravan Club are the ones that are usually members only. A lot of the campsites run by the Club are held on lease. The conditions of these leases require that non members are admitted on the same terms as members except that the Club can discount the price for members.
No Shows ruin it for the rest of us and deposits should be taken.
At the NEC I had a long chat with Bob Black the Chairman of the Caravan Club about this subject. Not taking deposits is constantly under review. Administratively it would cost the Club more to take deposits. This in turn would be reflected in site fees. It is not helped by their internal set up which would need quite a few changes in order to allow deposits. But the main point is that the question of no shows is grossly over stated. Someone said about walking around their site and seeing 4 empty pitches. Well if that was a 100/200 hundred pitch site that is hardly enough to change the whole set up for! As members we have the advantage that we can ring up or go on the internet and book a site, sometimes months in advance. So you get the flu and feel really miserable. But hold on a moment you have a Caravan Club pitch booked 200 miles from home. What are you meant to do. Regardless of how you feel you struggle to the site in question just so you don't let anyone down! Or do you do the sensible thing and ring the site, explain the problem, and retire to bed with the paracetamol. I perfectly well accept that some people don't contact the site. I know full well the CC monitor this closely to the point where they will close someones membership if they are a persistent offender.
In the end we have to trust the Club management to do what is in the best interest of members. I accept we all have a point of view but we do have to stop and think carefully about the impact of some of our suggestions.
i don't agree that administration charges would increase for taking deposits. if the majority book online the technology to take a deposit for the said booking would cost the CC nothing more than the 1.5% credit card charge which is already built in. i say take the deposit if more than 3 no shows withdraw the facility. As for being ill the website booking procedure is live and if you have a 200 mile journey but can't make it through illnes you can cancel online and your place can be rebooked by someone else giving at least someone the chance last minute.
Perhaps an idea for a website me thinks lastminute.com
only joking i know it already exists.
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It would be interesting to know what percentage of advance bookings do get cancelled, both the ones that let them know + the ones that dont cancel and dont show. I think it would be quite high as folk do just book lots of weekends while only intending to use a few of them to keep their options open. Deposits would stop this.
We have been to Chester twice and Chatsworth once both show weekends full very early in the season, we ring day before or on the day, I see quite a few just turn up on spec and get a pitch.
On balance I stand by my earlier post. I fail to see where there is additional cost involved , other than a slight modification to the Web Site to change booking method to take a deposit. Indeed revenues generated would earn interest which I would have thought would have more than offset this especially as the programming involved in such a change would not be extensive. (and yes I DO know what I'm talking about , having spent 30 years in the software business)
It is not unreasonable to expect anyone who has booked and has to cancel to notify the site accordingly. If I reserve a hotel my credit card is taken and in the event of a no show then it is charged the first night regardless of the reason.
It is pure bad manners and inconsideration not to notify a site that you will not be making use of the pitch. I've had no particualar problems getting a pitch when I want one but nevertheless feel that the majority of forum members have made a vlaid point.
The real burning issues appears to be that of "no shows"
The CC could take action against persistent offenders by suspending membership or other punitive measure (I don't know if it does)
I do feel however, that charging a deposit for bookings is overly regimenting a hobby that we all participate in because we enjoy the freedom it brings. The majority should not have to suffer because of the thoughtless minority
Charging deposits is a move in the wrong direction
------------- Kev
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I can only add that according to the Chairman of the Caravan Club they have no plans at present to reintroduce the taking of deposits when booking a site. However all policies are reviewed at regular intervals. On personal note I does not concern me either way. It is very convenient just to go onto the website and book a site without the need to have my credit card at my side.
The internet booking system allows the Caravan Club to monitor the number of members that book and then don't show up and they do monitor this. Also the system does not allow you to book more than one site on the same day. A previous problem was that some members would book several sites and only decide which one to go for close to the point of departure - at that was with a deposit!
The deposits do not have to be large, say £10 per booking. I know that for many caravanning is a budget way of getting away, but these days £10 is not a lot. Probably a lot less than the petrol to get to the site. And it would be deducted from the cost, so all you are doing is paying a little in advance. How can that be disadvantaging you?
For any other holiday you would not question having to pay a deposit. In most cases you would pay everything up front weeks before you went. The CC used to take £5 per booking before all this Internet stuff started. As Nick said, the cost would be minimal.
If you had to cancel the £10 could be transferred to another stay. This I believe is how the C&CC operate, correct me if that is not the case. If you don't turn up then you loose the £10. While £10 may not deter some from inconsiderate behaviour, several £10s up front might just concentrate the mind.
It was me that said there were at least 4 empty pitches at Beechwood Grange David. That was only counting the hardstandings. For some reason ALL the grass pitches were also empty, yet they wanted to turn us off the site.
That does not seem reasonable to me, nor does it make economic sense. Come Sunday evening the site was only half full. We stayed till Tuesday, so that was another £32 site fees the club would not otherwise have got. It all adds up!!
Kev, caravanning I'm afraid is no longer a spontaneous hobby, at least not between June and September! There are too many people for the pitches available these days. We have been camping/caravanning since 1967. In those days we put the site book in the car, set off and went where we fancied, never contemplating that there might not be a pitch for us on our chosen site! Changed days indeed!!
I think that we're all singing from the same hymn sheet. It's just that we each have different solutions to the same problem.
I feel that charging everybody a deposit is unneccessary, when it would be very easy to identify the wrong doers and take measures directly against them.
Non members are a different kettle of fish as they can book in advance & if they "no show" then they are difficult to hold to account.
A thorny issue all in all, but I'm not sure as to how big a problem it really is, as the CC don't seem to be making much noise.
I don't fancy paying a deposit upfront! I just wish people would cancel their bookings if they're not gonna go! Then someone who does can have it.
If the caravan club are looking at persistant offenders then great, I think they should be tough and cancel their membership (it's not as if they can't afford to lose a few - membership is increasing constantly, and besides do we really want inconsiderate people in OUR club!).
------------- Jane
Don't forget to leave a review of the campsites you have visited this year or last!
I think that we're all singing from the same hymn sheet. It's just that we each have different solutions to the same problem.
I feel that charging everybody a deposit is unneccessary, when it would be very easy to identify the wrong doers and take measures directly against them.
Non members are a different kettle of fish as they can book in advance & if they "no show" then they are difficult to hold to account.
A thorny issue all in all, but I'm not sure as to how big a problem it really is, as the CC don't seem to be making much noise.
Kev
I think I agree with what you say. We have to accept that the management of the CC think at the moment there is no need for deposits, especially if it would require a point of sale upgrade. We would not have achieved anything if deposits were reintroduced and the number of no shows did not change! OK the Club get the deposit but it does not help any of us getting a pitch.
I wonder if we make too much of non members on Club sites. They can only book direct to the campsite and they have to pay a pretty big non member fee. As I have said before the Club have no option but to accept non members on some of their campsites.
Like you say none of us are really sure how big the problem is. I get the impression that it is not something that keeps the CC management awake at night!
All any of us want is to keep life simple, we want to, at a whim, be able to book a campsite a couple of days before the weekend. Sometimes this works and sometimes you are disappointed. I have just booked a CC for 2 weeks time no probs. Earlier in the year I could not get into one site so just moved to another with space.
Got to say we used a CL for the first time this weekend and are hooked. From now on we will be using both the main sites and the CL,s That way if you can't get on your chosen site there will be a little Cl somewhere in the vacinity. Surprisingly alot of Cls now have toilets and showers. Stayed at an absolute gem this weekend. Toilet, Shower ,electric hook up fantastic views and all for £7.50 per night. The owners even let us stay until 7.00pm last night. I offered to pay the extra night and they wouldn't hear of it just said " if you enjoyed it you will be a regular guest and thats all we ask" she is so right!
I don't mind saying where it was - It was called Little Nook Farm near Hebden Bridge Yorkshire- absolutley gorgeous little site only 5 vans on 1/4 acre the views were to die for and the facilities great. Now I have let you all in on the secret just make sure there is a pitch when I want one!!!!
I like the "late availability" part on the CC website as you can see which sites have pitches for the coming weekends. If you are willing to go a little further or try the less popular sites you can usually get fixed up.
I don't like the idea of having to book 2 nights at all as we have more 1 night trips away due to having to be at work Monday morning but am quite happy to pay a deposit. The new CC booking system only allows members to book 1 site for any given period which should cut down on people boking lots then deciding which to go to at last minute.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: CC site availability bookings on-line
