When will the caravan club sort out last minute cancelations? It is driving me mad, we looked to try to stay at Sheepcote for this weekend (as Wife is at a party in brighton on the saturday night and then a nice dayout for sunday)
for the last 2 weeks they have been fully booked, we even called up and the wardens were surprised to see that they woudl be fully booked.
So we have had to make other arrangements, and not go camping, but i have been watching the availability twice daily for the last 2 weeks, and low and behold now, at 4:30pm they have availablilty for the whole weekend - bit late to travel now as I cancelled my half day today instead of going home to pack and go.
I am furious, and this isn't the first time, i know it's a Tactic to go on and book all the good sites and then cancel if the weatehr is not nice, but it's ridiculous. and The caravan CLub lose out.
The need to introduce cancellation fee's, or even pay up front.
I know they are warning people with a couple of strikes and then your warned etc, but will that change anything?
------------- Never forget with a PinzyMe. Print it, embrace it, share it!
In fairness you don't know the reasons for the cancellations. People that cancel on the whim would have had to do it by Tuesday evening or face a risk of having future booking cancelled. The availability could well have come from ill health/family problems which we often don't know about in advance. I understand the frustration but I think the Club is doing something and we have to wait until the end of the year to judge whether it works.
This was the case of my husband we had booked a Easter Break but cannot go because he has to go in to hospital for more tests so we have moved the break forward .
Don't think they have much to sort out really,if the site is fully booked look somewhere else.There must be plenty of sites you could have booked for this weekend so why cancel your weekend
You have no idea why someone has cancelled,for all you know someone could have died.
If someone has a genuine reason for cancelling their booking, paying up front or introducing cancellation fees will not make any difference as you will still get people who may need to cancel at the last minute.
I was due away this weekend but have had to cancel (which I did last night) as my young son has recently started having unexplained seizures and has had 3 in just over 24 hours. My child's health will always come before a break away in the caravan.
I tend not to use club sites, however everywhere i go, i have to pay a deposit. If i cancel at less than 48 hours notice i lose my deposit. I understand that people cancel for reasons that are unavoidable, however if i were a business man running one of these sites, i would have lost trade due to no fault of my own
Therefore i am probably at the half way house between paying in advance or not paying at all. A small deposit woudl resolve the problem
I had booked a cl last year also paid a deposit of £20. I had to cancel due to a family member taken very Ill. Sadly he died.
However I had canceled a few days before this but still lost my deposit.
I think the cc does a good job I am happy with their booking system.
Being in both clubs . I prefer the cc not paying deposits.
You could have tried another site near by or a cl or cs. I'm sure there must have been somewhere else to stay.
Quote: Originally posted by Chalkie56 on 16/3/2012Five for the CC and one against looks like pig farmer may be wrong
Well this forum is a bit like the "Caravan Club Appreciation Society", anyone dares say a bad word against them they always get shot down.
I wouldn't join mainly because of their booking system. It doesn't make any sense to me.
Also, most people will cancel well in advance, Pigfarmer is talking about people backing out at the last minute.
I quite agree that the trip needn't have been cancelled though. There are plenty of other sites about.
You are allowed to take your caravan on non club sites you know? They're not all slums. You never know, you might like it on the other side. (& you'll probably save some money as well).
I like the CC booking system of no deposits and late cancellations have worked in my favour before so I don't have a problem with it. (at a site trying to extend a stay which we couldn't get but got a cancellation the day we were due to leave).
Magsruby - I don't think I'm the only CC member who goes to non club sites, especially the CL's, but commercial ones too. It's not one or the other and I'm surprised you think it is! When you join you don't sign a secret code of never taking your caravan elsewhere.....unless I missed the form.
------------- Gail
March - Bamburgh
Easter - Low Park Wood CC Kendal
May - Yellowcraigs CC North Berwick
June - Wharfedale CC Grassington
My comment there was more aimed at the OP. If you don't like the way the club works, don't join. I didn't like it, so didn't bother to join up.
I never really got this British obsession with booking anyway. Most of my camping is done spontaneously. I usually phone sites the day before, or even on the morning of travel & ask if there's any space. It's never failed me so far.
Obviously this might not suit everybody, but it was a habit I picked up in France, & it suits me very well.
Personally I would like to see sites here in the UK adopt a system where they keep a few pitches for proper "tourers" who turn up unannounced. That way everybody would be catered for. (I don't like pre-planning much).
sorry maggs but just winging it for a sites isnt a wise idea when you have 3 sprogs and a partner to keep happy,
but like you ive never joined either club and never will its not for me, some of the people talk about the clubs as there life,
This is the first time I have seen so many supportive comments about either club but somebody somewhere has to like the clubs or they would go out of business.
I have never been a member of the CC so I can't comment first hand but since I fell foul of the C&CC's non-returnable deposit system I feel rather more inclined to support the CC's no deposit system.
With regards to the booking system itself, it seems to me that both clubs leave a lot to be desired. When I first joined the C&CC I couldn't wait to book my first C&CC club site but to my disappointment when I tried the online booking system I found the site I had set my heart on fully booked (at least for the type of pitch I wanted).
Undeterred I telephoned the C&CC booking line only to be told the same thing. I then decided to phone the site itself (because I am nothing if not persistant) and was told they had several pitches available.
This being my very first contact with the club I was not very impressed and it went downhill from there.
So I have every sympathy for the OP regarding his comments about the booking systems although as suggested, I think I might have booked elsewhere before it got too late. I have mostly booked elsewhere since joining the C&CC actually and will not be rejoining this year.
Quote: Originally posted by Chalkie56 on 16/3/2012Five for the CC and one against looks like pig farmer may be wrong
Well this forum is a bit like the "Caravan Club Appreciation Society",
That may be because the majority of people find the Caravan Club and it's network of sites to be very very good.
I use both private and club sites regulary and can honestly say that not one of the private sites (and I've stayed at some of teh most highly rated sites in the country) comes up to the standards consistantly achieved by the CC.
Quote: Originally posted by scarletsfan on 17/3/2012
That may be because the majority of people find the Caravan Club and it's network of sites to be very very good.
I use both private and club sites regulary and can honestly say that not one of the private sites (and I've stayed at some of teh most highly rated sites in the country) comes up to the standards consistantly achieved by the CC.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: So annoyed with CC
