The way I see it is this. CC members should not have to pay a deposit on their bookings. They should however have to pay a cancellation fee up to the cost of the pitch per night per person of their booking proportionately on how soon they cancel their booking. Let me illustrate this
If a member books a weekend away at a site and the cost of pitch is £5 and £5 per person that would be a total cost of £20 for two nights. If they cancelled up to 2 weeks befeor they would lose nothing as the pitch could be reallocated without too much problem. If they cancelled up to a week before then they would lose 50% of the booking fee and if it was within a week they would lose it all. I think people would be less likely to cancel if this was introduced. I know the amounts I have quoted are small, people don't like throwing money away.
I think that might work but how do the club collect it. The only way is to collect a deposit on booking.
The way I see it is this. CC members should not have to pay a deposit on their bookings. They should however have to pay a cancellation fee up to the cost of the pitch per night per person of their booking proportionately on how soon they cancel their booking. Let me illustrate this
If a member books a weekend away at a site and the cost of pitch is £5 and £5 per person that would be a total cost of £20 for two nights. If they cancelled up to 2 weeks befeor they would lose nothing as the pitch could be reallocated without too much problem. If they cancelled up to a week before then they would lose 50% of the booking fee and if it was within a week they would lose it all. I think people would be less likely to cancel if this was introduced. I know the amounts I have quoted are small, people don't like throwing money away.
If I may say so the idea has some merits but is far too complicated to work. The far simpler system would be to insist of taking credit/debit card details when booking and if you don't turn up you get charged one nights site fees. This is how some hotel chains work. The advantage of this system is that it would not slow the booking system down (due to credit/debit card authorisation needed if taking a deposit) It would not penalise those members who always honour their bookings. Although its the system I favour, if we must have a change their are downsides in that if you knew you were not going to honour the booking would you bother to cancel? This was the problem the last time the Club took deposits. I have also seen a note from the Club re overseas booking where they say they will no be keeping credit/debit card details on file so its possible they may be unwilling to implement suc a system, although it was one of the questions asked in the recent questionnaire.
Why do people find it necessary to take a wonderfully simple and straightforward system that works and maximises the clubs revenues and try to complicate it,make it cumbersome and anything but user friendly so as to reduce the site use so as to make pitches available all the time. It is counter productive and does not work, for the user who has got themselves organised it makes a drama into a crisis when something untowards happens at the last minute. The club is friendly to it's users and helpful when it is needed cancellations are always going to be inevitable whatever system is used but the peresent way ensures that 99.9% of people cancel as soon as they become aware that they may have a problem since they have nothing to lose by doing so, whereas if they were going to lose then they are quite likely to hold on till the very last minute just in case. Cancellations create vacancies in the last week which are usually snapped up by people wanting late availability, so the system helps itself.
You can not get rid of the basic problem which is one of supply and demand without either purchasing another large network of sites, or raising the prices exponentially and I for one do not wish to have to pay £50 a night for a pitch, do you.
------------- Bill
For a licence dated 1997 or later you must add together the plated max weight of the caravan and trailer, if the total is 3500 or less you can tow it. You may even tow a caravan with a MAM greater than the cars unladen mass the restriction was removed in 2013
Well said Bill, though from some of the posts above it would appear that there are only 12 of us in the whole Uk who are capable of getting ourselves organised/
The rest of us a quite capable of getting ourselves organised and do but some of us are objecting to those that multi book. It's not such a big deal for the club to sort out.
The rest of us a quite capable of getting ourselves organised and do but some of us are objecting to those that multi book. It's not such a big deal for the club to sort out.
There is nothing wrong with multi booking provided that whoever is doing it intends to honour those bookings when they make them. I would think that applies to virtually every CC member.
------------- Bill
For a licence dated 1997 or later you must add together the plated max weight of the caravan and trailer, if the total is 3500 or less you can tow it. You may even tow a caravan with a MAM greater than the cars unladen mass the restriction was removed in 2013
There are people who are able to predict when they can get away(me included) others cant.i tend to be a late booker( to me I like to go on a whim) but accept I may end up on a CL.However the system does help search late vacancies.My only concern is that it may be possible to book 2 sites for the same date and choose later.
Quote: Originally posted by misterg on 12/8/2010
There are people who are able to predict when they can get away(me included) others cant.i tend to be a late booker( to me I like to go on a whim) but accept I may end up on a CL.However the system does help search late vacancies.My only concern is that it may be possible to book 2 sites for the same date and choose later.
Errm, you can't book two sites for the same date, over and out.
Quote: Originally posted by Fat Belly on 12/8/2010
Why not limit the multi booking to only 5 or 6 being active at any one time?
Why not leave things as they are.
------------- Bill
For a licence dated 1997 or later you must add together the plated max weight of the caravan and trailer, if the total is 3500 or less you can tow it. You may even tow a caravan with a MAM greater than the cars unladen mass the restriction was removed in 2013
I go in my caravan to get away from 'dog eat dog' ! Looks like the CC is 'dog eat dog' too! I'm leaving it next year. Too much money for a thin bendy card and a few mags full of adverts.
------------- 'Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been' - Mark Twain
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: caravan club bookings
