Club sites - advance booking system

Posted on 20/03/2018 10:20 by ask66

Metheven, perhaps rather than making fun of my capitalisation, you might consider and respond to the serious point I have tried to make. I think it's a real problem if the availability calendar is wildly inaccurate because of people booking early and then cancelling nearer the date.

People who need to go on specific dates will do as you as you have suggested I do, and book a B&B instead. Not everyone wants, or is able, to keep logging on to see if a pitch has become available, and leave booking until the last minute.

And if people are booking B&Bs when they would rather have booked pitches on a Club site, they may decide it's not worth being members at all, and that's not good for our Club!

 

Posted on 20/03/2018 10:09 by Tinwheeler

If you secure a booking, Ask, can you categorically state beyond all shadow of doubt that you will not cancel? 

Are you certain you won’t be ill, your car won’t break down, we won’t have a terrific storm......  There are no certainties and I’m afraid taking deposits, or knowing what happened last year, will not help you. 

The club does not measure the cancellation rate outside of the 72 hour limit. As they said themselves, why would they? If the cancellation period was changed to a week, people would still ask how many cancelled 8 days before. It would be a pointless exercise to record the number of cancellations prior to cut off. 

Posted on 20/03/2018 10:38 by ask66

Tinwheeler, no, of course I can't categorically state that I will not cancel.  The situations you mention, depending on their seriousness, may well count as genuine circumstances, and they would not be expected to happen to any given member too often.

I'm sure the Club does measure the cancellation rate outside the 72 hour limit - for the reasons I have mentioned, it matters very much to members (or at least one member - me!)

I often book Ryanair flights in advance - always of course paying in full at the time of booking.  Can you imagine how the system would work if there was no cost involved in advance "booking", and you could cancel without penalty up to 72 hours in advance?  I imagine it would be chaotic.  What's the difference?

 

Posted on 20/03/2018 10:38 by ask66

Tinwheeler, no, of course I can't categorically state that I will not cancel.  The situations you mention, depending on their seriousness, may well count as genuine circumstances, and they would not be expected to happen to any given member too often.

I'm sure the Club does measure the cancellation rate outside the 72 hour limit - for the reasons I have mentioned, it matters very much to members (or at least one member - me!)

I often book Ryanair flights in advance - always of course paying in full at the time of booking.  Can you imagine how the system would work if there was no cost involved in advance "booking", and you could cancel without penalty up to 72 hours before travel?  I imagine it would be chaotic.  What's the difference?

 

Posted on 20/03/2018 10:35 by DavidKlyne

Ask66

I am not sure how long you have been a member but before we had the computerised booking system deposits were indeed taken and of the level you mention in your original post. Deposits were abolished for two reasons. Firstly at that low rate (£5 and £10) many people were happy to lose that deposit but the real problem was that they didn't inform the campsite so everyone lost out. Another reason why it wasn't carried over when internet booking started was because of a software difference between what was used at HQ and what was used at the campsites. I am sure this has long be sorted out. People often make assumptions when they find a site fully booked online. The information given out by the Club is that the bulk booking of pitches and later cancellations does not seem to be a major issue. People have to cancel within 72 hours of the their site arrival day. So they would have to cancel on the Tuesday if arriving on the Friday. This usually gives plenty of time for the pitch to be rebooked. Your difficulty, as I understand it, is that you need certainty rather than possibility? Unfortunately the system can't offer that unless you book months ahead.

David

Posted on 20/03/2018 10:38 by ask66

Tinwheeler, no, of course I can't categorically state that I will not cancel.  The situations you mention, depending on their seriousness, may well count as genuine circumstances, and they would not be expected to happen to any given member too often.

I'm sure the Club does measure the cancellation rate outside the 72 hour limit - for the reasons I have mentioned, it matters very much to members (or at least one member - me!)

I often book Ryanair flights in advance - always of course paying in full at the time of booking.  Can you imagine how the system would work if there was no cost involved in advance "booking", and you could cancel without penalty up to 72 hours before travel?  I imagine it would be chaotic.  What's the difference?

 

Posted on 20/03/2018 10:47 by JVB66

You do not tend to get Bumped off a cc site if you have booked