How does this Club compare with the ‘Other’?

we had a five week tour recently that included several stops. i looked at all the options for each area, the clubs, commercials etc and we only selected one CC site, which was Baltic Wharf as we had already booked it to visit our son on our way back to Somerset.

we were on C&CC sites at Woodhall Spa, Cambridge, Sandringham and felt no pressure to park on a particular pitch, merely to ne guided there one we had chosen, one that met our requirements of aspect, etc.....

rates we also a bit cheaper than the CC comparisons.

the CC booking system is a bit easier to use but i am not a believer in its cancellation policy, far too easy to chop and change.....not in itself a bad thing, but to allow this to go on only 72 hrs before the booking is too close IMV.

i also dont get this point about deposits where folk cant 'afford' a deposit yet paying the full fee on arrivial isnt an issue.

eg, if you book ten sites, each for a week as part of a tour, each week costing £150, a 10% deposit at booking time would cost £150.

why is this seemingly 'too expensive for some' yet they happily cough up £150 at the office for each week of their tour?

having paid the £150 deposits, each weeks break now only costs £135.....nice little bonus?

i have no issue with committing myself to a CCC (or a commercial) site with a deposit.....its an agreement that they will provide a pitch and i will honour the take up of that provision.

while the CC is over subscribed on pitches, it is happy merely to resell those to whoever may snap them up. however, it doesnt make it right (in my book) that folk can merely 'change their mind' at such short notice....

those who have to plan ahead, and who may have missed out on their first choices, will have booked alternatives. the fact that their first preferences come back on the market to be snapped up by folk who can 'go on a whim' is of scant consolation.

we often see on CT 'advice' from the old hands suggesting that its not really that hard to get on the top sites, you just have to be flexible......however, its the retired 'old hands' who reap the benefit as its difficult for those who had to plan (and even then only ended up with a second, or third choice) to change those plans to take advantage of any 72 hr cancellations.

the 'penalty free' should be extended to at least a week, cancellations within this reason should attract some form of 'penalty' (something added to next booking bill?) and, if these are valid reasons for cancelling (health, other serious reason) then surely they would be covered by annual 'holiday insurance' policies?

It’s also interesting that the C&CC appears to have fewer sites for more members, fewer site nights sold, and yet makes more profit.

Can anyone confirm the numbers?

At a last check they owned about 100 sites but this is supplemented by the Forest sites which they now manage and if my memory serves me correctly, now have a finacial interest in. Dividing the subscription income by the average membership fee gives about 250,000 members which is about 100,000 less than that of the CC.

Their web site is definitely better managed and they have in my opinion lead the CC in the use of technology although they have not always got the user interface right. Shame they don't have a forum, I'm not too keen on facebook as a medium for exchange of ideas and debates although the C&CC appear to be quite responsive to posts on their FB page.

peedee

p.s. there are 20 forest sites so they have about 120 sites

The C&CC is now introducing a forum...Myself and a few other members, along with staff, have been testing the Beta site for a couple of months now. Several testers are not happy with the forum layout (including myself), but it has now been signed off by the Comms Committee and should be going live in the next couple of weeks (Will be advertised on main C&CC site etc). I also understand it will be 'soft launched' this week. Unlike this forum, the C&CC forum is a basic message board type layout....but having said that, I believe the C&CC forum architecture will develop in the future..

Well said BoleroBoy. I had some additional comments, but the stupid time-out fairy got me.

GTP, Tell them to ditch the time outs. Or at least make them long enought to type a paragraph or two ;-)

Well said BoleroBoy. I had some additional comments, but the stupid time-out fairy got me.

thanks, John. try selecting your typed text and using copy to the buffer/clipboard to guard against the time out.

often you have been logged out without knowing it.....until you press submit....

 

the 'penalty free' should be extended to at least a week, cancellations within this reason should attract some form of 'penalty' (something added to next booking bill?) and, if these are valid reasons for cancelling (health, other serious reason) then surely they would be covered by annual 'holiday insurance' policies?

I personally would not have any problem with this. However, it could be argued that the annual member ship fee is in itself a type of insurance. I doubt that any holiday insurance would cover you, almost certainly the excess would be more than the individual deposits.

 

The C&CC is now introducing a forum...Myself and a few other members, along with staff, have been testing the Beta site for a couple of months now. Several testers are not happy with the forum layout (including myself), but it has now been signed off by the Comms Committee and should be going live in the next couple of weeks (Will be advertised on main C&CC site etc). I also understand it will be 'soft launched' this week. Unlike this forum, the C&CC forum is a basic message board type layout....but having said that, I believe the C&CC forum architecture will develop in the future..

Thanks for the heads up, they have obviously been looking at the success of this one

David

 

the 'penalty free' should be extended to at least a week, cancellations within this reason should attract some form of 'penalty' (something added to next booking bill?) and, if these are valid reasons for cancelling (health, other serious reason) then surely they would be covered by annual 'holiday insurance' policies?

I personally would not have any problem with this. However, it could be argued that the annual member ship fee is in itself a type of insurance. I doubt that any holiday insurance would cover you, almost certainly the excess would be more than the individual deposits.

....just run me by how 'the annual membership fee is a type of insurance'?

yes, you could argue (obtusely) that by being a member, and by paying a fee, you qualify for short notice changes of plans merely due to current T/C.....but hardly 'holiday insurance'.

real 'travel insurance' will protect you from loss due to illness, thats what the cancellation clause is there for......of course it depends on the excess fee and the size of the deposit....

however, it doent cover 'whim' type changes of mind just 72 hrs prior to arrival, and neither should the CC system.....'penalty free'.....and i dont mean a 'wrist slapping' email....

Thanks for the information GTB, A C&CC forum will be a welcome addition and I'll look out for it with interest.

peedee

 

The C&CC is now introducing a forum...Myself and a few other members, along with staff, have been testing the Beta site for a couple of months now. Several testers are not happy with the forum layout (including myself), but it has now been signed off by the Comms Committee and should be going live in the next couple of weeks (Will be advertised on main C&CC site etc). I also understand it will be 'soft launched' this week. Unlike this forum, the C&CC forum is a basic message board type layout....but having said that, I believe the C&CC forum architecture will develop in the future..

Thanks for the heads up, they have obviously been looking at the success of this one

David

I agree this forum is a credit to the club...