Would It Work ? – Open for sensible debate.

I personally don't have a problem with the current system , I can usually find a site in an area I want , if not other clubs are available

as far as deposits , if they do then ok ,if not then fine......

We can always find a good site amongst the other 93% of sites in the country.

The current system works well for me personally, but then I don't take part in frenzie day

Whether your idea would work I'm not sure: it's only the (perceived?) honeypot sites which get booked up early.  Keeping hold of 50% of pitches until your suggested 2 months before planned date would still mean full sites, especially during holiday times and weekends.  IMHO, there would still be more people wanting to book than there are pitches available, 2 months away, so there would still be people who wouldn't get what they wanted.  There are simply not enough pitches for the number of people wanting those (perceived?) honeypot pitches.

Don't have booking work holidays now so a little unfair to comment?😉Holidays could be pencilled in once the diaries arrived but weren't approved until the new leave year started on 1 April then on first come first served basis.  Only small team no one with school age children so not much of a bun fight 😂. Most of us trying to avoid school holidays. 

I think the idea of 50 50 sounds good, maybe 3 months in advance rather than 2?

Personally I cannot see why it isn't a rolling 12 month booking system. Radical or what?? No IT tweaking of any description required. Also means don't have to person the telephone with extra bodies for a few days either 😉

I am one who is against deposits. The main difficulty that some have in making bookings is weekend availability. Weekenders require to book two nights. If there were a £10 non refundable deposit it may deter speculative booking. For many I doubt it. If they decide not to use the booking then they lose £20 if they were to go it would probably cost another £30 in fees and £20 in fuel.

For me such a deposit would cost £1,200. I can afford it just before Christmas but prefer not too.

There would be the same problem in booking 2 months before bank and school holidays  

Maybe instead of deposits it's pay in full say 7 days before 😲😲. That of course would mean automatically generated emails and online payments.  On second thoughts we are dealing with the club IT 😂😂

When I book my nz flight 11 months in advance it's pay on booking! Still at least it means I have a seat and hopefully plane and engines too 😉😉. Incidentally if I book with less notice it's the same!

Although we've never had a problem with booking sites we want when we want, I personally dislike frenzy day and never book anything until January at the earliest. Even then, very few club sites are completely booked throughout the year. We booked Chatsworth for 4 nights this year, just avoided weekends. Like Bakers, I'd think a 12 month rolling problem more likely to solve any perceived problems and has the benefit of keeping things simple rather than holding back a certain percentage of pitches.

As for deposits, we know the club says that the situation regarding no shows and late cancellations has improved since dropping them, and in a way I can understand that - if you were the sort of member who was likely to cancel simply because of bad weather, I think you'd be inclined to leave it till the last possible moment before deciding, so pitches are left empty rather than being taken up through the late availability system (though I'd go for 5 days rather than the present 3.)

I personally don't think booking day is the myth some people would like you to believe.We managed our booking OK when I was working  , it was just a matter of having alternative sites /dates if you couldn't get your first choice , I really don't see what the fuss is about.

In the last couple of weeks I've made a number of  CMC bookings with no problems  , even booked a long weekend at Chatsworth ......there seems to be plenty of availability at ALL the sites ive recently booked .

In fact we are members of C&CC as well & have had more sites not available with them , so used CMC sites instead .

+1👍

I quite like booking day.......... yep an odball perhaps.