Trusted

Unfortunately this seems to be par for the course for many of the larger commercial sites. We have had the same experience twice in the last two years because of illness, the first one Covid and the second a mobility problem. Both sites very well known, one in Somerset and the other in Devon were not willing to move or refund which resulted in a heavy loss of money. OK so I signed up to their terms and conditions which were perfectly clear but it still left a nasty taste in the mouth. There are many fine commercial sites out there but unfortunately if you book in advance you are at risk of loosing money as you often have to pay 4/6 weeks before arrival. In future I will be inclined only to book a day or two in advance. Although its not always possible from a location point of view to use a Club site but both Clubs offer T&C's which are much more generous and at worst you are only likely to loose your deposit, not the full payment. 

David

With the uptick in demand for sites (and MH/ caravans) sites have become far tougher on their TC because they can...things may change going forward if demand decreases..

one pays ones money etc...

if you're happy with club sites then this might be the way to go, but spreading your wings for a (perhaps) better product or location could mean tougher T/C. 
as David says, we book far later or have built relationships with a few commercials where they are happy for us to pay during (or at end of) the stay. 

Whenever we use a commercial type site (rarely in the UK) I always speak to them first to gauge how customer friendly they are.

I ask about their T&Cs, such as can I rearrange if we have sickness or breakdown/accident etc. If the answer is no then I don't book with them, it's as simple as that. If the answer is yes then I send them an email and ask them to confirm it in an email by return.

I appreciate that you've had a tough deal but did you need to scatter the ashes just yet, could it not have waited awhile until the better weather, when you would have had a better choice of sites.

I hope you manage to get a response from them, have you tried to see if they have a Facebook page, I always find a message on there gets a quick reply 😉

Julie, That’s a lot of money to lose.  I would be gutted.  

My own tactic with commercial sites was only to phone the night before travel and ask if they had availability for the next day, but pay nothing at all in advance. But that was overseas. Does it work in that way here? Surely in mid winter few sites are full ?

When we have used commercial sites out of season we have winged it and just tipped up on the day but a call a few hours or the afternoon before has confirmed possibility. 
Of course during the summer months a call before possible arrival asking if an impromptu stay is possible is somewhat essential. Don't think we were ever turned down, apart from when site was full, but we have been asked to turn up early and not leave it to last minute. Never needed to pay anything in advance in these instances.

These strategies are also acceptable on club sites but I guess a little easier for motorhomers regardless of club site or not. We always have had several other options available to us but never needed that last ditch lay-by. I guess holding a particular mindset is helpful.

I can see why people plan ahead as it gives a sense of purpose and something to look forward to, not everyone is comfortable doing things on an ad hoc basis. Leaving things to the last minute might be fine if its a one off trip but more difficult if its part of a longer tour where force of circumstance might dictate you book (and pay in advance) on some sites? I expect its an issue that will never be resolved whilst the majority of customers are prepared to book and pay in advance. The only future problem I can see for sites that insist on operating that way is the march of the motorhome as owners of such vehicles are probably less likely to book so far in advance and it will be interesting to see if this impacts on business practise? 

David

I agree with much of what you say, David but not so much with your longer tour notion. If you mean a classic ‘touring caravan holiday’ I’d agree. However, as many of our longer trips used to be very much planned but not necessarily down to the specific nights and specific sites level, that detail was much more fluid. This mode of touring became more difficult post lockdown but not impossible and judging by our more recent observations may well become much easier once more. We loved, as did many others, this style of touring. I can, however, see that others may need security of booking and do not have the ability or confidence to be more spontaneously in their holidaying.

UK only travel insurance is available at a price.  In some cases where the prepaid cost of your stay is high it may be worth having but quite often it is not helpful because of the initial outlay and claims excess.  As in this case one simply has to "self insure" and accept the loss.  The advice given by Tammygirl is good and one thing worth noting is that unless the T&C's are prominently displayed and available prior to contract they are not applicable to either party.   

Booking terms and conditions are what they are for every company. You either go with them or you don’t. The Club in many ways is no different, and we know that folks who have booked Club Sites and then cancelled inside 21 days have lost their deposits, or in some lucky instances, had a credit voucher issued or carried over. The canny are simply not getting embroiled in the deposit scenario, and if happy to do so, are either just turning up, or checking availability and only booking night before or morning of departure. Goes for all pitch providers in our case, not just the Club. That way, we know if anything happens on the day of departure (unable to set off, sudden illness, very bad weather) there’s no loss of monies. Accept that this mode won’t suit some folks, in which case, you either take the loss, or take out UK travel insurance.

This time of year isn’t easy to contact many businesses, and it’s hard luck on the OP’s with their car problems. But it could have been bad weather, illness etc…. I’d simply ring or email Glentrool today, (not a Bank Holiday) and see if anything could be sorted. Criticising Glentrool on a public forum, over a minimally staffed bank holiday period isn’t going to achieve anything.

There are quite a few decent CLs, open all year and with toilets and showers, in the D&G area, for future reference. 

These are Glentrool's T&Cs. It’s stated that the deposit/full booking amount is non-refundable. It's hard luck on J&F, and quite stringent but something we all take a chance on when we pay anything up front but maybe an arrangement can be made.

We stayed at that site about 45 years ago when it was just pitches amongst the trees and we were eaten by mankilling midges. It’s changed a bit!