10% deposits at all UK Club campsites

It’s a perfect storm, some of it created by HQ decision making, some of it aspects beyond the Club’s control.

It's a storm the club could have weatherd comfortably just by changing the cancellation period to 21 days and forgetting deposits.

The user and all related content has been Deleted User

I don’t disagree Arch. It’s difficult to understand really what the Club’s main priorities are at the moment, so difficult to comment constructively. 

We don’t like the changes or the pricing structure, but we are using alternatives to Club Sites, so not really bothered what they do as it hardly affects us. 

Paying a deposit doesn't bother me, it's the 21 day cancellation period that does.

It's rare for us now to use CMC sites not solely because of the new T&Cs but more so the price per night of the sites.

As others have said often if you don't like the price go elsewhere which is exactly what we have done.

I think WN was on the right track with his suggestion of a lower deposit and a shorter cancellation period, couple that with lower prices the club would not have lost so many members. 

On another thread there is talk of much higher admin costs in the annual budget. Maybe if was looked into they could find a way of reducing costs to members. 

Not sure CAMC is the only business suffering at present, recently returned from 2 weeks in Cornwall, site we stayed on was only 50 % for most of our 2 weeks, toured around the area visitng various sites CAMC  & commercial, all reported occupancy rates down, now in Devon site we are on 70 pitches 10 units on site and 3 are on seasonal pitches, owner reporting never experienced a season so bad so early, just praying for a good July/August. This site is £33 per night HS fully serviced and you could get 2 caravans on the pitch and park your cars.

It’s not deposits and it’s not prices . Campsites are half empty because people are doing other things and going to other places.

My daughter has just flown back from Dubrovnik - and on a mid week morning there were 6 flights back toUK from there. - to Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh.  That’s 1200 people travelling on that one day alone-  so 8000 people a week on that one route alone. And there are dozens of similar routes.

Uk campsites will fill up in the school summer holidays - but only then.

There could be far less cancellations if far fewer members are booking in the first place?🤷🏻‍♂️.....edit.....sorry just saw Hja's post....

we know there's availability, many on CT have reported spare space...

even the (non club) site I was at this week was short of customers this morning when we left....it's usually rammed on a Friday evening, especially with the fab weather we've had.

so I don't think lower numbers are confined to CAMC, however they have instigated changes lately (deposits, price fluctuations, eroding free cancellation period, 'new' booking system) which have not necessarily made life better or easier for some members.

 

As before I think it should be 'some' have reported spare space, not 'many' - personally I recall less than , what? five? six? saying so, not 'many'. 

And anyway there has always been 'spare' space, not even club sites are always full and no one ever said so. So really do we 'know' - what? Yes some have reported spare pitches, equally others (besides myself) have reported full sites. 

You keep mentioning the price fluctuations but I don't think it in itself affects bookings in any way at all.

And the cancellation was given as a percentage rate, so it's a proportion, so we can't tell the original numbers from it in any way. Also it would be calculated from the original numbers as percentage change calculations are done.

Yes some have reported spare pitches, equally others (besides myself) have reported full sites.

We found it very variable. Cirencester, coronation BH largely full. Cheddar midweek largely empty. Brighton weekend largely full, Battle midweek not much more than half. Whitehouse Beech midweek half term, about three quarters full. Norfolk broads half term, half  / three quarters. Seacroft 80% when we arrived on the Saturday at the end of half term, emptied out on the Sunday and refilled to 80% Monday when the price reduced by £10.

The C&CC sites we used were similarly variable.