Club prices getting silly

richardandros replied on 25/10/2021 14:18

richardandros

Posted on 25/10/2021 14:18

I'm not one who normally complains about site fees. It's quite simple - you either accept them, or you don't! We are both fortunate in that we are retired with good pensions and don't have to count the 'pennies' too much. However, I have just attempted to book two nights at Broadway as a stop-over on our way to Devon, next June. For two people on a normal hardstanding pitch on 5 June (not a peak holiday period), we are being asked to pay £39.40 and for the following night, £35.10 - that's over £74 for two nights. Compare that with 14 nights at the C&CC site at Dartmouth - which is lovely and just as good, if not better than most CAMC sites - for £311.

I think this is ridiculous and will be looking elsewhere.

That said, I am not averse to paying premium prices if it seems justified - we will be paying something like £37pn at Sandringham, this Christmas - but I would expect that at that time of year due to increased demand - but not in what I see as a 'low/mid season' period.

I don't use Club sites very often and if this is the way things are going, together with the threat of introducing deposits I can't see me using them at all in the future.

Rant over - but I think this is a step too far.

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293 replies

Extugger replied on 27/10/2021 07:35

Extugger

Posted on 26/10/2021 19:50 by Bob Colquhoun

Having been a member for over 30 years I agree. Expensive, good but authoritarian sites and a loss of the fact that this is meant to be a club owned by members. So where's the members say in the costing? Going the same way as the rest of the country🤔

Posted on 27/10/2021 07:35

I'm not entirely sure your statement is correct Bob. The Caravan Club Ltd is an organisation which represents it's members (although at what, I'm not sure) but is not owned by them. It's a business which is run like most other limited companies, providing goods and services. The Club sites are generally of similar standards and if you should use one for just 5 days, in any one year, you will recoup the £54 joining (membership) fee.

Obviously there are other benefits in becoming a member - access to some 2000 CL's for example. However, like any business, goods and services will increase in cost and these costs are passed on to the end user. Your weekly groceries, heating bills and of course petrol/diesel prices have all seen recent hikes.

As RandR suggest in the OP, prices are seemingly ridiculous on Club sites, but you either pay to use them, or you don't. Voting with your feet is one option and one which I took, but not necessarily based on Site prices.

Justus2 replied on 27/10/2021 07:53

Member

Justus2

Motorhomer

Posted on 27/10/2021 07:53

Higher prices for club sites this year have certainly reduced our desire to use them. In 2021 it has been a mere 17 nights on this club's sites yet we have been away for nearly 70 nights in all. If prices continue to rise further our bookings of this clubs sites will probably reduce still further, especially as we have, since covid, not used a single toilet block even if available, preferring to use our own facilities instead. I expect in 2022 that we will continue to seek out those cheaper alternatives probably with no facilities. Club sites seem to be failing to meet our requirements at the moment.

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Rocky 2 buckets replied on 27/10/2021 08:03

Rocky 2 buckets

Posted on 27/10/2021 08:03

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Rocky 2 buckets replied on 27/10/2021 08:25

Rocky 2 buckets

Posted on 27/10/2021 08:25

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replied on 27/10/2021 09:11

Posted on 26/10/2021 21:59 by DavidKlyne

People always have the option of voting with their feet, if they feel prices are too high they can always go elsewhere. In the meantime regardless of the prices charged CMC sites still seem to be heavily booked. Even if that were to change I think we have to be careful in thinking what the Club might do. With pressure growing on wages and it seems the ability to recruit staff, the ever rising costs on external maintenance fees plus large increases in energy costs what options does the Club have. I imagine they would have to start looking at the parts of the organisation which don't give sufficient return to make them worthwhile?

David

Posted on 27/10/2021 09:11

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SteveL replied on 27/10/2021 09:19

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SteveL

Motorhomer

Posted on 27/10/2021 09:11 by

David

One example of looking elsewhere for savings has already happened with the imposition of a £10 charge to make ferry booking by phone. Its obviously designed to cut staff and having benefited from the advice given at times I its a very poor show to try to dissuade members from calling.

Posted on 27/10/2021 09:19

It’s perhaps better (as long as they answer the phones) than a certain insurance company I tried to call. They just don’t answer the phone and bombard you with messages saying your call will answered as soon as possible and it’s much easier to use their online portal. Although updating your credit card isn’t available on it.

JVB66 replied on 27/10/2021 09:24

Member

JVB66

Caravanner

Posted on 27/10/2021 09:11 by

David

One example of looking elsewhere for savings has already happened with the imposition of a £10 charge to make ferry booking by phone. Its obviously designed to cut staff and having benefited from the advice given at times I its a very poor show to try to dissuade members from calling.

Posted on 27/10/2021 09:24

We have found that many organisations seem to now have a "booking fee" on top of the cost of tickets for events and trips even if doing it on line

young thomas replied on 27/10/2021 09:32

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young thomas

Motorhomer

Posted on 27/10/2021 09:32

Yes, I don't really understand this, when the customer does all the work themselves👎....unless it's just for the money???

Oneputt replied on 27/10/2021 09:42

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Oneputt

Caravanner

Posted on 27/10/2021 09:42

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JVB66 replied on 27/10/2021 09:47

Member

JVB66

Caravanner

Posted on 27/10/2021 09:47

One of the classic excuses that is given when trying to contact companies by phone these days "we are experiancing an unusually High level of calls " followed by what ever spin they decide is todays excuse,

Which either means

1. there is not enough staff in their call centre?

2. more likely its a poor company

3 even more so its a combination of both, and most of the calls are complaints about them or their services /products

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