Late availability

Apparently this is the Club's take on Dynamic Pricing...

some think prices should be at their lowest if you book early. The Club seemed to promote this.

some think prices should tumble if pitches sit empty the day before arrival. The Club also 'suggested' prices 'might' come down if circumstances dictated. I've not seen any evidence of this so far.

What we have seen, in abundance, is the almost daily arrival of emails promoting sites with vacancies, special offers (discount codes rather than the actual reduction of prices that members see on the app/website) and other 'promotions'.

I can't say whether this approach is 'Dynamic Pricing'....as mentioned in the OP, I just see the same myriad price points (for the same pitch) and a flurry of 'offers'.

Not having looked at the main sites for a while, out of curiosity I decided to check a couple. We're interested in going to the New Forest in September. Never been before.

Couldn't believe the prices! For mid September one site was £45, the other £48! That's for HS with EHU, 2 adults.  I don't consider that vfm. No wonder we keep getting the emails trying to get us to book sites, because there are still pitches available, judging by various posts I'm not the only one who won't pay those prices.

Thank goodness for CLs 👍

Problem is it’s difficult to please all of the people all of the time. Apparently members asked for deposits because they could never get a booking of 9 nights at this time of year due to speculative booking. Now there seems to be abundant availability. In practice under the old system bookings might have been cancelled at the last minute, particularly at the moment with the atrocious summer weather. The site we are on currently has been about 60% full, now rapidly filling as it’s Friday. Whether it would have been any fuller under the old system is debatable. Personally I think with this weekends forecast it is likely there would have been less arrivals, as now cancelling would mean loss of deposit.

Comparisons with the last few years are also fairly meaningless given the covid affect. I struggle to remember how full the sites were in 2019 compared to now, but at the ones we have used I don’t believe there has been a lot of difference and what difference there is may well be the result of belt tightening due to the current economic situation.

"Whether it would have been any fuller under the old system is debatable."

Well, there will always be a reason for folk to review their touring habits, economic situation, Covid etc...even a change to booing conditions, but on here it seems to be 'prices, prices, prices' that bring new posters to opening threads..

as Ina mentions, the two New Forest sites are pretty well up the CAMC price ladder...BK is nice, well located but is anything but cheap. T'other is not well placed for cycling south (A 35 unfriendly) and our single trip there (a few years back) led to an 'unfavourable' verdict....and that was before the hikes over the last three or four years.

" ...even a change to booing (sic ) conditions..."

Well, I know some members are unhappy with the club this year but that really is going too far!  

but on here it seems to be 'prices, prices, prices' that bring new posters to opening threads..

Folk will always find something that they don’t like, lack of availability / block booking used to be the “in” moan, currently it’s prices. Only time will tell if the CAMC have got it right. Whilst higher than they were, they are not significantly different to a lot of other providers, including the C&CC, unless you qualify for the oldies discount. Pricing a site in the Cotswolds recently, the C&CC was a pound more, as during August the age related discount didn’t apply. Yes I know you can do it cheaper, but many want a a full site with facility block and 16 amp EHU.

Personally I think the big mistake the CAMC have made is syncing the price rises with the introduction of deposits. I was happy to pay the premium for their unique terms and conditions. However, if I’m going to loose a deposit it might as well be to the C&CC  who most of the time are significantly cheaper, for us at least. Although of course the site has to be where we want to go.

Steve, I think the Club created its own perfect storm in resolving the one major issue it considered that customers had...difficulty in booking sites....by introducing a new booking system, the requirement for deposits and the unfavourable (for members) change of cancellation and amendment terms.

add in 'dynamic pricing' (the inevitable pushing of prices ever higher) and this was probably two steps too far for some.

Of course the financial situation hasn't helped either and there are now plenty of folk thinking very hard about their vanning holiday, perhaps reluctant to commit in the way they did due to the new terms regarding refunds or the lack of ability to change their bookings at short notice should circumstances demand it.

I think you have it totally  correct YT.

As far as we are concerned the Club has lost its USP, so  we are no longer using Club sites, after being members since 1998.  We remain members to use CLs, but also use CCC sites and commercials.

 As Pensioners on a  fairly fixed income, we have to consider VFM, and for us , Club sites are no longer VFM.

The new booking system seems to have met the objectives (suggested by many members BTW) of improving availability, so surely a good thing? The T&C's are no harsher than other organisations and in fact marginally better than the C&CC. OK it will take a bit of getting used to but used to it we will get! There might be the odd private campsite out there that will take a booking on trust but they are rare and most of them want full payment 4/6 weeks before arrival. So whilst the CMC might have lost some of its USP it is better than many. I think we will see the booking system evolve and I wonder if the introduction of a 10% deposit will actually become the norm for deposits rather than just an occasional offer? 

Pricing is a different matter. Personally I would prefer to know what the price of a site is without it changing depending on the number of bookings. I think dynamic pricing should end. 

David

".....but used to it we will get!"

it depends who 'we' is.....we certainly are used to it, it took 5 minutes of the change in conditions and the price rises 'for electricity' (several pounds) followed by the latest reductions for metered pitches (a pound or two) to realise things had moved a considerable distance (on the wrong direction) in a very short time....

result, 'we' don't do CAMC sites anymore....(we'd actually stopped well before this) ....sites just are not VFM.

there may well be many more 'we's who have decided on the same course.

However, there might be some more new 'we's to take our place, perhaps who don't have any history of prices....I think the club will need these to replace the 'established' members who are just using their membership for CLs and for other 'benefits'.