Late availability

'It is positively bonkers to pay £40 -£45 for a single night stop over perhaps arriving after 4p.m. and leaving the next morning'

Shouldn't you rephrase that to it's positively bonkers for you? Others may see it as a very good choice using a better site with better quality. You're taking you view and applying it to all?

Seen it done many times (even on service pitches) in fact happened twice near us this week, and yes there's a few CL and CS nearby Why should these people be classed as bonkers as they don't conform to your preferred touring habits?

We are often told there are cheaper and better sites out there, if this is true why are there so many posts about club prices and alternatives? Surly just choose the site and prices that suits you?

Or is it that those that use club sites are making some mistake and club site users must be informed of this?

I understand DP and can see benefits to business such as air travel, larger budget hotels and so on. I don’t have a problem with seasonal pricing or even for peak bank holiday times. If the club are going to use it then do it properly but I am not sure DP is suited to a camping and caravanning. As others have inferred if DP is working properly then surely there should be price drops for last minute (same day) booking of vacant pitches? I don’t however see the benefit in operating with loss leader pricing unless it is tied to other purchases (bookings) that offset the losses, that could be a dangerous path to take. 

Unfortunately this is all the symptom of a business run by committee rather than a true board of directors, with club members taking the place of what would normally be shareholders. Maybe a better business model is to change to a cooperative or have site managers with similar employment contracts to hotel managers (with occupancy/profit related bonus) and some degree of local decision making on pricing and last minute deals. 

Flatcoat. I'm sorry but I think that the last paragraph of your last post shows a lack of understanding of the structure of the club and how it is managed. Also a little disrespectful to the Nonminated Members who give up their time and are not paid,  to engage with the Club Council on behalf of all members. If other members don't think that the current Nonminated Members are not doing a good enough job don't complain on CT put your name forward, give up some of your time and replace them.

Some people just seem unable to grasp the fact that we are all free to spend our 'hard earned' as we see fit.

Is it 'positively bonkers'  to book a serviced pitch when perfectly acceptable, and cheaper, grass pitches are available?

What about buying a brand new Merc when a second hand Skoda will get you there just as quickly, or eating at a fancy restaurant when theres a chip shop just around the corner? Are they 'bonkers' too?

When I visit a site I see all sorts, from Motorhomes towing cars costing £100k plus to knackered cars and caravans that are months away from the scrap heap. At Damage Barton recently, there was an old Volvo that had a tent on its roof, and the occupants were having a whale of a time. I had a long chat with them, and at no point did they suggest I was 'bonkers' for wasting my money on a caravan.

So, which of these things are 'better'?. Which are 'superior'? What is it that makes a given individual think that they have found the perfect way to go about the hobby that we all enjoy?

We all have our own reasons for how we spend our time and money, and that should be respected.

 Some people in the world of social media Timbo live in a perfect world in which they believe all must follow

Went to visit Damage Barton today, was it that quiet when you were there?

JK

i respect your right to spend your money as you see fit, but I do think that you could consider that all members are not as fortunate as you are.

We are sort of "middling", in that we could afford some Club sites, if we cut down on our time away.   However, we do not choose to do that, so we have stopped using CAMC sites, but remain members to use CLs.  We also use CCC sites, which work out less expensive for us, and a few commercials.

We feel that those who use  exclusively  Club sites, which is of course up to them, are probably saying it is OK for the Club to hike up prices as much as they wish, they will still pay them.  This to us does not seem in keeping with this being a "club".

The Club is of course not a charity, they need to cover costs, but in a time of economic stress, could they not postpone improvements to sites, and especially the acquisition of new sites?  

What do ordinary people do in this situation?   Speaking for ourselves, we have cut down on unnecessary spending, made economies where possible.  We do have a fixed amount of income and need to cover essentials first.  Should the  Club  not do likewise?

Thats why I don't do Social Media JK. I was quite shocked when I used Twitter years ago to find that some people I had respect for were actually quite abhorrent.

We were at DB in June during the hot spell, and it was busy. All the CAMC pitches were taken.

Interestingly, non of the cheaper grass pitches without EHU were occupied. 

With respect, you have no idea how 'fortunate' I am. You don't know what sacrifices we make in order to enjoy the hobby that we love, what car we drive or the size of our house.

Your opening paragraph suggests that money isn't a consideration for us, which it most certainly is. What makes you think that we aren't 'middling' too, or even lower?

The point of my post was to highlight the fact that choice prevails, and that an individuals choice should not be criticised or ridiculed, which seems to be how many posts seem to be heading.

We too are 'ordinary' people.