New Booking System

I had a glitch this morning. 

It meant I could not use the online booking system for my Sister. My camper tows her caravan and I need to make a separate booking for both camper and caravan but the system now will not let me do that.

No problem, ring up and make a telephone booking, well - bookings, as we are doing yet another long distance charity bike ride next year and need to book 9 sites. 

I gave up trying to make the very first booking after 31 minutes of hanging on the telephone for "a team member to become available". 

I have now made 2 bookings  at 9 different sites in less time than it took me to try and make one booking with the club.

I have made the technical issue known in correspondence this morning but seriously, what an example of trying to fix something that wasn't broke and breaking it in the process.

First look at the new system today, and all I can say is it`s a complete dogs breakfast. 

Trying to find a potential site for next weekend was a nightmare and after a couple of attempts I was no further forward so just gave up. The old availability system was easy to access, easy to understand and you could tell at a glance what was available where. 

Being a member of `both` clubs I now have to question do I really need both, and can I justify the expenditure? My membership renewal is due in December and after 33 years I think it`s time I called it quits, the new system being pretty much the last straw. It is in no way the `club` I first joined back in the 80`s, and if not for the wonderful CL`s and their owners I would probably have left earlier.

The club magazine is filled with self-congratulation, back-slapping and little else, and whilst the majority of site staff remain pleasant and helpful doing what is quite likely a difficult job there is a definate growth in those with what I call `the Hitler Complex` - perfected by the couple I encountered at Longleat this year.

It seems the `club` is too big to care anymore.

My first attempt at your new system and a TERRIBLE 'experience' when amending a booking.

A UK booking more than 21 days away, yet your system declared that a cancellation fee was applicable.

After an enquiry with Live Chat, I was told that the amendment was done with no cancellation fee.

ie as it should have done online !

I got an e-mail regarding the Chat implement amendment, vague detail not confirming dates etc.

Sadly the change is still not reflected in my bookings either !

The Club appears to be relying on customers to 'fault check' your prematurely, badly implemented new system....

You have wisely referred to these changes as an 'experience'....but with no definition of the quality of that experience !

The Club should have paid professionals to 'fault check', not rely on customer 'feedback' like this after a bad 'experience' !

Customers time is money, just like with you....

I am re reading page 105 of the October club magazine under the heading - Investing in club sites and capabilities - and I quote “ the Club invested a further £5.7m on central IT infrastructure, including the new Booking Capability system going live in 2022” in quote. And this £5.7m spending has not worked well at all. The app is almost unusable and finding CL content, in particular prices and directions to a CL have been really degraded. So who could say that’s £5.7m of clubs money well spent?

Altogether now ....." Sorry seems to be the hardest word "" ...

Down for maintenance again last night, but nothing seems to have changed. Perhaps they have improved the functionality on various devices, however materially it appears the same. Late availability still does not work properly, no links to leave a review or directions to site, no colour coding on calendar, locations is cluttered with places and sites around the world and dates of birth still required.I would have thought after a month the odd enhancement might have started to filter through.

One must presume that, when the software was written, the DOB is required to ascertain the fee rate for the occupants. It was only necessary to have a numeric box for adults/children to achieve this. It just shows the level of incompetence of the IT team that was employed. If this presumption is correct, is it any wonder that the system is rubbish and is unlikely to improve.

Anticipating the chaos that has proven to be the case, I hasten to add that I have avoided anything to do with this new "system" like the plague. I wonder how many members have done the same or because of the poor experience have given up and gone elsewhere.

I have tried looking for a CL to play a touring visit.

I have found the NEW website very slow and not easy to view the county I wish to visit and found the old method much better, therefore I consider the change very poor.

The website found no CL in the location I wanted on 2 occasions but did find on the 3rd attempt

The site fees are not shown which I think will increase the telephone calls to the site owners to enquire what their fees prices  are.  

I hope the new site directory does not follow the same pattern Why did the site directory number not be included as a search method because this could have been incorperated so that search by the club map could also be used instead of the digital map which is so slow to load.  I wish the system had not changed as I think this is not easy for the mature members !!!

The weakness of the search engine on the new booking system is not related to the age of the searcher but is to do with the way the system has been badly programmed.

I wish the system had not changed as I think this is not easy for the mature members

I think you do the mature members a disservice, as from posts on CT more than that age group are having difficulties. Personally I’ve not found the act of searching and booking that onerous, except during the initial roll out. However, it just isn’t anything like a complete booking experience, which is what we were promised. At a month after launch the likelihood of this ever being provided, is looking slim to non existent.