New Booking System

I have emailed the club to ask if you book a Site and pay the deposit, but then need to change to another cmhc club site within 21 days of going if you can transfer the deposit paid.  I am still awaiting there reply.

This has happened to us a couple of times due to family reasons and having to head south , when We had bookings in the North and it was straightforward the cmhc still had a booking and income from us. 

Fact. We booked a week in Malvern last October. On the second day we had a call to say my Mother in Law had had a stroke. We told the wardens that we had leave urgently, and they refunded all of our money on the spot.

Fact. We were treated fairly, and with sensitivity.

Fact. No one asked us if we had insurance. They showed sympathy, compassion and wished us well

Fact. That was last year, no deposit scheme in place then and this is a new booking system with deposits taken up front.🤷‍♀️ And the balance on arrival.

I know how good the on Site staff are, they will go the extra mile for most Members, and do it willingly and with compassion. But things have changed. You will still get the help and compassion from on site staff, but it probably won’t be their call to instantly refund your money.

I doubt you will be dealing with on site staff now should something similar happen, it will be referred to HQ, and you will have to fight your corner from there. Surely this is the case, otherwise why have a 21 day cut off in place? 

Thankfully, I don't share your cynisism. I don't believe that a change in the booking process equals a hardening of CAMC's position when refunding money. The scheme at the time said that I was liable to pay for next 3 days, or 72 hours. Not only did they not charge me that, they didn't charge for night we had been there.

I’m surprised you got a full refund, Timboc, as I believe the rules last year were that you forfeited one night's fee unless you gave 72hrs notice of leaving early or were moving to another club site.🤷🏻‍♂️

Edit: Just seen your latest. They gave you a free night by refunding the first night you’d already paid for and stayed? I can’t help feeling there’s a little confusion somewhere along the line.

I can't speak for any confusion that may have occured in the office. I can only say what happened

I used to work in the Leisure industry, so perhaps I am a bit cynical, but I have also had dealings with CAMC insurance dept as well, which is why we seldom consider them as an option.

As I say, I have nothing but praise for the wonderful on site front of house staff, but I just doubt that they will be in a position to refund post 21 day deposits.

The new bookings scheme is driven from HQ, that’s where decisions on refunding are going to be made. Whether the Club will be seen to show enough compassion to fully refund a large number of post 21 day deposits (and there are likely to be a lot given the demographic of the core Membership, lots of over 65’s, lots of folks caring, etc…) remains to be seen. It might well happen, but it might not be as easy as it was with this new scheme. That’s a very open to interpretation statement at the moment, and only time and examples will tell.

No shows are liable for the full amount, not just the loss of a deposit but the total cost of the holiday. People need to read the new T&Cs regarding bookings and cancellations.

This question has been asked in the new booking system FAQs

Can I swap my booking at the last minute and stay at another campsite?

Yes, you can cancel your stay at one campsite to then book another campsite during the same period. You won't be charged for late cancellation but we do ask that where possible, you do this with as much notice as possible so that your pitch can be freed up for another member.

Presumably only possible to action in working hours, mid week and not on a Bank holiday, as I assume it will require a phone call to the booking line. If it’s possible online, (which you could with the old system) there needs to be some instruction about how to go about it.