Posted on 14/09/2022 09:31
Good morning. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience being caused with the implementation of our new booking system. Members and guests are able to make bookings through the new system however this is not the complete experience we have designed.
Please be assured our IT and Technical Teams are working extremely hard to resolve all of the issues as soon as possible.
2 people like this
Posted on 07/10/2022 08:34 by mbee1I'm not sure they've acted appallingly but just brought themselves into line with the holiday sector generally. As I've said before, I've been an advocate of deposits since the new system was mentioned and I've already tied up almost £500 in deposits that wouldn't have happened previously. The Club's cancellation terms are still generous in that you will get your money back in full if you cancel outside of 21 days. There are not many other holiday companies that would do that. You would almost certainly lose your deposit and often more the closer you cancel to the date of arrival.
You can't compare Club sites with CLs either. The MO is completely different. I would imagine that the provision of pitches at a CL is not usually the man source of income.
What is appalling is the complete shambles of the way the new system operates. The testing of it has completely fallen down somewhere and it is completely unacceptable to us, as members, that no one from EG has come out and made a public statement that something is wrong. A few words from Rowena days ago, standard responses on Trustpilot and nothing in the latest magazine. Do they think it will go away?
Posted on 07/10/2022 08:55
I'm not talking about the move to deposits, mbee, but of the shocking incompetence and lack of communication in the shambolic implementation of this booking system. Your last paragraph is exactly what I referred to by "acted appallingly". To ignore members in this way and launch a system that's far from user friendly, clearly without adequate testing, shows their disdain of paying customers.
I'd like to think members show their feelings by voting with their feet.
12 people like this
Posted on 07/10/2022 09:43
Agree Tinny. If it wasn’t for the CLs, we would have been long gone. As it is, we have found a touring style and other websites that have made our life much easier, so all the changes to T&Cs, deposits, lack of communication aren’t really affecting us. We are a gnat’s whisker off not renewing, it’s only the CLs we need. We terminated our Membership during COVID without a qualm. I feel no loyalty to this so called Club, and it certainly has none for me after decades of Membership. Caveat Emptor.
3 people like this
Posted on 07/10/2022 09:52
Used the new website for the first time. What a backward step - and all because they are chasing profit with the new deposit scheme with its ridiculous Terms and Conditions. The old website was brilliant and enabled very easy tour planning as you could retrospectively adjust bookings depending on various sites availability etc. They now want start keeping your deposit if you cancel less than 21 days out. This is for a campsite! I can book a hotel and not be penalised for cancellation with just a few days to go. The very reason I don't use the camping and caravanning club is because they have had this type of "Unfriendly System" for some time and I always stuck with Caravan and Motorhome club because, up until now, had a much superior and fair system with 7 day limits and an extremely easy to use website to make changes in just a few clicks. Now they have flushed all of these advantages down the toilet! Incredible! I have just renewed my membership, but will be cancelling and moving to smaller sites from now on. If the M&CC want to redeem themselves they should put a cap on membership numbers, which in my opinion is a major factor for the scarcity of pitches &/or build more sites and pitches. Then scrap the deposit scheme. The government has made some spectacular U-turns, why not the C&MC? At the very least reduce the 21 day trigger point down to 7 days again.
Please address the issues I raise directly and convince me as, one of your long term members, that I'm now getting a better deal - cos it sure don't feel that way!
7 people like this
Posted on 07/10/2022 08:34 by mbee1I'm not sure they've acted appallingly but just brought themselves into line with the holiday sector generally. As I've said before, I've been an advocate of deposits since the new system was mentioned and I've already tied up almost £500 in deposits that wouldn't have happened previously. The Club's cancellation terms are still generous in that you will get your money back in full if you cancel outside of 21 days. There are not many other holiday companies that would do that. You would almost certainly lose your deposit and often more the closer you cancel to the date of arrival.
You can't compare Club sites with CLs either. The MO is completely different. I would imagine that the provision of pitches at a CL is not usually the man source of income.
What is appalling is the complete shambles of the way the new system operates. The testing of it has completely fallen down somewhere and it is completely unacceptable to us, as members, that no one from EG has come out and made a public statement that something is wrong. A few words from Rowena days ago, standard responses on Trustpilot and nothing in the latest magazine. Do they think it will go away?
Posted on 07/10/2022 10:01
It was the same with the name change it seems those at HO think as then the controversy will mainly go away if they keep their heads down
The big difference this time is it directly affects many members and even more of the older members who had a very flexible USP that allowed for medical and other age related problems
The only members it seems to be anything like user friendly are those with it seems IT and computer skills
1 person likes this
Posted on 07/10/2022 10:04
I have not used the new system to make an actual booking, I will wait until next year before I start thinking about what we will be doing. That is not a change, we tend not to book that far ahead anyway. I don't envisage that I will have a problem using the new system although it will, of course, be different from the old.
As to giving up membership I wonder if that is just an empty threat, especially for those that before the change used Club sites almost exclusively? If people think that sites similar to Club sites will in some ways have more generous T&C's they will soon find that not to be the case. We will have to wait and see how the deposit system pans out and how widely it is accepted. Will it change booking behaviour or will people come to terms with it. It is equally possible that people have only used sites Club sites have only done so because of the liberal booking policy and perhaps in future might decide they now have a better choice of sites as T&C's have levelled out? We will probably have to wait until the 2024 AGM to see what the impact of the change has been.
David
Posted on 07/10/2022 10:04 by DavidKlyneI have not used the new system to make an actual booking, I will wait until next year before I start thinking about what we will be doing. That is not a change, we tend not to book that far ahead anyway. I don't envisage that I will have a problem using the new system although it will, of course, be different from the old.
As to giving up membership I wonder if that is just an empty threat, especially for those that before the change used Club sites almost exclusively? If people think that sites similar to Club sites will in some ways have more generous T&C's they will soon find that not to be the case. We will have to wait and see how the deposit system pans out and how widely it is accepted. Will it change booking behaviour or will people come to terms with it. It is equally possible that people have only used sites Club sites have only done so because of the liberal booking policy and perhaps in future might decide they now have a better choice of sites as T&C's have levelled out? We will probably have to wait until the 2024 AGM to see what the impact of the change has been.
David
Posted on 07/10/2022 10:35
Empty threat?, I agree, we all know how some people use their membership withdrawal as some sword of justice. . .They use it too regularly to actually have an impact. Accept the change or don’t but to annually mention not renewing is not a good look🙁
1 person likes this
Posted on 07/10/2022 09:43 by TakethedogalongAgree Tinny. If it wasn’t for the CLs, we would have been long gone. As it is, we have found a touring style and other websites that have made our life much easier, so all the changes to T&Cs, deposits, lack of communication aren’t really affecting us. We are a gnat’s whisker off not renewing, it’s only the CLs we need. We terminated our Membership during COVID without a qualm. I feel no loyalty to this so called Club, and it certainly has none for me after decades of Membership. Caveat Emptor.
Posted on 07/10/2022 10:37
That's a good point about loyalty during the pandemic, TDA. You were wise in taking a membership break whereas we were foolish enough to support the club by paying membership fees. For what? To now be treated like dirt by CAMC who have chosen to use members to sort out the new booking system and iron out its wrinkles with hardly a word from anyone in acknowledgement of the mighty goof they have made.
People seem to think I'm objecting to the taking of deposits - I'm not as I'm well used to paying deposits and money up front for other types of holidays. What I object to is paying money to an organisation that treats its customers/members in this manner.
2 people like this
Posted on 07/10/2022 10:35 by Rocky 2 bucketsEmpty threat?, I agree, we all know how some people use their membership withdrawal as some sword of justice. . .They use it too regularly to actually have an impact. Accept the change or don’t but to annually mention not renewing is not a good look🙁
Posted on 07/10/2022 09:52 by Roger RandallUsed the new website for the first time. What a backward step - and all because they are chasing profit with the new deposit scheme with its ridiculous Terms and Conditions. The old website was brilliant and enabled very easy tour planning as you could retrospectively adjust bookings depending on various sites availability etc. They now want start keeping your deposit if you cancel less than 21 days out. This is for a campsite! I can book a hotel and not be penalised for cancellation with just a few days to go. The very reason I don't use the camping and caravanning club is because they have had this type of "Unfriendly System" for some time and I always stuck with Caravan and Motorhome club because, up until now, had a much superior and fair system with 7 day limits and an extremely easy to use website to make changes in just a few clicks. Now they have flushed all of these advantages down the toilet! Incredible! I have just renewed my membership, but will be cancelling and moving to smaller sites from now on. If the M&CC want to redeem themselves they should put a cap on membership numbers, which in my opinion is a major factor for the scarcity of pitches &/or build more sites and pitches. Then scrap the deposit scheme. The government has made some spectacular U-turns, why not the C&MC? At the very least reduce the 21 day trigger point down to 7 days again.
Please address the issues I raise directly and convince me as, one of your long term members, that I'm now getting a better deal - cos it sure don't feel that way!
Posted on 07/10/2022 11:53
CAMC previously had a 3 day limit, which was ridiculous. Had it been, say, 10 days, it might have worked better. Registration of a credit card with the club and penalties applied for late cancellation/no shows would have saved all this chaos.
As ever, CAMC love to do things the hard way and cock it up to boot.
4 people like this
Posted on 07/10/2022 12:11
DK
As to giving up membership I wonder if that is just an empty threat, especially for those that before the change used Club sites almost exclusively
It may turn out to be an empty threat I've said it myself but for members who almost exclusively use club sites it was the flexibility of the TCs that kept them booking club sites but now they are angry and probably as I have done look elsewhere and from what I've seen the grass is greener.
3 people like this
Rowena
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