New Booking System

If you have problems with the online service (very much an experience, but often not the experience which you would like), try the phone booking line as they seem to know what is available as I found recently when I was at Burrs and wanted to book for Hebden Bridge for the following day 2 days. 

I can't help wondering if they expected such a furore at the CMHC HQ, or whether they expected the new system to run far more smoothly than it did!

Surely it’s collective responsibility?

Any of the elected people have had ample opportunity to make their voices heard by now and they could have explained how this all came about. They could be said to be condemning themselves by their silence.

I think if you "volunteer" at such a high level in a multi million pound business then a certain amount of expertise on offer is your "raison d'etre."  These are serious offerings with a certain amount of kudos, commitment and collective responsibility.  I do hope we see some good questions and serious answers at the AGM, not the usual bland and media speak responses. I respect those who take on these works so I'm not targeting anyone but I sincerely hope the response recognises that something might be awry in the way the new booking system has been formatted, set up and introduced?

I note in the "new booking experience" section there are updates and explanations and even work arounds suggested by members on here! eg use the search facility top right with the magnifying glass symbol....well yes but the idea was to have a new booking system not work arounds. What next, will they suggest using Google? 

There are two sorts of furore they have to consider.

Firstly there is the way the system works which I am sure in time will become much smoother and probably more acceptable to use. 

Secondly there is the furore around many members ( it seems) realising what taking deposits when booking actually means. Many seem to have been taken totally by surprise by the change. I think those of us who regularly contribute here or on Social Media might find it difficult to understand how it has come as a surprise but as said previously some clearly don't bother with Social Media and probably don't read the Club magazine? Also once they drill down into the new system they also realise that there are some quite harsh T&C's  in contrast the previous simple no deposit system. This is probably more the case with those that only use Club sites and perhaps don't use sites outside the Club so have little or no experience of deposits and sometimes full payment weeks before arrival on site. It's probably the this section of the membership that perhaps the Club need to be worried about?

David

Can anybody explain the Club's new policy regarding amending a future booking to a different Club site within the next 21 days please?  It's beyond my pay grade. 

For example, keeping it simple and assuming all sites cost £30 per night, suppose I've booked 10 nights at site A starting in a week's time.  The nightly rate is £30 so I've paid a deposit of £60, being 20% of 10 x £30. 

A couple of days pass and our touring plans change.  We now wish to spend the first 5 nights at site A, followed by 5 nights at site B, which is also £30 per night.  So I immediately amend the last 5 nights to site B and in doing so would pay a further deposit of £30, being 20% of 5 x £30.  

I elect to pay balances on arrival.

I presume upon arrival at site A they would request £90, being 5 x £30 less the £60 already paid for this site.

Then upon arrival at site B they would request £120, being 5 x £30 less the £30 already paid for this site.

So my total outlay would be £60+£30+£90+£120 = £300, exactly as expected for 10 nights at £30.

Please bear with me...

Now suppose I had originally booked 5 at site A and 5 at site C, again £30 per night.  The deposit requested would be £60 (each site is £150, so the 20% deposit for each would be £30).  

If my plans change to exactly like before and I switch the 5 nights at site C to site B, just like before, I would pay an additional deposit of £30 to book site B, being 20% of 5 x £30. 

It strikes me I would then lose the £30 deposit paid for site C.  This is in line with my booking confirmation, which states, “You will lose the deposit paid for amendments and all cancellations made within 21 days of your booked arrival date”  

@Cornersteady, this would suggest that changing to a different Club site can indeed incur a loss of deposit. 

Now, it doesn't seem any more 'sinful' to cancel the last 5 nights at site A than to cancel the same 5 nights at site C, yet one will incur a £30 loss of deposit while the other doesn't incur any penalty.

Have I got anything wrong with the logic above?  

For preparing to tour, the moral seems to be, book all your nights at your first site, then amend as you go, rather than the other way around.  I'm sure this wasn't the intention though.  

I feel that amendments from one club site to a different club site during a tour should never incur a loss of deposit, but my booking confirmation states the opposite. 

Actually, we do book cottages without taking out insurance, and that’s sometimes three or four cottages per year. We book cottages usually direct with the owners and talk to them direct, so we know exactly what our booking terms and conditions will be. We also don’t usually book more than a couple of months in advance nowadays, and sometimes under a week in advance to get last minute bargains. Booking direct with owners, rather than through a bookings agency has huge advantages. We often do repeat cottage visits, so have built a trustworthy relationship with owners.

Overseas, definitely need insurance👍

Rephrasing more concisely  ...

My Booking Confirmation states:  “You will lose the deposit paid for amendments and all cancellations made within 21 days of your booked arrival date”

If I book 10 nights at £30 per night, I’ll pay £60 deposit.  If, a week before we travel, I cancel the last 5 nights, do I lose, (a) the whole £60, (b) half the £60, or (c) nothing?

(a)   would be pretty draconian,

(b)   would seem fairest, but contradicts the booking confirmation statement

(c)   doesn’t penalise people for booking nights they aren’t going to take, which was the purpose behind taking deposits AND contradicts the booking confirmation statement.    

 Anyone know which applies? 

David 

• I think the club in most people who have posted on here will ,  for a change notice is taken of the majority of the membership , this time instead of how they have tried to spin what they say as" the members? asked and we listened?"

I have never seen so many new posters who have posted their dissatisfaction with the many problems that have been hilighted since the unanoused introduction of a system that has proven to be for the majority of members unless IT literate , able to use "workrounds"to attempt to get it have some semblance of a system understandable by members

 It is and now since the 12th Sep a complete disaster with no real sign of improving 

And it seems as more members post the more problems seem to come to the surface 

The new booking system has certainly taken 10 steps backward! I am also a member of the Caravanning & Camping Club and always advocated the CAMC booking system over the CAC system. I am not sure anymore. Who designed this new edition????  I am IT literate, but this does not feel user friendly. I have no problems with the deposit system. The other point I wish to make is that the site fees are now beginning to get expensive. Don't forget this is a members Club!