Secure you summer holiday for just £5 deposit

Sorry but, with the exception of the 70% cancellation reduction reported by CAMC, those are just your thoughts and suppositions; no more or less than the comments made by David.  

Correct and I started the second sentence with "My thoughts are..." 

This trail of 5% deposits is the club trying to encourage members to stay more nights. Deposits will stay and the club is trying to get the percentage right for the club and right for the members.

Its £5 not 5% and maybe you are right but we had a similar deposit years ago and that didn't work. The reports were that members just didn't cancel and if you recall it resulted in warning emails being introduced with repeat offenders being penalised. Its odd that this level should yet again be chosen but if members do behave sensible there should be no reason why it shouldn't.

I assume you have seen the DG's email, to quote from it;

"The trial will run from July to the 30 September 2024, so members can book any UK Club campsite for any time this year, and up to August 2025. The deposit is fully refundable – if you cancel more than 21 days before the arrival date you get your deposit back in full.

Optimistically, we would like to extend the £5 deposit beyond the trial date, but we first must make sure that the cancellation rate doesn’t return to the high levels it was 2 years ago.

We therefore will review the performance of the trial, let you know what difference it has made, and whether we are able to continue with the £5 deposit to the end of the year and beyond."

I am a little perplexed by the last paragraph on how it can be apparently judged so quickly as to be extended to the end of this year. Surely you would have to wait until August 2025 for the results?

peedee

I am a little perplexed by the last paragraph on how it can be apparently judged so quickly as to be extended to the end of this year. Surely you would have to wait until August 2025 for the results?

No just the opposite for a few reasons.

When we introduced trails of something new we monitored it from day 1 and continuously there after, if things were going bad we could make changes quickly. For the club to leave it till 12 months plus is wholly irresponsible in my view, a whole year of increased cancellations? Would you be happy with that if you were using club sites regularly?

The following few months will be the busiest and so I think it's reasonable to look at bookings made till say October under this new trail and assess then. If the cancellations are what they are now then it's a good omen, if worse then obviously it's not a good idea and stop it then. It could also be inconclusive which would require extra. Also I assume the club will look at the increase, or not, of bookings and if this trail is bringing in more business.

A far more careful and balanced approach than waiting till August 2025.  

I think a reason for reducing the the deposit is to try and get bookings in the book, if successful this will help with making the forward predicted financial situation look a lot better, I'm not complaining I'm all for it.

Why the need for a trial then? Why not just introduce the change with the proviso that if it seen to be no good the Club will revert back to 10 percent of a booking.

peedee

That had crossed my mind too. I won't be complaining either unless we end up in the same situation as before. In the short term I can see it not being a problem but it could degenerate in the longer term.

peedee

+1. yes I said something similar upthread, I think it's more to do with getting more people to book and hopefully come to club sites rather than booking elsewhere where the deposit is often far higher and non refundable and worse T&Cs. Also of course it might just drive up membership if people see it's worth booking with club rather than going elsewhere.

And hence the need for close monitoring before it gets to the longer term PD.

PD that's the same thing as a trial isn't it. We're trying something different and we may change is what your saying? Yes a trial.

Also Haven't there been many posts about the club not being fully open and transparent about it's rules and procedures? At least this way it's clear what is going to happen.