CAMC Rip Off

[seasideBill]

I have just had an exciting half hour reading the TrustPilot reviews. At least it appears that the Caravan Club are actually reading them too and attempting to give sensible - if not altogether helpful - replies.

They suggest filling in this form to help the web designers know what to change next!

Booking Capability feedback

Booking Capability feedback.

survey.alchemer.eu

I would hope so as they appear to be TrustPilot subscribers using reviews for promotional purposes, although ratings have dropped from ‘great’ to ‘average’ following the new booking system debacle. It’s the complete opposite to the CMCs own ‘Club Together’ forum where members try in vain to get their voices heard, but are routinely ignored by management and anything slightly contentious instantly attracts the attention of the moderator - ‘content deleted’.

 

[Debs]

OP I think it's a glitch in the system - hope that you can get it sorted over the phone. Be prepared for a long wait to get your call answered - I gave up after 45 mins.

Riverbankannie I amended our booking for Baltic Wharf (added a night) & like you thought I had to either pay another deposit or the balance as it wouldn't accept £0.00. In the end I tried 50p which it did accept.
The thing that did pee me off is both times I selected to 'pay balance on arrival' & yet the confirmation stated they would debit the amount the day before. I emailed the club to ask for confirmation but heard nothing & they have taken the payment (we arrived yesterday). I've got screen shots of the confirmation screen & 'my bookings' stating pay on arrival.

 

[Janine]

OP I think it's a glitch in the system - hope that you can get it sorted over the phone. Be prepared for a long wait to get your call answered - I gave up after 45 mins.

Riverbankannie I amended our booking for Baltic Wharf (added a night) & like you thought I had to either pay another deposit or the balance as it wouldn't accept £0.00. In the end I tried 50p which it did accept.
The thing that did pee me off is both times I selected to 'pay balance on arrival' & yet the confirmation stated they would debit the amount the day before. I emailed the club to ask for confirmation but heard nothing & they have taken the payment (we arrived yesterday). I've got screen shots of the confirmation screen & 'my bookings' stating pay on arrival.

Don't get caught out by the LEZ being brought in on the 19th November. It's in very small print on the CAMC site info page.

 

[Swifter]

All time low for the CAMC

 

[Nanniemate]

I have just had an exciting half hour reading the TrustPilot reviews. At least it appears that the Caravan Club are actually reading them too and attempting to give sensible - if not altogether helpful - replies.

They suggest filling in this form to help the web designers know what to change next!

Booking Capability feedback

Booking Capability feedback.

survey.alchemer.eu

Is that why they are not answering the phone because they are reading the Internet

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[roadwarrior]

i would like to suggest shaking them warmly by the throat.

 

[BillandHelen]

First off I hope the op gets things sorted out ok, as others have said the t&cs state they shouldn’t incur a charge.
For a bit of balance. Last weekend we stayed on a v nice commercial site in Balloch, full payment in advance, no refunds for cancellation or amends, please claim on your insurance if necessary!
Along with the other million members of the club we are pretty happy with the club, its standards and its wardens.
As ever you pay your money and make your choice! One of the joys of motorhoming!

 

[Debs]

Don't get caught out by the LEZ being brought in on the 19th November. It's in very small print on the CAMC site info page.

Thanks Janine but we arrived yesterday

 

[tonyidle]

It could be .
However, given my experience of the club it will be the cheapest software license they could obtain, resulting in a poor quality product. Inadequate staff training of the new poor system then puts the icing on the cake .
Yet again CAMC you are a complete embarrassment to themselves as a business.

They are not a business.

 

[Brains]

There's almost unbridled joy when the CAMC (or in fact any other big club) gets it wrong - mostly expressed by people who aren't in the club and have no intention of being so.

It reminds me of something someone said at a conference I was at when they were explaining why they wanted to be part of an initiative that was slightly controversial and people were wondering whether to join up or not. It went along the lines of "I would rather be in the tent pissing out than the other way around" and that seems to sum this up nicely - CAMC it seems have been working hard to change their systems to meet what their members have asked for and there's bound to be teething problems but hey, let's put the boot in anyway . . .

I'm in the club

I'm also in teach the 'How not to design a website' club.

For a number of years we have used the C&MHC as a classic example, in front of a class for 50+ new web designers, of 'How not to do it'
With the 'new' site the C&MHC can not say they were not warned and then warned again and again.

From my point of view they have committed every rookie error in the book, the good news is we can therefore continue to use the C&MHC website as a almost laughable example of how to try to create a website on the cheap that actually costs you a lot more time and money.

It represents a very good training ground for new website developers, who will no doubt go onto greater things and hopefully will leave underfunded jobs like this one in the dumping ground of failed projects where they belong.

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[Brains]

They are not a business.

They are not a Club

 

[tonyidle]

They are not a Club

Check out their published accounts.

 

[Coolcats]

I have just tried to change a booking we had made at a CAMC site booked for July 2023. Due to some recent commitments we wanted to push back the arrival date by 2 days, keeping the length of stay the same period of 2 weeks. Used the online app. All went well except when I got to the checkout there is an extra £120 cancellation/administration fee! All I am trying to do is move the booking 2 days later. I gave up. It will be much cheaper just to keep the original booking and not turn up for the first 2 days, albeit we lose 2 days holiday of course. How can they justify such a ridiculous charge. Contacted them using their Web form and they will try and respond within 10 working days. Bet I don't hear anything from them.

Just a personal thought, I find using the old fashioned method of phoning a company normally results in a better and faster resolution. I know you sometimes I have to wait for the call to be answers but it’s still faster than within a 10 day response time.

 

[Coolcats]

They are not a business.

All Clubs operate as a business

 

[tonyidle]

All Clubs operate as a business

Of course. I'm a member of a car club that does. I was (badly) trying to make the point that it doesn't operate to make a profit for shareholders.

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[Oldrat]

deleted

 

[scotzsue]

We more often than not got to a CMC site with the grandsons, booking 2 separate dates until the family get final dates for their holidays, dreading it this year. We also do the same, but with the C&CC for Johns Grandkids, we always go to the same site, they have no desire to go anywhere else. so much easier, we get some of our insurance via the CMC and also use their 5 van sites, not yet downloaded the app. Do bookings have to be made by it and what about folk who don't 'do' apps.

 

[busbuddy]

You can book via the website, I think it was 'designed' to be pc/laptop based because there is too much rubbish on the screen with the app on a phone.
It does make me chuckle when they gleefully put on trip advisor that they have fixed certain things........they are things that should have worked from the beginning
They are too far down the road with this software now to do anything else but keep sticking plasters on it.
The deposit thing was never a problem for me as I have to do that with pretty much everything else I go to, sometimes 2 years in advance but they have not done their pr any favours with the new system.

 

[pelican]

First off I hope the op gets things sorted out ok, as others have said the t&cs state they shouldn’t incur a charge.
For a bit of balance. Last weekend we stayed on a v nice commercial site in Balloch, full payment in advance, no refunds for cancellation or amends, please claim on your insurance if necessary!
Along with the other million members of the club we are pretty happy with the club, its standards and its wardens.
As ever you pay your money and make your choice! One of the joys of motorhoming!

It does rain alot in Balloch so thats probably why no refunds!

 

[LesW]

A non CAMC here, tried to book a night near Birmingham over the coming weekend.

They wanted £36 for a hard standing, no EHU!

Tried a few times but kept getting the same result.. Ended up with CCC cl for £10.

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[Jenben]

I am not sure why they couldn’t just have tweaked the old system to take deposits but I guess it’s called progress

I am not sure what the new system delivers that is better but hey ho.

Hopefully the OP will get sorted as that must just be a system glitch.

 

[Wack]

CAMC it seems have been working hard to change their systems to meet what their members have asked for and there's bound to be teething problems but hey, let's put the boot in anyway . . .

Exactly, hopefully it'll change the behaviour of those that book every Friday and Saturday then cancel 3 days before if the forecast is bad

It was almost impossible to book 5 nights over a weekend anywhere pre deposits

 

[Coolcats]

Of course. I'm a member of a car club that does. I was (badly) trying to make the point that it doesn't operate to make a profit for shareholders.

Sounds Like Rolex Watches

 

[BillandHelen]

It does rain alot in Balloch so thats probably why no refunds!

And it was!

 

[Swifter]

There's almost unbridled joy when the CAMC (or in fact any other big club) gets it wrong - mostly expressed by people who aren't in the club and have no intention of being so.

It reminds me of something someone said at a conference I was at when they were explaining why they wanted to be part of an initiative that was slightly controversial and people were wondering whether to join up or not. It went along the lines of "I would rather be in the tent pissing out than the other way around" and that seems to sum this up nicely - CAMC it seems have been working hard to change their systems to meet what their members have asked for and there's bound to be teething problems but hey, let's put the boot in anyway . . .

What did you expect the response to this shambles to be ? Are you suggesting whatever ridiculous mistakes they make ( even after being warned ) that members shouldn’t complain or voice an opinion?

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[cyberyacht]

From my point of view they have committed every rookie error in the book, the good news is we can therefore continue to use the C&MHC website as a almost laughable example of how to try to create a website on the cheap that actually costs you a lot more time and money.

"On the cheap"? They've spent 5.7M. The IT firm must be laughing all the way to the bank. CAMC couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery.

It's ludicrous that they will respond on third party websites but studiously ignore the wails of anguish on its own forum.

 

[Gellyneck]

There's almost unbridled joy when the CAMC (or in fact any other big club) gets it wrong - mostly expressed by people who aren't in the club and have no intention of being so.

It reminds me of something someone said at a conference I was at when they were explaining why they wanted to be part of an initiative that was slightly controversial and people were wondering whether to join up or not. It went along the lines of "I would rather be in the tent pissing out than the other way around" and that seems to sum this up nicely - CAMC it seems have been working hard to change their systems to meet what their members have asked for and there's bound to be teething problems but hey, let's put the boot in anyway . . .

Have you an insight on how many \ percentage of members were actively seeking this change, revised booking process, deposits, etc, as I asked on a number of occasions but with no response?

 

[hja]

Have you an insight on how many \ percentage of members were actively seeking this change, revised booking process, deposits, etc, as I asked on a number of occasions but with no response?

I doubt any of us mere mortals know. Apparently there were surveys!

 

[SRC]

Just update everyone. I tried using the CAMC app again this morning to change the arrival date to 2-days later than originally booked, and reduce the length of stay from 14 to 13-days. The app reduced the stay charge by £40 for the reduced stay (correct) and then detailed additional fees of £64 and cancellation charge of £104. I attach a screenshot.

Had a chat with them. They apologised and confirmed that there should be no additional charges for making the amendments. All sorted out during the chat. Dates now all altered and £40 deducted for the reduced stay of 1-night.

So, be very wary of using the app for making amendments to bookings. I have left feedback so hopefully it will get sorted out soon.

 

[Swifter]

. I have left feedback so hopefully it will get sorted out soon.

Good luck with that one .

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