CAMC Rip Off

[seasideBill]

What protection is in place for the funds held deposit?
Is there an, eg IATA / ABTA equivalent scheme? Doubt it!

Good point…quite a substantial amount involved.

 

[Coolcats]

One thing we must all remember is, the club is there for one reason, to make more money, not to help anyone.

All clubs have to make money or they go broke.

 

[Coolcats]

‘To’ their staff not from their staff, most staff members I have met have been great, it’s the managements handling of staff which I was referring to in this last line.

There is a problem in general with modern management and I am not sure where it has come from. Management seem to have become ultra punitive bullying and rude to staff across most industries. I once visited a customer who referred to staff as ‘Muppets’ I preffered not to do business with that company.

On compassion it is not weak or airyfairy as some people think it is compassion can be fierce it can be compassionate to fire someone.

My personal ethos is that people go to work to do their best, people will never do what you want in a way you want 100% but just work with them and guide them, often if you treat staff with respect and kindness you find that they will do much more than they need to and you discover thier skills, this is why I do not agree with 1-2-1 or 360 feed back as it often takes more away from an individual and undermines than enables. As I say attitude to staff is not unique to CAMC.

The issues probably stems from a system where we tell people who go in to management when they were. at school and unversity were told they are amazing unique and the best.

 

[seasideBill]

There is a problem in general with modern management…

Certainly is… too many wasting money on consultants is one of them. Managers paying themselves huge salaries, then do little other than pay consultants (with few real skills and a massive lexicon of management jargon) to advise them. It’s a particular problem in quango, charitable and not-for-profit type organisations. They seem to forget that leadership and good management is their job! As for accountability…..!

 

[Clangers]

All clubs have to make money or they go broke.

You can make money without ripping people off

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[Coolcats]

Do you have evidence of people being ripped off?

A great example was on TV a few nights ago regarding fresh and frozen pizza’s a frozen pizza can be four times cheaper than a fresh pizza both are made from exactly the same ingredients. The reason was that not all fresh pizza’s are sold and have to be thrown away which means people buying fresh pizza have to cover the cost of wastage.

CAMC will have popular sites that will be booked out most of the year and some sites that will have less visitors and I suspect there will be some cross subsidy.

If you can prove it’s a rip off please do so but I suspect it’s a view and whilst we are all entitled to a view it doesn’t make it fact. I may be right or wrong but suspect there is much more to running multiple sites with good facilities than most of us are aware of. One other point is how else does a club purchase or lease a site if they do not make sufficient profit along with capital investment which needs to happen on a cyclical basis ?

 

[The Wino]

You can make money without ripping people off

If they're ripping people off where's the huge profit going? I think charging deposits and them not being refundable unless good notice is given is perfectly reasonable. It's just very annoying for people who were used to more or less unlimited bookings with the chance to decide at the last minute whether to go or not and stopping others booking

 

[Clangers]

Do you have evidence of people being ripped off?

A great example was on TV a few nights ago regarding fresh and frozen pizza’s a frozen pizza can be four times cheaper than a fresh pizza both are made from exactly the same ingredients. The reason was that not all fresh pizza’s are sold and have to be thrown away which means people buying fresh pizza have to cover the cost of wastage.

CAMC will have popular sites that will be booked out most of the year and some sites that will have less visitors and I suspect there will be some cross subsidy.

If you can prove it’s a rip off please do so but I suspect it’s a view and whilst we are all entitled to a view it doesn’t make it fact. I may be right or wrong but suspect there is much more to running multiple sites with good facilities than most of us are aware of. One other point is how else does a club purchase or lease a site if they do not make sufficient profit along with capital investment which needs to happen on a cyclical basis ?

Pizzas well really!!!!
Poor management for over producin. So the customer pays for poor management A rip off
I have never dealt with any business who will not try and rip you off. Every single one

 

[Clangers]

If they're ripping people off where's the huge profit going? I think charging deposits and them not being refundable unless good notice is given is perfectly reasonable. It's just very annoying for people who were used to more or less unlimited bookings with the chance to decide at the last minute whether to go or not and stopping others booking

Where is the money going, good question
So losing £120 is good business plan for its customers That might just be very annoying for people as well

 

[Coolcats]

Pizzas well really!!!!
Poor management for over producin. So the customer pays for poor management A rip off
I have never dealt with any business who will not try and rip you off. Every single one

Yup Pizza's who would have guessed, best go and tell Sainsburys and Tesco's et.al and tell them they have poor management and are ripping people off

I respectfully suggest it's not a rip off or poor management as you can buy a frozen pizza instead of a fresh one the choice as they is yours

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[Coolcats]

If they're ripping people off where's the huge profit going? I think charging deposits and them not being refundable unless good notice is given is perfectly reasonable. It's just very annoying for people who were used to more or less unlimited bookings with the chance to decide at the last minute whether to go or not and stopping others booking

Personally I thinks good business for the club to do this, not sure how else they could mange the situation

 

[LesW]

I would have thought something is only a rip off if you have no choices..

 

[TheTwoOfUs]

Why do people get so upset with something which they confess to not using? Save your ire for something that affects you.

 

[bigtwin]

I have never dealt with any business who will not try and rip you off. Every single one

Do you think that the customers of your business (whatever that is)/employer feel the same or are you/they philanthropic in nature?

Ian

 

[TDub49]

You can make money without ripping people off

What Coolcats said at #156 . . .

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[The Wino]

Where is the money going, good question
So losing £120 is good business plan for its customers That might just be very annoying for people as well

If you mean losing £120 by not keeping a booking previously made what would happen to an airline ticket or booked cruise or package holiday for late no shows or cancellation. It's just the same either stand the risk or claim on holiday insurance. Of course the problem is a lot of no shows wouldn't be able to because holiday insurance doesn't cover " I changed my mind"

 

[MacroMad]

If you've NEVER joined any club how can you give such a critical opinion. I'm in the CAMC mainly because of the ferry prices on offer and the great CLs. I'm in a small local independant club because they hold low cost local rallys every week and hav made some good friends over the years. I'm in THIS club because I get lots of good advice from other members.

Because we have taken up various activities and been part of a group doing that activity, seen what it leads to and i do not like it.
Why on earth would i want to (with motorhomes in mind) arrange to meet other people with motorhomes, park up in a field and sit around doing nothing more worthwhile than tell (or brag) stories of where we have been or thinking of going.
The very thought of congregating outside our MoHo with others leaves me bored to tears.
I have never been to a rally (what is the point of that) nor do i intend to, never driven my van 20 miles up the road and parked up for the night, never used my van in the UK except to drive to the ferry or to the tunnel.
And as for clubs with cheaper prices, not what i hear from the comments in this medium.
You dont need to join a club to get good advice, you can get loads of advice on Facebook etc.
When we use our van it is to go to the continent, i dont want to be bothered by other campers, screaming kids or dogs.

 

[Mikey RV]

Because we have taken up various activities and been part of a group doing that activity, seen what it leads to and i do not like it.
Why on earth would i want to (with motorhomes in mind) arrange to meet other people with motorhomes, park up in a field and sit around doing nothing more worthwhile than tell (or brag) stories of where we have been or thinking of going.
The very thought of congregating outside our MoHo with others leaves me bored to tears.
I have never been to a rally (what is the point of that) nor do i intend to, never driven my van 20 miles up the road and parked up for the night, never used my van in the UK except to drive to the ferry or to the tunnel.
And as for clubs with cheaper prices, not what i hear from the comments in this medium.
You dont need to join a club to get good advice, you can get loads of advice on Facebook etc.
When we use our van it is to go to the continent, i dont want to be bothered by other campers, screaming kids or dogs.

But you join a forum with rules and lots of members and join in by posting.

 

[Coolcats]

Because we have taken up various activities and been part of a group doing that activity, seen what it leads to and i do not like it.
Why on earth would i want to (with motorhomes in mind) arrange to meet other people with motorhomes, park up in a field and sit around doing nothing more worthwhile than tell (or brag) stories of where we have been or thinking of going.
The very thought of congregating outside our MoHo with others leaves me bored to tears.
I have never been to a rally (what is the point of that) nor do i intend to, never driven my van 20 miles up the road and parked up for the night, never used my van in the UK except to drive to the ferry or to the tunnel.
And as for clubs with cheaper prices, not what i hear from the comments in this medium.
You dont need to join a club to get good advice, you can get loads of advice on Facebook etc.
When we use our van it is to go to the continent, i dont want to be bothered by other campers, screaming kids or dogs.

Should say we are quite reclusive in terms of engaging with others polite but unlikely to make 'friends' we do not engage with others and tell stories. over the weekend we were away on a CAMC site and waked about 30 miles around local trails.

Its cheaper if you are a member rather than a non member however what I think you have read is that there are other 'cheaper' placeless to camp

You make of your motorhoming what you wish, some enjoy actively speaking with others and that's fine if you want if not no won force you to, totally get why people do its just not for us

 

[Spriddler]

Should say we are quite reclusive in terms of engaging with others polite but unlikely to make 'friends' we do not engage with others and tell stories.

I'm very cautious about being 'befriended' on sites as it seems to me that many of the chatty people I've met are just bored and looking for someone to pass the time with and ear'ole them with stories about themselves. Luckily I don't stay anywhere for long enough to suffer for too long.

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[Coolcats]

I'm very cautious about being 'befriended' on sites as it seems to me that many of the chatty people I've met are just bored and looking for someone to pass the time with and ear'ole them with stories about themselves. Luckily I don't stay anywhere for long enough to suffer for too long.

We have enough friends in our social circles and more than enough from a working perspective. the purpose of the MoHo is to get away from it all, we will never be rude and are polite but any exchange will be very very brief should anyone try and engage.

 

[seasideBill]

It must be quite a burden being the only interesting person on a campsite.

 

[seasideBill]

Because we have taken up various activities and been part of a group doing that activity, seen what it leads to and i do not like it.
Why on earth would i want to (with motorhomes in mind) arrange to meet other people with motorhomes, park up in a field and sit around doing nothing more worthwhile than tell (or brag) stories of where we have been or thinking of going.
The very thought of congregating outside our MoHo with others leaves me bored to tears.
I have never been to a rally (what is the point of that) nor do i intend to, never driven my van 20 miles up the road and parked up for the night, never used my van in the UK except to drive to the ferry or to the tunnel.
And as for clubs with cheaper prices, not what i hear from the comments in this medium.
You dont need to join a club to get good advice, you can get loads of advice on Facebook etc.
When we use our van it is to go to the continent, i dont want to be bothered by other campers, screaming kids or dogs.

I’m totally with you on dogs, but it takes all sorts… live & let live and all that

 

[Folkranger]

Because we have taken up various activities and been part of a group doing that activity, seen what it leads to and i do not like it.
Why on earth would i want to (with motorhomes in mind) arrange to meet other people with motorhomes, park up in a field and sit around doing nothing more worthwhile than tell (or brag) stories of where we have been or thinking of going.
The very thought of congregating outside our MoHo with others leaves me bored to tears.
I have never been to a rally (what is the point of that) nor do i intend to, never driven my van 20 miles up the road and parked up for the night, never used my van in the UK except to drive to the ferry or to the tunnel.
And as for clubs with cheaper prices, not what i hear from the comments in this medium.
You dont need to join a club to get good advice, you can get loads of advice on Facebook etc.
When we use our van it is to go to the continent, i dont want to be bothered by other campers, screaming kids or dogs.

It's called being a social animal (or not) That's your choice. You'll never get advice about motorhome matters on facebook that match the quality of the advice that you get in THIS club.

Others don't criticise you for your lifestyle choices. Why then did you say, "Clubs are simply an excuse to create a "Clique" that attempts to make you feel somehow superior and to rip you off"? Are you a qualified behavioural psychologist or do you simply have an inferiority complex?

 

[LesW]

Because we have taken up various activities and been part of a group doing that activity, seen what it leads to and i do not like it.
Why on earth would i want to (with motorhomes in mind) arrange to meet other people with motorhomes, park up in a field and sit around doing nothing more worthwhile than tell (or brag) stories of where we have been or thinking of going.
The very thought of congregating outside our MoHo with others leaves me bored to tears.
I have never been to a rally (what is the point of that) nor do i intend to, never driven my van 20 miles up the road and parked up for the night, never used my van in the UK except to drive to the ferry or to the tunnel.
And as for clubs with cheaper prices, not what i hear from the comments in this medium.
You dont need to join a club to get good advice, you can get loads of advice on Facebook etc.
When we use our van it is to go to the continent, i dont want to be bothered by other campers, screaming kids or dogs.

I'm sorry, but you don't know what you're talking about.

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[Spriddler]

It must be quite a burden being the only interesting person on a campsite.

It certainly is a burden; it's quite tedious to open the door to find a queue of people keen to chat with me.

 

[The Wino]

I'm sorry, but you don't know what you're talking about.

I've sat around at Retrofesival for about 15 minutes before realising that rallies don't agree with me.

 

[Gellyneck]

It certainly is a burden; it's quite tedious to open the door to find a queue of people keen to chat with me.

Maybe you should change your awning light from red to white?

 

[seasideBill]

Back to CAMC…..check out the Club Together discussion forum on the CAMC website. There’s a small group ostensibly debating “are CAMC sites getting too expensive”, but in reality just point scoring and squabbling. This is completely normal. Now, they are the kind of folks I avoid on campsites and in life generally. Just to add to the waste of space, the moderator has been busy witness the number of posts obliterated with ‘content has been removed’, resulting in a narrative that doesn’t make any sense with so much content censored!

 

[chesterfield hooligan]

I'm just waiting for their system to be hacked as it sounds so poorly made.

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