Disgruntled CAMC Warden Joining Here!

We booked onto Blackshaw Moor site for 8 nights but I made a mistake in our booking - I thought I'd booked for arrival on 19th but had actually booked 18th.

By late afternoon warden left a very friendly voicemail explaining the procedure if we arrived late. When I called them back to say we were arriving tomorrow, they explained my actual booking but said dont worry, you dont have to pay for the missed day (even though I offered).

How very refreshing. Never once had any 'issues' with site wardens, quite the opposite.
 
We quite often use club sites (both CAMC and CCC) they can be a bit sterile, but we have never had problems with wardens and not all are rigid about the peg rules.
when I had a heart attack at Brighton site the wardens were fantastic giving help to my wife and barrier passes to the kids so they could come and visit her. They even found somewhere to store the caravan over a busy bank holiday weekend and liaised with the AA to help send it back to Devon for us.
 
Despite everything going on behind the clubs closed doors you never ever let it influence your welcome to guests, for guests at arrival we always do our best

I wish this was the case, sadly it isn’t always. We are a couple in our 50’s, no dogs, no kids (not that there’s anything wrong with that) quiet, don’t bother anyone so nothing to upset anyone. We got to one site and I said “Hello, how are you?” as I entered reception to pay... “I’ll be OK on 31 October! “ was the Wardens reply...”Oh what happens then?” I asked... “This place shuts!” came the reply... Now I understand they are disgruntled but I don’t want to hear this when I arrive for my well earned, much waited for break 🤷‍♀️
 
philann said:
We quite often use club sites (both CAMC and CCC) they can be a bit sterile, but we have never had problems with wardens and not all are rigid about the peg rules.
when I had a heart attack at Brighton site the wardens were fantastic giving help to my wife and barrier passes to the kids so they could come and visit her. They even found somewhere to store the caravan over a busy bank holiday weekend and liaised with the AA to help send it back to Devon for us.
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Opposite to me, when my dad had a stroke on a CCC site (Exmouth) no wardens could be found to let the ambulance in. Such "safety" features are any thing but and can cause a life changing deteriation to someone's condition....

Cheers James

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minesapint said:
Went on one CMC site that has over 150 pitches with only 8 hard standing pitches. The attitude by the warden on reception seemed rather grumpy and fed up.. We drove round the very hilly site to try and find a fairly level pitch, looking at caravans with trolley Jack's under them to try to get level. Not a good advert, but the site was always busy so probably did not get a good budget to upgrade pitches, as a good revenue stream was already there. Our pitch was devoid of grass and as such was pure mud, but we were not allowed to move sideways a few feet to escape the mud as the peg was there.
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Sounds like Incleboro Fields, West Runton but not big enough, they have 250 pitches and only 6 hard standing.
 
Oldwarden said:
I've a question for folks on here who have been long time members

When do you think the rot set in?

The club has always employed professional management with lawyers and accountants and advertising folk ,however in my memory it was quirky but member based organisation
It employed wardens who were allowed to run sites as they saw fit and God help guests who disagreed.
To be honest if ever they had to have a word with me I needed it

So when?

For me it was that awful TV prog 6 years ago with the then chairman of the club driving his caravan on a rally course in the forest and trashing it and then we had some really awfull stereotypes of caravan types doing a driving course around bails of hay. Awfull TV and members came in the office to object to us on site
That was for !e the start of the end for a member based club
Sad
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What rot? We like the C&MHC.
 
I’ve read with interest the OP’s quotes as I am a member of both clubs and have been for around 20 years.
Is this thread a moan at my employer post or is it a post to put members off from joining or renewing CAMC memberships?
If it’s the first and things are so bad, why not just up sticks and leave? Why honour a season contract if you feel the employer isn’t doing so on their part?
If it’s the latter, the reason for most is choice and availability. Most members on here are CAMC members for the sites (CL and Club). Had the UK been set up like France for example with Aires, you’d rarely see a motorhome on a club site I guess.
However, I have to say that I disagree with some of the views.
Whenever I’ve experienced a bad warden reception it’s always been from a CAMC site warden and not a CC site warden. Petty things that have spoiled our arrival experience. Things like being told to drive around a site with tight access to look for a pitch in the dark and when I’ve asked if I can park in the late arrivals lay-by and walk round due to the size of the van, bring refused, but then allowing other members to do so later on during our stay.

We have a continental van with the Hab door on the other side. Having issues on one site regarding not being allowed to reverse in to the peg because they like all vans to look the same on a row.

then there’s the peg. Stray off line by a few inches and it’s as if we’ve crushed a flower bed at Chelsea flower show for some.

Sarcastic comments for being a motorhomer and not a caravaner in front of other members on check in.

Lectured like a child forewarning grey waste emptying rules before we have even pitched up. I could go on.

All of these examples have been site warden driven and although instruction may be given from HQ policy on certain things, most of the petty treatment has come from power thirsty wardens.
In comparison to the other club, totally different. Both have the same tasks and same issues to deal with in dealing with the paying public.
So why is there a difference between the two?
Why is the perception different from Fun members on this forum? If you had a look back at historical posts, you’ll note that rants about wardens are top heavy towards the CAMC and issues have been created by the warden and not HQ.
I appreciate that wardens have their work cut out. Some holidaymakers leave their brains and manners at home when they go away and the warden is there to keep order. Which means they take the brunt of the issues. But surely that’s to be expected when you sign up?
As for changing computer systems - it sounds no different to any other large organisation. I know of an organisation or service that will buy a new computer system to do one thing but the system is not designed to do what they’ve bought it for. But they think that making some changes to it will be great. But it ends up costing double.
This isn’t isolated to the CAMC.
In fact the CAMC web booking site is better ten fold over their rival. Especially if you have a van over 7.5m long.
As for starting to charge deposits, I’m all for it. It needs a good overall.
I look at my shift patterns to see when I have a weekend off during a year and try booking a site. It can be near on impossible if I want a certain site on a certain date sometimes.
I’ve even been guilty of waiting in the queue on the booking release date for booking the following year to try and get reservations but to no avail for my dates at some sites. But like others have said, the week leading up to arrival and the site is wide open with availability.
So although the OP’s posts are interesting, I don’t understand why they’re drip feeding their issues on here whilst still working for them?
 
Neil S said:
When you say block book do you mean booking two different sites on the same day ?
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No I mean that people book every weekend from April to September or a number of booking for the year they know they will not take.
But book so they have a choice, thus preventing any other person booking until 3 days before when they cancel without penalty.

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philann said:
when I had a heart attack at Brighton site the wardens were fantastic giving help to my wife and barrier passes to the kids so they could come and visit her. They even found somewhere to store the caravan over a busy bank holiday weekend and liaised with the AA to help send it back to Devon for us.
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I n 2016 was visiting a friend with my m/h in N. Yorkshire when I had a call from my niece in Cornwall to say that my 89 yr old sister had been admitted gravely ill to the hospital at Redruth and I set off immediately to drive the 450 miles.
I phoned the nearest CAMC site (nr. Hayle?) mid afternoon with an ETA of round 10 p.m. after visiting the hospital and the warden said they could find room for me and would let me in if I came to their caravan.
I arrived at the hospital at 7.30 p.m. and had a very lucid conversation with my sister before she passed away at about 9 p.m. Back at the site the wardens were absolutely wonderful for the three days that I had to stay whilst making necessary arrangements.
I think it depends upon the nature of the individual wardens and how respond to how they are approached regardless of 'Club' rules.
Credit where it's due.
 
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Phill D said:
The CCC take a deposit when booking and the balance due the morning of arrival automatically.
I don't read many complaints about them doing this.
The ability to block book CMC sites for the whole year ahead and cancel at short notice without penalty no doubt affects online availability of bookings.

I think the taking of a deposit at booking and the ability to transfer that deposit if a reasonable amount of notice is given of cancellation would be fine. Of course cancellation for compassionate grounds should be accepted.
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The CCC have not been flexible this year its archaic to need to give 30 days notice to cancel a pitch that they will resell again. We broke down in Scotland so needed to cancel two bookings on Skye the first was Camping Skye no problem cancellation and full refund within a couple of days but CCC Skye the only option was to keep the deposit for another date this season only. All sites on Skye have been full so they will have been paid twice.
 
Is it not time that we named the offending sites, giving dates and times so that the wardens and sites can be traced, not just by us but by the clubs management. ( accompanied by pictures wherever possible but not faces?)

PERHAPS, this will change the attitude, not only of the offending sites but the wardens themselves??
Lets face it, if your not happy at work, you will be miserable for, up to, 50% of your life!
 
orridge said:
The CCC have not been flexible this year its archaic to need to give 30 days notice to cancel a pitch that they will resell again. We broke down in Scotland so needed to cancel two bookings on Skye the first was Camping Skye no problem cancellation and full refund within a couple of days but CCC Skye the only option was to keep the deposit for another date this season only. All sites on Skye have been full so they will have been paid twice.
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I THINK that deposit could have been used at another CCC site near Skye, I find speaking to the site often brings results (numbers can be found in the old site books).
I have had to do this at the Moreton Site (VERY helpful) and had it transferred to Devizes (Ditto) on another date.
I have never had a problem with ANY CCC site in 23+ yrs of membership and consider them excellent value for money!
 
I tend to give people a bit of slack. We can all have off days. We don't know whether the warden has just come from dealing with a difficult customer, has something going on in their life, or something else. I was talking to one who had just come from a barrage of abuse from a visitor who refused to wear a mask.

I can only remember one warden who was grumpy and officious for the whole time we were there. The others were just having a bad moment.

Sure, it'd be lovely if every warden could be happy and smiley 100% of the time - but if they're not, I won't let it spoil my holiday.
 
I've enjoyed reading the posts. We weren't members for long and stopped as we disliked paying a membership fee for sites that were often more expensive than others in the area as well as lots of other little reasonable, some of which have been mentioned above.

"Clubs" debates have been going on for years; some love them, some tolerate them and some don't use them or like them at all. It is good to hear someone else’s perspective, especially someone who is at the coal face and is experiencing more changes than most. Thanks for the posts Oldwarden
 
hja said:
CLs don’t have wardens. They are not owned or run by the Club. Up to owners whether they want to collect money electronically, some do, especially if they have other aspects to their businesses, eg farm shop, cottages etc. For others it would be more trouble than it is worth. I would much rather be able to pay on a card and not cash, but it is what it is. Every CL is different - that is their beauty.
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Exactly. I’ve been toying with setting up a CL, but if/when I do, I certainly would not want my fees handled by the licensing body, as there would surely be a deduction. Moreover, I wouldn’t use CCC or CMC as the licensing body, as I would not wish to be tied to welcoming only members of one particular club or another.

That‘s why if/when it happens, it’ll be through MHF! 🙂
 
tonyidle said:
I was invited to join the Freemasons in the '80s. I was given a load of information to help me decide whether it was for me. There were a few aspects of membership that I wasn't keen on (like having to be smartly dressed for various functions). The final straw for me was that it involved a fair bit of god-bothering. However I couldn't see anything but good in their activities and the money they raise for some very good causes would be hard to match by any Society.
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I have a good friend that was very active in the Freemasons, and was even offered to be the head of the Lodge he was in. He gave time and money in quantity, and they always wanted more. However, there came a time when he lost his well paid job, and needed some financial support, as they purported to do. He got no help whatsoever, none of his past 'acquaintances' came round to see him or ask if he needed help - they basically dumped him. Needless to say he IS an ex-mason.
 
I like going to C&MC sites, because you know what you are getting for the money - always clean, great facilities, tidy sites etc. However, I was very disappointed 4 years ago when, for the second time that year we had to cancel a pre-booked site due to a daughter having to have very major spinal surgery. I went to the trouble of getting in touch to cancel as soon as we knew, and gave good reason for doing so, but still received the 'nasty' letter that the club sends out. Having been a member since the early 80's, and not having had to previously cancel, plus the fact they had a full explanation of WHY we had to cancel, I was very near to cancelling my membership following the letter. Automation for some things can be a dangerous decision.
 
Pusscat said:
What’s all this about a frog!? Toad, I can imagine…but frog?!!
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Frog parking.jpg
 
TR5 said:
I like going to C&MC sites, because you know what you are getting for the money - always clean, great facilities, tidy sites etc. However, I was very disappointed 4 years ago when, for the second time that year we had to cancel a pre-booked site due to a daughter having to have very major spinal surgery. I went to the trouble of getting in touch to cancel as soon as we knew, and gave good reason for doing so, but still received the 'nasty' letter that the club sends out. Having been a member since the early 80's, and not having had to previously cancel, plus the fact they had a full explanation of WHY we had to cancel, I was very near to cancelling my membership following the letter. Automation for some things can be a dangerous decision.
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Had one of those letters too when we cancelled due to a foot of snow across the country and all but essential travel advised against.

The printer must have been going nuts but still…..

We couldn’t get my 4x4 off the drive without snow chains. Why they thought I could tow a caravan 50 miles??? 😂
 
Biggles320 said:
We booked onto Blackshaw Moor site for 8 nights but I made a mistake in our booking - I thought I'd booked for arrival on 19th but had actually booked 18th.

By late afternoon warden left a very friendly voicemail explaining the procedure if we arrived late. When I called them back to say we were arriving tomorrow, they explained my actual booking but said dont worry, you dont have to pay for the missed day (even though I offered).

How very refreshing. Never once had any 'issues' with site wardens, quite the opposite.
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Same here, all wardens we have met have been great, bar one at Hythe on a busy day, had to move my awning guy ropes about a foot …. Just sighed and cracked on ,,, Fairlight has some lovely ones

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TR5 said:
I have a good friend that was very active in the Freemasons, and was even offered to be the head of the Lodge he was in. He gave time and money in quantity, and they always wanted more. However, there came a time when he lost his well paid job, and needed some financial support, as they purported to do. He got no help whatsoever, none of his past 'acquaintances' came round to see him or ask if he needed help - they basically dumped him. Needless to say he IS an ex-mason.
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Excellent ...now get him to spill his secrets
 
minesapint said:
Went on one CMC site that has over 150 pitches with only 8 hard standing pitches. The attitude by the warden on reception seemed rather grumpy and fed up.. We drove round the very hilly site to try and find a fairly level pitch, looking at caravans with trolley Jack's under them to try to get level. Not a good advert, but the site was always busy so probably did not get a good budget to upgrade pitches, as a good revenue stream was already there. Our pitch was devoid of grass and as such was pure mud, but we were not allowed to move sideways a few feet to escape the mud as the peg was there.
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Those photos and your experience needs to be sent higher up the management hierarchy.

When we did our emergency trip back from Italy because a family member had been taken ill we did have an issue at one site where we were told we had to be there before 8 pm and could not leave before ? (not sure but it was too late for us in that situation). Anyway we found somewhere else. That is the only time we have found wardens to be less than sympathetic when a member has an emergency.
 
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Oldwarden said:
Gus Lopez raises a real valid point which applies to the CAMC exactly, but best of luck to them it's a free country, members subs = free cash
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Is it right that the C&MH club are trialling a new way of telling us to pitch up, rather than to the left of the peg. Park between the two white pegs?
Bet some people still get it wrong 😆
 
Spriddler said:
I phoned the nearest CAMC site (nr. Hayle?) mid afternoon with an ETA of round 10 p.m. after visiting the hospital and the warden said they could find room for me and would let me in if I came to their caravan.
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Probably Godrevy Park? Not one of our favourites (nothing wrong with it but.....) and tends to be one of the more expensive ones.

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