Disgruntled CAMC Warden Joining Here!

[tonyidle]

You cannot currently book different sites for the same date with either club.

In that case my skim of this thread was less than adequate

 

[NorthernSoul]

and the people that it's not 'best' for is a young working family (a couple or single parent with a couple of small children) that has a 3 week holiday window date slot from work, without ANY chance to vary it, who are looking to holiday near grandparents (for example).

They cannot keep checking or hoping that, at the last minute, something becomes available. They have to have something DEFINATE!

Is it right that we, who can be flexible, should make this family settle for less than ideal by being selfish and book these holiday slots 'just in case'??

But I don't understand why members who have only a limited 3 week slot don't book up months in advance?

Surely those who have the flexibility wouldn't be booking up holidays in the busy holiday spots in the school holidays anyway? We certainly wouldn't.

However, we've booked a week's holiday in a cottage for 2023 in the school holidays because we're going with family who have to take their holidays at that time. I just had to get up at 7am on a specific day to book it. All other weeks in the summer holidays in 2023 are now booked up. That's just the way it is.

PS. I have just checked availability for three popular CAMC sites in Devon and Cornwall. All have availability in July and August 2022. If you're quick you could make a booking now without paying a deposit!

 

[Chuns]

Here's my take on the business aspect of the CMC. There are countless stories, usually trotted out in management training workshops, about the qualities of successful management. They always centred around either individuals or corporate styles who took the trouble to engage with the 'factory floor' in some way or another.

Unfortunately arrogance comes in different guises, and senior people who are arrogant set the tone.

It would be a fair bet to speculate that this so-called club (it is a business, not a club) has arrogant management. No humility, no common touch, no dialogue.

 

[tonyidle]

(it is a business, not a club

No - it's a Club.

 

[L' Hobo]

But I don't understand why members who have only a limited 3 week slot don't book up months in advance?

Surely those who have the flexibility wouldn't be booking up holidays in the busy holiday spots in the school holidays anyway? We certainly wouldn't.

However, we've booked a week's holiday in a cottage for 2023 in the school holidays because we're going with family who have to take their holidays at that time. I just had to get up at 7am on a specific day to book it. All other weeks in the summer holidays in 2023 are now booked up. That's just the way it is.

PS. I have just checked availability for three popular CAMC sites in Devon and Cornwall. All have availability in July and August 2022. If you're quick you could make a booking now without paying a deposit!

Possibly because not everyone, in these days of zero contracts, knows what 3 weeks they have NEXT YEAR or IF they will still have a job!

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[Marty Gilly and Pup]

I think the dynamic pricing model being referred to within this thread can indeed work both ways. As I understand this, it is more about sales for flights ( or hotel rooms or pitches) following an expected pattern or trend. Like a graph, over a year say, where bookings are taken at an anticipated rate. Once bookings lag behind this rate, the price drops to increase sales and where bookings exceed the curve, the price rises as fewer places are left but selling is easier as a few “need” that particular product on that specific date. So if you’re flexible late in the process on either dates and/or locations there are bargains to be had. Of course, competition is key too.

 

[Chuns]

@tonyidle I've just checked the Articles of Association, and I stand corrected. Sorry.

 

[tonyidle]

@tonyidle I've just checked the Articles of Association, and I stand corrected. Sorry.

It's OK. Many clubs, once they are past a certain size, become limited companies. I'm a member of a car club that did so. Their explanation of the reasons was clear at the time but now I can't remember the details. Like the CAMC they look and feel like a commercial enterprise with the difference being they have no shareholders.

 

[Swifter]

Here's my take on the business aspect of the CMC. There are countless stories, usually trotted out in management training workshops, about the qualities of successful management. They always centred around either individuals or corporate styles who took the trouble to engage with the 'factory floor' in some way or another.

Unfortunately arrogance comes in different guises, and senior people who are arrogant set the tone.

It would be a fair bet to speculate that this so-called club (it is a business, not a club) has arrogant management. No humility, no common touch, no dialogue.

I think the dynamic pricing model being referred to within this thread can indeed work both ways. As I understand this, it is more about sales for flights ( or hotel rooms or pitches) following an expected pattern or trend. Like a graph, over a year say, where bookings are taken at an anticipated rate. Once bookings lag behind this rate, the price drops to increase sales and where bookings exceed the curve, the price rises as fewer places are left but selling is easier as a few “need” that particular product on that specific date. So if you’re flexible late in the process on either dates and/or locations there are bargains to be had. Of course, competition is key too.

Good points . It’s so hard to keep everyone happy . That’s why the system needs to be what the members want . They should ask the members and gauge opinions ( one can dream )

 

[houdini]

But I don't understand why members who have only a limited 3 week slot don't book up months in advance?

Surely those who have the flexibility wouldn't be booking up holidays in the busy holiday spots in the school holidays anyway? We certainly wouldn't.

However, we've booked a week's holiday in a cottage for 2023 in the school holidays because we're going with family who have to take their holidays at that time. I just had to get up at 7am on a specific day to book it. All other weeks in the summer holidays in 2023 are now booked up. That's just the way it is.

PS. I have just checked availability for three popular CAMC sites in Devon and Cornwall. All have availability in July and August 2022. If you're quick you could make a booking now without paying a deposit!

Possibly because working parents with children at school don’t necessarily know when they are going to be able to take their own holiday allocation from work? I did as I worked for a college but my husband didn’t, so it was nearly always a fairly last minute scramble to find places.

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[NorthernSoul]

Possibly because not everyone, in these days of zero contracts, knows what 3 weeks they have NEXT YEAR or IF they will still have a job!

I understand that. But surely the no deposit system then works to your advantage. You know where you want to go and you know it will be in the school holidays. Make some bookings now and then adjust them if necessary when you eventually find out your job situation.

 

[NorthernSoul]

Possibly because working parents with children at school don’t necessarily know when they are going to be able to take their own holiday allocation from work? I did as I worked for a college but my husband didn’t, so it was nearly always a fairly last minute scramble to find places.

See my other reply above. We are lucky that we have flexibility so it's not a problem for us. But if we didn't have that flexibility I'd be working out a way to deal with it now rather than waiting until the last minute scramble. The no deposit CAMC booking system would seem to offer the basis for doing that.

 

[EzeeRider]

If and that us IF it comes in it will need to be brought in from a specific date it will be almost impossible to retrospective it.

Not really the Club could cancel all bookings from a set date and ask members to rebook under the deposit system if they still want pitches.
ezee

 

[62272]

Not really the Club could cancel all bookings from a set date and ask members to rebook under the deposit system if they still want pitches.
ezee

They dont need to cancel the bookings, merely request a deposit by a certain date or lose the slot (not that i am in favour of it)

 

[EzeeRider]

I understand that. But surely the no deposit system then works to your advantage. You know where you want to go and you know it will be in the school holidays. Make some bookings now and then adjust them if necessary when you eventually find out your job situation.

But if too many do as you say you end up with the situation that there is today, full sites which later turn out to have spaces some of which probably are never filled.


ezee

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[Nirvanauk]

Crikey, he has certainly managed to wind you all up.

 

[138go]

We are happy members of the C&MHC. It seems to me that many others are also happy, as the sites are generally full. If peeps were so fed up with the way the club is run, then surely the sites wouldn’t be so busy?

 

[EzeeRider]

There are some good deposit systems around which don't penalise genuine cancellations. Those that dislike deposit systems are the ones that are more likely to cancel at the drop of a hat.
ezee

 

[Janine]

Back to the parking on the peg issue - I've just had a walk around the site i'm on, and there was a C class motorhome and a van conversion on the same pitch!! Not quite sure how they have got away with that one. Also vans parked front in, and not all continental with doors on the oposite side - are they getting more relaxed about this? There were a few pitches I would have liked, if we went in forwards.

I’m sure that they always say that I can park nose in with driver’s door to the peg or reverse in with near side rear to the peg (or is it the other way round?) irrespective of where my hab door is.

 

[138go]

You’re quite right Janine, they say you can park either way round!

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[NorthernSoul]

There are some good deposit systems around which don't penalise genuine cancellations. Those that dislike deposit systems are the ones that are more likely to cancel at the drop of a hat.
ezee

But a deposit system is a complication to solve a problem that perhaps doesn't exist.

Achieving high utilisation is something to concern CAMC. Even at busy times on the most popular sites 100% utilisation is unlikely to be achieved. Indeed it may not be desirable to do so. Perhaps CAMC would publish some figures for actual utilisation and cancellations so that we can see if it really is an issue. The popular CAMC sites that I've been on the last couple of years have looked pretty full to me.

The problem of "I want to go away next month and there's nothing available at the one site I want to go to" is a user problem. I don't see why all members need the added complication of deposits to fix that.

 

[houdini]

See my other reply above. We are lucky that we have flexibility so it's not a problem for us. But if we didn't have that flexibility I'd be working out a way to deal with it now rather than waiting until the last minute scramble. The no deposit CAMC booking system would seem to offer the basis for doing that.

I have to say I like the no deposit CAMC scheme. Was just offering a reason why people aren’t necessarily able to book up in advance.

 

[IanFraser]

A round up

Yes staff do have a private Facebook page and it's very busy

We do write individually but we are all on seasonal contracts which don't have to be renewed so you can guess how that might affect individual complaints

I'm confused, if things are as bad as you say and you're all leaving or want to why worry about the seasonal contracts and being caught saying what you think of management?

 

[Littlewheels]

I’m sure that they always say that I can park nose in with driver’s door to the peg or reverse in with near side rear to the peg (or is it the other way round?) irrespective of where my hab door is.

You’re quite right Janine, they say you can park either way round!

I believe it was October 2019 when they changed the rule for MH’s to park either way, l recall the relief of not having the discussion with the Warden about continental door on regular occasigns.

 

[Geistguy]

Well Oldwarden ( the OP) less than a week, over 400 posts and 14 pages ! Bet you didn't expect that welcome C'mon admin that has to be a record.

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[Gellyneck]

I believe it was October 2019 when they changed the rule for MH’s to park either way, l recall the relief of not having the discussion with the Warden about continental door on regular occasigns.

I've been pitching either way around since September 2014 and never been "challenged" once.

 

[Lenny HB]

I've been pitching either way around since September 2014 and never been "challenged" once.

Try parking across the back of the pitch, much nicer if you want to sit out under the awning.

 

[Gellyneck]

OK, we like to forward plan for "personal" reasons and have had over, from memory, 150 nights pre-booked on C&MC sites in a 12 month period. We have yet to fail to turn up and closest cancellation, if you discount extending a stay on the current site as a change from next site, is around 4-5 weeks in advance (and almost always never). So, if the Club were to introduce a deposit system we'd have to shell out, if it was to be first night pitch fees of say £25, of well in excess of £1,000 in advance.

We also do not make any bookings during July and August (this year excluded), perhaps excluding the first or last couple of days as we understand a sizeable proportion of the membership are limited to these months as they have kids or non-flexible work holidays.

As NorthernSoul says until the Club "publish some figures for actual utilisation and cancellations so that we can see if it really is an issue" any debate around the scale of the problem is anecdotal and decisions shouldn't be taken on this footing. Whilst a number of members do complain about "block" bookings how many does this equate to?

Rather than perhaps using a sledgehammer to crack a nut and introducing a blanket deposit scheme which will add considerable complexities surely an alternative solution can be found, perhaps using the functionality that's already in place for cancellations within 3 days? Most "complainers" seem to have particular concerns around weekend block bookings, could these be limited in some way to a specific number within the booking period? Generally, mid week bookings are easier to make, with there being a number of sites with discount rates for these, so could weekend bookings only be made if they are part of a longer timeframe? There are a number of probably \ potential options rather than using the "sledgehammer".

 

[Gellyneck]

Try parking across the back of the pitch, much nicer if you want to sit out under the awning.

Seen that happening on a pitch next to us where the warden said "park across the pitch if you want as you'll still maintain the distancing". Was a dinky PVC right enough.

 

[Littlewheels]

Try parking across the back of the pitch, much nicer if you want to sit out under the awning.

We are not as brave as you,seen this once at Rosedale

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