The Caravan Club are just wrong!

[Dave and Ginny]

That's sort of the point though isn't it - we aren't "customers", we're "members". If we want 5* customer service we'd be paying 5* prices, and the staff would be paid a darn sight more than CC or CCC site staff.

You mean we're not paying 5* prices CWH? I think we pay quite enough and I can't believe the CC are not making a pretty healthy profit from us either.

 

[TheTwoOfUs]

Where are we going wrong? We have been members of the CC for 16 years and have used their sites almost exclusively in that time and I am finding it impossible to recall ever having met these wardens of whom you speak. We find that on the whole they are pleasant and dedicated in what I am sure can be trying times. They themselves don't make the rules but they are at the sharp end when it comes to carrying them out. For goodness sake, cut them a bit of slack.

 

[Janine]

Where are we going wrong? We have been members of the CC for 16 years and have used their sites almost exclusively in that time and I am finding it impossible to recall ever having met these wardens of whom you speak. We find that on the whole they are pleasant and dedicated in what I am sure can be trying times. They themselves don't make the rules but they are at the sharp end when it comes to carrying them out. For goodness sake, cut them a bit of slack.

I agree! We've never had a problem with any wardens - quite the opposite, they've always been very helpful and cheerful.

Baltic Wharf has been a favourite of mine for many years and never seen any grumpiness there either.

 

[Bailey58]

The only cause for complaint we ever had was when staying at Cherry Hinton for 5 days for daily appointments at Addenbrookes. The last day, Friday, would have seen us overrun the midday departure time so I asked the female warden if we could leave for home in the early after noon. She said they were full for the weekend so I ended up paying for the extra day anyway and never bothered anymore. On leaving at 1.00pm I dropped the keys in the letterbox before spotting her husband chatting beside his van, when I said "Bye, we're off now", he mumbled we should've been gone by midday. I told him not to lose any sleep over it as we'd paid for the night. The site looked pretty empty too as we drove out. Apart from that one occasion we've always found the wardens very helpful and cheerful.

 

[westy77]

We were on a C&CC site and I was reliably informed by the warden that my door was on the wrong side, I said if it was on the other side, I'd have to open the fridge door to get in and out of my van.
We're also told that they like all the hab doors facing the same way for privacy, so they make us drive onto pitches instead of reversing which I prefer to do, ok your hab door is on the same side as everyone else's, but your front window is looking right onto the pitch behind you without the advantage of usually the road between you.

We would have this issue then as our Adria has a LHD habitation area on a RHD chassis (guess they make them all like this?) it didn't dawn on me till we were at a site and I was thinking everyone else's doir was on the wrong side

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[WillH]

I have been a member of the CC for over twenty years, the C&CC for nearly twenty years and in all that time have met only one warden in each club whose attitude I didn't like. Not bad considering the hundreds of nights I have spent on their sites.

If you belong to a club and don't like it, leave. I certainly get more than my membership's worth from both clubs. The only thing I have ever complained about is the cost of their (generally poor) wi-fi. Now only use tethering wherever we go.

 

[Janine]

The only thing I have ever complained about is the cost of their (generally poor) wi-fi. Now only use tethering wherever we go.

The Caravan Club wifi is now excellent! We paid £25 for 12 months and have had no problems with the connection.

 

[Dave and Ginny]

The Caravan Club wifi is now excellent! We paid £25 for 12 months and have had no problems with the connection.

I'm sorry, call me mean if you like, but unless you use CC sites all through the year, or at least Spring and Summer, then I don't think that is good value for money. The way they used to have it was best; I seem to recall that I paid £5 for five hours usage but any unused time was carried forward for up to a year.

To be perfectly honest, we shouldn't even be paying for WIFI in my opinion.

 

[Janine]

I'm sorry, call me mean if you like, but unless you use CC sites all through the year, or at least Spring and Summer, then I don't think that is good value for money. The way they used to have it was best; I seem to recall that I paid £5 for five hours usage but any unused time was carried forward for up to a year.

To be perfectly honest, we shouldn't even be paying for WIFI in my opinion.

We only ever use CC sites (except for rallies) and go away all through the year so it's good value for us.

 

[Dave and Ginny]

We only ever use CC sites (except for rallies) and go away all through the year so it's good value for us.

I would agree entirely then Janine that it is good value for you.

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[PeteH]

I've had American R-V`s for about the last 20years. With varied experiences of both CC and CCC sites. in 2012 we went back to a Car/Caravan outfit. Because we where doing the majority of Motor-homing in the US. The best and worst was the Rowntree park site We went for many years in November and at Xmas or New Year and used to book almost from the year before! with Both R-V`s Up to 32ft in length and (obviously) with door on the "wrong" side. The warden knew us, knew what we could and could not get into. and was accommodating to the extreme. F-Fwd to 2010. Turned up for Xmas, New Warden, Oh! Dear!. was he the pits. "you cant bring that on here" etc;. On being advised that there where AT LEAST 20 pitches I could get on, and that the previous incumbent had made a note when we booked of the length!. I asked What his issue was?. The best I got was "I don't like them damn things". Any how after a long wrangle including being told to "be careful". We drove round "his" site and went on the outside overflow!! passing at least 6 pitches I could have used (had used in the past). His reply was we are fully booked.!! On Xmas Day I took Photographs of the "vacant" "no show" pitches 23 in all!!!. I still have had no acknowledgement of my complaint 5 years on!!!!!. But if you now look at Rowntree park the max length is 8.5M (27.88ft). Strangely JUST enough to exclude the maximum number of R-V`s?. well,well,well, How surprising?

 

[mitzimad]

my wife fell foul of the as the crow flies distances booked a hotel that was four miles from where she wanted to be in the morning and found by road took her an hour to go back inland to the first bridge and then back out

 

[Reallyretired]

Neither club is particularly well geared up for Motorhomes. We have found the facilities on most sites to be poor, they may have good toilets/showers which we never use, but pitches are small and emptying facilities not great and very few with a drive over point. Considering the large fees they charge, you would expect a bigger pitch, some of the French ones we have stayed on have been huge (and a lot cheaper)

 

[EssexBoy]

As a CC member myself, my take on it is this...
Firstly it is still the CARAVAN club and secondly the CC is typical of any major chain - the culture is what it is, and rules are rules, take it or leave it. For instance, just try requesting something unusual at a Premier Inn/Travelodge and see what you get. Whatever it is, it'll depend 100% on how much the particular person you asked can be bothered coz they aren't paid enough to be professional at all times.
I don't like big sites, CC C&CC or commercial, so we vote with our feet and only use CLs
The real root of the problem in the UK is too many people vying for the same space making land very costly to own & run, hence supply & demand means not enough campsites and not enough competition to keep standards high and prices low.
Compare here with France. How many UK towns actually need to attract visitors these days? Not many I would suggest, they are generally more "Nimby" than "Entrepreneur"

 

[GJH]

Neither club is particularly well geared up for Motorhomes.

The origins of the CC are in caravans and of the C&CC in tents and caravans. Naturally, therefore, both locations and facilities were based on their requirements. There is also a far higher demand from tent and caravan campers than from motorhome campers.
Contrast the MCC, which has no main sites of its own - because there are insufficient members to generate the income necessary to establish and maintain them.
Like it or not we live in a country where motorhome use is less prevalent than tent/caravan use. Site provision reflects that.

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[Welsh girl]

We used baltic wharf twice.
We were asked to move around 10 inches as our front was ok but the back was slightly off the peg by around 10 inches. Meaning Terry had parked slightly skewiff .
We did move as we didn't want an argument.If everyone parked the way they wanted we could all be parked skewiff. Making us closer than the 6 metre rule. I for one don't mind rules, where would we be without them?
Depends how they are given I suppose. Attitude really counts I reckon.

 

[joncris]

We used baltic wharf twice.
We were asked to move around 10 inches as our front was ok but the back was slightly off the peg by around 10 inches. Meaning Terry had parked slightly skewiff .
We did move as we didn't want an argument.If everyone parked the way they wanted we could all be parked skewiff. Making us closer than the 6 metre rule. I for one don't mind rules, where would we be without them?
Depends how they are given I suppose. Attitude really counts I reckon.

Woh! I take accepition to that remark. When we visited Baltic Wharf my BH couldn't have been more polite and it was the wardens (particularly the womans)attitude that left something to be desired , certainly not ours