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Quote: Originally posted by nelmo on 09/12/2009

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Quote: Originally posted by wendywinblos on 09/12/2009

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Quote: Originally posted by nelmo on 08/12/2009

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I must admit, I had a similar rant in Ocotober about deposits when I couldn't get into Longleat CC....BUT...I'm starting to have second thoughts...

My thinking is this - caravanning should be a spur-of the-moment type holiday (that's partly what attracted me to it when I started out) but that isn't going to happen if you have to book and pay a deposit in advance...

If you reserve a pitch and then decide a week before that you don't want to go (crap weather, feeling a bit ill etc), it's nice just to cancel and that does free up your space for someone who does want to book last minute...(as it turned out, I could have got into Longleat CC if I'd called during the week before as they had some cancellations).

I hasten to add I've never done this and don't plan to but I can see the attraction...(at the moment, I don't mind losing a £25 deposit if I do want to cancel).

In fact, if you think about it, this could be a good thing - if loads of people reserve pitches and then loads cancel in the weeks leading up to their departure date, it effectively means pitches are freed up continually and thus you should always be able to get one when you call up!!

Problem solved - it's OK, you don't have to thank me...

 

Post last edited on 08/12/2009 17:24:13

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I think that its a fairly selfish attitude to take to think you can book up and then decide near the time wether to go or not. If you want spur of the moment then take your chances on availability. Many people have to make commitments to children, school holidays, works holidays etc. By booking and not going you may block their preferred destination.

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Wendy love, read the bit in red that was in my original post...

 

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Nelmo

I am not "your love" but I am colour sight deficient so painting it red doesn't help much! Fortunately I did read it first time around when it was black.

I didn't say you did it nor did I say you were selfish if you read my post. possibly my "You" would have read better as "one"

You were passing comment on the possibility - I passed comment on your thoughts that it might be ok.

You men are so touchy!

 

Quote: Originally posted by Jerry+Tina on 09/12/2009

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Wasting your breath Janus, the same incorrect messages are posted as fact every year. The same as "the majority of members" etc etc. when they actually mean an insignificant few compared to the total membership.

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Quote: Originally posted by Magpieman on 09/12/2009

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 If that's the case I stand corrected and apologise but the fact that people don't have to pay a deposit still leaves it wide open to abuse by people just not bothering to turn up and not cancelling or am I wrong again?

The weekend I mentioned in August there is no way some pitches were waterlogged as it was a scorching hot weekend and dry as a bone, so that theory is out the window.

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No apology necessary if you had been told otherwise before then that is what you believed but at least you now have the basic facts

As you say the no deposit system is wide open to abuse but again the simple fact is that whilst a tiny minority of people may abuse the system the vast majority do not. The CC have reported that when they stopped asking for deposits their bookings increased and the number of no shows fell, which to me suggests that treating members with respect and trust leads to a much better result.

"The CC have reported that when they stopped asking for deposits their bookings increased and the number of no shows fell,"

If this sort of statement was made by a politician, it would be pounced on by the opposition for clarification.  Did no shows fall for the first week then go back to normal or worse, did they fall for a month, a year?  Without figures the claim is meaningless, although this doesn't mean it is false, just vague and woolly.

Quote: Originally posted by wendywinblos on 09/12/2009

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Nelmo

I am not "your love" but I am colour sight deficient so painting it red doesn't help much! Fortunately I did read it first time around when it was black.

I didn't say you did it nor did I say you were selfish if you read my post. possibly my "You" would have read better as "one"

You were passing comment on the possibility - I passed comment on your thoughts that it might be ok.

You men are so touchy!

 

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Ahh, yes, I guess I can see how that could be read - my turn to apologise...sorry.

Quote: Originally posted by brianconwy on 10/12/2009

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"The CC have reported that when they stopped asking for deposits their bookings increased and the number of no shows fell,"

If this sort of statement was made by a politician, it would be pounced on by the opposition for clarification.  Did no shows fall for the first week then go back to normal or worse, did they fall for a month, a year?  Without figures the claim is meaningless, although this doesn't mean it is false, just vague and woolly.

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I have never had cause to trust a politician and I have never had cause to doubt the CC

Tthey made the statement about a year after they changed the policy on deposits. What they said was that on changing to a no deposits system that the bookings increased and the actual number of no shows fell but that over the period of times as bookings continued to rise that the number of no shows rose slightly but was still lower than the previous figure. They then added that overall the number of no shows as a percentage of the bookings was significanly lower using the no deposit scheme than it had been using the old  systemof asking for a deposit.

Quote: Originally posted by brianconwy on 10/12/2009

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A period of a year is a good enough period to measure the number of no-shows as a percentage.  It is hard to see why removing the deposit would have that effect.  I still think there should be a maximum number of sites booked by one household on any one day.

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Quote: Originally posted by blondieandi on 11/12/2009

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Phantom I am originally from Whitehaven all my family are still therre but I live at Egremont!! Wish I could find some sites for £6 lol!! Mind you the CC 50% mid week discount has been great for us. Where in Whitehaven do they live?

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I didn't join the CC myself, mainly because I was put off by the remarks on here about never being able to book sites.  

We are restricted by school holidays and fixed holidays at OHs workplace.  We have to book well in advance and have only ever had to cancel once, due to illness.  On this occasion, the C&CC transferred the deposit paid to another site we were due to visit. 

I don't understand why there does not seem to be a problem with us booking C&CC sites and yet,I am told, other folk have real difficulties getting into CC ones, unless the deposit is having some influence on the situation - or are their sites considered to be superior and therefore, more in demand?

Quote: Originally posted by Patches on 24/12/2009

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I didn't join the CC myself, mainly because I was put off by the remarks on here about never being able to book sites.  

We are restricted by school holidays and fixed holidays at OHs workplace.  We have to book well in advance and have only ever had to cancel once, due to illness.  On this occasion, the C&CC transferred the deposit paid to another site we were due to visit. 

I don't understand why there does not seem to be a problem with us booking C&CC sites and yet,I am told, other folk have real difficulties getting into CC ones, unless the deposit is having some influence on the situation - or are their sites considered to be superior and therefore, more in demand?

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I think the deposit does put a lot of people off despite what you read here that gives the impression that most people want deposits! The CC does have some real gems of campsites and although I am not a member of the CC&C I never get the impression that members rave about their sites in the same way. But to be fair that is only an impression and not based on personal experience.

David