C & C C Losing The Plot - And Us!

[Wonky]

Hi all, I have just received my renewal notice for the C&CC and am not going to renew.

 

Reason for this are numerous. We don't use club sites (either club), we rally with the CC and not the C&CC, their magazine is rubbish and, most importantly, the C&CC have a ridiculous pricing policy! Ridiculous as they do not show any prices until you try to book and even more ridiculous as the price of a site in Norfolk (Kessingland) was twice that of a better commercial site nearby and 50% more than the CC site just down the road!!!!

 

the only thing we love about the C&CC is their THS's which do represent fabulous value - but we have not used one for over two years.

 

Moan over really, but we can think of better ways to spend our £42 so C&CC, it's goodbye from us, it's been an experience.

 

M

[fatgit]

We've only used the CS's so far but we've saved the membership fee twice over since April.

I do agree that their own sites are overpriced but from reading the comments it looks like the same goes for the CC.

 

Not rallied yet or used a THS but will be doing before to long.

 

I suppose it's like anything though, there's no point paying for it if you don't use it.

[Mallah]

THS = ?

[DeeTee]

THS = ?

Temporary Holiday Sites.

[Bill Lord]

Temporary Holiday Sites

[Mallah]

Thanks, easy when you know

[Les Medes]

I am thinking the same way as Wonky, it is to do with their deposit system, for example we booked a certain CCC Club site paid the £25 deposit back in December, whilst we were in France our windows fell out so the van had to go back to the dealers to be fixed, as soon as we got home I contacted CCC and told them I had to cancel and was giving them over two weeks notice prior to us arriving on the booked site. I asked for the deposit to be credited for future bookings, not a refund, and they basically said "tough t---y" I had given them as much notice as I possibly could, "The Friendly Club" I think not !!

 

Les

[MalH]

Not the organisation that we joined in 1976. It's only the veteran membership rate, occasional THS stays, and age concessions on club sites that keep us in it.

[peapod]

Just been offered 5 quid off the yearly subs if we set up a direct debit and stop receiving the magazine.

[klyne]

With so many people apparently up in arms about the booking system and the cancellation fee it will be interesting to see if it makes a major impact on membership numbers. However it will only make an impact if those people that leave make the Club aware of their reasons for not renewing. If enough people do that the message might start getting through?

 

David

[pagan]

I stopped my membership because of the silly booking system and cost of sites,deposit etc. 30 days is a ridiculous amount of time to loose your deposit. If you could transfer it to another date ok but to loose it altogether,no way. I did tell them why but it will take a mass exodus threat before they decide to do anything about it. As we have read on here some people are happy to loose £25 at the drop of a hat but not me!

[Easy T]

I stopped my membership because of the silly booking system and cost of sites,deposit etc. 30 days is a ridiculous amount of time to loose your deposit. If you could transfer it to another date ok but to loose it altogether,no way. I did tell them why but it will take a mass exodus threat before they decide to do anything about it. As we have read on here some people are happy to loose £25 at the drop of a hat but not me!

I had considered joining as they seem to have been busy improving sites over recent years. With an apparent lack of transparency on their booking system - seems a poor system to me when I have looked - and the deposit system I don't think I shall bother. I usually go away for two 30 days trips, one 45 day trip and 10 days over Christmas. I book all in advance at booking opening with CC using about 20 sites. With C&CC I would need a £500 deposit at booking I presume.

[carabiker]

Not the organisation that we joined in 1976. It's only the veteran membership rate, occasional THS stays, and age concessions on club sites that keep us in it.

Hi

We tried to book a site in the Peak district one sat in July according to the web site booking page No age concessions, in the High season and the booking site refusing the booking on several a temps

 

Rang the Site on Sunday to book a week starting the same day, manager could not get it to accept the booking . he took my details and said just turn up

 

Sunday pm we arrived, he booked us in no problem and deducted the age concession, made a saving of £24

if any body looks at last years compared with this year you will find the high season period has been made longer ie all July to 1st week in Sept, used to be school holiday last week in July to !st week Sept

Dave

Edited August 19, 2014 by carabiker

[Wunny]

It is a business after all and businesses have to make a profit. The word 'Club' in the title, is now a misnomer.

 

The problem is that the bean counters only see the bottom line and to justify their fees, they, along with 'Business Consultants', encourage the board to milk the only source of income to the hilt, to make it seem that there is growth and that it's all down to their efforts!

 

A grass only pitch in Hertford, for my non-member daughter, for one night was £17. 50. Far too much! If her boyfriend had stayed too, for the £35 pitch fee, they could have had a room in a hotel. (http://www. deverevenues. co. uk/en/special-offers/summer-lovin/)

 

OK, the fee was only £10. 30 each for members, but even that is a lot for a bit of grass with no facilities other than loos and showers.

 

I think it will take a mass exodus to make the 'clubs' wake up and give Members a good deal, but that is unlikely to happen as they now have the scent of cash in their nostrils and like a pack of hounds, they will pursue it to the death.

[Ich]

It is a business after all and businesses have to make a profit.

 

The C&CC is actually classed as a Not For Profit organisation

[F185]

Yikes I hope lots of people don't leave the C&CC, if so there will be loads of new joiners to the CC, it's already difficult to get a booking in the high season what's it going to be like with loads of ex C&CC members joining

 

Ps post written in a joking-ly sort of way :)

[bob1982]

Im not sure about this. The new pricing structure seems to mirror what happens in the normal world. .. I. e supply and demand. Not sure how this is any different to private sites who vary their prices over the season.

Edited August 19, 2014 by bob1982

[Ich]

if any body looks at last years compared with this year you will find the high season period has been made longer ie all July to 1st week in Sept, used to be school holiday last week in July to !st week Sept

 

Try actually looking at the pricing details that anyone can on the website.

 

High season in SCOTLAND is beginning of July to mid August to match their school holidays (you do know they have different dates to the rest of the UK?

High season in ENGLAND & Wales is mid July to end August to match the school holiday dates there.

 

Sorry but if you are going to rant try and get your facts right!!

 

I had considered joining as they seem to have been busy improving sites over recent years. With an apparent lack of transparency on their booking system - seems a poor system to me when I have looked - and the deposit system

 

The price cards give a price band so you will always know the maximum you will pay and is easily visible on the website. The deposit system is not new and has been in operation for some time, the only change is the cancellation period (see separate thread)

[agzy]

I'm in both clubs and rally a lot with C&CC and have for over 25 years. Only been on one rally with CC but have used their CL's lots of times and hardly use either clubs own sites and haven't used either for years now. However, as it is a CC cl we stay on when visiting my ladies brother and sister on Sheppey, I have to stay a member and, we go abroad at least twice a year on C&CC continental rallies which we love. Without membership I couldn't do any of this, so to me, although there are downsides to being a member of any organisation, the benefits are enough to keep me a member of these two.

[Easy T]

I don't remember ever using a C&CC site - never been a member in 30+ years with the CC. Many years ago what I viewed of their sites from the outside did not appeal although I had considered joining. For the first 10 years of caravaning I used a fairly even mix of CLs and CC sites with a few private sites thrown in. Over the last 10 years or so I have become aware of a number of, what look to be, 'nice' C&CC sites. They do seem more variable than CC sits in their standard though. I had again considered joining as circa £40 membership is not a great outlay. However with the booking system Ts and Cs and the restrictions no way would I be interested now.

It bothers me that some of their members might be minded to swap to the CC. We have enough members for the number of sites already. Come on C&CC improve your game for the sake of us CC members.

[Ich]

Each to his own, we've just booked 9 nights spread over 2 sites for the end of September. n at a cost of about £15 per night with hook up & awning.

Probably no formal must park in a certain place or stuffy rules.

Ok I paid £50 deposit, but it just means that I have less to pay on arrival

[Disco Kid]

Once you have got 50 years in the CC, membership is free for howevermuch life is remaining to you

[Connie]

We are also not renewing our C&CC member ship, last year we booked to go to Thetford, I only booked the day before we went and paid the £25. 00 deposit, our tow car decided to break down just as we were reversing it onto the van,.( We were going to look at a replacement tow car).

 

I rang the site and got a horrible woman, who said you are supposed to give notice of cancelling, my reply well if I had known the car was going to break down I would have, I only booked yesterday, how much notice was I supposed to give then. We did get the booking moved and didnt loose the deposit.

 

When we did finally get to the site, we were shown to the pitch and had to park within an inch of the marker there were only 5 pitches used that weekend and none near us, not friendly and not very nice either.

[MalH]

That's the Friendly Club for you! Same organisation is unable to brook any form of criticism, when did you last see any such printed in the mag? I attempted to get a critical article printed some 12 years ago about the NFOL Bangor debacle and was more or less threatened with losing my membership if I did not desist. The official line was that it was wonderful!

[Ich]

when did you last see any such printed in the mag

 

Er issue before this present one I think in relation to barking dogs on sites!