# Is The British Version Of ACSI Different?



## jimmyd0g (Oct 22, 2009)

I meant to ask this weeks ago, but I think the question is still current.

Our main tour this year was three weeks in Belgium & Holland - nothing (apart from the crossings) pre-booked, just turn up at a site & see if they had room for us. For guidance we had the 2012 Alan Rogers for the area; a road map; Wifi when we could get it; & the 2011 ACSI guide - not to get any discounts, but to give an idea of sites in a particular area.

Towards the end of the holiday (& on advice from Alan Rogers) we turned up at the one campsite in our favourite southern Dutch town. The site was not mentioned in our copy of the ACSI guide. We were surprised to see, in the office window, several years of ACSI stickers - including one for 2012! The office was even selling the 2012 guide. So how come there was no mention of this campsite in the British version of ACSI? 

Any thoughts please? The most obvious answer is that both in the site description bit of the book & the maps we were looking in the wrong place. I could partially run with that, but on the map there is no ACSI site within about 15 or 20 kms of where we stayed, so it would be difficult to misplace 'our' site on a map.

Therefore, as the header says, do we in Britain see a different version of ACSI to the one seen in mainland Europe?


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## Jools66 (Apr 21, 2011)

Hi
Can't be 100% sure but my guess is the site you stayed at was 'ASCI Inspected/listed'
We work on a site and we have four years of ASCI stickers in the window but we are just listed (not in the book) and not part of the discount scheme (but we do give a discount - if you ask!  )

I watched the inspector drive round the site earlier this year, filled out his paperwork and left, then a time later the nes 2012 stickers arrived in the post.

Maybe this could be the answer...

Paul


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## Wizzo (Dec 3, 2007)

I would be inclined to agree with Jools66 on this. There are plenty of sites that are ACSI inspected but not necessarily in the discount book. 

There is also another ACSI book which translates to something like "Small and Beautiful" which we do not get over here. Another member on here (ptmike) did question one of the ACSI execs recently as to why and they seemed to think we wouldn't buy it.

JohnW


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## DianneT (Dec 15, 2011)

Small and Beautiful are all listed on the ACSI Website.


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## rogerblack (May 1, 2005)

We bought the ACSI Campsite Guide DVD as well as the book since this has all the ACSI inspected/listed sites as well as those in the discount scheme. For example, in France* there are 884 in the discount scheme but a total of 2351 French* sites in the software

We have this installed on our notebook (once installed, it runs without the dvd). The ability to input a wide range of selection criteria and mapping, with zoom in/out, makes it much easier to use than the book. Also it has (basic) route/direction functions.

http://webshop.acsi.eu/en/camp-site-guide-dvd/acsi-campinggids-dvd-europa-2012.html?___SID=U

* including Corsica


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## mikebeaches (Oct 18, 2008)

As I understand, ACSI annually inspect and accredit around 8,000 campsites in Europe. 

However, only around 2,300 (of the 8,000) sites choose to participate in the discount scheme.


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## Mike48 (May 1, 2005)

There are two ACSI schemes as previously mentioned. There are two books - one showing ACSI inspected sites consisting of around 9600 sites and the ACSI camping card book showing 1284 sites participating in the discount scheme.

The 1284 discounted sites also appear in the listed 9600 sites book but you pay the full price if you do not have the discount card.


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## Addie (Aug 5, 2008)

As already mentioned, it is important to draw a distinction between 'ACSI' which is an organisation listing and vetting campsites:










And the 'Camping Card' as it is named which is the book that provides the discount and is recognised by a blue 'CC' logo:










However the books are different. In Europe you get a camping guide and book all in one, which looks like this:










Where in the UK we just get the English Language 'CC' book below. You can get the 'CC' only book in Germany, but they do a parking / campsite guide in German and Dutch (but if it makes you feel any better not French!)










Take a look at the ACSI Web Shop and play with the language (top right) to see the different books for different markets. But the content of the 'Discount Book' is the same - you're not missing out on sites.

http://webshop.acsi.eu


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## rogerblack (May 1, 2005)

Also be aware that if you order the CC Discount book/card via the Camping and Caravanning Club you do NOT qualify for the free ACSI Club ID card, this is only valid when you purchase direct from ACSI online, saving Euro 4.95. 

However, having made the mistake of ordering the book/card via the Club before discovering this, we then ordered the full listed sites DVD online direct from ACSI and this purchase then also qualified us for the free ID card.


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## cheshiregordon (Sep 24, 2011)

jimmyd0g said:


> I meant to ask this weeks ago, but I think the question is still current.
> 
> Our main tour this year was three weeks in Belgium & Holland - nothing (apart from the crossings) pre-booked, just turn up at a site & see if they had room for us. For guidance we had the 2012 Alan Rogers for the area; a road map; Wifi when we could get it; & the 2011 ACSI guide - not to get any discounts, but to give an idea of sites in a particular area.
> 
> ...


We're just back from six weeks in spain and france and apart from two nites all spent on ACSI sites. At one of the ACSI sites I'd forgotten to show my card when booking in and they tried to charge me 27 euro a nite which fell to 16.90 on production of the card.
Significant savings! I get my copy direct from ACSI.


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## DianneT (Dec 15, 2011)

We get our Camping Card Book on subscription direct from ACSI in Holland. I purchase the DVD every 2 or 3 years to keep the laptop up to date. You can of course get list of all sites or just CC ones on their website.

We have used ACSI CC for 9 years when it was first introduced and only had around 150 camp sites in Europe. It greatly increases every year.


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## mikebeaches (Oct 18, 2008)

rogerblack said:


> Also be aware that if you order the CC Discount book/card via the Camping and Caravanning Club you do NOT qualify for the free ACSI Club ID card, this is only valid when you purchase direct from ACSI online, saving Euro 4.95.
> 
> However, having made the mistake of ordering the book/card via the Club before discovering this, we then ordered the full listed sites DVD online direct from ACSI and this purchase then also qualified us for the free ID card.


Interesting - we also purchased the ACSI Discount Guidebooks through the Camping and Caravanning Club. However, I then dropped ACSI an email to explain and they sent us the ACSI Club ID card free of charge. And we've used it at number of sites instead of handing over our passports.


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## Wizzo (Dec 3, 2007)

mikebeaches said:


> Interesting - we also purchased the ACSI Discount Guidebooks through the Camping and Caravanning Club. However, I then dropped ACSI an email to explain and they sent us the ACSI Club ID card free of charge. And we've used it at number of sites instead of handing over our passports.


I bought mine through Vicarious Books and it came with the code for the free ID (which I now have). I wonder why the C&CC ones do not?

JohnW


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## mikebeaches (Oct 18, 2008)

Wizzo said:


> mikebeaches said:
> 
> 
> > Interesting - we also purchased the ACSI Discount Guidebooks through the Camping and Caravanning Club. However, I then dropped ACSI an email to explain and they sent us the ACSI Club ID card free of charge. And we've used it at number of sites instead of handing over our passports.
> ...


I assume because the C&CC already have a Camping Carnet ID card they sell, and have done for years. In that respect the ACSI Club ID is the new 'kid on the block' and is obviously in competition to some extent with the original Camping Carnet.

Mike


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## suedew (May 10, 2005)

In this years ACSI book there is a whole section of France with no ACSI sites showing, have last years acsi dvd, looked up the discount sites on the disc, then checked the 2012 book, sites in the book, but not shown on the map.
Sue


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