# CC "no shows" - no wonder!



## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

I was looking at the caravan club's on line reservations the other day, and went through the routine to check for a site, and was so surpirsed to find pitch availability at the weekend that I pressed the "book" button by mistake - no way back! there's no 'are you sure' or anything, also no deposits are required. I went back in from the e-mail confirmation & cancelled, but how many bookings are made like this & not taken up by memebers? There was some correspondence in the CC mag recently about "no shows" - they don't seem to have any answer. Perhaps they do a block on offending members, but I don't think there's a publicised rule on it? 
At least the C&CC have a £10 booking fee (refundable from your payment) on advance bookings - you at least have the option to pull out before pressing the "book" button!; also it should deter serial no-showers.

I've been at several sites where they were supposedly full & had spaces available - and have not been able to book up sites because they were "fully booked". It must be problem for the club sites, but the CC seem to make it easy for people to book up & not turn up - with a corresponding loss of income to the club.


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## 95603 (Jul 1, 2005)

Hello Bognormike,

Last year we found that it was almost impossible to get a weekend booking at most Caravan Club sites at popular times and at any of the very popular sites without booking months in advance. As the majority of sites closed for the winter the problems seemed to get worse on those sites still open, presumably now to meet the demand for winter trips. Week-day bookings (Monday to Thursday) were mostly available. Because we need good disabled facilities we usually use CC sites.

When we arrived the sites were often not full and if the weather was bad there were always free pitches at the week-ends. When we spoke to the site wardens, they agreed that the booking system encouraged people to book months of week-ends and then use only those they wanted and mostly without phoning the site to cancel unwanted bookings. They were fed up with "Being the target for arguments and abuse about this, especially as the central booking system and no deposits is really to blame".

We noticed that many of the affiliated sites (most cannot be booked through central booking) do require a non-returnable deposit in advance and this varied between £10 and £30 and the "mass week-end booking" was not a problem.

When I spoke to the Caravan Club I was told that the system did not allow this "abuse". They misunderstood my comments and then agreed that mass week-end booking can be achieved but booking two different locations for the same time period was not allowed. When I asked why they do not have a booking deposit I was told that they did once but dropped it because of "administrative difficulties taking and returning deposits". They seemed to be unwilling to recognize the problem or do anything about it.

I cannot remember not having to pay a deposit on C&CC and most commercial sites. 

My only beef with the CC is that their system allows this"abuse" without apparently any form of penalty. They are not directly to blame, those that choose to abuse the system are. The problem is that you have to play the same game if you are to get the bookings you want or book your whole years holidays as soon as the system allows in January, often not possible.

I really do believe that the CC must change their system to stop this practice by either making it impossible to book more than a certain (6) number of week-ends in advance, bring back a deposit system or somehow penalise those that constantly abuse the system by not notifying cancellations say 48 hours in advance.

Regards,

Mike.


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## sallytrafic (Jan 17, 2006)

I much preferred the CC in pre-computer booking times although in general I think computers great especially my one. Have you noticed though that it takes longer to check into a site these days since the computer system. Bring back those Kalamazoo (spelling?) entry books they used to use. 

Regards


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## 96097 (Aug 22, 2005)

I have always wondered why most cc sites in central England are booked at weekends, some many months in advance.
I guess now I know, although it does seem a little inconsiderate if you are going to 'put your beach towel on the sunlounger for the day' and not use it.
There must come a point where sites will pull away from the cc booking system and revert back to taking their own bookings with a deposit if it guarantees that bookings = takings. After all, they are running a business.

Sharon


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## ingram (May 12, 2005)

I don't ever book ..... well, I did just once; but normally tour around and take pot luck, being a member of both 'clubs' there are plenty of sites / CLs & CSs to choose from and the C&CC sites book has private sites listed too.

I have found, too, that spaces are often available on sites because of 'no shows' so that works well for me ..................... :? 

I think that the club sites should be for members only. If a non-member wants to use one they can join there and then.

We members, put our money up front and give the clubs a substantial amount of capital to use and then you maybe can't get on one of 'your' club's sites because of non-members using it.

Last year I stayed on a C.C. site for about a week and saved my annual membership fee compared with what I would have paid if I were not a member .....................er; have I gone off the subject? ..... I think so ....

H


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