# The unfriendly club



## tomnjune (May 1, 2005)

We have just returned from a ccc meet, my daughter had arranged it, and as we were not members she had phoned the organizer to make sure it was ok for us to go.They said yes ?. we arrived in the afternoon about 2 ish, and was made welcome by the advance party,we asked how much we had to pay but they said it was ok the orgaizer had not arrived yet. my daughter and friends did not arrive till about 6 30 ish so we went to meet her, by this time being a hot day my hushband had had a relaxing drink as you do??, low and behold the chairman of this section was there and he said we could not stay?as the rules stated no non members, we tried to explain that we had phoned to ask and had been assured it was okay that we would have to pay extra which we did not mind ,but he said we had to pay full membership, 37.00 or leave , my husband said so this is the friendly club? i will leave right away?? but my daughter was very upset as we had not seen her for over 3months as we had been away touring france and spain. so he told my daughter we could stay if we paid and put a donation to their charity. so to please my daughter we stayed, as it was we are thinking about joining the ccc as she had said how good and friendly these meets were,I think they had all afternoon to come and talk to us and we would have understood and made alternitive arrangements, what do you think/???? june


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

You were messed around June --is what I think.
The person was wrong to say just come along.
The rules of all the 3 clubs are the same for the rallies-- that they are for members-- it is so you will be covered by the Insurance.
MCC, CC, C&CC are all the same.
You can join the club when you arrive at the rally so they should have handed you a form to fill up.
Please dont be put off by this the Club rallies are very good as are the MHF Rallies.
You can Join the C&CC on line as you can all the club's


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## Damchief (Oct 19, 2006)

Sorry but I don't really understand why you think you should be so exceptional as to get the benefit of an organisation without paying for it. We hardly ever use ccc sites, because a) we prefer cc ones and b) we spend a lot of time abroad but we are a member because we get the benefit of discounted breakdown cover through them. So it would be like saying to us - hell yes, have discounted cover but don't feel you have to join.

I agree that perhaps that position should have been made clearer before the day - and what you don't say is who exactly your daughter made arrangements with; not the decision-maker it would seem - and certainly earlier on the day (I thought you couldn't arrive before a rally warden!). But no, I don't think they were out of order at all.


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## ChrisandJohn (Feb 3, 2008)

What a horrible situation for you and your daughter. 

Perhaps you could try to find out if this was just one individual being overly officious or if it is representative of the club's attitude at meets. It could be that the person who originally said you could attend the meet was trying hard to be friendly but not sticking to the rules, which is fraught with the kind of difficulties you experienced. 

I must say we have never had a bad experience with either CCC or CC at their main sites but these things probably happen every now and then whatever organisation it is. Not good if it happens to you though.


Chris


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Not out of order but distinctly inhospitable. 

If there was space for you, as presumably there must have been, then how hard would it have been to suggest that you join before you come again as it really is members only, explain the situation about insurance and make it clear that you are not insured and stay at your own risk, charge you the same as everyone else and then wish you a pleasant reunion and push off.

This is surely not going to bring the world to an end and might even result in you joining the club.

G


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Meet*

Hi

Several issues here.

1) Was the meet on a Club Site or was it more of a rally - for example in a farmers field? (Often known as a DA meet).

2) Other issues I shall point out depending upon the answer to point 1.

Russell


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## philoaks (Sep 2, 2008)

As OP's have said this was not a pleasant situation for you.

However the blame must lie entirely with the person who told your daughter that it would be ok. Club rules clearly state that "meets" are for members only.

Had it been a club run "Temporary Holiday Site" then club rules state that non-members may stay but only when camping in a members unit.


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## tomnjune (May 1, 2005)

hi russell 
it was on private land,and it was a DA meet, can i just add 
we had been members of the ccc, but only using club sites,but let membership lapse while in europe, we are still members of the cc. 

june


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

Grizzly said:


> Not out of order but distinctly inhospitable.
> 
> If there was space for you, as presumably there must have been, then how hard would it have been to suggest that you join before you come again as it really is members only, explain the situation about insurance and make it clear that you are not insured and stay at your own risk, charge you the same as everyone else and then wish you a pleasant reunion and push off.
> 
> ...


Grizzley You have to be so careful as if the person that stays causes a fire etc etc and any damage to other Vehicles then the Insurance Company might not pay out.
Nowadays life is so hard.
The only way is to ask someone to Join as they arrive at a Rally.
Thats why also members musnt arrive early as the Insurance only starts from the time specified of arrival --2pm on a field or 4.30 at a school 
I know all this from being on a Committee.


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Meet*

Hi

As far as I know then, the "meet", (although probably "advertised" by the D.A (strict association) as a rally) would have been for members only. That is the "clear cut" answer.

However, an element of common sense and discretion would have been a good way around this situation.

Had the "meet" been on a Club Site, you could have simply stayed there as a non member - assuming of course that the site in question accepts "non member" bookings.

Russell


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## spykal (May 9, 2005)

Hi

A few things come to mind, as already said you were given the wrong info ...the correct info would have been "yes, you can attend but you will have to join up when you arrive". The main reason for this, as already posted by Locovan, would be to ensure that you were covered by the clubs insurance .... I know it is a pain but it was not an option that the rally host could offer...no membership = no insurance = no stay.

I can also imagine that the Chairman has had a recent ear'oling from "the management" of the club over the new regulations . At the moment all the organisation that run rallies, including MHF, are having to register with a new organisation to be able to run these rallies on "green field" sites. The old certificates were issued by Defra who were a quite lax at checking up on things like memberships and making sure that clubs followed the rules. The new " Natural England" body that now authorises the rally exemption certificates does seem to be much more organised and maybe will be doing spot checks.

That should not have meant that you did not get a welcome at the rally, and a proper explanation of why you must pay the membership ..and as far as I can see from what you say they did end up letting you stay.
They were risking a lot by doing that... 

I do realise that it is obviously an outside chance of a check being made but if it had been then the Camping and Caravan Club could have been for the high jump and possibly have lost their Natural England Exemption Certificate and right to run any rallies anywhere in England. ( OK maybe far fetched but still possible...you know what officialdom is like :roll: )

Mike


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## bigfoot (May 16, 2005)

Not withstanding all that has gone before,I do think that the phrase 'the friendly club'is often said through clenched teeth!


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

The club rules for MEETS are clear:

Meets – Exclusive to members

Join in with Club Meets
Great value camping, whilst discovering new scenery and making new friends.
Organised and run by the Club’s Regions, DA’s and Special Interest Sections, Meets offers thousands of opportunities each year for members to enjoy idyllic surrounds locally or further afield.

Offering minimum facilities, a Club Meet will normally take place over a weekend, but can last for up to five days. Members can stay for a night or the entire duration, and all fees paid go back into the Club to ensure that we can continue to offer future events for members. 


Club Meets are only available to our members, so you can guarantee a ‘Friendly Club’ welcome, while being surrounded by like-minded campers who take the same pleasures from camping and caravanning that you do. 

The rules for Temporaray Holiday Sites are the same but as has been mentioned non memebers can stay as guests but must be in your unit.

I think that years ago you could attend a MEET as a non memeber to sample it so to speak but that appears to have been withdrawn.

Was it fair in the OP's case to be treated as they were? I supppose it depends upon your point of view. In my opinion the correct outcome was reached and they were allowed to stay albeit propably with a bit of bad taste in their mouths.
If I had been Chairman, and in these particular circumstances, I would have asked them to fill out a memebership application form complete with the DD part filled in. I would have then given it back to them to destroy when they had left.


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## oldun (Nov 10, 2005)

Am I the only one who found the original post almost impossible to read due to the fact there are no paragraphs.

halfway through I just gave up.


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

Tact less jobsworth.

How nice to be welcomed like that.
I would have told him where to stick his........


Dave P


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

As the person responsible for the MHF exemption certificate, I'd just like to endorse what Mike (Spykal) says above and add that it isn't just a case of club rules or insurance requirements - it's the law.

Depending on the type of exemption certificate in force (holiday rallies may be run under a different type of certificate), all attendees must by law be members of the organisation who are running the rally. The chairman was absolutely correct in requiring that only members could stay. That's not to say that it couldn't have been handled more diplomatically of course.


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## bigfoot (May 16, 2005)

I had a contrary experience about 10 years ago. My pal graduated from a tent to a motorhome,we booked a site and were told here would be others on it-did we mind,not at all we said.
It turns out it was a rally of the northern motorhome section and we were invite dto their evening social and coffee morning and sale the following day.
So in the words of Derek Trotter "Au Contraire mange tout"


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## time-traveller (Apr 23, 2007)

oldun said:


> Am I the only one who found the original post almost impossible to read due to the fact there are no paragraphs.
> 
> halfway through I just gave up.


No, you're not OLDUN - I too found it difficult and tedious due to lack of proper punctuation and paragraphs and like you gave up after a couple of lines. It was noticeable that all the following posts were immaculate though - by way of compensation perhaps ? :?


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## bobandjane (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi, as with any club, you have to be a member. :lol: yes the person that said thats OK was wrong and it should not have happened but it did, I think leaving it so long before sorting it out, was wrong and I think they should have turned a blind eye and said go and park over there and go first thing in the morning.  :wink: If you don't want to join. 8O 

We are off to the Holiday Rally at Rutland Water next week, :lol: so if anyone else is there, :roll: come and say hello. We have a Motorhome Facts sticker in the window  with all the others. 8O Bob.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

As has been said above by Spykal, Gaspode, rayc and others the original approval was an incorrect view. We have all done that and will probably make mistakes again. But giving an incorrect view cannot condone a breach of the regulations under which the event was organised.

Sadly, it seems to have been handled with a little less tact and diplomacy than would have been expected, but we do not know how the approaches were made to the Chairman. I am in no way criticising the OP, but the Chairman may well have been told before by someone with such phrases as "this character has just appeared" or similar - we do not know!

We would all hope that the reception would be more friendly and based on common sense rather than dogma. Sadly, the rules have changed recently and everyone has to come to terms with the new situations. The easiest thing would have been to join there and then, but none of us like to be put in a position where we are "compelled" to do something like that in an "or else" situation.

But the decision was the correct one, the Club's registration would potentially have been put at risk if any alternative was followed. I do not know how the regs are enforced, but you can almost guarantee that if there is a breach the authorities will be informed by some well-meaning person who is concerned about such an occurrence.

Not a pleasant situation for any of the people involved - the OP, the people he was with, the Chairman, the organiser of the event, the person who gave the incorrect advice and so on, and not an easy one to solve once it has crystallised into opposing views.

I am just thankful at NOT being involved. 

Dave


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## wynthesurfer (May 7, 2007)

Clubs,who wants to belong to one,I`m glad that my membership of this clicky little one is up in a few days time. 
Why do the same members always have to knock spelling, punctuation etc and winge about nearly everything posted ? I will stick to wild camping staying in pub carparks and very small campsites just to keep well away from you all. 
I have had motorhomes for over 30 years hardly stayed on campsites and only once joined a club which was when I had an Rv and was bamboozled into it by someone wearing a cowboy outfit!!!


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## Invicta (Feb 9, 2006)

So after reading the above could someone clarify for me my position when attending an MFH rally?

I am the member in my household as I pay the £10 membership fee. My daughter, son-in-law and grandaughter live in the same house and we all go away in the same vehicle. They haven't paid a membership fee to MHF as I have so what is our position?

I am the member of the C&CC and the same daughter is the other member as I have no spouse now. My son-in-law, her husband, is an associate member. This I think covers us to go the C&CC functions.


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

Invicta said:


> So after reading the above could someone clarify for me my position when attending an MFH rally?


Hi Peggy

If you and your family are all staying in the same unit (or a pup tent associated with that unit) then there is no problem. If your family wanted to stay in a separate unit then one of them would need to be a MHF member.

I can't answer for the C&CC but would assume they interpret the rules in a similar manner. The law is slightly different for holiday sites (sites set up for a period in excess of 5 days) where the law allows non-members under certain circumstances.


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## bob44 (Mar 9, 2006)

Hi wynthesurfer,

I am a little worried that your remarks may get lost in the morass of posts, counter posts, and even more of the same.

No one would dispute your perception that there are too many nit-picking pedants amongst our membership.

Some, being almost as regular as senna-pods, have the same laxative effect on me, too.

BUT - Many other regulars leaven this 'MHF Club' of ours with more perceptive, accurate, concise, and well-considered contributions.

I believe that we do have some very good wheat amongst lots of apparent chaff.

In short, sir, renew your MHF Membership, bite your tongue and just ignore the pedants & chaff-finches; they will never go away as they have nowt else to amuse them.......

The clique? Surely that is really only the clicking of their false teeth??



Bob L


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## JockandRita (Jun 1, 2005)

rayc said:


> If I had been Chairman, and in these particular circumstances, I would have asked them to fill out a memebership application form complete with the DD part filled in. I would have then given it back to them to destroy when they had left.


That's the way Ray.

With regards to the "unfriendly" comments on the OP's grammar, whilst being particular about my own grammar and punctuation, I wouldn't dare to comment on someone else's, unless invited by them to do so.
They may have a learning difficulty, or something similar that you are unaware of, and I feel it is unfair to comment in the manner that you did.

As a Scot, English was my best subject at school, and I never had a problem reading, nor understanding the OP's thread.

Jock.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

JockandRita said:


> With regards to the "unfriendly" comments on the OP's grammar, whilst being particular about my own grammar and punctuation, I wouldn't dare to comment on someone else's, unless invited by them to do so.
> They may have a learning difficulty, or something similar that you are unaware of, and I feel it is unfair to comment in the manner that you did.
> 
> As a Scot, English was my best subject at school, and I never had a problem reading, nor understanding the OP's thread.
> ...


I totally agree, as a teacher it is part of my job to correct the mistakes that youngsters make as they learn how to use our language. Even in that situation I take no pleasure in being negative about someone's work - being negative may well destroy their willingness to participate or contribute.

I do not correct or criticise grammar or presentation of posts on MHF and never would unless asked to do so by the person concerned.

As Jock says there are many reasons why someone's typing may not match the highest standard - I am not a very proficient typist and hit the wrong keys every now and then - my error but one that can be overlooked even when using the SpellCheck function.

As long as I can understand what has been written I am content.

Dave


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Membership*

Hi

As many of you know, I am a stickler for the small print, terms and conditions and so on.

Reference to the CCC. I am a member - sole membership. However, if people come away with me, the are booked as non members but pay member rates as they are in my unit. There is an additional "non member" fee, but this does not apply if the non member camps in my vehicle.

A hubby and wife for example may have a membership card each. This means that hubby could go away without wife and take another person instead. The following week, wifey can go away with someone else. The point being, as each has their own membership card, they are not joined at the hip.

Russell


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Spelling*

I will also add that the quality of spelling and punctation is irrelevant to me. This forum is about motorhomes (amongst other things) and not about one's command of the English language, encompassing spelling and grammar.

My pal - the lad with the coach holiday business, cannot spell for love or money, but he can add up.

There are more things in life to worry about than a few mouldy old commas and so on.

Russell


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## Briarose (Oct 9, 2007)

*Re: Spelling*



Rapide561 said:


> I will also add that the quality of spelling and punctation is irrelevant to me. This forum is about motorhomes (amongst other things) and not about one's command of the English language, encompassing spelling and grammar.
> 
> My pal - the lad with the coach holiday business, cannot spell for love or money, but he can add up.
> 
> ...


Well said Russell. It's like being at school :roll: and I find that kind of picking at things a tad uncomfy.........we have been there before, wasn't someone very upset a while ago ?


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## bigfoot (May 16, 2005)

a very good friejnd of mine had a successsful garage busines and yet could not read or write.Technology and his wife came to his aide .He used a portable tape rrecorder to 'write'down his estimates and his wife typed them up. Worked for him his son is now running the business and he is living in a smptious villa on the East coast of Thailand. A very astute business man and a nice guy.
I din't realise we had a large number of English teacher on this site!
Lynne Truss has a lot to answer to.


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## Invicta (Feb 9, 2006)

gaspode said:


> Invicta said:
> 
> 
> > So after reading the above could someone clarify for me my position when attending an MFH rally?
> ...


So getting back to the subject under discussion, thanks Gaspode for the explaination. Following this my only other question is what is the permitted size of an accompanying tent? I have a day tent that does not attach to my RV. Occasionally we have used that for sleeping in by using a beach shelter type of small tent inside for warmth, unless the weather has been sweltering hot as it has been here in the sunny SE for the past few days. Then family members have chosen to sleep in the day tent in preference to sleeping in the RV. Is that an acceptable size for use by non members?


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## tomnjune (May 1, 2005)

hi all its me again , and it was me that got very upset at the comments made about spelling and grammer, and i was very glad a lot of you encouraged me to continue to post on mhf, i will not go into all that again but thank you for you support and not putting me down again?? june


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## Briarose (Oct 9, 2007)

tomnjune said:


> hi all its me again , and it was me that got very upset at the comments made about spelling and grammer, and i was very glad a lot of you encouraged me to continue to post on mhf, i will not go into all that again but thank you for you support and not putting me down again?? june


No problem June :wink: I am glad that you are still here and posting.

I wish that some members would think about others feelings before they hit the post a reply button.


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## patnles (Oct 26, 2006)

Hi June, I'm pleased to see your sticking with us. 
As for the critics, I wonder if you behave the same if someone speaks to you in a foreign language or even just English with a strong accent, foreign or regional? Would you criticize their speech or make a bit more of an effort to understand and help if necessary? 
If I hadn't had good teachers/ parents I may not have been able to write at all. :wink:
Lesley


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## JockandRita (Jun 1, 2005)

Briarose said:


> No problem June :wink: I am glad that you are still here and posting.
> 
> I wish that some members would think about others feelings before they hit the post a reply button.


Ditto here too June. 

As the old saying goes.........don't let the blighters get you down. (the polite version. :lol

Jock.


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