Has anyone visited a Caravan and Motorhome Club Site recently? (1 Viewer)

[The Welsh Wizard]

My son, his wife and 3 kids arrived at a Site (will remain nameless for the moment) in Cornwall which is a CAMC site to find that the only pitch that they could use on arrival was right next to a Service point and the bins. A member who was pitched opposite told him that the wardens had placed the white peg there this morning. The pitch itself is very small and although my son had booked it many months ago he complained to the Wardens who basically told him to get lost. I’ve checked the site details on tge CAMC website and it states that they have 88 pitches. The site map which can be downloaded in pdf shows 103 pitches and my son has confirmed this. The CAMC claims to be a members club which is a load of tosh. All they are interested in is making more and more money which can be evidenced by the fact that they now allow non members to book up to 12 months in advance and the only difference between member and non member us the nightly fee. Like everywhere else they seem to want to rip the punter off to cover for COVID.
I for one will not be renewing my membership next year and I hope many others will take the same stance.
question is if there are 103 pitches when there should only be 88 who is profiteering and are the local authorities aware of it. I’d be interested to see the responses ?

 

[DBK]

It sounds as if they have created extra pitches to meet the huge demand this year from their er... members. Sound reasonable to me but clearly one pitch too many has been created by the sound of it.

This is not a normal year so folk shouldn't expect everything to be perfect.

I suggest your son photographs the pitch and contacts the CMC afterwards to ask for either a full refund or at least a discount.

We are using mostly CMC sites for a 6 week trip in the autumn. No intention at the moment of not renewing next year.

 

[Bobby-gg]

We've just done a 2 week tour of the cotswolds using CAMC site's, which I choose for location, not price, never had any bother with any of them, the wardens at each one were polite and friendly and I'll happily continue my membership and use

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[The Welsh Wizard]

Are they able to just create pitches bearing in mind these sites have a legal requirements and I believe they are required by law to gain approval from local authorities first. But what about Insurance liability etc.
I guess some out there will think I’m on a quest to badmouth the CAMC . Yes I am in some respects but they are after all there to provide primarily for their members. That seems to have taken a back seat in favour of income.

 

[BillandHelen]

Just back from a weekend at CAMC Maragowan in Killin, following on from a 3 week tour of Dorset and Devon staying on CAMC sites. All were pretty full, but no “additional” pitches being created, if anything some pitches were being protected after the heavy rains. Wardens on site aren’t paid by pitch/bonussed so no incentive to create additional pitches. As you say every site is licensed for a set number of pitches. If I were him I would take his complaint up with Club Centre.

 

[Jonno1103]

Not a big fan. To us they are just glorified parking spaces in a characterless over cultivated area. Remind me of military airfield dispersal areas.

Stayed on one site with the usual peg police who wanted me to move over regardless of the fact that I'd be less than 6 metres from the caravan on our left and 9 metres from the caravan on my right. Wouldn't have it that the red piece of wood was in the wrong place and I was around 7m from each van as I was. ( yes, being a cantankerous sod at times I measured it!)

I took photo's and wrote to them naming the particular leisure publication I worked for at the time. They sent an apology and offered a complimentary 1 years membership... which I turned down.

Just been to the Lochranza site on Arran where for £30 a night they basically wanted me to park up in a glorified carparking space as they said 'that's usually what the motorhomers want and we want to keep the grassed pitches for tents.'

They then put two caravans on the grass pitches. Suffice to say the apprentice scouse welder reappeared and we've spent an enjoyable week on a grass pitch.

If site owners try it on and get away with it it'll just get worse.

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[Neil S]

The only C&MC site in Cornwall I can see with 88 pitches is St. Agnes and the PDF plan also shows the same number
Which site is it ?

 

[Barryh]

I’m not a defender of any club or any provider of bad service. However, we’ve never yet been to a C&MC site where you didn’t get to choose your own pitch of the type you’ve booked from the ones that are left free. If there’s only 1 left it’s Hobson’s Choice. It’s not great when you find you’ve got what you think is the worst pitch on the site, but people depart every day and there’s usually an opportunity to move to a better pitch the next day. But anyone who’s holiday is spoilt has my sympathy.

As for “military airfield dispersal areas”, sure some are regimented, but for every one of those sites you will find one the opposite. Just back from Englethwaite Hall as an example.

Number of pitches is governed by the site licence and shouldn’t be exceeded, but sites may have pitches set aside purely for use at peak times and which are included within the licence. My site did.

 

[Ivory55]

No idea but are all camc sites owned by them or are some private sites under their umbrella ?

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[Itsmcb]

We recently bagged a last minute space at Bristol CaMC site which is notorious for always being full. We didn't arrive until late and there was an envelope left for us with pitch details. Pitch 1 right between the toilet block and the drive over waste area. Not the best pitch but the only one and we certainly wouldn't want to sit outside on the pitch, but for two nights I wasn't bothered as we were planning on being off site during the day anyway. If it had been a longer stay I would have been in the office next morning once a few pitches had been vacated asking in my best polite persuasive manner to move. I've always found the wardens to be helpful. Complaining isn't always the way to go.

 

[Neil S]

No idea but are all camc sites owned by them or are some private sites under their umbrella ?

11 sites in Cornwall and 3 are affiliated

 

[Ivory55]

I was thinking if it was private then they might be trying to earn a bit to make up for what they have lost recently.

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[Kups]

We stayed at the CAMC newly aquired Carnon Downs. Perfect, no crowding, acres of room, well maintained and a full service pitch. Shower block was amazing, en suite bathrooms again spotless. No complaints at all.

This concept of the Club only being interested in making money is complete tosh! They are a membership organisation (not quite a charity) and you can easily see all their accounts and the large amounts they plough back into their estate maintaining and upgrading sites. Nobody is making loads of money out of the club. As with any club if you don't like being a member, don't renew your subscription.

 

[GAVLAD]

Not defending the CAMC as I agree with most that’s been said, but have you checked to see whether the site has access to an over flow field? Some club sites have an extra field which they only open up during g certain weeks during peak season. It’s usually these fields that allow sites to host a rally.
if that is the case, they will have a temporary arrangement with the authorities to do so.

All I can suggest is that they advise the wardens that they wish to move pitches when one becomes available. Or, they request a refund and move sites but at this time of year and with most holidaying in the UK, that may be difficult.

We’ve arrived on site after a long journey to find a warden is surly and have come away from checking in feeling a bit cheated of a decent welcome to our holiday. But on most occasions, speaking with a different warden the next day has sorted our issue.

If it’s any consolation, I’ve found that the manager of an independent site (also in Cornwall) was 1000 times worse than any CAMC warden has ever been regarding speaking to me, confrontational and threatening to evict me. All I said was I thought it was harsh that they wanted to charge extra for me parking a rental car on pitch and comparing it to a caravan and car.
Maybe it’s a Cornish site thing? They want the money but not the visitors? So don’t be too hasty in cancelling your membership.

 

[Jewellbags]

Been on three the last few weeks - all good , no issues at all

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[M-J]

St Agnes Beacon?

 

[billym]

The Camping and Caravan Club are closing some club sites down this weekend due to staffing problems caused by covid and staff shortages. I have heard of wardens walking out on one this weekend after ( allegedly) 4 months without a day off.

If many of the clients they get are as arrogant obnoxious and difficult as some of those on the THS we are helping to run ( as non paid volunteers) I am not surprised they have staffing difficulties.

 

[Bobby-gg]

When we stayed at Henley on Thames recently, the warden stated that the other pair of wardens had walked away the previous month because of the abuse they had received from customers, as a result they'd been struggling to cope until new wardens arrived

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[Otter Spotter]

My son, his wife and 3 kids arrived at a Site (will remain nameless for the moment) in Cornwall which is a CAMC site to find that the only pitch that they could use on arrival was right next to a Service point and the bins. A member who was pitched opposite told him that the wardens had placed the white peg there this morning. The pitch itself is very small and although my son had booked it many months ago he complained to the Wardens who basically told him to get lost. I’ve checked the site details on tge CAMC website and it states that they have 88 pitches. The site map which can be downloaded in pdf shows 103 pitches and my son has confirmed this. The CAMC claims to be a members club which is a load of tosh. All they are interested in is making more and more money which can be evidenced by the fact that they now allow non members to book up to 12 months in advance and the only difference between member and non member us the nightly fee. Like everywhere else they seem to want to rip the punter off to cover for COVID.
I for one will not be renewing my membership next year and I hope many others will take the same stance.
question is if there are 103 pitches when there should only be 88 who is profiteering and are the local authorities aware of it. I’d be interested to see the responses ?

Sorry to here about your sons problems, be aware that although it calls itself a club, it is in fact part of a limited company intent on making as much profit as possible, hence their stance on Covid and not giving ‘members‘ any credit for not being able to use the sites last year in lockdown unlike CCC who gave everyone a 3 month extension.

 

[M-J]

Sorry to here about your sons problems, be aware that although it calls itself a club, it is in fact part of a limited company intent on making as much profit as possible, hence their stance on Covid and not giving ‘members‘ any credit for not being able to use the sites last year in lockdown unlike CCC who gave everyone a 3 month extension.

Not true, many members had a free night voucher issued and also took advantage of the 20% extra free on gift vouchers. For me it covered the cost of a couple of years membership.

 

[2657]

Sorry to here about your sons problems, be aware that although it calls itself a club, it is in fact part of a limited company intent on making as much profit as possible, hence their stance on Covid and not giving ‘members‘ any credit for not being able to use the sites last year in lockdown unlike CCC who gave everyone a 3 month extension.

Is the constitution of the CCC any different from the CMC?

As far as I am aware they are both members clubs operated as limited companies without directors as such or shareholders so no dividends are paid, thus the profit argument is not valid in my opinion.

Any profit is reinvested in the club for the benefit of members, obviously there are paid executives that run the clubs in a profitable manner, many sports clubs are operated in the same way.

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[Ivory55]

Never normally use the big sites and mainly use the cl type

 

[KiwiKampers]

The Camping and Caravan Club are closing some club sites down this weekend due to staffing problems caused by covid and staff shortages. I have heard of wardens walking out on one this weekend after ( allegedly) 4 months without a day off.

If many of the clients they get are as arrogant obnoxious and difficult as some of those on the THS we are helping to run ( as non paid volunteers) I am not surprised they have staffing difficulties.

What does “THS” stand for, please?

 

[Itsmcb]

What does “THS” stand for, please?

Temporary holiday site

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[Vanderek]

 

[Neil S]

Not true, many members had a free night voucher issued and also took advantage of the 20% extra free on gift vouchers. For me it covered the cost of a couple of years membership.

The 20% extra on gift vouchers was a real saving £300 became £360 plus the the free site night voucher many members received
Unlike the C&CC who offered 3 month extension which amounted to a measly £10.50 .

 

[Otter Spotter]

Not true, many members had a free night voucher issued and also took advantage of the 20% extra free on gift vouchers. For me it covered the cost of a couple of years membership.

I know that but they bear faced denied they have given those out and I have the emails to prove it along with a number of Funsters who were told no they could not have them.

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[Lenny HB]

The pitch itself is very small and although my son had booked it many months ago he complained to the Wardens who basically told him to get lost.

Doesn't surprise with their little Hitler wardens. They seem to go out of the way to employ the most obnoxious people they can find for wardens.

 

[royandsharont]

Neil S Why did many members receive a free night voucher.

 

[Neil S]

.

Neil S Why did many members receive a free night voucher.

as reimbursement for the enforced closure of there sites