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p0930

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Is anyone else finding the C&CC site difficult to use. It seems you have to input a lot of data ie type of unit size etc before you can even check availability of a site. Seems to take forever to change pages and even then results are suspect. Same search producing different results. I have sent e mail to Club but will take up to five days to respond???
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Hi Charlie,

 

I gave up trying to book a site on line last week and phoned the bookings number and got four sites booked in less time than I had wasted.

They know they have problems and allegedly are trying to fix them, until then phone it's far easier!

 

Keith.

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p0930 - 2012-02-01 9:24 PM

I have sent e mail to Club but will take up to five days to respond???

 

Good luck with that, Charlie! I sent an email about 3 weeks ago and have had no response so far - there are threads on this topic on a number of Forums, and I think somewhere someone had found a statement on the C&CC website to the effect that they were aware of the problems, working on them as quickly as possible, but would not be responding to individual emails on the subject. (Might have been helpful to have stated that on the Contact Us page!)

 

I think they are planning to get a "Quick Booking" facility in place for members as one of the first priorities.

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Raised this with them about 2 years ago "what problems" so thing may have moved on. What they fail to recognise is that I do not need to provide the total trivia i.e. DoB, sex, Title, etc to P&O whom I can go direct to or through them I suspect somebody in marketing thought lets get all this info so we can target a specific group but system just falls over and creates frustration.

 

We can only hope it will improve

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Page 22 of the latest edition of the Camping & Caravanning Club magazine (February '12)

 

Headline: A HELPING HAND FOR BOOKINGS

 

The Club has been making changes to its processes for making online bookings. Following its launch, and after feedback from members, the Club's web team has worked to find solutions to improve the booking experience and in early January introduced specific tools to make this possible. Members are kindly asked to bear with the Club during the implementation of further enhancements. - ends

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Make of that what you will, but sounds like management-speak for "we've made a cock-up, and we're trying to sort it out" (lol)

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mikebeaches - 2012-02-02 7:22 PM

 

in early January introduced specific tools to make this possible. Members are kindly asked to bear with the Club during the implementation of further enhancements. - ends

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Make of that what you will, but sounds like management-speak for "we've made a cock-up, and we're trying to sort it out" (lol)

 

It's now early February and I haven't seen any improvement.

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I gave up on the site, most info they want is not needed and if anybody in the IT department had a brain they would set the system up so all the trivia is collected once and is hidden so you only need to put in dates and special requirements for a booking and change the trivia when you change your vehicle. But that is common sense and I am afraid the C&CC dont have much.
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Thats how the old system was, it remembered your outfit. My PC and laptop (and I'm sure all computers do as well) have a 'system restore' feature that resets you computer to a previous time-point . To me, the C&CC system should be 'restored' to a previous time-point before they introduced the new system, giving us back the old booking system until they can sort out the new one before they inflict it upon us again.
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mikebeaches - 2012-02-02 7:22 PM

 

Page 22 of the latest edition of the Camping & Caravanning Club magazine (February '12)

 

Headline: A HELPING HAND FOR BOOKINGS

 

 

"..... Members are kindly asked to bear with the Club during the implementation of further enhancements".

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

I think the Club believes that by publishing the above in the magazine, there is no need to respond to (the many?) individual queries it's received :-(

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Reply received today from Club.

 

Last year, our entire booking engine was changed, including the system used by the UK Club Reservations Team, Carefree and the Sites themselves. The website used by members for booking the sites had to be changed in line with the website. Unfortunately, some of the changes have encountered technical difficulties, though I can assure you that the majority of these have now been resolved and the ones outstanding are being investigated to ensure that a fix is in place shortly.

 

The new search options - although slightly longer to fill out - enable you to tailor your search results by entering the length and width of your unit, e.g. caravan, tent, motorhome, as this ensures that you are located on a pitch that will be able to accommodate your unit. It also enables Holiday Site Managers to organise the pitching and arrivals far better. However, member feedback has indicated that this is too early in the search process to ask for this information and is not applicable for members who just want to locate sites that appeal to them. By the end of February, this will be removed from this section of the site and added further down the line, after a member choses the site they wish to book.

 

As a member, you can also use the "Members Only Quick Book" which can be located on the home page of the website - www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk. This new facility will enable members to view alternative dates or pitches if the dates that they have requested are not available.

 

We are continuing to develop the website, and for updates and further information on our progress, please click here. This page will be updated regularly and also includes FAQ’s to help members through the booking process.

 

Thank you for your patience and I hope you will accept my apologies for any inconvenience caused.

 

If I can be of any further assistance, please let me know.

 

Kind regards,

 

Rebecca

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Well, its sounds like they are aware of the problems and are trying to do something about it which is fair enough.

 

We only joined C&CC recently and have found the site search to be a bit of a pain e.g. you type in your dates then it shows you certificated sites that are not open, you specify hardstanding and you get sites that are all grass etc

 

Hopefully they will get their fingers out and get it sorted soon.

 

Paul

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  • 1 month later...

Well, today 30/3/2011 I tried to book the Eurotunnel via the CCC website. It would not let me pay, it does not allow moving the day/ time without tedious button pressing.

 

It gave me a more expensive figure for the Dover Calais crossing (P&O) than I got quoted direct and the CCC "don't offer" the cheapest crossing (Dover Dunkirk) at all.

 

I had to ring up the Club to find out how to get a ferry price, and no, you don't click "Ferries" !! It then treats the price enquiry as a booking and you have to delete it if you want to try again.

 

B£00DY nightmare, my 12 years old grandson could do a better job, (and change all your config.sys at the same time).

 

Now I feel better, but I suppose the £6 saving was worth it? :-S

 

H

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My 'Guess' about these changes to their system probably involves more 'targeted marketing'.

and they have made 'binding agreements' to make the system work. The fact that it slows the system so much as to make it unusable !! means that someone underestimated extra computing power required ?? I agree that a 'System restore' which would be possible, from Archive backups. Would solve Members booking problems, but would 'Screw' any deals that were made . Watch this Space !

(their website ) Ray *-)

 

 

Just read the above, seems like it's the 'Amalgamation' of two systems causing the hitch,

the above could still be true of course, but there should 'Always' be a 'fallback posistion' if something just 'Does'nt ' work.

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p0930 - 2012-02-09 1:06 PM

 

Reply received today from Club.

 

Last year, our entire booking engine was changed, including the system used by the UK Club Reservations Team, Carefree and the Sites themselves. The website used by members for booking the sites had to be changed in line with the website. Unfortunately, some of the changes have encountered technical difficulties, though I can assure you that the majority of these have now been resolved and the ones outstanding are being investigated to ensure that a fix is in place shortly.

 

The new search options - although slightly longer to fill out - enable you to tailor your search results by entering the length and width of your unit, e.g. caravan, tent, motorhome, as this ensures that you are located on a pitch that will be able to accommodate your unit. It also enables Holiday Site Managers to organise the pitching and arrivals far better. However, member feedback has indicated that this is too early in the search process to ask for this information and is not applicable for members who just want to locate sites that appeal to them. By the end of February, this will be removed from this section of the site and added further down the line, after a member choses the site they wish to book.

 

As a member, you can also use the "Members Only Quick Book" which can be located on the home page of the website - www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk. This new facility will enable members to view alternative dates or pitches if the dates that they have requested are not available.

 

We are continuing to develop the website, and for updates and further information on our progress, please click here. This page will be updated regularly and also includes FAQ’s to help members through the booking process.

 

Thank you for your patience and I hope you will accept my apologies for any inconvenience caused.

 

If I can be of any further assistance, please let me know.

 

Kind regards,

 

Rebecca

 

'enables Holiday Site managers to organise the pitching and arrivals better' AH yes, now i remember why i left the C& CC now! I hate not having a Choice, I much prefere to be told ' there are 3 empty pitches, go and choose which on you want, then come back and tell us which one you are on'.

 

MMM, they hav'nt changed then ?

*-) Ray

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Rayjsj - 2012-03-30 1:02 PM

 

'enables Holiday Site managers to organise the pitching and arrivals better' AH yes, now i remember why i left the C& CC now! I hate not having a Choice, I much prefere to be told ' there are 3 empty pitches, go and choose which on you want, then come back and tell us which one you are on'.

 

MMM, they hav'nt changed then ?

*-) Ray

 

....almost invariably, I find that either when I book in I have been allocated a pitch, or the "HSM" will normally direct me to an area and will always accompany me to be pitched.

 

....where there is space available I often get asked which area I'd like to use, and encouraged to choose a pitch.

 

....also almost invariably (if there are spare pitches) even with a pre-allocated pitch I get asked whether I'm happy with it, and offered alternatives.

 

If I didn't like what was offered, and there was a preferred alternative, I'd simply ask for it (from memory, this has only happened once or twice in over 20 years of membership, and my request has never been refused).

 

As an example, I booked Delamere in Cheshire for a long weekend a couple of weeks ago. The only pitch which I could get for three nights was a "Jumbo Hardstanding" - at a slight premium, so I booked it.

 

When we got there, the HSM charged me the standard price ("all the pitches are the same size area - we simply designate some as jumbo because they allow an overhang at the back of the pitch". The differential price is simply an anomaly of the booking system - related to "Jumbo Tent Pitch" pricing.

 

Whilst I'd been allocated a pitch, and was accompanied to it, the opening gambit from the HSM was that "it was a nice pitch, so let's go and look at it, but as we've got lots of space tonight, you can pitch anywhere".

 

Didn't need to - it was a nice pitch.

 

I can only speak as I find, but I really don't find any great issue.

 

The website is still not as good as it used to be though - though it (or my use of it) is improving.

 

 

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Guest 1footinthegrave

I recently went through the hoops of trying to find a CS, only to find the site fee's were shown as last being updated in 2003, tried ringing the CS, and left a message, no answer back from them, so emailed the "club" copy of which below, no answer as yet. I mean how difficult can it be to send out a letter or telephone the CS sites every year to update their fee's. All in all the website is now a joke, no wonder we spend the great bulk of our time in Europe instead. The ability only to be able to contact main sites directly and have the phone answered is also a joke, have the CCC not heard of a mobile phones that could be supplied to caretakers.

 

"This seems very poor information that the site fee was last updated in

2003, surely the club could make a telephone call or email and then update them on the website in these days of instant communication,

 

 

quote from your website.

 

The fees for Borth - Llwyn (Ysguborwen) Farm were last updated in 2003"

>:-(

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Hi,

I was chatting to a (senior) C&CC person on their stand at a Motorhome show last weekend and mentioned the problem with the website. He said they are aware of the members frustrations and rather than trying to amalgamate the booking systems they are now totally redesigning it. Lets hope they test it fully before it's released this time!!

Steve 
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Homenaway - 2012-03-30 9:25 PMHi,

I was chatting to a (senior) C&CC person on their stand at a Motorhome show last weekend and mentioned the problem with the website. He said they are aware of the members frustrations and rather than trying to amalgamate the booking systems they are now totally redesigning it. Lets hope they test it fully before it's released this time!!

Steve 
WHilst not a member of the C&CC, it seems their 'upgade' is tarred with the same brush as My Bank and my mobile internet dongel supplier websites, in that the so called upgrade makes accessability of what you realy want to get to much harder to find! It does make me wonder if those companies to whom they presumablycontract out this work actually ever use the sites......
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Unfortunately I think the 'Clubs' suffer for the way they are managed. They effectively have two lots of senior management....one the full time, professional, management and two the elected commitees which we the members elect. This would be fine if they were prepared to have remained true 'clubs' but both the Clubs have become massive businesses now and a business does not benefit from having two different sets of management!

 

When we, the members, elect these committee members do we do so by looking at their business acumen and their experience in running multi million pound businesses? No we elect them to run a club.

 

I am afraid that we have to accept that they are not 'clubs' run for the members now...they are aggressive businesses expanding as quickly as possible and seeking to make as much money as they can from their members by using their membership lists to sell as many other services as possible. I note how many people refer to having bought their insurance, for example, from the C&CC....the C&CC do not sell insurance! You are actually purchasing the insurance from a private insurance company that has purchased the right to use the Club's name.

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