CCC Winter Sun £75 Penalty Payment

[sshortcircuit]

Received an email today from the CCC informing me that Winter Sun brochure to be distributed by 4th August??? Within the email I read that unless I book my channel crossing with them, ferry or tunnel, I will be unable to use their promoted site or attend any rallies they have in Europe without paying a £75 one off fee.

 

I am sure others will have this email. Am I reading this correctly?

[Matrix Meanderer]

Yep - that's how I read it too.

 

"The Friendly Club" -- ho ho!

 

I'll be using my Tesco vouchers and not the C&CC sites.

[PJay]

Bully Boy Tactics??

I guess the "clubs" are losing out to Tesco vouchers, Acsi , and the good deals available on line

 

 

We did not renew our membership with CC, as found it not much use to us, as we don't use the van in UK any way

PJay

[mike 202]

I have heard that there is a rally in Spain where the organiser/steward is known as Mr 10% as he takes this figure from dinner bookings etc and has been known to cancell rally members restaurant bookings offsite if they do not go through him.

So just go to the rally site and I maybee you will be allowed to join in if financially beneficial to ?????

 

As for the £75 penalty plus variable site fees, I suspect many members will be considering their future with the Friendly Club!!!!!

 

Friendly club NO, in my humble opinion its just a business for the benefit of employees. At what level I will leave the reader to decide.

[Tracker]

As has been well documented I am no lover of these businesses that purport to be clubs, but I have found particularly with the CCC and MCC, that at a local level with THSs and weekend meets they are generally well organised without being regimented.

 

The unpaid volunteer members running these meets and events are generally very friendly, sociable and helpful and it is maybe this aspect from which comes the expression the friendly club?

 

Never did find much advantage in booking anything through CC head office though as similar deals are usually available online and can be found with a bit of Googling.

 

Can't say I've seen or read anything that makes me want to resume membership of CC or CCC though as we too mostly holiday abroad where the freedom and sunshine are both better.

 

[Guest pelmetman]

We've stumbled across the odd CC rally when in France or Spain............not our cup of tea............but I guess if you've never been abroad with your outfit then its useful way to try it ;-)..................

 

 

[peacock312]

During the Autumn,winter,summer of 2007/8 we spent £5000.+ with CCC inc.Swiss tour,ferries,winter rallies in Spain,Portugal. But winter 08/09 we only booked winter ferry, not a rally, May 09 they refused us the winter sun brochure unless we paid £10.00. I refused,many phone calls and several letters got us nowhere so in Aug. 09 I didn't renew membership.

We have been very surprised how little we've missed the CCC,found plenty of much nicer sites in uk,often costing less,no bossy wardens,much pleasenter people all

round and less formal and regimented.

With Acsi and Camping cheques it's been very easy abroad and we've actually saved money!

On several occasions I remember some,not all of the lady operators at Coventry, to be quite rude and arrogant,shame really, we were in the club about ten years and had some good times,but how they've changed in my opinion.

[Bojitoes]

We have been on a few CCC rallies over the last 5 years and generally find them good fun. We too have heard the tales of Mr 10% but have not come across him. We try to get away every winter for a couple of months and mix independent travelling with a week here and there on a rally- sometimes it is nice to have a weeks relaxation with like minded folk.

 

Since we have been members of CCC they have always stated that their winter sun book costs a tenner and we paid for it the first year; the fee was refunded when we booked and every year since we have received the book free of charge - really cant see what the issue is. Likewise the requirement to book a ferry using the club. Their ferry prices are consistently much cheaper than any other outlet or direct with the ferry companies. Ok it may be slightly cheaper if you use your Tesco vouchers to book direct- that is if you have been paying over the top Tesco prices to get enough vouchers but IMHO booking everything through the club is easy, efficient and cost effective.

 

I am no defender of the clubs but maintain our membership every year solely because the discount on the ferry fairs exceeds the additional amount we would pay on the ferry if booked direct.

 

Having said all of the above and having seen this years brochure on line I doubt if we will go on a rally this winter- there is nothing new.

 

bob

[sshortcircuit]

I normally booked the ferry through the club and got the 10% discount with the advantage that I was able to change bookings easier through the club at minimal cost. However this year I needed to put tyres on the motorhome and as well as an excellent deal from BlackCircle got double Tesco points. In addition I also bought an electric bike from Tesco at a discounted price. When near a Tesco fuel station I can top up at the same price as other fuel suppliers but gain points. The sum and substance of this is I will be travelling across in the tunnel for free. None of this has incurred "over the top Tesco prices" so very cost effective.

Unfortunately the down side of this would appear that if I wish to attend rallies etc I have a £75 penalty to pay and how they can justify this is beyond me. Getting any information off the clubs web site is just impossible.

I am sure this along with what is considered a debacle of a pricing structure will loose them a lot of members and certainly revenue which is pretty obvious with the discounts being offered at the moment, peak period, in an attempt to create bookings.

[peacock312]

Bonitos, CCC club ferry arnt always cheaper,I've proved several times on Dover Dunkirk,Dover Calais,Portsmouth to Bilbao or Santander you can do better.

I can walk into any travel agent,that's what Carefree are after all, and collect any number of brochures and they do not charge nor do I have to attend events they put on.

I have never used Tesco vouchers, and yes,we enjoyed their Canada Tour, the Swiss tour, several winter rallies,ths, and so on.

BUT in my opinion they are no longer the friendly club I joined many years ago,they are driven purely by profit,and I regularly meet ex members who agree,I wish they,the club would listen to its members.

[Gram]

This charge isn't new, of course, it was £25 in previous years.

 

Times must be hard for the C&CC. Maybe their revenue has dropped because of the new site pricing structure.

 

G

[Cattwg]

As a member of the C&CC I wrote to them regarding the £75 payment. Their reply is given below.

 

"Thank you for your email concerning the winter sun site only booking fee increasing from £25 to £75. Firstly, I can confirm that we have reviewed our pricing structure, and it has been necessary for us to increase the fee to £75. The one-off fee will be charged for any number of winter sun campsites or rally bookings made through us when a ferry or Eurotunnel booking is not booked. I would like to explain to you why this decision has been made.

 

Over the last couple of years, particularly with the winter sun programme, we have seen a gradual migration of members booking their ferry or Eurotunnel crossing directly with the ferry companies rather than through us. As our Travel Service is funded by the surplus we make on the travel arrangements for our members, the decline in our ferry bookings over the last winter period has had a dramatic effect on our income. We are in a position where we have had to take a close look at our business, and ensure that the winter programme is viable and sustainable going forward. We have therefore had to increase our site only booking fee to £75. I am sure you appreciate the large amount of time, effort and resources that The Club has, and continues, to put into the winter sun programme to provide our members with a variety of camping and rally options in Spain and Portugal at the very best prices available.

 

All our ferry and Eurotunnel prices are guaranteed to be cheaper than the public prices available directly. If you book your ferry crossing through us, then the site only fee will not be applicable, and you will benefit from the member discounts we have negotiated with all our suppliers. We are extremely pleased to now be able to offer our members participating in our winter sun programme a 7% discount off Brittany Ferries Spanish routes (applicable to the whole price, including cabin accommodation). Our recommendation to members is that you cannot book your winter-sun holiday, including our selection of campsites and ferry and Eurotunnel crossings, any cheaper than through your Club and by doing so you are sharing the responsibility of supporting and securing the future of the club’s winter sun programme for the benefit of Club members."

 

Yours Sincerely

 

 

 

Cattwg :-D

[PJay]

Cattwg - 2014-07-28 8:38 PM

 

As a member of the C&CC I wrote to them regarding the £75 payment. Their reply is given below.

 

" We are extremely pleased to now be able to offer our members participating in our winter sun programme a 7% discount off Brittany Ferries Spanish routes (applicable to the whole price, including cabin accommodation). Our recommendation to members is that you cannot book your winter-sun holiday, including our selection of campsites and ferry and Eurotunnel crossings, any cheaper than through your Club and by doing so you are sharing the responsibility of supporting and securing the future of the club’s winter sun programme for the benefit of Club members."

 

Yours Sincerely

 

 

 

Cattwg :-D

 

Any one who has a French BF travel club membership can get 10% off , (30% if you belong to the Spanish one) And if you are a "friend " of a member of the Spanish club, you to can get 10%

I know several members of the forum are Brittany Travel club members.

 

So the C&CC are not giving you much. They are losing out to the discount ferry operators, and of course if you attend the rallies abroad you are paying for the leaders costs as well!! I am sure it may be OK to join the rallies if you are a beginer, but you can do the trips much cheaper on your own, and make friends with who you want to, and not be thrown to-gether with people you may not get on with

AS for paying £75.00 for not booking with them !! I would leave the club, and tell them why

PJay

[grahamw]

I too wrote to CCC regarding the £75 booking fee. I had an almost identical reply to the response earlier but with a specific mention of the Brittany Ferries Club Voyage Scheme as the cause of the problem. CCC had spent the last 18 months trying to negotiate with Brittany Ferries with the intended outcome of being able to offer the same discount on the Spanish route as those enjoyed by Club Voyage members. Not surprisingly Brittany Ferries were having none of this.

 

So they ask those not booking a ferry with them to subsidise the Travel Service to the tune of £75. It's like Asda charging me a fee to enter the store simply because I had shopped at Sainsbury on the previous occasion. If CCC had it members financial interests at heart it really should be recommending that if its Winter Sun in Spain that you are after then you should seriously be considering the Brittany Ferries Club Voyage scheme for best value for money.

[derek pringle]

sshortcircuit - 2014-07-22 5:55 PM

 

I normally booked the ferry through the club and got the 10% discount with the advantage that I was able to change bookings easier through the club at minimal cost. However this year I needed to put tyres on the motorhome and as well as an excellent deal from BlackCircle got double Tesco points. In addition I also bought an electric bike from Tesco at a discounted price. When near a Tesco fuel station I can top up at the same price as other fuel suppliers but gain points. The sum and substance of this is I will be travelling across in the tunnel for free. None of this has incurred "over the top Tesco prices" so very cost effective.

Unfortunately the down side of this would appear that if I wish to attend rallies etc I have a £75 penalty to pay and how they can justify this is beyond me. Getting any information off the clubs web site is just impossible.

I am sure this along with what is considered a debacle of a pricing structure will loose them a lot of members and certainly revenue which is pretty obvious with the discounts being offered at the moment, peak period, in an attempt to create bookings.

 

hi shortcircuit,

regarding Tesco vouchers we will be setting off in a couple of weeks for a month to Italy and will also be using vouchers for our 3rd free tunnel trip this year. My point is this, not many people realize that if you use a Tesco Credit Card as we do ,you can shop anywhere you like be it ASDA/LIDL wherever and still accumulate the points. Pay the card off in full each month and incur no charges, just amass the points. Also as CC members we travel on the M6 Toll to Folkestone and receive 50% discount each time,there and back 3 times =6discounts of £5.50 per trip nearly covering the cost of membership.

cheers

derek

[mike 202]

I also have the Brittany Ferries travel club for Spain and on 1 trip from Portsmouth to Bilbao save around £250. So for an outlay of £100 membership fee I save around £500 minus £100, a net gain of £400 on two trips.

 

NOT a LOSS of £75 !!!!!!!!!!!

 

I am a member of CCC and have recently received offers of 20% discount for grass pitches including New Forest and a post card asking us to revisit a previous site. SO with the confusion of the new booking price structure the well paid and policy makers are probably not wanting to become the Tesco (drops in profit) of the camping world.

 

Probably not renewing CCC when it becomes due.

[sshortcircuit]

Thanks for the info Derek and I may get a CC for this purpose. No Tesco within easy reach so tend to use others. I note it is £4 spend a point elsewhere as against £1 spend at Tesco, except fuel, so an easy way to get round the alleged "over the top Tesco" prices and the points will still mount up.

[Brian Kirby]

sshortcircuit - 2014-07-21 9:29 PM

 

..............I read that unless I book my channel crossing with them, ferry or tunnel, I will be unable to use their promoted site or attend any rallies they have in Europe without paying a £75 one off fee....................

Semantics maybe, but I'm not sure the above is completely true.

 

You are completely at liberty to use the sites used by the CCC without paying that £75 fee. You may be excluded from whatever collective activities the rallies involve, but could still visit places they may visit as an independent traveller.

 

If you can cross the channel cheaper by booking direct, I suggest you do so. It is, on the whole, much easier to change crossing bookings when necessary direct with the route operator, than via the clubs. If you book via the clubs you cannot alter the crossings directly, as you are not the booker. This can have disadvantages in an emergency, as the club booking schemes do not operate 24/7, whereas, (AFAIK), all the operators' offices do.

 

As you can get long stay discounts on most (presumably) Spanish coastal sites, all you need is to get onto the internet, get to the site's websites, see what they offer, e-mail for confirmation and, if necessary, book. If you know where the rallies etc will be held, you can even go to the same sites if you prefer, using the rally locations as indications of site quality. Otherwise, just choose your crossing and sites to suit your preferences and budget. You can turn up at most sites un-booked, even in the peak winter period, and get in.

 

There have always been postings on here once the "rush to the sun" begins, with folk giving details of various sites and their relative merits and levels of free pitches, so can easily gauge whether booking is necessary or not. The great advantage of not booking is that if you don't commit to stay more than one night on arrival, and then decide the site isn't for you, you can move on. OTOH, if you've booked and don't like it, you're stuck! If unsure before you set off, post a query on here about availablity and the need to book, and it is likely someone will be at the site and will respond. If you know exactly where and when you intend going, then just book it on-line.

 

There is no need whatever to involve the clubs and pay fees you consider unwarranted. As above, if one of the UK supermarkets started charging for using its store, would you go there?

[sshortcircuit]

Thank you for the advise Brian.

 

As far as booking ferries, I have found P&O the cheapest, others may disagree. Once I get a price I find acceptable, I book through CCC and get 10% off. I would be delighted if somebody can advise of what web site to use to get these "even cheaper" deals. As far as changing bookings, I will agree that CCC not available all the time, but when I have made changes it been at no cost or minimal cost something I did not find direct to ferry company.

 

In September/October/November it is normally easy to get on sites and if you stay 30 days+ discounts can be considerable. When looking at sites I price, direct, ACSI and CCC and book accordingly. We joined into a rally and enjoyed it so intend to do the same again.

 

I have overcome the original problem in that I will soon be booking the tunnel through the CCC for the return trip in April 15, getting 10% off, which will then not require £75 deposit and I will be able to join in rallies if we want. We are not committed to CCC sites and will travel at will.

 

I still consider the £75 a rip off.

 

Slightly off topic but where is the best price for the ACSI card?

[bertieburstner]

campingcard.co.uk

[PJay]

I get mine from Vicarious Books,

PJay

[Guest pelmetman]

Brian Kirby - 2014-07-29 11:10 AM

 

The great advantage of not booking is that if you don't commit to stay more than one night on arrival, and then decide the site isn't for you, you can move on. OTOH, if you've booked and don't like it, you're stuck! If unsure before you set off, post a query on here about availablity and the need to book, and it is likely someone will be at the site and will respond. If you know exactly where and when you intend going, then just book it on-line.

 

 

Not sure if that approach will work for those who seek a particular campsite for winter sun Brian :-S..................We've already booked our pitch for next year at Calpe ;-)..................We had intended to stay at Lo Monte again, but the Germans have already spread their towels for next year *-)..............will hopefully manage to book next month for 2016 8-)................

 

 

[sshortcircuit]

bertieburstner - 2014-07-29 6:09 PM

 

campingcard.co.uk

 

Thanks for link. Rather than being lazy I did a bit more work myself. From the camping card site you gave it was about £10 and add another £4 for the ID card.

 

If I purchase from CCC it will be £16 including one free night at an ACSI site. Also if I book my crossing with CCC i will get the ID card for free. In effect the card is free.

 

Somebody tell me this cant be right, the CCC giving something for nothing??????

[terryW]

I feel justified in re-activating this subject again as I have just been charged the £75 pound because they cannot yet book a Dover ferry crossing for my sailing dates. Yes I will get the money back when I am able to book, Though I expect to only receive part of the £75 penalty back as I intend to book the cheapest single crossing possible, about £35. I have no intention of using this crossing having already booked on the tunnel using Tesco vouchers. How much they will make out of this booking I don't know but I have saved £120 on my crossing and £40 on their penalty fee. If I'm correct the clubs only have a finite allocation and my booking has just prevented someone else booking it. Yes I am being bloody minded, I've made arrangements to join one of the winter rallies so have chosen not to book the site direct, even though my intended length of stay would have resulted in a lower fee than I'm paying the club. And yes I will be leaving the club after this rally. I previously left when in the past I found I was having to book two nights when I only wanted one, Joining the CC solved that problem and I was happy until they stopped winter Rallies I the returned to the CCC for that reason and that reason only. This one will be my last rally with them then it's a big vote with my feet.

 

I would add that I used the CCC for my continental holidays for most of my working life purchasing the full package including holiday insurance so as far as I'm concerned they have had a lot of support from me in the past. Pity it's all one way >:-)

[Cattwg]

I must admit that my initial reaction to the £75 charge was, “It’s a rip off”. However, today I booked a campsite and ferry crossing with the C&CC and found the ferry to be over 10% cheaper than that quoted on the P&O website. Also a few hours later, due to a misunderstanding with my insurance details, I had to amend the outgoing date. To my surprise and delight there was no amendment fee. :-D

 

I can now also see the business case for the charge. In effect the profits that the C&CC make on ferry and campsite bookings pay their overheads.

 

Our autumn sojourn is the only one for which we book a campsite in advance. We take advantage of Tesco vouchers and go via the tunnel for our spring continental trip.

 

Cattwg:-D