Cliffy Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 I noticed in this months CC magazine that the local club site, Stockton, White Water Park, offsred annual storage. I thought that being a club member I would be able to save a few bob on the CoSSA Gold site I have used for the past five years. Pesent storage, one off annual payment £280.00 Caravan Club Site £366.00 So much for "Club" discounts and benefits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Joe90 Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 It's not a club run for the benefits of its members end of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Email from club today informing me they had spent £1.9m? On site improvements. Membership fees are £24m so where has the rest gone???????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Had Enough Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Cliffy - 2014-10-01 8:56 PM I noticed in this months CC magazine that the local club site, Stockton, White Water Park, offsred annual storage. I thought that being a club member I would be able to save a few bob on the CoSSA Gold site I have used for the past five years. Pesent storage, one off annual payment £280.00 Caravan Club Site £366.00 So much for "Club" discounts and benefits. As far as I know the club doesn't give discounts off its storage. It just has different prices according to location and facilities. What I do know though is that £280 for a Gold site 12 months' storage is very cheap. Our nearest facility is about £450. You just happen to be lucky that you've got a low-priced site near you but I can assure you that the club's price is very reasonable compared to many other places. And as it has thousands of vans in storage all over the UK its prices must, on average, be competitive but you'll always find the odd anomaly. The club is a members' owned co-operative with no shareholders and it's run by its members for their benefit and no one else's but at the same time it has to be run profitably and on a sound commercial basis. Edited to say: I've just read the 'Storage in Spain' thread below and a site was quoted at €40 per month in 2009! That's about £385 and that was 5 years ago and I doubt that it's as good as a gold standard UK site. Yours is very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Had Enough Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 sshortcircuit - 2014-10-01 9:33 PM Email from club today informing me they had spent £1.9m? On site improvements. Membership fees are £24m so where has the rest gone???????? Where do you want to start? Rates, head office costs, staff wages, electricity, water, insurance, maintenance and all the other things that eat up 95% of a business's income. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Cliff, you are getting a bargain. Current rates for storing my motorhome on hard standing on several CASSOA gold standard sites in the area are from £364pa. Hamish, the monthly CC magazine contains occasional articles on spend. The last set of approved accounts for the year ended December 2012 are available for viewing on the website. The next set will be approved at this month's AGM and presumably published on the website when approved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly58 Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 The CASSOA gold storage site I use only charge £200 plus vat and is only 9 miles from my home and on the bus route , so very cheap and convenient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Had Enough - 2014-10-01 11:14 PM sshortcircuit - 2014-10-01 9:33 PM Email from club today informing me they had spent £1.9m? On site improvements. Membership fees are £24m so where has the rest gone???????? Where do you want to start? Rates, head office costs, staff wages, electricity, water, insurance, maintenance and all the other things that eat up 95% of a business's income. I appreciate all these overheads which are the same for all the successful camp sites that do not get a £24m advance. So why are the clubs so expensive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Are they expensive? I have found them comparable with equivalent non-club sites, maybe I haven't looked hard enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Muswell - 2014-10-02 8:54 AM Are they expensive? I have found them comparable with equivalent non-club sites, maybe I haven't looked hard enough. Check the OP On the way down we stopped at a CS at £12 which was a corner of a field off the farm yard, no water, no drainage, nothing. Stopped at a private Aires in Chevigny, in France, water, drainage and hookup all for €5 or £4. Tells a tail. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Had Enough Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 sshortcircuit - 2014-10-02 9:06 AM Muswell - 2014-10-02 8:54 AM Are they expensive? I have found them comparable with equivalent non-club sites, maybe I haven't looked hard enough. Check the OP On the way down we stopped at a CS at £12 which was a corner of a field off the farm yard, no water, no drainage, nothing. Stopped at a private Aires in Chevigny, in France, water, drainage and hookup all for €5 or £4. Tells a tail. ;-) The only tale it tells me is that you don't understand what CLs are. CLs are private sites over which the club has no control and farmers can charge whatever they think they need to make it worthwhile. The club simply acts as an advice centre and clearing house, which enables CL owners to advertise their sites in the most effective way. The CL network is a service for members and the club gets not one penny from the £12 you paid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 sshortcircuit - 2014-10-02 9:06 AM Muswell - 2014-10-02 8:54 AM Are they expensive? I have found them comparable with equivalent non-club sites, maybe I haven't looked hard enough. Check the OP On the way down we stopped at a CS at £12 which was a corner of a field off the farm yard, no water, no drainage, nothing. Stopped at a private Aires in Chevigny, in France, water, drainage and hookup all for €5 or £4. Tells a tail. ;-) What OP? I meant campsites. I agree that some CLs are expensive, but they are not priced by the clubs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Had Enough Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 sshortcircuit - 2014-10-02 8:00 AM I appreciate all these overheads which are the same for all the successful camp sites that do not get a £24m advance. So why are the clubs so expensive? I stayed here recently for a mini-rally with friends http://www.southlytchettmanor.co.uk/ It was an excellent site in the same vein as CC ones. Superb shower blocks, beautifully kept but no swimming pool or noisy club. South Lychett Manor's costs in the high season are £34.50 for a motorhome or caravan with an awning. Dogs are £1 extra per night.Children are £4.50. So for a family of two with one dog the total cost would be £44.50 per night. The nearest CC site is Hunters Moon. Its high season prices are as follows: Pitch £9.90, adults £7.80, children £2.50, dogs free, awnings free. Total cost for same family £30.40, a saving of £14.10 per night or £98.70 for one week. The annual membership fee is nothing to do with site fees. That gives you, access to the CL network, a superb sites book covering CLs, CC sites and private sites. You get membership of local centres, which enjoy rallies and social functions, a monthly magazine, discounts on some club sites where non-members pay more, reduced costs on insurance and ferries and a legal helpline should you ever need it. And yes, I know that it isn't always cheaper on insurance and ferries but on many occasions it has been for me. You ask why the club is so expensive. What are you basing this question on? Hard facts or just an opinion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 I would have thought this exchange should be on Club Together, the CC's forum. That way the CC gets to see the concerns expressed, other members can support or not the points being made, and it will get a much wider exposure given the number of CC members. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Had Enough Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 sshortcircuit - 2014-10-02 9:06 AM Muswell - 2014-10-02 8:54 AM Are they expensive? I have found them comparable with equivalent non-club sites, maybe I haven't looked hard enough. Check the OP On the way down we stopped at a CS at £12 which was a corner of a field off the farm yard, no water, no drainage, nothing. Stopped at a private Aires in Chevigny, in France, water, drainage and hookup all for €5 or £4. Tells a tail. ;-) A CS is not a Caravan Club site and are you seriously telling us that either of the two main clubs would have a CS or a CL as part of its network that doesn't supply water? I'm sorry, but I just don't believe it. My last CL was in Wiltshire on the edge of the Kennet and Avon canal and it was £5 a night. And of course it had water and drainage, both grey and black. And I've paid almost twice as much as this for an aire in France. Your extreme examples prove nothing I'm afraid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Had Enough Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Brock - 2014-10-02 9:51 AM I would have thought this exchange should be on Club Together, the CC's forum. That way the CC gets to see the concerns expressed, other members can support or not the points being made, and it will get a much wider exposure given the number of CC members. This site has a number of members who aren't even in the CC or have fallen out with it for some petty reason or other. Their mission in life now seems to be to disparage it on any occasion. If they're not members and have no intention of being, they really should give it a rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Agree Frank and one of the benefits of using CC sites is that you are unlikely to meet them. However, I'm assuming that Cliff and Hamish are members raising valid concerns. I've been a contented member for 24 years but I still raise the occasional issue with the Club so that I understand what is going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Brock - 2014-10-02 10:05 AM Agree Frank and one of the benefits of using CC sites is that you are unlikely to meet them. However, I'm assuming that Cliff and Hamish are members raising valid concerns. I've been a contented member for 24 years but I still raise the occasional issue with the Club so that I understand what is going on. Agreed. If you don't like the clubs don't join. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Had Enough - 2014-10-02 9:54 AM My last CL was in Wiltshire on the edge of the Kennet and Avon canal and it was £5 a night. And of course it had water and drainage, both grey and black. And I've paid almost twice as much as this for an aire in France. Your extreme examples prove nothing I'm afraid. Some more extreme examples ;-)......... Most of the aires we stayed on this last trip were free.............one even had free leccy and wifi B-).............another couple free water......... all had free grey/black drainage :D............along with being within spitting distance of a nice town or village B-)................unlike most CL's or CS's :-|.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Had Enough - 2014-10-02 9:38 AM sshortcircuit - 2014-10-02 9:06 AM Muswell - 2014-10-02 8:54 AM Are they expensive? I have found them comparable with equivalent non-club sites, maybe I haven't looked hard enough. Check the OP On the way down we stopped at a CS at £12 which was a corner of a field off the farm yard, no water, no drainage, nothing. Stopped at a private Aires in Chevigny, in France, water, drainage and hookup all for €5 or £4. Tells a tail. ;-) The only tale it tells me is that you don't understand what CLs are. CLs are private sites over which the club has no control and farmers can charge whatever they think they need to make it worthwhile. The club simply acts as an advice centre and clearing house, which enables CL owners to advertise their sites in the most effective way. The CL network is a service for members and the club gets not one penny from the £12 you paid. I perfectly understand what the CL/CS networks are about. Perhaps what I and you fail to understand is that a far more superior site is provided in France for less than what the greedy Brits charge. Why, greed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Trying to compare the prices of any site, cl / cs, aire etc one against another is totally pointless unless you have stayed on every one that is being compared in order to judge the facilities and convenience available. If you feel that any site or aire is too expensive for you then vote with your wheels and don't go there because accepting the offer, paying and staying and then grumbling is also pretty pointless. Everyone likes a freebie and we too tend to mainly use aires that are free but many, but not all, of the nicer ones particularly coastal now charge around 5 to 8 euros which for a pleasant location with views and enjoyable walking - or biking for those that bike - is well worth the low cost. I am perfectly happy to pay a couple of Euros cash or card for water etc but having to faff about with jetons is something we do not do. We would have no issue with a cl/cs owner charging £12 - we just would not use it! Similarly for storage - if you think it's expensive vote with your wheels and go elsewhere. Most businesses are run on a supply and demand basis and if the demand falls so too might the price but if demand is high no sensible business man is going to offer any discounts. Personally I would never live anywhere that I can't park my motorhome, caravan, boat and as many cars as I want unobtrusively on my own property and the trend of modern estates to exclude caravans boats etc does not make moving home any easier. This in turn seems to be putting pressure on housing stocks that do not have such restrictive covenants and that too will conspire to increase the demand for storage over time - and you all know what increased demand does to prices! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Had Enough Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 sshortcircuit - 2014-10-02 11:23 AM I perfectly understand what the CL/CS networks are about. Perhaps what I and you fail to understand is that a far more superior site is provided in France for less than what the greedy Brits charge. Why, greed? But once more you use one example to damn your entire country. Greedy Brits? I can assure you that I've seen some very expensive sites and aire in France. Aires in France for example are usually provided by the local authorities and not by a farmer who wants to recoup his investment and make a profit from his enterprise, and why shouldn't he? But do you call the £5 that I spent on a CL in Wiltshire greedy? Britain isn't a massive draw for foreign motorhomers as is France. An aires network in the UK is improbable and uneconomical for reasons that have been explained many times before. And was your site in France subject to the same health and safety and strict conditions imposed on British CL owners? I find it very strange how you and others can never say a good word about your own country. Do you think that every other European country has a superb aires network like France for instance? In some of them you're not even allowed to wild camp anywhere. Finally, perhaps you can tell us the name of this CS that didn't supply water but charged £12.00? I'd love to see if it's true or if you're grossly exaggerating the situation simply to vent your anti-British agenda. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Had Enough - 2014-10-02 9:59 AM Brock - 2014-10-02 9:51 AM I would have thought this exchange should be on Club Together, the CC's forum. That way the CC gets to see the concerns expressed, other members can support or not the points being made, and it will get a much wider exposure given the number of CC members. This site has a number of members who aren't even in the CC or have fallen out with it for some petty reason or other. Their mission in life now seems to be to disparage it on any occasion. If they're not members and have no intention of being, they really should give it a rest. Gosh I will repeat what I have said before, drivel, and you are an expert at it. Have been a member for a number of years and intend to continue. If you wish to lie back and take all that's coming then so be it. Fortunately all clubs of whatever have members that question thank goodness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Had Enough Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 sshortcircuit - 2014-10-02 11:44 AM Gosh I will repeat what I have said before, drivel, and you are an expert at it. Have been a member for a number of years and intend to continue. If you wish to lie back and take all that's coming then so be it. Fortunately all clubs of whatever have members that question thank goodness. And I'll repeat what I said, that you're a man who's willing to slag off his own country and call it 'Greedy Britain, based on one example. I won't take anything that's not right but I will base my criticisms on fairness and not on some made up tale. But cut the bluster and tell us about this CS that costs £12 and doesn't include water. That will prove once and for all whether or not you're grossly exaggerating in order to bolster this obvious antagonism that you have for the clubs, whether you're a member or not. But I won't hold my breath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Please do hold your breath, permanently. As you say there will have been facilities available but none were visible. As far as a made up tale, I only report what I find and your induendo as to whether I am a member or not is with your usual drivel, incorrect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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