Trying to decide re renewal

To answer

1. You either accept the prices, or you don’t. CLs offer very good alternatives if you do your research properly, and if they suit you and your personal circumstances.

2. Some of the terms and conditions are not as user friendly if you cannot book ahead, and might need to cancel at short notice. Like you I am a carer, we don’t book anything at all more than a couple of days ahead for this reason. Our circumstances mirror yours.

3. (Where is 3🤷‍♀️)

4. Agree, offers are not that good as previous.

5. You don’t have to receive the magazine, it costs nothing, available online if you really want to check the odd item, go paper free.

6. you don’t have to have a digital only Membership, you can still have a card🤷‍♀️

You need to do more research around the Club and options. You need to either apply to go on one of the Committee’s, and challenge some of the decisions from within (watching an AGM, attending local meetings will give you a better insight) or you need to think as many are doing and look at other options. All the information is on this website about committees, staff, decision making, etc…… not always as good as it should be, but most is there.

Whether or not you renew is a very personal decision, only you know what gives you value from being a Member. But do the research properly before jumping one way or the other is best advice🙂

 

ecocamping

At the end of the day it depends whether you can get what you want elsewhere. That may be perfectly possible and if it is you may have answered your own question. However I would question whether you will find more generous T&C's elsewhere? Even the C&CC are not as generous although depending on your age it may be a better bet discount wise. Most commercial sites require a deposit and usually full payment weeks prior to arrival so in that sense the Club have a major advantage. I do think the Club need to revisit the rules about making last minute changes which don't impact on overall Club revenue and seem a bit like a punishment! 

Unfortunately my experience of having subscriptions to motorhome or boating magazines is that you get what I call the two year churn where by the same subjects are covered again and again, albeit written by different people.

Digitalisation is with us now and forever. So people need to understand that where it saves organisations money, which also means in the end it saves members money, it is not going away and I would really urge those who think it has gone too far to think about it practically and get onboard with it. 

I am not sure if you have ever been involved with the latest way of running the Club AGM? You can now submit written questions in advance and whilst not everyone will be dealt with at the AGM the questions do get answers after the event. Many of us on here have found it a useful source of information which is frustratingly missing from elsewhere.

David

The user and all related content has been Deleted User

3. (Where is 3🤷‍♀️)

See, that's another thing that the "club" has done. They've abolished 3's. Last straw in my opinion. My renewal due end of this month. This might make me think again.

Thank you for your replies, and oops re abolishing 3's  

Off to look at the clubs committees and structures etc are they easy to find?

I do wonder how many people have left or not renewed membership, may be that's a question for the AGM along with how much spare capacity there has been?

One benefit has been for us that booking a site a few weeks at last minute there was a lot of choice where we could book and on site it was so empty there was choice of pitches too!  

Though we are currently paying more than other as the offers are now there, I suspect there will be a lot of cancellations and re booking going on for people to get the discount if they are far enough in advance.

 

 

I have some sympathy for the original post.

We don’t use Club sites and retain membership for CLs. Booked two days ago to go away for three nights next week.

We are just not that organised to book months ahead. I think it is different if you are booking a two or three week summer holiday and need to book leave. Although when we were in that position, we were going to Europe, just booking the ferries, never camp sites, even in school summer holiday.

We continue to receive hard copy directory and memb card. We receive hard copy magazine because we both like to flick through which we couldn’t do conveniently if one of us received it electronically. I agree there is nothing much in it, but I find that true of a lot of club type mags and even many Motorhome mags.

As for the organisation of the club, I think it is all a bit of a cabale. We can vote for Council members prior to the AGM, including an option to say “no” to one or more. This is done electronically. Then at the AGM which I observed last year, by zoom, they vote and unanimously accept everyone. I have yet to find out how they incorporate the “postal” votes. Astonishingly, there are the correct number of candidates for places.

People nominated seem to be associated in some way with the area groups, or what ever they are called. Despite having an area group on my membership card I have never had any communication from them.

There are also Q & A sessions around the country. I have seen one advertised in the magazine, but not for anywhere near me.

I think only a select few members are allowed to participate. You have to be in the know. A real democratic deficit, in my view.

Over the last year or two I have felt increasingly that members are considered irrelevant. I think the club is run and managed by people who in some cases have no idea what caravanning and motorhoming is all about.

So why do I remain a member? Simply for the CLs. We have also for the first time joined the CCC this year. We have been to three of their club sites, as it happens. Whilst they reaffirmed our dislike of large sites, we found them more relaxed and pleasant than CAMC sites. And because we benefit from the age discount much cheaper. 

Go right down to bottom of page, into green bit, and click on “about us”. All sorts of information down there, lots of links. You will only find details of the AGM on here, local committee minutes are never shared. You can ask questions to be put to AGM, but don’t expect much in response to be honest. No one asks questions from the floor, at least I can only recall one in last two years. You can watch the AGM via Zoom. 

It will only be a general response to any questions. The Club doesn’t share information easily to be honest, unless you analyse what is in the Annual Reports, current and previous. 

Link to last year’s AGM   https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/about-us/agm/

 

On a positive note I've just found a possible reason to stay members if you have more than 2 dogs, we have 3 small rescues.

Very few sites allow more than 2 dogs, that sadly includes many CS's 

Hja said :- 

As for the organisation of the club, I think it is all a bit of a cabale. We can vote for Council members prior to the AGM, including an option to say “no” to one or more. This is done electronically. Then at the AGM which I observed last year, by zoom, they vote and unanimously accept everyone. I have yet to find out how they incorporate the “postal” votes. Astonishingly, there are the correct number of candidates for places.

People nominated seem to be associated in some way with the area groups, or what ever they are called. Despite having an area group on my membership card I have never had any communication from them.

There are also Q & A sessions around the country. I have seen one advertised in the magazine, but not for anywhere near me.

I think only a select few members are allowed to participate. You have to be in the know. A real democratic deficit, in my view.

I think we have to accept that there are probably two types of members. The first group will be those who just want to use the Club to book sites, buy insurance etc, probably the vast majority of the membership? The other group will be those that get involved with the Club, as a club, by running local centres (BTW you have to register interest, not the other way round) running rallies etc. It is probably from this group that the majority of people come from to put themselves forward for election. I don't know if you recall the furore prior to last years AGM when it seemed everyone was going to vote against those putting their names forward. What happened, nothing, life went on as normal! 

With regards the regional Q&A's. I don't think there are many during the year and they were obviously put to one side during the pandemic. I have been to one but had to travel to Luton. Unfortunately the one organised locally to me (two miles away) we couldn't attend because we were away. I am sure that the hiring of rooms in hotels and the provision of (usually minimal) refreshments is quite expensive so I suppose that will be a limiting factor. 

David

And many/most private sites will charge you a considerable sum to take those 3 dogs with you!