Low occupancy

This is the 5th time we have stayed at the CAMC Black Knowl site at this time of year and are astonished how low the occupancy is compared to previous years and the weather isn't bad.  The site has 131 pitches but only its 91 hardstanding pitches are available for use.  Of these, 75 (82%) are unoccupied, 7 occupied by coachbuilt motorhomes, 6 by caravans and 3 by PVCs (2 are pop-up campers).  Has anyone else noticed a reduction in occupancy on CAMC sites?

There have been such comments for months on the CAMC Facebook chat group but equally there are comments about sites being full. Depends where they are located, seaside sites, popular tourist area sites  are well used with sites such as York, Chatsworth, Moreton in March, Chirk and others being reported as full or nearly full. When you look at how many CAMC sites are open through winter , only about 30 , and C&CC sites, only about 20, it does surprise me that so many are not full, the obvious answer will be current site fees.

The booking availability for many CAMC sites has increased markedly since the introduction of the deposit scheme which appears to have blocked the previous speculative booking particularly for Friday/Saturday night pitches.

There is certainly a lot of disillusionment with C&MC at the moment, judging by members I speak to.

Finally, this morning I have been issued with a voucher code for one free night in the New Year.
That took four emails to sort out.
They claim they sent me one in an email and also one by post, but I never received them.
Two of my neighbours haven't had any communication regarding the vouchers either and neither of them are thinking of using a C&MC site in the near future, instead happy to look for private sites.

I am getting regular emails from C&MC, one chain almost begging me to book before 31st Dec for a 10% reduction and another chain for claiming the free night.  If they dropped their extortionate prices permanently perhaps folk would use them. Last year I cancelled a site at booking at Hillhead because they did a price drop and didn't want to pass it on retrospectively to those who had already booked and paid a deposit. I then started using tranquil sites and found they were in most instances as good as, if not better, and cheaper.  There was also the added benefit of no screaming little terrorists on electric scooters 

We have now dropped our membership of both main clubs, not specifically on cost grounds but we find that non-affiliated private sites tend to be rather pleasanter places to be. Less officiousness etc. They are often also in nicer places, perhaps because they can be smaller and less obtrusive since they don't seem to need big toilet blocks etc.

The cost is also now often less at private sites, but I can understand an increase in club site fees due to electricity when you look at the number of awning heaters etc. being used. At private sites users seem to be more considerate, perhaps because they meet the owners?

My only criteria for choosing a site is its location, I don't care who owns it and what I pay depends on how much I want to be at that location.

The Bargee wrote:At private sites users seem to be more considerate, perhaps because they meet the owners?

There are several private sites that I will never return to, specifically because I never want to meet their owners again, equally the reverse applies to other private sites.

Peter Brown wrote:My only criteria for choosing a site is its location, I don't care who owns it and what I pay depends on how much I want to be at that location.

That's exactly the way we choose sites.

Just had renewal due email today, now £63. C&CC only £48 , another reason for CAMC low occupancy.

Wow, I’m now saving £63 per year! 

Also, my veteran membership of C&CC is only £24!

Wow! I'm saving £111 per year!! And much too young for Veteran membership!!!

Yeah, right 

We started very young with our first caravan - in our early 20s 

I'd forgotten that C&CC did a veteren membership. Just looked up how to get it, as I looked at my membership cards and found I've been a member for 25 years and you can apply when you enter your 26th year, so I'll apply before renewal in July.

Yep, 25 years continuous plus being an OAP to be eligible. We did far more than 25 years due to our youth. 

Paulmold wrote:I'd forgotten that C&CC did a veteren membership. Just looked up how to get it, as I looked at my membership cards and found I've been a member for 25 years and you can apply when you enter your 26th year, so I'll apply before renewal in July.

They don't seem to notify you of Veteran Membership automatically, I only discovered it by accident and found we would already have qualified for a couple of years.  A quick phone call and they noted it for the next renewal which was upcoming and is now in force. 

We'd already qualified and been registered for Age Concession pitch rates - note that you don't have to be State Pension age, this is applicable from age 60, although it was reduced to 55 for a while which I think may be when we first qualified.

CMC don't seem to offer any benefits for us oldies, although they do charge less for a singleton, which sometimes applies if I'm on my tod and along with mid week discounts can make a club site cheaper than a CL/CS.

C&CC don’t notify you of veteran membership entitlement. It’s up to members to apply.

At one time, if you had digital membership, the veteran rate was half of that but now it’s half of the standard fee whether you go digital or not.

Seems to me that a lot of the senior citizens concessions are disappearing. Probably too many of us pensioners about now! Couldn't get an age concession at a theme park recently even though I said I wouldn't be partaking of many of the rides!!