Incident at C&MC site Culloden Moor

[landoboguy]

Phiiiiiiiiil.
please pop back and freeze threads when needed , pleeeeease

 

[mariesnowgoose]

Nothing to see here, move along to the next thread folks... ?

 

[Penny13]

If I paid to stay on a site with facilities I would still be using ours. The only place we use facilities is on a marina we stay at. They are immaculate.

Immaculate doesn’t mean they are safe

 

[Sharon the Cat]

Immaculate doesn’t mean they are safe

You're right there, I was merely thinking of cleanliness. COVID clean is another thing entirely.

 

[Penny13]

You're right there, I was merely thinking of cleanliness. COVID clean is another thing entirely.

Hi hope your both ok. There is a difference in spotless toilets. Someone is taking the time on the small things and they are fab when you find them. But if they have cleaned the whole place with the same cloths it’s contaminated
We all just need to be very careful. Take your own disinfect wipes and loo roll. Wash wash wash your hands

 

[Robmac]

Hi hope your both ok. There is a difference in spotless toilets. Someone is taking the time on the small things and they are fab when you find them. But if they have cleaned the whole place with the same cloths it’s contaminated
We all just need to be very careful. Take your own disinfect wipes and loo roll. Wash wash wash your hands

At our Marina Penny (which is the one Sharon refers to). Along with the normal soap, there is hand sanitizer and a spray sanitizer for surfaces. Only paper towels are supplies for cleaning surfaces and toilet seats etc after spraying with the sanitizer and only one person is allowed in the toilet block at a time.

Obviously it is up to the individual how scrupulously they stick to the rules, but apart from putting CCTV in there the only other option would be to close them down and leave just the Elsan disposal point open.

I must say though that I feel perfectly safe using the facilities and I think they have done as much as they possibly can.

 

[Sharon the Cat]

Hi hope your both ok. There is a difference in spotless toilets. Someone is taking the time on the small things and they are fab when you find them. But if they have cleaned the whole place with the same cloths it’s contaminated
We all just need to be very careful. Take your own disinfect wipes and loo roll. Wash wash wash your hands

We're good thanks, though struggling for places to stay in the MH, hence the marina.

I suppose the only place you are really safe is at home, within your own household. Sad times.

 

[mickymost]

We're good thanks, though struggling for places to stay in the MH, hence the marina.

I suppose the only place you are really safe is at home, within your own household. Sad times.

It is what it is unfortunately.Basically if you have to go away in your Motorhome or Campervan and dont feel happy wilding only go to a Campsite being one of the two clubs (if a member)or private sites and only if you have your own Facilities. Dont bother with site Toilets and showers simple. And if the site is lacking on maintenance i/e grass not cut etc dont get annoyed about it and then writing to management to complain as the staff have their hands tied with other more important Covid19 duties.

Sharon times are sad but as long as one is alive and safe thats all thats important.

 

[mickymost]

Hi hope your both ok. There is a difference in spotless toilets. Someone is taking the time on the small things and they are fab when you find them. But if they have cleaned the whole place with the same cloths it’s contaminated
We all just need to be very careful. Take your own disinfect wipes and loo roll. Wash wash wash your hands

Penny hope your site is supplying an endless supply of cleaning cloths and other cleaning products to keep you safe.I feel for you.

 

[Penny13]

Penny hope your site is supplying an endless supply of cleaning cloths and other cleaning products to keep you safe.I feel for you.

Hum I am using blue roll it just throws away after I clean each item, but it’s not a good thing for the environment. I will use cloths next year colour coded ones I wash the mop heads.
We where given our PPE by concerned seasonal’s, our boss bought our boiler suits, two flimsy masks and provides gloves. We do have a shower each that the campers do not use.
Thank you for being kind it has been tough but the reality is it tough on a all of us.

 

[Annsman]

As someone who worked for one of the major clubs, I, and other staff, long thought people should show a certified photo of their own bathrooms, rather than a membership card, to get on site! What some people did in the facilities defies belief from anyone living in the 21st century! And that was before Covid! I’m not condoning the actions of the staff, but I can understand it. BTW, site staff are trained to clean professionally as part of their initial training. Whether they all do it correctly all the time is another question. But you could say the same about anyone, in any job.

 

[Tookey]

Hum I am using blue roll it just throws away after I clean each item, but it’s not a good thing for the environment. I will use cloths next year colour coded ones I wash the mop heads.
We where given our PPE by concerned seasonal’s, our boss bought our boiler suits, two flimsy masks and provides gloves. We do have a shower each that the campers do not use.
Thank you for being kind it has been tough but the reality is it tough on a all of us.

I have to frequently use the domestics blue roll to wipe up after plumbing and strongly suspect that it is already recycled from the feel of it so don't worry too much

Although domestics used to use colour coded mops and wash them at the HC's unfortunately that can't do that anymore (not covid related) and use disposable cloths that strap on to a head, terrible wastage

 

[slowgiles]

As someone who has stayed on around 20 CMC sites since the beginning of July, covering the South coast of England, Lake District and both East and west coast of Scotland to name a few places. I would say in general the sites have been well run and not had any issues. The staff are putting up with a lot and I feel a lot safer using thier facilities than others. The only negative I have seen, is fellow users, either not using the band system or just not bothering to clean up after then. They are sadly everywhere in life these days..........
Most people are in caravans or MH's or camper vans that have thier own facilities (how else are you wild camping otherwise?). That includes me. The people that lose out are those that are camping, as they don't have other options unless they go to the local pub etc. I'm also a member of the camping and caravan club, which is great for fields to park on cheaper than CMC, but some sites were telling MH and caravan owners to use thier own facilities to leave the mains ones for the campers. I dont have a problem with that, as they reduced the price, which is probably what should have happened here.

 

[Technispark]

On the 4 August the warden at Culloden Moor campsite closed the toilet facilities for almost 24 hours.
I wrote to the club to complain and yesterday I received this email.
I have also posted my reply posted tonight.
Generally speaking I have been pleased with my stays at their campsites, but what happened here was simply not on.
I am doing this to give you all a heads up in case this happens to you.
And I intend to be extremely persistent on this matter.
There are principles at stake here that I reckon are very important to us all.

Dear Mr

Please accept our apologies for the delay getting back to you. We’re receiving enormous levels of correspondence at the moment and to ensure we manage this fairly, we’re investigating and responding to members in order of receiving their feedback.

We’re sorry to hear that you were disappointed in the way a situation on site at Culloden Moor unfolded. We received a number of emails about this temporary closure of the toilet block which was necessary 4-5 August. Some members were unhappy with the way this was handled by the site staff, while others were supportive and complimentary as they understood the team there were dealing with a difficult situation which had arisen due to the behaviour of some members/guests on site.

Having discussed the options with their Regional Manager, the Head of Sites Operations agreed that closure was the only way forward in these very difficult circumstances. At that point the following statement was made available for site staff, contact centre agents and posted on Club social media feeds.

Tuesday 4th August - Due to guests forcing entry into facilities which we had closed to maintain social distancing, in accordance with our COVID secure guidelines, we have taken the difficult decision to close the toilet block at Culloden Moor until tomorrow. We have taken this unusual step to ensure the safety of all guests and site staff, and we apologise to members currently on site for the closure.

We’re also sorry that you felt that general maintenance and grass cutting was not up to usual Club standards. In their defence I know sites teams across the country prioritised all the new deep cleaning and other measures necessary to comply with the Government guidelines and the Club’s Covid Secure commitment, and in some instances it took them some time to catch up with more routine maintenance. Coupled with the fact that our sites network is operating at record levels currently, I know they have been working hard to keep members and guests happy and safe.

Thank you very much for taking the time to contact us, and we hope you enjoy many more stays on the sites network in the coming weeks.

Kind regards

my reply

Hi

Many thanks for your reply.

I am sorry to read the contents of your email which fail to answer some of the salient points raised in my initial email.

First and foremost I discussed this with several campers and not one of them was happy with what happened. As a matter of fact some were threatening to leave the caravan and Motorhome club because of how this was dealt with. Sorry but I simply cannot agree that this action was either appropriate or proportional under the circumstances. Also I find it difficult to believe that this happened in both the ladies and the gents toilets. And therefore wonder why this punishment was deemed appropriate for both sexes. Also you claim that this was done for our safety. I find that comment surprising. With only the disabled toilet left available this meant that this facility would be in great demand, and being used by many more than would have been normal, increasing the chance that Covid would spread within the campsite. Also there were disabled campers there, this could have made things less safe and more difficult for them. When leaving next morning I witnessed large queues of people waiting for access to the toilet block, further increasing the chances of spreading Covid.

You also failed to mention the reply I received from the warden when simply asking what had transpired, and why I was being refused access to facilities that I and others had paid for. His response was rude and offensive, I had every right to ask what was going on. The fact remains that approximately 200 people who had paid for the use of toilet facilities were denied access due to the actions of what appears to have been one stupid individual. And it’s even possible that the culprit had left the campsite before these draconian measures were taken. It’s also possible that what transpired were the actions of an individual out-with the campsite who simply entered the campsite to use the toilet facilities. One camper witnessed a couple who had been out walking entering the campsite using the toilets then leaving again.

Also as stated on my previous email, a couple in a camper with no toilet facilities were checked in without being informed of the situation. This surely should not have happened.

Sorry Fiona but I feel just as strong now as I did 5 weeks ago when for no reason applicable directly to myself I was refused access to facilities that I had paid for.
I don’t accept that any business can charge people for facilities then refuse them, even in these sad times.

Regards

I would agree wholeheartedly with you over this. It demonstrates the mindset of the club. When I worked for them over a decade ago I was aware of a very military approach to management and it spills over to the customers. However I think the whole thing is down to lack of committed staff at the coal face. Hence we have some sites not re-opening at all and those which are open over full and under staffed. There was a lot of money to be made up here in the Highlands this summer but most of the places we have been to where cafes have been closed and campsites closed it has been due to the lack of availability of staff. Even those which are open seem to be relying on recruiting staff from the south of the uk who have been laid off from other jobs.
BUT to open a site without toilet facilities is to my mind just taking the pxxx !