The C&MC and use of electricity.

[Fisherman]

Just read a letter on their rag.
Apparently they are struggling to pay their leccy bills, and are trying to change how they charge for it. They are experimenting with metering it, Last year they applied a levy to help cover their costs. I sent them a very simple solution. I have no doubt that metering won’t create cheaper initial prices. Knowing this lot they will charge the full fees, then ad on the leccy used. Here’s the letter I sent them, I would be amazed if it’s printed, it doesn’t saynice things about them.

I read with interest the article by Natasha Shane, your head of strategic product development and sustainability.

I have an extremely simple solution to your problem, do what the the Caravan and camping sites do and offer more pitches without electricity. Most Motorhomes have solar panels and don’t need or indeed want to pay for electricity nine months of the year. I have been forced to pay for something I don’t want or need many times on your sites. I bitterly resented the surcharge you applied last year. Being surcharged for something you are being forced to take against your will is a bitter pill to swallow. And I have to say you were the only ones during our travels who applied a surcharge. With the increasing price of overnight stays providing this cheaper environmentally friendly option makes perfect sense.

Yours sincerely

 

[wildebus]

Just read a letter on their rag.
Apparently they are struggling to pay their leccy bills, and are trying to change how they charge for it. They are experimenting with metering it, Last year they applied a levy to help cover their costs. I sent them a very simple solution. I have no doubt that metering won’t create cheaper initial prices. Knowing this lot they will charge the full fees, then ad on the leccy used. Here’s the letter I sent them, I would be amazed if it’s printed, it doesn’t saynice things about them.

I read with interest the article by Natasha Shane, your head of strategic product development and sustainability.

I have an extremely simple solution to your problem, do what the the Caravan and camping sites do and offer more pitches without electricity. Most Motorhomes have solar panels and don’t need or indeed want to pay for electricity nine months of the year. I have been forced to pay for something I don’t want or need many times on your sites. I bitterly resented the surcharge you applied last year. Being surcharged for something you are being forced to take against your will is a bitter pill to swallow. And I have to say you were the only ones during our travels who applied a surcharge. With the increasing price of overnight stays providing this cheaper environmentally friendly option makes perfect sense.

Yours sincerely

Do the C&MC not do pitches where you can use without EHU?
I have never been a member of or used a C&MC site, but I know it is certainly something you can do with the C&CC as you say (used the Walton on Thames site and paid £7 for the pitch, no EHU. EHU was certainly there on the site at an extra cost and there was a post with an EHU socket around 10 metres from me.)

Personally speaking, if there was a reasonable per night charge for the ACCESS to EHU (so a bit like a standing charge on your home electric) and then a METERED charge, that would make a great deal of sense. But to keep the EHU charge the same AND apply a metered charge would be surely unacceptable both to their customers and the club management?

 

[Fisherman]

Do the C&MC not do pitches where you can use without EHU?
I have never been a member of or used a C&MC site, but I know it is certainly something you can do with the C&CC as you say (used the Walton on Thames site and paid £7 for the pitch, no EHU. EHU was certainly there on the site at an extra cost and there was a post with an EHU socket around 10 metres from me.)

Personally speaking, if there was a reasonable per night charge for the ACCESS to EHU (so a bit like a standing charge on your home electric) and then a METERED charge, that would make a great deal of sense. But to keep the EHU charge the same AND apply a metered charge would be surely unacceptable both to their customers and the club management?

Some sites have absolutely no pitches without EHU. I only found out about the surcharge last summer when I arrived at their Garlieston site. I had a £3 surcharge for three nights applied. I offered not to use their leccy in return for a cheaper rate but was advised they could not, would not do this. Their New England bay site has over 100 pitches with one non EHU pitch.
I have booked a three week tour this year using ten CCC sites all had options without EHU. I booked five with and five without. My better half like most women are addicted to hair dryers .
To be frank I have no time for this mob, and I am seriously considering leaving them. I much prefer the CCC. My 21 night August trip on CCC sites comes in at £656. Had I went with them it would have been nearer £900, with them charging £40 plus a night now on most of their sites in summer.

 

[r4dent]

Well said

Another thing the Camping & Caravanning Club (not Caravan & Camping) do is allow none overnight visits to empty and fill tanks and take a shower.

If your letter doesn't get published you could always try the "get together" on line feature.
There was a thread on non EHU pitches but it is now closed.
The thread has some interesting posts, including a list of CMC sites with non EHU pitches.

the thread is https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-...ring/uk-sites-touring/non-electric-pitches-2/

I've been a member of CMC for over 50 years. In my opinion they are still very much biased towards Caravans despite the name change.

 

[Fisherman]

Well said

Another thing the Camping & Caravanning Club (not Caravan & Camping) do is allow none overnight visits to empty and fill tanks and take a shower.

If your letter doesn't get published you could always try the "get together" on line feature.
There was a thread on non EHU pitches but it is now closed.
The thread has some interesting posts, including a list of CMC sites with non EHU pitches.

the thread is https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-...ring/uk-sites-touring/non-electric-pitches-2/

I've been a member of CMC for over 50 years. In my opinion they are still very much biased towards Caravans despite the name change.

I was at their Morvich site three years ago when a young French couple asked if they could empty their toilet for a fee. The warden seemed abrupt when dealing with them. I told him he was out of order, and highlighted what could now be done with cassette contents. I then headed out and took their cassette emptied it and cleaned it, much to his annoyance. It angers me that local councils and communities do more for us than this lot. They may well have changed their name to include us, but they have done nothing else. They even look down their noses at people who wild camp, many of whom are their members. They never miss a chance to screw us for more money.

 

[wildebus]

Well said

Another thing the Camping & Caravanning Club (not Caravan & Camping) do is allow none overnight visits to empty and fill tanks and take a shower.

If your letter doesn't get published you could always try the "get together" on line feature.
There was a thread on non EHU pitches but it is now closed.
The thread has some interesting posts, including a list of CMC sites with non EHU pitches.

the thread is https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-...ring/uk-sites-touring/non-electric-pitches-2/

I've been a member of CMC for over 50 years. In my opinion they are still very much biased towards Caravans despite the name change.

I know it is off-topic but I got put off the C&MC totally with their superior attitude. To join, you have to put in your model of Motor Caravan and if not listed (as self-builds won't be of course), they MAY let you join once they have inspected your Motor Caravan to see it meets their standards.
Now I have a Motorhome that will be listed, I could join (assuming they don't have age limits) but it has become a Groucho Marx thing.... I would not want to belong to a club that would have me as a member

 

[Fisherman]

Would you beleive it, now at the letters page and they have “dealt “ with this issue.

So I sent an addendum, they might even ban me now.

Further to my initial letter I now see this matter has been “dealt with”.

You say you have non EHU ON 18 sites one of them is New England Bay with one EHU pitch. Why not offer non EHU pitches at all of your sites and at reduced prices. If you are serious about environmental issues as you claim, why not do something positive, simple, and constructive about it. To state that only 18 of your sites has very limited access to non EHU pitches is not a reasonable or acceptable response in my honest opinion .

Yours Sincerely

 

[Fisherman]

I know it is off-topic but I got put off the C&MC totally with their superior attitude. To join, you have to put in your model of Motor Caravan and if not listed (as self-builds won't be of course), they MAY let you join once they have inspected your Motor Caravan to see it meets their standards.
Now I have a Motorhome that will be listed, I could join (assuming they don't have age limits) but it has become a Groucho Marx thing.... I would not want to belong to a club that would have me as a member

Don’t join them, I wish I had not David.

 

[Fisherman]

Just checked they have over 200 sites 18 with limited non EHU pitches, job done, They claim to be environmentally friendly (lip service only. ) If they are serious why not do the simple option, reason, it will cost them, and they don’t like that idea. They really are an arrogant self righteous bunch. What a reply 18 sites out of over 200 with non EHU pitches and they reckon that suffices.

 

[barryd]

I reckon this is going to cause problems this year. Electricity prices are going skywards and lets face it, there seems to be many of the opinion on sites or CLs with electric that they have bought it so they will use it. I have heard stories directly from CL owners saying they had guests using great big heaters outside in awnings or leaving fan heaters going in them to dry clothes while they were out etc.

Metering is the way to go of course but I bet the clubs wont do it for two reasons. The majority of their users are addicted to hookup and the second reason, cost. It would probably cost millions to change all the sites to metered hookup and I bet the few motorhomers wanting none electric pitches will be in a minority. All they will do I reckon is put up their charges just like everyone else has had to.

Long live the off the beaten track basic CL sites without hookup I say. Sadly they are few and far between now but thats where ill be heading this year. Lets hope all the newbies have not discovered solar just yet then.

 

[number14]

I agree with pretty much all the of opinion given above and have already decided to let membership lapse at the end of this month. I don't care at all about the Club sites but I will be sorry to lose access to the CLs especially as CAMC have a better off grid selection than the CSs of the other club. Having said that, I have only once been asked for my membership number so may just be cheeky and try a few bookings anyway, being honest as a lapsed member of course. I do wonder if CL owners are particularly bothered provided one looks like a 'respectable' punter, especially in light of the CAMC's new disastrous site search and booking system.

The other thing about most CLs/CSs who offer EHU is that it is optional.

 

[Norfolk NewBoy]

I don't think that it would be expensive nor difficult to convert EVERY pitch to non-EHU: Superglue a chain and padlock to a blue EHU socket for every bollard connection and charge punters to have it unlocked for 24h. Site fees could then be reduced for everyone and people would have the choice of paying a flat rate for power.

I used to stay at CAMC Whitewater when I visited Dad in Teesside: typically approx £30 pn but a super play area (which we didn't use), showers (which we didn't use) and I think there may even have been a club house (but we never used it). Then I discovered that there was a CAMC farm site (Smith House) with a lovely, helpful host which charged £6 pn and EHU was on a coin-fed meter. After a couple of years the fees went to £8 but she still charged me £6, as a long-standing customer. Then someone vandalised the coin boxes (5 boxes probably holding £10 each?) so she replaced them with token-operated meters: vandalised again! So when we were there in November it was £12pn and EHU was "free". I don't know if that will have been revised but it is highly unlikely that we'll be going back to Whitewater!

Gordon
(In November the site was full so we were placed down the side of the barn and "not charged". I insisted on making a donation of £24 for the two nights we were there.)

 

[barryd]

I don't think that it would be expensive nor difficult to convert EVERY pitch to non-EHU: Superglue a chain and padlock to a blue EHU socket for every bollard connection and charge punters to have it unlocked for 24h. Site fees could then be reduced for everyone and people would have the choice of paying a flat rate for power.

I used to stay at CAMC Whitewater when I visited Dad in Teesside: typically approx £30 pn but a super play area (which we didn't use), showers (which we didn't use) and I think there may even have been a club house (but we never used it). Then I discovered that there was a CAMC farm site (Smith House) with a lovely, helpful host which charged £6 pn and EHU was on a coin-fed meter. After a couple of years the fees went to £8 but she still charged me £6, as a long-standing customer. Then someone vandalised the coin boxes (5 boxes probably holding £10 each?) so she replaced them with token-operated meters: vandalised again! So when we were there in November it was £12pn and EHU was "free". I don't know if that will have been revised but it is highly unlikely that we'll be going back to Whitewater!

Gordon
(In November the site was full so we were placed down the side of the barn and "not charged". I insisted on making a donation of £24 for the two nights we were there.)

Not a bad idea but it would have to be done in such a way that the guest gets a key or a code to unlock the EHU though otherwise its a lot of extra work for the staff going and unlocking them.

I remember one in the south of France a bit like that. Someone had to come to your pitch to unlock it, come out to your pitch if you tripped it and come out to your pitch to let you release your cable when you left. Bizarre.

I bet the prices wouldnt go down though. If anything I bet they would maybe stay the same for none EHU and go up five to ten pounds for EHU.

 

[merl]

Bunch of non thinking/backward thinking old fashioned hypocrites. I'd have left long ago but the CLs kept me subscribed.
After meeting a brick wall with my request to get a sensible chat with someone higher up about water/showers/ waster facilities being used without a pitch I've decided this is my last season with them, I'll try the CCC and wing admission to CLs as we rarely get asked for membership details AND I won't feel guilty when doing so, in fact I think it'll improve the experience.
Left my review on tristpilot just a few weeks ago actually.

Caravan and Motorhome Club (previously The Caravan Club) is rated "Great" with 4.1 / 5 on Trustpilot

Do you agree with Caravan and Motorhome Club (previously The Caravan Club)'s TrustScore? Voice your opinion today and hear what 11,972 customers have already said.

uk.trustpilot.com

Tw**s.

 

[Wooie1958]

Bunch of non thinking/backward thinking old fashioned hypocrites. I'd have left long ago but the CLs kept me subscribed.
After meeting a brick wall with my request to get a sensible chat with someone higher up about water/showers/ waster facilities being used without a pitch I've decided this is my last season with them, I'll try the CCC and wing admission to CLs as we rarely get asked for membership details AND I won't feel guilty when doing so, in fact I think it'll improve the experience.
Left my review on tristpilot just a few weeks ago actually.

Caravan and Motorhome Club (previously The Caravan Club) is rated "Great" with 4.1 / 5 on Trustpilot

Do you agree with Caravan and Motorhome Club (previously The Caravan Club)'s TrustScore? Voice your opinion today and hear what 11,972 customers have already said.

uk.trustpilot.com

Tw**s.

Don`t beat about the bush, tell us what you really think of them

 

[Wooie1958]

We are very close to getting rid of them after more than 20 years, the reason we`ve kept it going this long was firstly our son lived and worked in London very near to Tower Bridge so using Abbey Wood then either the bus or train in made it easy to visit him and later our daughter, son-in law and grandson have a caravan and use them and the C&CC.

Our son gave up on London, which was good for us because the LEZ/ULEZ charges now for us to go to Abbey Wood are £100 a day so that instantly puts £200 on the already ridiculous charges now at the site.

Our daughter prefers the C&CC and joined both as a matter of course like a lot of people do so she is thing of getting rid of the CAMC as well.

 

[Deleted member 93595]

My suggestion being new to motorhoming is to send a petition from us Wildcamping and Motorhomer to the various bodies asking them to make non electric pitches if available
Listed on their sites.
I am sure if they see a large body interested in this they will make more readily available.
Do bare in mind this is a massive change for them as well.
Bottom line is if you don’t like them don’t join
Vote with your membership and cash.
Cheers Gang

 

[Fisherman]

We are very close to getting rid of them after more than 20 years, the reason we`ve kept it going this long was firstly our son lived and worked in London very near to Tower Bridge so using Abbey Wood then either the bus or train in made it easy to visit him and later our daughter, son-in law and grandson have a caravan and use them and the C&CC.

Our son gave up on London, which was good for us because the LEZ/ULEZ charges now for us to go to Abbey Wood are £100 a day so that instantly puts £200 on the already ridiculous charges now at the site.

Our daughter prefers the C&CC and joined both as a matter of course like a lot of people do so she is thing of getting rid of the CAMC as well.

They’re not perfect Graham, but the CCC are far better than the mob.
They will never turn a member away if they need help.
I have been told by at least three wardens if we ever need a shower and our cassette emptied and freshwater even though they are not listed as sites doing this they would. I find them more helpful, friendlier, and more down to earth. They cater for tents, every site has tent pitches unlike the mob.
Yes they have not fully grasped that we have different needs, but they have done a whole lot more than the mob have. Many of their wardens wild camp.
They never applied any surcharges, and their sites are a bit cheaper, particularly for over 60s.

 

[Moped]

Why not simply charge for hook up separately as an add on?

Nearly every site in France and Spain does this. And then it’s normally 6amp and occasionally 10amp.

Just because a pitch has a socket available doesn’t mean it has to be used.

If 16amp U.K. club electric is forced on me with no option not to use I will use it to excess for heating. That is the way it is. Simple!

With the heating turned up to max we can use the 4kw per hour that 16amp hook up offers. That is around £1.40 an hour if charged at domestic rates. OK when the temperatures reach sauna level then the heating will cruise and it might average 60p an hour after it gets there.

It’s currently freezing in the U.K. so what to the CAMC expect of its visitors?

We are currently in Spain. We are on a 6amp site and Spanish domestic tariffs are 14p per KW not the 35p in the U.K. Electric is included in the tariff as we are ASCI but even so we are using no more than 5kw a day (less than £1 a day) as we do not need to use heating even at night. If we did it would be way too warm!

 

[barryd]

Why not simply charge for hook up separately as an add on?

Nearly every site in France and Spain does this. And then it’s normally 6amp and occasionally 10amp.

Just because a pitch has a socket available doesn’t mean it has to be used.

If 16amp U.K. club electric is forced on me with no option not to use I will use it to excess for heating. That is the way it is. Simple!

With the heating turned up to max we can use the 4kw per hour that 16amp hook up offers. That is around £1.40 an hour if charged at domestic rates. OK when the temperatures reach sauna level then the heating will cruise and it might average 60p an hour after it gets there.

It’s currently freezing in the U.K. so what to the CAMC expect of its visitors?

We are currently in Spain. We are on a 6amp site and Spanish domestic tariffs are 14p per KW not the 35p in the U.K. Electric is included in the tariff as we are ASCI but even so we are using no more than 5kw a day (less than £1 a day) as we do not need to use heating even at night. If we did it would be way too warm!

I suspect the clubs will not be paying domestic discounted rates but commercial ones. Might need some clarification but as you are kind of confirming what I said earlier about the "Ive paid for it so I will use it" thought process if everyone does the same I cannot see how pitch prices with EHU included wont sky rocket this year. How can they not?

We stayed on two CL sites over Christmas and New Year with EHU. One was £18 and one £15. It was cold and windy so the electric heating got used a lot. I wondered if they made much profit at all at those rates. I tried to be sparing with it. I reckon some will be in for a shock in the not too distant future.