Caravan & Motorhome Club Website

Geoff57 wrote:

Paulmold wrote:At the bottom of the map screen you should see 'show list' , click that and you get another screen where you can search by site name or location. Unfortunately you get worldwide place names, so if you want eg Chester you need to put Chester UK. You only get 20 sites per search so you may then have to search another close town such as Wrexham to get a further 20 etc . Certainly not ready to ditch the sites book yet.

Thanks as always Paul.
What a palaver...what is wrong with simply putting a search box on the first page ?
Obviously some IT wizzkid getting paid a shed load of  money to complicate things and probably thinks he has done a terrific job.

Seems to be the trend these days, to complicate things. I know things have to move on, but why not for the better?
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Richard

Working on website and app, let's hope its something to look forward to....

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Yeah but they did that last night as well. In fact they’ve been doing it a couple of times a week for ages and look what it’s achieved 

Tinwheeler wrote:Yeah but they did that last night as well. In fact they’ve been doing it a couple of times a week for ages and look what it’s achieved 

I actually found the map more responsive today.

Paulmold wrote:

Tinwheeler wrote:Yeah but they did that last night as well. In fact they’ve been doing it a couple of times a week for ages and look what it’s achieved 

I actually found the map more responsive today.

Wow! Progress at last, perhaps.

Following the DG opening comments in the last magazine, I read on (yes I read it, yes it's rubbish but I paid for it and I am Scottish  ) to the bit about the new system. It says the old/current version of the booking system will no longer be supported so we have no choice about downloading the new app if (a) we remain membership and (b) we want to book anything. There us no chance if me arranging trips until the new year so I'm leaving it as long as possible before downloading the app. My renewal date is in June, so we'll see what transpires 

Geoff57 wrote:

What a palaver...what is wrong with simply putting a search box on the first page ?
Obviously some IT wizzkid getting paid a shed load of  money to complicate things and probably thinks he has done a terrific job.

It's unbelievably bad! I used to work in the IT/web publishing world and anyone in our organisation producing such a mess would have been taken out and shot. I can only assume they've either gone for an incredibly cheap quote for the work or, worse, someone on the board says, 'My nephew's a whizz at that website stuff, he'll knock up a new website for you.'

I've read in several different sources that they purchased an old P & O ferry booking platform,  no  idea if that's true.

Thats what I heard Paul, last site I stayed on site manager said to me that we are listed on their system as passengers, our arrival date is labelled departure and our departure date labelled disembarkation 

They were not impressed with new system.

Paulmold wrote:I've read in several different sources that they purchased an old P & O ferry booking platform,  no  idea if that's true.

OMG! that's worse than my 'incredibly cheap' category! I've come across this before: take an IT system and try and adapt it to a new purpose. It always takes far longer and costs much more than anticipated, and the end result is always a horrible bastardisation that's a pig to maintain. It's actually cheaper to start out from scratch.  I speak from experience.

Following reviews on the Apple Store regarding the app, the developers have started responding.  Apparently its our fault if we don't have good mobile Internet speed (most sites are in remote areas) and we should use the website instead of the app or a desktop (do you really want to take your desktop away with you). Surely Internet speed affects that as well. Here's the standard response....

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It's a pity that no named, senior officer of the Club has the integrity to confess that they screwed this up woefully. Instead, we continue to be palmed off with (usually unattributable) platitudes. 

We deserve a full explanation from the Chief Executive of how the Club is in this mess; of the technical problems now still being encountered; of the steps, and timetable, to be followed to remedy the mess; and of the estimated financial cost and losses from the debacle. A letter to all members is the least we deserve.

I am sick of their continual fobbing off, as if we are not worth being treated like the critical friends of the Club which we are. It's not our fault!

Cymro

You can always tell the boss  [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] but you'll probably only get a reply from his secretary.
Thats the trouble with secretaries,  they stop their bosses having to deal with such trivial matters with the general public, so they continue to think all is well.

Bilbobaggins wrote:Thats what I heard Paul, last site I stayed on site manager said to me that we are listed on their system as passengers, our arrival date is labelled departure and our departure date labelled disembarkation 

They were not impressed with new system.

Probably because the new UK booking site is bolted onto the overseas booking site. Explains "passenger" and all the nonsense about wanting dates of birth of all people and length of towing vehicle.

I was going to suggest that this would be something to bring up at an AGM to force them to respond, however it seems they've just had one, and the next one is nearly a year away. That's convenient, for them.

Plenty of questions were asked about the booking system at the AGM, V8. I can’t really say the answers resolved anything.

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Tinwheeler wrote:Plenty of questions were asked about the booking system at the AGM, V8. I can’t really say the answers resolved anything.

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Basically, just fobbed off. I don't know why I let it auto-renew this year.

v8oholic wrote:

Tinwheeler wrote:Plenty of questions were asked about the booking system at the AGM, V8. I can’t really say the answers resolved anything.

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Basically, just fobbed off. I don't know why I let it auto-renew this year.

I stopped auto renew years ago and this year I didn’t renew at all. 

Well I agree it’s all a bit of a faff but eventually managed to book a site….Chatsworth in June…..but a little under £40.00 per night for a couple. Wow!! Maybe I’ll look for some CLs for the rest of my trip up north. Sorry if I’m drifting off subject.

It’s the CLs I feel sorry for. They’re not being served well by this mess. I imagine the booking system for club sites gets the priority in resolving the snagging list. I emailed the club last week with my list of points on how the CL search part of the website falls well short of what existed previously. 

Whether I get a response within the 10 days the auto-reply promised remains to be seen. I don’t have high expectations, given this situation should never got as far as it has. Frankly I’m fast losing interest in the organisation, particularly given the denial and the patronising nature of the CEO downwards in response to this mess.

It’s only the CLs we have any interest in, so my current workaround is to find them using Search4sites. When I click on the website button for a specific CL it takes me to the page from the previous CMHC website for that site. That has all the information I need, unlike the new version. Furthermore, Search4sites has a straightforward link to the full functionality of Google mapping, enabling us to navigate our way to the site.

It’s only a matter of time until these links to the old website pages cease to function but by then maybe the new website and even the apps will have been sorted. 

Tim

We tend to only use CL's now and under the old system it was so easy to search and view. Since the revamp I have found it almost impossible to search for a CL. How the club can be happy with the new system is beyond me.

If it ain't broke don't fix it never rang more true.

I've been reading today that apple users can reload the old app but unfortunately not Google play users.
Apple users should go to the app store, click on today and check their 'purchase ' list and find the old app there. 

Today I found the app doesn't show in landscape but the website does. In landscape you can get the map together with list of sites side by side on the screen.

Tinwheeler wrote:I opted out of receiving it. You can do that in My Profile / preferences.

The C&CC offer digital membership for a reduction of £5 per year membership fee.  I’ve written to the CAMC suggesting that a reduction for paperless membership would save both paper and help a little in these financially difficult times.  Guess what, have heard nothing! 

ScribesWtr wrote:

Tinwheeler wrote:I opted out of receiving it. You can do that in My Profile / preferences.

The C&CC offer digital membership for a reduction of £5 per year membership fee.  I’ve written to the CAMC suggesting that a reduction for paperless membership would save both paper and help a little in these financially difficult times.  Guess what, have heard nothing! 

No surprise there. You are not alone in making that suggestion but it falls on deaf ears.

Paulmold wrote:I've been reading today that apple users can reload the old app but unfortunately not Google play users.
Apple users should go to the app store, click on today and check their 'purchase ' list and find the old app there. 

Today I found the app doesn't show in landscape but the website does. In landscape you can get the map together with list of sites side by side on the screen.

Found a way to reinstall the old app on my Android devices. So once again I can search for sites within a specified mileage of whatever I enter and get directions.