European Bike Express and the CTC

[Peter Grange]

The EBE brochure for 2008 went up on their web site a couple of days
ago. Yesterday I tried to book one ticket on the Atlantic service on
11th June, only to be told the entire bus has been booked by CTC
tours, before we mere CTC members even get to see the brochure. What's
the point in the CTC publicising this service, offering a discount to
members then denying said members use of the service by booking all
the seats?
I have emailed the CTC with the same question, if the answer is
interesting I'll post that here too.

Pete

--

Peter Grange

[Trevor A Panther[_2_]]

"Peter Grange" > wrote in message
...
> The EBE brochure for 2008 went up on their web site a couple of days
> ago. Yesterday I tried to book one ticket on the Atlantic service on
> 11th June, only to be told the entire bus has been booked by CTC
> tours, before we mere CTC members even get to see the brochure. What's
> the point in the CTC publicising this service, offering a discount to
> members then denying said members use of the service by booking all
> the seats?
> I have emailed the CTC with the same question, if the answer is
> interesting I'll post that here too.
>
> Pete
>
> --
>
> Peter Grange

I find that a very interesting comment. By chance I saw a post on here a
couple of weeks ago which seemed to indicate that even before the next seasons
brochure was published bookings were being taken.

I emailed the new ( this years season) company to make a booking -- my first
dates were already not available and my amended dates request resulted in this
mail from EBE

"
Hello Trevor,

I am waiting for the CTC tours to confirm. I will be back to you tomorrow.

Regards

XXXX XXXXX ( intentional deletion) "

In fact it took 7 days before I received this response

"Hello Trevor,

This is all booked for you now. I apologise for the delay. The brochure should
be with you in the next two weeks, so just complete the booking form and send
the deposit to us.

Regards

XXXXX
"

Which shows that CTC tours are wholesale booking with the new company before
the new schedules are being published



I have another interesting anecdote from my 2007 tour!

I travelled to Nemours by EBE and then cycled gently to Narbonne where I was
duly collected a month later on a Sunday afternoon. The bus even rang me on my
mobile a couple of hours before the pick up time which was nice confirmation
of my return journey.

No problem and about 4 cyclists joined the coach with me in Narbonne.

At the next pick up point in Montpellier the coach was inundated by a "CTC
tour booking" and an obnoxious woman ( tour leader) tried to oust me from my
seat -- clearly double booked!

She accused me of being on the wrong bus and being admitted at Montpellier by
mistake despite the fact that my documentation ( easily to hand) clearly
indicated my seat -- and that I had already been on the bus for over 100
kms -- and the fact that the coach had contacted me by my mobile to confirm
my position at the Narbonne pick up point!

It made my return journey an uncomfortable one -- especially since this woman
was very outspoken and obtrusive for the rest of the return trip!

There is clearly a new aspect with the relationship with the new EBE company
with CTC which, I believe is also obtrusive. My booking for 2008 will be the
fifth year that I have travelled with EBE and I believe that, if any priority
is given to anyone ( a doubtful premise) then it should be given to a regular
individual traveller.

If CTC is being given total priority over others before the new season
brochure is even available then it smacks of "Something rotten in the state of
Denmark" ( to misquote an ancient playwright).

Very sad and it seems ( IMHO only) typical of CTC's current corporate
mage -- which is one of the reasons I left that organisation at the end of
October this year

Having looked at the new brochure on line it seems that CTC is doing a
re-takeover bid!

Hmmmmm!

Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom.
www.tapan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

[vernon[_2_]]

"Peter Grange" > wrote in message
...
> The EBE brochure for 2008 went up on their web site a couple of days
> ago. Yesterday I tried to book one ticket on the Atlantic service on
> 11th June, only to be told the entire bus has been booked by CTC
> tours, before we mere CTC members even get to see the brochure. What's
> the point in the CTC publicising this service, offering a discount to
> members then denying said members use of the service by booking all
> the seats?
> I have emailed the CTC with the same question, if the answer is
> interesting I'll post that here too.
>
If I was the owner of the company and I'd been offered the opportunity of a
full coach vs the possibility of partially filled coach I'm afraid the
decision would be a no brainer. I don't think that there's any obligation
to hold any particular date open for individuals it's just unfortunate that
your preferred date coincided with a block booking.

If you were the owner of the company in question, would you turn away a
block booking before you got your brochure printed/published?

What would your response have been if you'd been told that the coach was
already full of individuals who'd beaten you to the date?

CTC does not offer a discount.

EBE offers a discount to members of the CTC. I took advantage of my
membership of the CTC and claimed my discount last year when I used the
service.

The CTC publicise the service because they are paid by EBE to do so. It's
called advertising ;-)

[Tony Raven[_2_]]

In article >,
says...
>
> If I was the owner of the company and I'd been offered the opportunity of a
> full coach vs the possibility of partially filled coach I'm afraid the
> decision would be a no brainer. I don't think that there's any obligation
> to hold any particular date open for individuals it's just unfortunate that
> your preferred date coincided with a block booking.
>

Unfortunately the same problem as with youth hostels and school parties.
Which is why I don't belong to the YHA any more.

--
Tony

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has
taken place"
George Bernard Shaw

[archierob]

Unfortunately the same problem as with youth hostels and school parties.
Which is why I don't belong to the YHA any more.
-----------------------------------------------------
A very pertinent observation and the reason I no longer do. Memories of
climbing a vicious hill in southern Ireland, ****ing down with rain,
when overtaken by some Germans in a huge car who shouted obscenities -
only to find that they were parked outside the hostel I eventually
arrived at. I did get I think the last bed - had I not I think WWIII
would have broken out. The final insult was that one of the arseholes
snored all night and I slept in the common room.

What was the original concept? People of limited means, enjoying the
countryside, getting there under their own steam? Well thats all
******** now.

As dear old Oscar Wilde said:

They know the price of everything - but the value of nothing.

[Sam Salt]

Tony Raven wrote:
> In article >,
> says...
>> If I was the owner of the company and I'd been offered the opportunity of a
>> full coach vs the possibility of partially filled coach I'm afraid the
>> decision would be a no brainer. I don't think that there's any obligation
>> to hold any particular date open for individuals it's just unfortunate that
>> your preferred date coincided with a block booking.
>>
>
> Unfortunately the same problem as with youth hostels and school parties.
> Which is why I don't belong to the YHA any more.


Couldn't agree with you more Tony.

Still a member but more out of habit really.I have written to the YHA
more than once about it,you can of course guess the response.

Sam Salt


---
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[Esra Sdrawkcab]

archierob wrote:
> Unfortunately the same problem as with youth hostels and school parties.
> Which is why I don't belong to the YHA any more.
> -----------------------------------------------------
> A very pertinent observation and the reason I no longer do. Memories of
> climbing a vicious hill in southern Ireland, ****ing down with rain,
> when overtaken by some Germans in a huge car who shouted obscenities -
> only to find that they were parked outside the hostel I eventually
> arrived at. I did get I think the last bed - had I not I think WWIII
> would have broken out. The final insult was that one of the arseholes
> snored all night and I slept in the common room.
>
> What was the original concept? People of limited means, enjoying the
> countryside, getting there under their own steam? Well thats all
> ******** now.
>
> As dear old Oscar Wilde said:
>
> They know the price of everything - but the value of nothing.

Ah happy days!

[Peter Grange]

On Thu, 29 Nov 2007 21:53:27 -0000, "vernon"
> wrote:

>
>"Peter Grange" > wrote in message
...
>> The EBE brochure for 2008 went up on their web site a couple of days
>> ago. Yesterday I tried to book one ticket on the Atlantic service on
>> 11th June, only to be told the entire bus has been booked by CTC
>> tours, before we mere CTC members even get to see the brochure. What's
>> the point in the CTC publicising this service, offering a discount to
>> members then denying said members use of the service by booking all
>> the seats?
>> I have emailed the CTC with the same question, if the answer is
>> interesting I'll post that here too.
>>
>If I was the owner of the company and I'd been offered the opportunity of a
>full coach vs the possibility of partially filled coach I'm afraid the
>decision would be a no brainer. I don't think that there's any obligation
>to hold any particular date open for individuals it's just unfortunate that
>your preferred date coincided with a block booking.
>
>If you were the owner of the company in question, would you turn away a
>block booking before you got your brochure printed/published?
>
>What would your response have been if you'd been told that the coach was
>already full of individuals who'd beaten you to the date?
>
>CTC does not offer a discount.
>
>EBE offers a discount to members of the CTC. I took advantage of my
>membership of the CTC and claimed my discount last year when I used the
>service.
>
>The CTC publicise the service because they are paid by EBE to do so. It's
>called advertising ;-)
>
>
>
EBE is very sensible to take a block booking. Given a level playing
field that's fair enough. My objection is that the CTC booked _every_
seat on the bus _before_ any of their members got to see the brochure.
If the seats had been booked by individuals who saw the brochure at
the same time as everyone else I would have no objections.
The fact is the 11th June service might as well not be in the
schedule, for all the good it is to the vast majority of the paying
membership of the CTC (ie those not on one of the 3 tours).
The CTC's response, by the way, was that it's just unfortunate (for
me) that 3 tours are going to the same place at the same time, and
could I not move my holiday.

pete

[vernon[_2_]]

"Peter Grange" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 29 Nov 2007 21:53:27 -0000, "vernon"
> > wrote:
>
>>
>>"Peter Grange" > wrote in message
>>> What's
>>> the point in the CTC publicising this service, offering a discount to
>>> members then denying said members use of the service by booking all
>>> the seats?
>>> I have emailed the CTC with the same question, if the answer is
>>> interesting I'll post that here too.
>>>

>>
>>EBE offers a discount to members of the CTC. I took advantage of my
>>membership of the CTC and claimed my discount last year when I used the
>>service.
>>
>>The CTC publicise the service because they are paid by EBE to do so. It's
>>called advertising ;-)
>>
>>
>>
> EBE is very sensible to take a block booking. Given a level playing
> field that's fair enough. My objection is that the CTC booked _every_
> seat on the bus _before_ any of their members got to see the brochure.
> If the seats had been booked by individuals who saw the brochure at
> the same time as everyone else I would have no objections.
> The fact is the 11th June service might as well not be in the
> schedule, for all the good it is to the vast majority of the paying
> membership of the CTC (ie those not on one of the 3 tours).
> The CTC's response, by the way, was that it's just unfortunate (for
> me) that 3 tours are going to the same place at the same time, and
> could I not move my holiday.
>
At what point does a company release their brochure? Holding it back for
modification in case there's a block booking to be made would have the
publication on indefinite hold. Equally, turning away a block booking
because the brochure is being printed isn't sensible. EBE are caught
between a rock and hard place.

I suppose some sort of rider in the brochure stating that not all dates will
be available due to places being booked during the printing/distribution
process might have helped.

It really is just an unfortunate coincidence that your preferred date was
grabbed in advance.

Perhaps you'd like to let the CTC know of your tour dates for 2009 to avoid
further date clashes ;-)

[Peter Grange]

On Sat, 1 Dec 2007 17:58:52 -0000, "vernon"
> wrote:

>It really is just an unfortunate coincidence that your preferred date was
>grabbed in advance.
I guess we'll just need to disagree on that. My gripe is still with
the CTC, not the coach company. They nabbed all the spaces before the
brochure came out.
>
>Perhaps you'd like to let the CTC know of your tour dates for 2009 to avoid
>further date clashes ;-)
>
Good Idea! Shouldn't be too difficult, it's always the same time. I
live in Ascot. Middle of June is a right Royal pain.
As an aside though one year whan I hadn't the presence of mind to be
somewhere else I was returning home but plod had started their one-way
system to get the punters away from the course. My route home was
temporarily one-way in the wrong direction for me. So this policeman
instructs me to ride on the pavement against the traffic. Interesting
point, does that make it legal?

Anyway the main reason for the update is that I received a call from
EBE. There has been a cancellation so I'm back on my preferred date.
All's well that ends well I guess.

Pete