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Corruption in the Booking System - Yes or No
Posted: Sat May 26, 2012 5:02 pm
by Bushcraft
Many of you are probably aware of my own personal mission to get clarity on booking issues and below is what my wife posted on the SPF. I don’t expect it to last long on that forum, but if any of you can assist, please do
The Cow wrote:Dear All;
All divisions of Sanparks open at the same time which is 11 months in advance for Year in advance bookings. The only exception is made for conferences who take up the whole camp and this is authorised by our ME for Tourism. No tour operator has preferential treatment, and as their peak season does not coincide with ours, it would be fruitless and would not make good business sense for SANParks.
Please remember that when we open for bookings there are 300 consultants making bookings at once ,and this does not only slow the system down but also blocks all incoming call as it chokes our switchboard.
Warmest wishes,
Sly
Hi Guys,
Please can someone help me!! This is extremely frustrating.
It’s the 1st of May 2012, so bookings open for April 2013, but because it’s a public holiday they only “open” tomorrow morning at 7:30am, so if the above is correct, please explain the following screen dumps taken tonight when bookings are closed and nobody has preference.
Satara: Only 1 family unit left for the 1st of April
Berg en Dal: No family units left, plenty camp sites already gone, etc, for the 1st of April
Skukuza: Only 2 GC4V’s left, no Elsie Clark, etc for the 1st of April
I have screen dumps of most of the southern camps and the pattern is the same. Why?
I understand the process and intend to send these screens dumps to head office and all that I feel may assist, but hopefully you can provide an answer quicker.
I intended to stand in the queue tomorrow morning at the local KZN SANParks office, but based on what’s available for families I’m not going to bother
Re: Corruption in the Booking System - Yes or No
Posted: Sat May 26, 2012 5:02 pm
by Richprins
Maybe online bookings and bookings at the camps themselves were functional on 1 May?
Re: Corruption in the Booking System - Yes or No
Posted: Sat May 26, 2012 5:03 pm
by Bushcraft
Richprins wrote:Maybe online bookings and bookings at the camps themselves were functional on 1 May?
Hey RP,
Online bookings are only functional 10 months in advance, not 11 and Kruger camps are controlled by head office opening the booking, which would mean that it would be open for all. I was just in the park and the 1st of April was a Sunday and I tried with plenty staff to book through the “back door” and they tried many times, but the booking software wouldn’t permit it without official release from head office, which would release booking for all.
There's more to this?
Re: Corruption in the Booking System - Yes or No
Posted: Sat May 26, 2012 5:03 pm
by Bushcraft
It’s also weird that it’s more prevalent with camps close to exits or on main exit routes. Why? IMO, because it’s Easter Monday, so many would be going home the next day, therefore strategic booking has been done to meet the demand for resale
Re: Corruption in the Booking System - Yes or No
Posted: Sat May 26, 2012 5:04 pm
by Bushcraft
Richprins wrote:Interest has been shown in your predicament, BC!
According to the information that I have been sent the only time preferential booking is permitted is when there’s a large conference group. Maybe camps are having a conference on Easter Monday :?
I have mailed a few at SANParks asking for an official response, so let’s see what comes back
Re: Corruption in the Booking System - Yes or No
Posted: Sat May 26, 2012 5:05 pm
by Bushcraft
My wife just got banned until the 2nd of July on the SPF for posting this
How pathetic. It seems to me as soon as you catch them you get banned
The Cow wrote:Dear All;
All divisions of Sanparks open at the same time which is 11 months in advance for Year in advance bookings. The only exception is made for conferences who take up the whole camp and this is authorised by our ME for Tourism. No tour operator has preferential treatment, and as their peak season does not coincide with ours, it would be fruitless and would not make good business sense for SANParks.
Please remember that when we open for bookings there are 300 consultants making bookings at once ,and this does not only slow the system down but also blocks all incoming call as it chokes our switchboard.
Warmest wishes,
Sly
Hi Guys,
Please can someone help me!! This is extremely frustrating.
It’s the 1st of May 2012, so bookings open for April 2013, but because it’s a public holiday they only “open” tomorrow morning at 7:30am, so if the above is correct, please explain the following screen dumps taken tonight when bookings are closed and nobody has preference.
Satara: Only 1 family unit left for the 1st of April
Berg en Dal: No family units left, plenty camp sites already gone, etc, for the 1st of April
Skukuza: Only 2 GC4V’s left, no Elsie Clark, etc for the 1st of April
I have screen dumps of most of the southern camps and the pattern is the same. Why?
I understand the process and intend to send these screens dumps to head office and all that I feel may assist, but hopefully you can provide an answer quicker.
I intended to stand in the queue tomorrow morning at the local KZN SANParks office, but based on what’s available for families I’m not going to bother
Re: Corruption in the Booking System - Yes or No
Posted: Sat May 26, 2012 5:05 pm
by Flutterby
Banned for that? What reason did they give?
Re: Corruption in the Booking System - Yes or No
Posted: Sat May 26, 2012 5:06 pm
by Bushcraft
Flutterby wrote:Banned for that?What reason did they give?
No reason when she tried to log on. There was a report from a mod that SANParks have already answered all there is to answer on the topic under the thread before the entire thread was deleted. Caught lying and now have egg on the face so ban all involved, typical.
Re: Corruption in the Booking System - Yes or No
Posted: Sat May 26, 2012 5:07 pm
by iNdlovu
It is quite obvious that there is something suspiciously wrong with their booking procedures and they will not come clean with their info to the public, so if someone gets a little close to opening a can of worms you silence them. A typical SanParks forum procedure in my opinion.
Re: Corruption in the Booking System - Yes or No
Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 2:30 pm
by Bushcraft
More than 3 weeks now and still no official response from SANParks to any of my mails
