“Parkdean Holiday Resorts, Holton Heath, Sandford, Dorset.
To mention, we are both in our middle seventies and feel that we have been humiliated and discriminated against through no fault of our own.
Please read our story and see what you think!
We booked a Poole lodge on Sandford Park from the 16th to the 19th June. Then a Stoborough lodge from the 19th to the 23rd June as the Poole lodge was supposedly not available for a longer period. A very nice lodge No.16 Willow Way and with my wife’s recovering hip operation, the small amount of steps were just nicely manageable.
We were told that we could have access to our next lodge, No 4, Oak Avenue from 1 pm onwards of the 19th.
On arrival the outside of this Wooden Lodge was found to be covered in spider webs, general dust and mess, peeling paint that had obviously been like this for a very long time. In fact the unit must have been at least 50 years old or more at least and we were surprised that it was still being used! Looked like it had been in a ‘wild west’ shootout!!
Incidentally, my wife was very loathe to stay as we had seen a similar unit on the park which had been completely burnt out.
We noted also that this was the only wooden lodge on the park apart from odd privately owned ones.
But the main problem here were the SEVEN STEPS up to the decking leading to the unit.
As our ages had to be specified on the booking form, surprisingly no one had asked if we would be able to manage these steps, especially with our luggage etc!
And although mobile,I am severely disabled internally (Brittle Asthma Type two and Spinal rods) so this was out of the question for me and could, if dewy or wet would become a serious slip hazard. To mention, the decking was green over in many parts, (photos taken )and would be extremely dangerous when wet! My wife was very concerned over this as she is still recovering from a hip replacement operation as mentioned above.
So we were now ‘lodge-less’ and reporting this to reception, were told the female manager would be back at 2pm. So a wait of approximately one hour!
After waiting in our car in the heat with our little dog as we had to vacate Willow Way lodge, we saw the Lady Manager heading back to reception. Five minutes later we returned to reception, and were told, (seemed like a ‘fob-off’) by the young lady receptionist that the female manager was in a meeting. Rather quickly we thought! When we demanded to see someone who could deal with our dilemma we were offered the maintenance manager but was nothing he could have done to rectify our problem. This was obviously of long standing and had not been dealt with. We were now both ‘stressed out’ again told by the young lady receptionist that all were still in a meeting and would be there for the rest of the afternoon!
In other words, no one could be bothered over our problem. Just a moaning old couple!! Seems the so-called excuse of a meeting was more important than paying guests in a predicament.
After another ten minutes of trying to reason and the queue getting somewhat irritable behind us, we gave up and decided to travel the hundred miles back home.
To mention, the sale of goods act depicts that any item must be fit for the purpose of which it is intended. Well this lodge certainly is not. My wife noted that one of the doors was already open and was tired and dismal inside.
Instead of making extra money by still letting this old and worn out lodge, it should be demolished and replaced with a new one. I am sure that Parkdean could afford it!
To finalise, a customer resolution policy was thrust across the counter to us and we were told to use this to make a complaint. She could not or did not want to address our problem any longer. Our allotted time had, obviously run out.
This policy states,
During your holiday we will do everything we can to make sure you enjoy your holiday with us.
We ask for the opportunity to put things right whilst you are on the park. Absolute rubbish. No one was remotely interested in our predicament as there was no one around! What they were saying was, “if you can’t use the Lodge we have given you tough luck” End of, goodbye!
Well, not sure what happened with us as we were made to feel that this was our fault.
And also somewhat embarrassing for the people in the queue behind.
As with my problems, and not being on holiday for some years, this was as you can probably imagine, a seriously distressing episode for both of us, and felt like we were being discriminated against for being old and disabled!
So, as I am sure we are not the only ones on site who have encountered a problem, are you prepared to do something to appease our situation? I am loathe to let this problem lie as we have paid good money for this rather decrepit lodge which we could not use, or in my case access!
We look forward to any suggestions that you can give.
Namely a full refund of £505.00 as you could not supply us with suitable accommodation.
Incidentally, in the only reply from the park manager / owner, we were dismissed like two bags of park rubbish and told the case was closed.
Well, way to go. Get rid of the annoying old people but keep their money.
Then she says, we have not been discriminated against !!!!
Good one Parkdean. Do not bury your heads in the sand, do the right thing and refund us for our ‘non’ stay.
Incidentally, since writing this review, Parkdean have ‘arrogantly’ again sent another case closing letter! Rather nasty people.
Should change their name to ‘SHARKDEAN’ although this would be disrespectful to the Shark!!
Look at all of their ‘negative’ reviews and you will know I am right!
P.S. It asks below how long did it take to get a refund. WE DID NOT GET ONE! Very greedy and ‘non’ helpful people. Just bend the truth all the time.
My advise-KEEP AWAY! No stars would be more appropriate!
Regards - Jonathan Whitehead.”
“To mention, we are both in our middle seventies and feel that we have been humiliated and discriminated against through no fault of our own.
Please read our story and see what you think! This was sent to the name below but are still awaiting a reply!
Dear Customer relations team,
We booked a Poole lodge on Sandford Park from the 16th to the 19th June. Then a Stoborough lodge from the 19th to the 23rd June as the Poole lodge was supposedly not available for a longer period. A very nice lodge No.16 Willow Way and as I am quite seriously disabled, and with my wife’s recovering hip operation, the small amount of steps were just nicely manageable.
We were told that we could have access to our next lodge, No 4, Oak Avenue from 1 pm onwards of the 19th.
On arrival the outside of this Wooden Lodge was found to be covered in spider webs, general dust and mess, peeling paint that had obviously been like this for a very long time. In fact the unit must have been at least 50 years old or more at least and we were surprised that it was still being used! Looked like it had been in a ‘wild west’ shootout!!
Incidentally, my wife was very loathe to stay as we had seen a similar unit on the park which had been completely burnt out.
We noted also that this was the only wooden lodge on the park apart from odd privately owned ones.
But the main problem here were the SEVEN STEPS up to the decking leading to the unit.
As our ages had to be specified on the booking form, surprisingly no one had asked if we would be able to manage these steps, especially with our luggage etc!
And although mobile,I am severely disabled internally (Brittle Asthma Type two and Spinal rods)
so this was out of the question for me and could, if dewy or wet would become a serious slip hazard. To mention, the decking was green over in many parts, (photos taken )and would be extremely dangerous when wet! My wife was very concerned over this as she is still recovering from a hip replacement operation as mentioned above.
So we were now ‘lodge-less’ and reporting this to reception, were told the female manager would be back at 2pm. So a wait of approximately one hour!
After waiting in our car in the heat with our little dog as we had to vacate Willow Way lodge, we saw the Lady Manager heading back to reception. Five minutes later we returned to reception, and were told, (seemed like a ‘fob-off’) by the young lady receptionist that the female manager was in a meeting. Rather quickly we thought! When we demanded to see someone who could deal with our dilemma we were offered the maintenance manager but was nothing he could have done to rectify our problem. This was obviously of long standing and had not been dealt with. We were now both ‘stressed out’ again told by the young lady receptionist that all were still in a meeting and would be there for the rest of the afternoon!
In other words, no one could be bothered over our problem. Just a moaning old couple!! Seems the so-called excuse of a meeting was more important than paying guests in a predicament.
After another ten minutes of trying to reason we gave up and decided to travel the hundred miles back home.
To mention, the sale of goods act depicts that any item must be fit for the purpose of which it is intended. Well this lodge certainly is not. My wife noted that one of the doors was already open and was tired and dismal inside.
Instead of making extra money by still letting this old and worn out lodge, it should be demolished and replaced with a new one. I am sure that Parkdean could afford it!
To finalise, a customer resolution policy was thrust across the counter to us and we were told to use this to make a complaint. She could not or did not want to address our problem any longer. Our allotted time had, obviously run out.
This policy states,
During your holiday we will do everything we can to make sure you enjoy your holiday with us.
We ask for the opportunity to put things right whilst you are on the park. Absolute rubbish. No one was remotely interested in our predicament. What they were saying was, “if you can’t use the Lodge we have given you tough luck” End of, goodbye!
Well, not sure what happened with us as we were made to feel that this was our fault.
And also somewhat embarrassing for the people in the queue behind.
As with my problems, and not being on holiday for some years, this was as you can probably imagine, a seriously distressing episode for both of us, and felt like we were being discriminated against for being old and disabled!
So, as I am sure we are not the only ones on site who have encountered a problem, are you prepared to do something to appease our situation? I am loathe to let this problem lie as we have paid good money for this rather decrepit lodge which we could not use, or in my case access!
We look forward to any suggestions that you can give.
Namely a full refund of £505.00 as you could not supply us with suitable accommodation.
Incidentally, in the only reply from the park manager / owner, we were dismissed like two bags of park rubbish and told the case was closed.
Well, way to go. Get rid of the annoying old people but keep their money.
Then she says, we have not been discriminated against !!!!
Good one Parkdean.
Totally ignored. Even their complaints division will not reply back to us!
Greedy, grasping, modern day ‘pirates’ who will have your money at any cost! Complain at your peril.
My advise - Book a reputable holiday company!
Regards - Jonathan Whitehead”
“I don't even know where to start.. our experience from start to finish has been absolutely appalling and the issue still hasn't been resolved!
Filthy caravan!
Poor hygiene standards inside the caravan!
ANT INFESTATION in the caravan and we were not informed about this until arrival!
Lots of egg shell in my breakfast!
No net curtains for privacy but there were hooks for the curtains to go on.. and the caravan was situated on a main road on the site!
We paid for parkdean's top spec caravan and got this.. I dread to think what their lowest spec is like!
Dreadful customer service from the reception staff & Management!
Please see images attached to show the extent of the filth. This was not a holiday! We had no choice but to stay the first night as we had no where else to stay after arrival and it was late in the evening, we have 2 young children. We woke up the next day, handed in our keys and left to holiday elsewhere and we were still denied a refund!
Still awaiting correspondence to our complaint 2 weeks later!
DO NOT HOLIDAY HERE!!!”
“Avoid Highfield grange resort at all costs. I arrived on Friday 30th June and on 1st July woke up to bed bugs all over the bed, blood splatter everywhere. I went to reception at 9 am, and the young lady rang the accommodation team after I showed her photos, they t9ld her they can't move us incase we take them into another van, that we would need to go home and that she would need to log the complaint. I've heard nothing. I spoke with someone on the online chat, sent photos of their pet bed bugs and my body photos coveted in bites, aga8n told my refund would take 5 to 7 days, I've still heard nothing. I drove 2 hours home to sit at a laundrette for 2 hours to wash all clothing as I didn't fancy risking my house with Highfield granges pets. Ive wasted t8me and money, fuel etc and today on the online chat I was told the park has marked my complaint as resolved. What a joke. I want my weekend refunded and all other expenses compensated.”
“I am an owner on Limefitt. DO not buy a lodge with this company. Costs keep increasing as services decrease. Now want to charge £260 for the WiFi that was included in the £6559.14 pitch fee! Yes they want to add this as an extra charge another £260. They are calling it fast but it isn’t. Greedy company - please be warned. Staff can be rude as there is no where to go to complain. No accountability outside the park so nothing gets done. Complaints treated with contempt. Nobody at head office to talk to.”
“Everything was atrocious from booking process to the holiday itself. In short…
• The booking process is awful.
• The park had basically no food from the menu available, so we had to eat off site every day.
• The staff we’re rude and unhelpful.
• I have complained officially and have been told that you literally couldn’t care less (I have the emails to prove it… should you want to read them).
• I also complained to the manager on site who advised she would 100% follow this up and stay in touch… she has not. Not even a single reply to any of my emails.
You are absolute disgrace.
If you are at all interested (and at this point it could not be clearer that you indeed are not) the initial complaint is detailed below.
I booked a weekend away for my partner, myself and our 2 children at your California Cliffs park in Norfolk. We booked and paid in full and consequently I received 10 confirmation emails
Each one of these had a the same reference number however each one also stated we had an outstanding balance and I needed to log into my account to make any amendments.
I attempted to log in but it said an error had occurred, so I assume it was because I had only just made the booking so maybe the landing page had not yet fully been rendered.
In any case, I left it 24 hours and tried to log in again only to have the same error.
This was when I decided to call you AND this is where my complaint really beings.
I was sent around in circles on your phone line (both the one on the confirmation email and the one that displays on the error AND the one on your actual website) only to land at the same answer every time. I need to log in and use your live chat. Impossible if I cannot log in right?
on a side note... your record voice mail states "We are OBSESSED with improving our customer experience". That in itself is, at this point, an insult.
I finally called your sales line with the thinking that whilst you may not be interested in speaking to existing customers, you at least would be keen to speak to new customers looking to spend some money... would you believe it, I was correct.
The guy on the phone quickly explained to me that the reason I could not log on was because I had cancelled the booking! I ABSOLUTLEY HAD NOT and explained this. To which he then explained that you are having multiple system issues including but limited to;
• payments being stuck, then rejecting causing system generated cancellations.
• holiday dates being moved.
• multiple payments being taken.
It turns out the first had happened to me. Your system failed and my booking was then cancelled WITH NO NOTIFICATION. Remember, at this point I have 10 confirmation emails and not a single mention of a cancellation.
The guy on the phone then said I could re-book the holiday and as I have promised my children this little break, I have no option to comply.
So now I am £359 down in terms of the holiday I have had to book twice (At the time of writing this, I have been refunded for the first payment).
I asked the guy on the phone there was anything he could offer in terms of compensation for the inconvenience to which, after checking with a manager, he said no "because you are not the only customer this has happened to" meaning that this is not a one off and that it is a known issue.
I then asked for conformation of the cancelled holiday, so I had that to hand for when the money inevitably does not get refunded. That email really got me because it states that YOU CANCELLED THE HOLIDAY BECAUSE WE FAILED TO MAKE PAYMENTS AFTER YOU HAD TRIED CONTACTING US MULTIPLE TIMES! Like it’s my fault, like I have failed to pay you.
I want to summarise here because I know that I have gone into a fair bit of detail.
• I booked a holiday and paid in full.
• your system errored and cancelled the booking but failed to let me know this and instead confirmed the booking 10 times.
• I have had to rebook at further expense.
• I have been made out to be a "bad payer" by your systems cancellation process.
One final point and this is a big one.
If I had turned up on the day, bags packed with a car full excited kids and you had told me ONLY AT THAT point the booking had been cancelled, the level of complaint I would be making would be much, much greater than it is today. There is a legal requirement for you manage these processes and have sufficient processes in place to protect your customers integrity and trust.
It’s also VERY IMPORTANT to note that if you have provided compensation to even one customer because of this error (which we established earlier has been happening to other customers) then legally you will be required to at least have a process for compensating every other customer effected. You are not required to divulge this by you are required to act upon it when it is questioned. That is the LAW.”
“Shocking customer service and communication - I really should have checked on Trust Pilot before booking. (We booked a requested caravan on one of Parkdean's resorts - pet friendly - confirmed pitch) after receiving no communication I chased this up to discover we had been booked into a non pet friendly accommodation - error on Parkdean's side after contacting data protection to obtain the recording of the booking - after several weeks of trying to resolve this we were merely told to pay an extra £200 or so - or sell our holiday on Facebook!! We still hold this booking and to be fair Parkdean should simply transfer us to a pet friendly which was requested on booking. It's nigh on impossible to get hold of anyone and the automated responses state they will get back to you within a time frame. I am within the 90 day cancellation time however I'm told I would not get any deposit returned despite the error.”
“Stayed at brynowen, left Wednesday 5th April. Got there on Friday 31st March. Me and my son went to the resturant and the staff were all on their phones having conversations bout the fact they couldn't wait for their holiday in Turkey, when food eventually came very small portions and burnt. On the Saturday complained bout the experience that we had had, the response was one of what do you expect us to do bout it. This experience carried on till we left on Wednesday wasn't supposed to leave till this Friday. We have been coming to this site for 4 years will not be booking again.the whole attitude of staff was that we were inconveniencing them”
“Security overbearing at camber sands clearly after they murdered someone and then after feeling akward the entire trip they would follow you and check everything you done. Even had drinks taken away from children claiming to be alcoholic drinks when clearly they were not. Shout out to Alan at the show bar for clearly having a lack of training and resources. Not your fault Alan but let’s hope parkdean provide you more adequate training to do your job. Stop trying to be overbearing and power tripping when things are exactly as they are. What a shame”
“Good Afternoon
We stayed at the above site at the beginning of September this year. We had stayed there last year in a private rental and loved the locations and on site facilities. However , we wanted to be nearer the lake and therefore booked with Parkdean. This was a big mistake as the cleanliness of the lodge left a lot to be desired!
After the first night we reported to reception there was a problem with the hot tub as it kept displaying an error message. There was also a broken glass on the decking near the hot tub. This was a particular concern with having a three year old. Also, the side strips on 3 of the kitchen cupboards were hanging off. That day someone looked at the hot tub however, the following day when we put it on the same error message showed up. Someone else Also called to re.ove the broken glass.The day after that someone stuck down the side strips on the cupboards but when we left on the fifth day, one of them was starting to come away again.
The main problem was the lack of proper cleaning. On the second day we went to put our three year old in the bath but noticed there were black specks in the water so let the bath out and used the shower in the end suite bathroom. Later that night I ran the bath again and once again the black specks appeared. We all just used the en suite shower after that.
However on our 4th day we were cleaning before leaving and discovered, to our horror, that the place where the shower was connected was covered I black moulded and this was obviously where the black specks came from!
We had noticed after our first night that there were a number of stains on the sofasbut had just put our towels over. Seeing the black mould was the last straw along with skirting boards throughout. I took photos of the dirty areas and sent them off to customer service. Their response did not address the mould or the lack of cleaning just thanked us for bringing this to their attention. I felt the response was generic as failed to address any of the concerns.
I certainly would not recommend this company to anyone, not entirely because the cleanlines left a lot to be desired but the lack of having the concerns addressed.”
“Lost payment tried to take from my bank again and mix mine and my son's booking up different numbers and references. When phoned I had to provide details of payment. When asked for full refund was told can't even though it's 10000000% their mistake. Canceling my 14 night stay for next year. Been there for many times but won't be using again after their complete failure and how they can't see difference in names reference number beyond stupid”
“I stayed at sycamore number 2 on Newquay and on arrival the caravan looked like it hadnt been cleaned there was some type of liquid spilt on the main door frame as well as marks on walls in main bedroom, brown stains on the kitchen floor and mould in main bedroom and bathroom and the double bed was completely covered in dog hairs they were on the mattress, bottom sheet, duvet and pillow cases aswell as a single bed never had any covers which i didnt realise until night time. I informed reception of these issues and asked them for new bed sheets for double and single as well as asking them to clean the caravan again as the caravan smelt dirty, there were stains on the carpets and dining stools also there were stains on the living room carpet that looked like dog feaces had been walked through the caravan which i therefore had to clean. I informed reception of all the issues camp was full so had nowhere else to go all we received was new bed sheets for the double and single we left the caravan with our dog for 5 hours and came back to our sheets on the patio in a bag for us to put on ourselves and the caravan looked no different from when we arrived when i asked at reception i was told it was cleaned again. So considering i spent £1300 on this holiday i am disgusted in the condition of the caravan and we left the park yesterday morning and we have cancelled our holiday with yourselves for next year and will be going elsewhere.”
“Having just returned from a holiday with Parkdean halfway through my break, I can honestly say I don’t know how they get away with the way they act. When I complained about the rude woman behind the bar, I received a very snotty email from a General manager called Nick Greenacre, who basically called me a liar without being there. If Nick Greenacre is the kind of jobsworth they put into their management rolls then there lies the problem. Disgusting company .Ng”
“Not even been yet but paid holiday early and still carried taking direct debit out of my bank, now they say its going to take 7 to 10 days to refund me what they owe also costing me money cos my other direct debits have been affected and will get charged by the bank”
“Refused a drink in the onsite bar due to not being able to download “ the app “. Not everyone has a smartphone. Two nights running I was embarrassed and upset due to the way I was spoken to by a horrible woman behind the bar in front of other guests. Went straight round to reception, but this was closed. This was 18:30. The next morning I left at 9am midway through my holiday. Reception apologised, but offered no solution. When booking the holiday I would not have parted with my money had I known that I would not be welcome in the bar because I don’t have a smartphone. Never felt so excluded. Parkdean are totally ignoring me now, which shows their level of professionalism. Never again with these cowboys. Holywell Bay holiday park Newquay.”
“Totally one of the worst company's I have ever encountered or had to unfortunately deal with - I tried to cancel my holiday due to an illness and they employed dodgy tactics to try and withhold monies paid - despite making me take out cancellation insurance when i originally booked. Very rude and unhelpful customer service staff, inefficient employees standards and overall a highly distressing and upsetting encounter. Do not waste your money and look for other more professional and honest organisations.”
“Terrible service, Stuart the sales guy is terrible and so is Rebecca.
The park is overrun with rats and no one cares
The staff are the most important unhelpful ever.
I will never go back.”
“The caravan was so dirty it was disgusting! Fusty smelling pillows & beds, i got bed bug bites all over my legs. We checked out after 36 hours & had booked 1 week. Nobody was really bothered about our holiday being ruined. The park is being managed dreadfully. Head office was just as bad, slow to reply & no care that our time & holiday was ruined. They just wanted to protect the money. I would avoid Park Dean all together they are the worst company I’ve ever dealt with for holidays, & I have about 10 a year. I’d rather deal with Vladimir Putin then deal with Park Dean again!️ 💁🏽♀️”
“I arrived at the caravan which was not clean as it had cobwebs everywhere and corks, sweet-papers under the cushions and also there was lipstick on a couple of the glasses. The crockery was not clean so I had to clean everything before use. The parking was awful as we had to park quite away from the caravan which is not ideal when the site is so hilly and you are unpacking the car. Work vans were parking in the visitor spaces so sometimes you could not get a space after you had been out. The vans should have parked near the entrance as there were a lot of space for the vans. The caravan had awful handles on all the doors as bits were coming away off the handles. It also said we would have free Wi-Fi but we didn’t have it. The swimming pool was ok but the showers were domestic ones that you could not get to temperature and should not be used in a complex like that. I have been on a few Parkdean sites and must say that this one ( Bideford, Devon ) is the worse one and would never go again. I waited for this holiday for 3 years because of covid and have never been so disappointed ever.”
