Camp site problem - is this reasonable

[Lynne]

We booked a night at the Haven site in Tenby yesterday. It's not our sort of site, very big and busy, but we were meeting our daughter there so we were up for it. It was £68 a night for a hook up for one night which seems expensive so I was disappointed when we were shown to a piece of grass being used as a car park with a few tent hookups on it. We had the last gap in the field and the hook up was at least 40 feet away from us past the tent next to us. There was a hook up 6 feet away being used by a tent in the field behind us. Our cable wouldn't reach the one at the other side of the neighboring tent. The guy showing us to the plot told us to swap with my daughters cable as it was bigger but this wouldn't reach either. As our fridge won't work on anything but hook up we paid the extra to have electricity but as the hook up was so far away we ended up not being able to use it. The warden said he had already given 3 extension cables out and didn't have any more so there was nothing he could do. I complained this morning at reception and was told they had provided a hook up and that was all they needed to do. If we didn't use it that was up to us. Does this seem reasonable? We have camped before and have never been so far away that the hook up cable won't reach! I didn't want a full refund or anything but I felt they could have charged the rate without a hook up.

[1664]

So this would be

£68 per night at the Haven campsite in Tenby and the hook up points are miles away from the pitch

thats

£68 per night at the Haven campsite in Tenby and the hook up points are miles away from the pitch

There are a few websites for giving reviews of campsites, I suggest you leave a few reviews.

I'd have phoned your daughter, demanded the money back as you were leaving immediately and gone somewhere else. Actually that's not true, I wouldn't have even gone in. Some campsites just take the pi$$ these days, £68 friggin' quid is robbery.

[R0B]

You paid £68 for a night Are you mad or summat..

[Lynne]

I would never have paid anywhere near that if we hadn't been meeting up with our daughter, it's not our sort of site. There were loads of things for the children to do and so I guessed the price reflected that. My daughter was already there and we had paid online or believe me we definitely wouldn't have stayed. We paid £33 recently which I felt was expensive but it had a huge properly marked out pitch on an excellent site unlike the piece of grass at Haven! The issue isn't really what we paid, It's that what we paid for was not provided. I will definitely leave some reviews!!

[AdrianC]

I'm going to buck the trend here slightly... I don't think 40ft is ridiculous for a hook-up distance.

We started this trip with just a 10m cable, and found it hugely restrictive. Adding a 25m really did make a difference, but there's been a few sites where the two together hasn't been enough for a preference of pitch, so we've had to choose more carefully.

In peak season, with all other pitches taken, we'd have had to like it or lump it, as you did.

Treat it as a lesson - carry more cable.

(but there's no way we'd have paid SIXTY EIGHT QUID in the first place...)

[Lynne]

It's not really about what anyone would pay, we are all different and I've explained why we paid it but it's up to the individual what they choose to pay. The site said 10 meters was the distance so I felt annoyed that it was so far particularly that there was a hook up 6 feet away. As three others had the same issue and were given an extension it all seemed a bit unfair. The warden even said he agreed that it was too far and said he would tell reception this as they would ring him when I went in to complain. When reception DID call, he said nothing!! Anyway I will take it as a learning curve and put it down ro experience but personally I expect to get what I pay for whether it's 10 quid or 100 quid!!

[Silky]

I didn't think there were any campsites charging this kind of money - that's nearly £500 for a week. Ouch.

Anyway.... Yes, I definitely would have complained. It sounds like they sold the EHU for your pitch to someone else and you've ended up losing out. How much would it have been without hook up?

[1664]

I'm going to buck the trend here slightly... I don't think 40ft is ridiculous for a hook-up distance.

I do in this case. If there is a choice between pitches with or without, the hook up point should easily be within 10mtrs of the ones 'with'. I suspect they've been shoe horned into a non hook up pitch with the site just expecting them to have a lead long enough to reach the 'with'. Cheap sites I'd expect the hook ups to be spead out a bit perhaps, but not this type of site, I'd expect it to be right next to the pitch.

but like you say, at £68 you wouldn't have seen me for dust.........

[Louey]

£68 ???

Feck me, did they offer breakfast delviered to your van and afternoon cream teas

Yes, the hook up should have been hooked up to your van for that price. I could understand if it was a small farm based campsite that was cheap. But this is a big chain/branded place. Sounds like they where just shoe horning as many people into their campsite to make as much money as possible.

I would have avoided the place before I had even got there (turned to another page in the guide book or clicked on a different webpage).

£68 ???

I think you should be writing to their head office and ask for a full refund. As you said yourself, you think you were placed in the carpark bit of the campsite.

£68 ???

[Blue Moonraker]

I agree with Louey as above ...£68 is a total rip off ...big sites charge more for all the facilities they offer, which most people don't really want anyway. Write and complain to their head office/man you deserve a refund as you paid for something you didn't get. How many of you were using the pitch for goodness sake and how much was the hook up charge ? We' have never paid more than £3-£5 a night so even if it was double that at £8 that's £60 for the pitch and facilities ...RIP OFF BIG TIME

[Lynne]

I am going to write to Haven and complain but it says on their website that if any refund is not made on the day at the resort, they will not do it later. I'll send a letter anyway as I want my say. I agree with everyone, it's mad money and to add to it, the warden told me they had pitches for £80 a night (as if he was saying "what are you complaining about, some people have paid more"!!) I'm calmer today and I'll put it down to experience. We live very rurally and have no neighbours so a farm field with a few other vans on suits me fine! I'd have been happier looking at my own view!! The relief to be home and looking at this!!

[1664]

I am going to write to Haven and complain but it says on their website that if any refund is not made on the day at the resort, they will not do it later.

I'd bet that 'Haven' sites are syndicated so even though they all come under the Haven banner they are
quasi-independant so any refund would have to come from the individual site. But you still paid for a service you did not receive so (at a guess) in breach of your statutory rights, but almost impossible/pointless to pursue now.

Scratch one down to experience but never stop taking the opportunity to inform as many people as possible as to the outstanding service and competative pricing this particualr site offers the weary traveller

[Lynne]

Thanks for this information 1664.. It would make sense why they say any refund has to come from the actually site.. I guess I would be wasting my time complaining now. I'm over the annoyance now, it was annoying yesterday but I can't be ar*ed worrying about it now

[LeeME3]

Thanks for this information 1664.. It would make sense why they say any refund has to come from the actually site.. I guess I would be wasting my time complaining now. I'm over the annoyance now, it was annoying yesterday but I can't be ar*ed worrying about it now

Just blithely stating refunds have to be processed on site at the time doesn't remove them from their legal obligation to provide a certain level of service. You still have every right (and reason!) to complain and I would do so, in writing, as soon as possible - both to the on-site managment and their admin/head office(s).

As an example, Scottish Councils went round putting signs up stating 'No Overnight Camping' in various lay-bys / car parks etc. But when someone challenged it there turned out to be no such law (or bye-law I suspect). So they had to take them down again! You can't make someone waive their consumer rights whatever signs they put up! (Reference for interest: http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/06/0 ... sh-laybys/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; )

[dirtygertie]

Don't let any of the blurb on their website put you off complaining; you didn't get what you paid for (I'll not go into the cost, you already get that we like a bargain site here!) - put it all in writing stating that you expect a written explanation within 10 working days, also throw something in about expecting better customer service from such an established company. Its not worth saying anything about the actual cost as that was your choice, but at the end of the day you didn't get what you paid for, which is a breach of contract. good luck and let us know how you get on