Pontins Southport

[gl1tangerine]

Hi all,

Recieved a letter today from Pontins and here it is.........


Dear Mr X

Re: Southport Holiday Centre

Thank you for your recent corrospondence following your stay at our Southport Holiday Centre.

Firstly, may I say how dissapointed we were that you found it necessary to write to us concerning your visit to our Southport Holiday Centre, and we regret that you have found cause for complaint. Our aim is to ensure that all our guests have an enjoyable stay and it is dissapointing to us when this does not occur whatever the reason.

We were very sorry to learn of the problems you encountered with the accomodation you were allocated and we have noted the points that you have raised. It is our intention that all accomodation is fully prepared for incoming guests and that no problems will be encountered. In the circumstances we can now only offer our sincere apologies that this was not the case.

We regret your dissapointment with the quality of food and service in our Queen Victoria Restaurant and we have noted all the points you have made.. and we regret that this aspect of your stay should prove disappointing and trust that no similar problems will arise in the future.

Your comments with regard to a member of staff has prompted some concern. Any critiscm of staff is taken very seriously by this company and every effort is made to investigate the criticism thoroughly, with disciplinary action being taken where proven necessary.

Nevertheless, we can assure you that all your comments have been taken very seriously and the Senior Managment concerned with the specific areas of your complaint have been advised in order they may review the matters acordingly. We would also like to stress that customer comments like yours are monitored, as we endevour to maintain and improve the standard of holidays offered to guests. Pontin's continues to invest heavily in the refurbishment of our accomodation and facilites in order to bring them up to the expected standards, and rescources are also invested in the staff-training programme in order to enhance our guest care.

We do value our guests and try our best to ensure that their stay with us is as enjoyable as possible. In view of your dissapointment on this occasion we have enclosed a £50.00 Holiday Voucher which we invite you to use against the cost of another holiday.

Meanwhile, our apologies once again that you have found it necessary to write a letter of this nature in the first instance. We can assure you that we do look forward to welcoming you to one of our locations at some time in the future.


Customer Care Manager




Personally I find the offer an insult, anyone else agree?

What would you do next?

Sorry for all the dumb questions but I've never had cause to complain about a holiday before so this is quite new to me.

Thanks all in advance

[vanlady]

my advice with this would be if you still have the evidence, photos etc, send them to enviromental health, and the tourist board, they have links online, they will also contact customer care on your behalf, failing this take it to the small claims court, i was informed that services like goods have to be of a reasonable standard, that covers the staff attitude too, if those standards are not met, then you have a reasonable case,pontins rely on customer apathy,the more complaints they recieve the better, there chalets are disgusting and uninhabitable

[kazl]

Well apart from them banding the word 'dissapointing' (hope you have spelt that wrong not them??!)lots of times I can't see how this makes up for your terrible holiday.

[jimmy5]

Folks, I was a Bluecoat at pontins in 2002.
I would just like to say that, not only were the guest chalets absolutely appaling, you should have seen the ones they expected us to live in! They weren't fit for pigs.
The whole site is in terrible disrepair and the management staff are ignorant morons. That place should be torn down and turned back into the beautiful dunes that were once there.
I bet Mr Pontin is turning in his grave when he looks down upon that monsterous mess.
I remember one instance in particular when the swimming pool (which was above the rental stores) broke a leak and 50,000 gallons of water burst out, destroying the sports shop. And do you know how they fixed it.....?
By putting a plastic board over the hole and re filling the pool!!
The health and safety, trading standards and local council should be ashamed of the job they are doing, turning a blind eye to that place they're bloody disgraceful.
Just like everything else in English government, it's going to take someone getting killed before they get off the fat heavily pensioned ****** and do anything, except ******* at each other in a big room live on BBC!
If it was that bad in 02 I dread to think what it's like now

[poppett3]

I so wish I had found this forum before taking up the offer of a free carers break donated by Pontin`s via the Princess Royal Trust for carers.

Arrived on 14th September and allocated room 219 at the end of a long walkway even though they were aware my OH has mobility problems. Door had been kicked in, windows all open and heating on to dry out mattress on bed settee which had been urinated on. Furniture and carpets should have been in a skip, and the made up beds had been sat on judging by the buttock marks on them. Kitchen and bathroom needed a good clean............did go prepared with my flash spray, marigolds and cleaning cloths, but this needed a jetwash or steam jenny.

Staff most unhelpful. Even an upgrade would not have persuaded us to stay even ovenight as public facilities were filthy. Staff wouldn`t even let me phone to get other local accommodation and we left with a 13 hour drive ahead of us to get home.

My OH has cancer and this was a carers break for me as I look after him 24/7 and am main carer for my dad. A friend stood in for me with Dad to give us this week away, and it was a huge struggle to get the petrol money together and some spending money, and it will be the last holiday we ever have. I have written to the managing director and hope not to be fobbed off with vouchers. The staff attitude to a refund was "no way, you didn`t pay for it in the first place", but that isn`t the point..............Donated or not we deserve clean accommodation at the very least. It`s not rocket science, millions of us do it every day. It`s called basic housekeeping.

Sorry for ranting. At least I am not alone.



Amateurs built the ark...........Professionals built the Titanic.