camber sands

[subwoofer]

I have just come back from Camber Sands Holiday Park. and I will be making a serious complaint to the Head of the company.
I have not been here for years and have found a big change in staff...and for the reception and management is the worst.
We turned up at 1pm this Monday and My daughter went in for the keys (maybe the accommodation was ready ) they said no check in was at 4pm at the complex she told my daughter, I went in and again the young girl sat at the reception area said no we could not check in. I asked if the accommodation was ready and if it was we would like to go to the caravan, the girl said we don’t do that you have to check in at 4pm, I told you do and I have been here before and many years ago if the van is ready you give the keys, she said we have not done that for years and I told her we only came in June this year and this camp gave us the keys early (van was ready)... She said "Well we don’t do it anymore" with a miserable looking face. I suppose she had answered to many questions...We off I went and sat in the car with the kids boiling hot. our bit off food in the back getting hotter and hotter.
So I decided to go and pay the 9.99 early book in fee..My daughter went in asked if she could pay the 9.99 early book in, she spoke to an older woman lady who went and said she checked and the caravan was not ready so we couldn't (OK)
I went in and ask if they could tell us where the caravan was so we go and park there they said no...Ok by now I was feeling a bit angry THEY COULD NOT TELL ME WHERE ARE CARAVAN WAS!
I called for the manager and the older woman said she was and I asked If I could speak to someone else. she said the other manager was in the office.
She went and to get her (the young girl at the desk said we have not done anything wrong I said I know you haven't) the lady came (she was even older)..I explained everything ( whilst the others were watching me ..she said we can't tell you where you will be because we will be upgrading people all day until the last minute, so therefore you will be moved around as people upgrade...I told her i had never heard of anything like this...she asked me if i had upgraded I told her no...And we had gold. I said looks like the only thing that is important is to get people to upgrade and the camp is making money right up to the last person!
I left could not believe what they were doing....as i was leaving asked if I could have passes then for the swimming pool..young said use your confirmation sheet!????
Off we went back to complex I said to my daughter what they had said, I told my daughter they are not happy with me up there I had asked too many questions and I would not be suprised if they give us a very bad caravan..Spoke to someone else who had tried to book in, they said they don’t know what they were doing in there..i agreed.
Waited..Daughter got in line at 3.30pm let them in at 3.30pm only to be sat down and then told to get in a line to get their keys etc.....by the time everyone rushed to the line my daughter was in the middle and had to wait all over again. She came out of the centre and hour later very unhappy. she showed me the map and low and behold we were put right next to the main road right at the front when you come into the camp..Ok I said let them have their laugh...going to the van, the underneath of my car was nealry ripped off by the new concrete speed ramps which are too high scrapping the underneath of the car and when we did get to the caravan WAS NOT GOLD-WAS A BRONZE- HAD A SHED HANDLE ON ONE OF THE DOORS WHICH YOU COULD NOT OPEN -WENT IN AND THE PLACE WAS A MESS!!!!BACON AND WINE IN THE FRIDGE MICROWAVE FITHY INSIDE AND OUT - PH00 IN THE BOTTOM TOILET-DINING TABLE FILTHY-SHOWER SAND FILTH AND HAIRS -ONE BEDROOM STUNK OF FISH-THE WHOLE PLACE STUNK- loads of other stuff, I saw two staff called them they looked and their faces well, they said get a cleaner...cleaner came..she was there an hour thats how bad it was.
NOW I WAS VERY UPSET! Spoke to a member of staff( not office) who did not want to be named and they said this is one of the worst carvans on the park, I told the person what had happend at reception earlier today and I thought they would do this but not to this extent...The person said they were not surprised they did it.( does this mean they do this all the time if you complain!?) I had it verified that the van was Bronze not Gold which was on the confirmation sheet...and advised to go to office and complain which i did not want to do as they did not speak to me very well last time and the dirty looks etc and knowing what they had done to us...but i went...as soon as I went in everyone looked at me and my children...a woman who was the assistant General manager, (which I found out at the compition night) asked if she could help the look on her face said it all she knew why I had come the girl was there a man stood next to the assistant GM and behind him a bigger man who was security all looking at me.I showed her the sheet of all the things wrong with the caravan which she pushed away and said the cleaner is dealing with this, Isaid about the handle and the door was not in use ..she said a lot of caravans only have one door and I showed her the confirmation sheet that said gold three bedroom..she said no you have Bronze..your daughter won Bronze...I said the sheet said Gold...she said that was for us to upgrade...I said no...we had this sent weeks ago and I phoned this camp and asked for an extra 3 days leading onto the Monday... The girl said that would be 240 pounds..I said thats more than the four days..178.00 on our form ( though this is amount was free because it had been won) she said its because your in gold..So I declined. The manager siad no you have won a bronze and you know it! she was right at me going at me with these people watching me...I was not going to get angry, though I felt out numbered and she was playing that! She knew the sheet said Gold but would not have it ...she kept saying I know you you have been coming here for years and you have complained before ...I said to her I have not been here for five years check your computer. I have been going to New Beach because my mother died five years ago and we used to come here and I could not come back untill now...she said she knows my mother died?????? I said to the man standing next to me that the handle was a fire risk and i have children he just stared at me and said nothing. She said even if she wanted to move me she could not as the camp was full and they had nothing???????
Well anyway after she started at my daughter saying to her you know the rules ****(my daughters name) and her mouth would not stop...I told she was in deep and I would complain to **** manager camp and head office walked off with the man shouting after us put it in writing put in writing sarcastically.

Went back to caravan cleaner was still cleaning I just burst into tears the cleaner put her arms around me and said not to get upset...she said she was sorry for what we all had been put through.

When the cleaner left she said she would send someone around to fix the broken curtain rail and see about the handle of the door as none of the keys they had ******.

A lovely man came...very intelligent and polite. I say intelligent because he understood what i was saying about the door handle and we could not open it and if it was not fixed I would call the local fire station and ask if someone could come out and have a look this was for our safety.
He said he would go and see security to maintenance out...came back after about 10min’s less with keys to another caravan (General Manager said no empty caravans on camp???) and said have a look and someone will be ringing you to se if you have taken it, again I burst into tears and told him how kind he was and how horrible the reception people had been to us. My daughter was in the other van when she was phoned and the lady told my daughter she would ring me tomorrow morning
We looked at the van GREAT and we moved in ..BUT WORSE WAS TO COME!
Next day I and my kids were still very upset at how the General Manager had spoken to me and how they had caused us so much trouble and what they did.
I waited for the lady to call no one phoned ..around 11am My daughter phoned and said what had happened they said it must have been ..*****, who phoned you and they would get her to ring, as she was not around at the moment and she finished at 1pm...Waited no call!.
Next day still no call daughter phoned they said **** not in today and we asked for **** another name given to us as customer service, just get someone to ring us she said.
Not long after a call came *****asked for my daughter, she said to my daughter we have an assistant customer services ****** who will talk with you as you your the name holder of the confirmation. My daughter said no this happened to my mother and to speak to her....I told her no I want to speak to the lady who phoned us the night we were moved into the caravan..which my daughter told her and asked if the manager of the park **** was in yet as we had been told he would be into today, surprised the girl asked someone and said no he is on a course. (Phone call over)
BY this time I did not trust anyone on the camp everyone was saying they were this they were that...I had spoken to some people and I was told if you complain they will try and keep you from **** the manager of the park and certain customer services personal...At this point I just wanted to leave, but my daughter had to go without pay for the week for this competition and this was about her not me or the staff managing the camp.
BUT THEN I HAD A CALL AND A MAN SAID HE WAS THE MANAGER OF THE CAMP...AT LAST...I ASKED TO MEET HIM FACE TO FACE AS I HAD A LOT TO SAY AND WOULD TAKE A LONG TIME AND THAT I WOULD RATHER SPEAK TO HIM FACE TO FACE....HE SAID HE WAS VERY BUSY AND IT WAS OK TO TALK ON THE PHONE....I TOLD HIM WHAT HAD BEEN HAPPENING AND WHEN I GOT TO THE POINT OF THE RECEPTION AND THE WOMAN ( ASSSITANT GERNERAL MANAGER) HER MOUTH AND HOW SHE SPOKE TO ME...AND THE MAN SATNDING NEXT TO HER AND THE OTHERS IN THE OFFICE LOOKING AT ME....IT WAS THEN HE SAID IT WAS ME STANDING NEXT TO ****(Assistant GERNERAL MANAGER) i SAID THEN YOU KNOW HOW I WAS TREATED AND SPOKEN TO...HE SAID ****HAD NOT SPOKEN TO ME BADLY . (I knew then it was a stick up and cover up of the staff by the boss boy)
(now I know why he did not want to see me in the face he was trying to trick me wait and see what I had said then tell me who he was ...sad he could not tell me that at the desk when he stood there like a smug bug or when he first phoned).
He said I had disrupted the smooth running of the camp ( which he would keep repeating in our conversation)
I said we have been trying to get hold of **** or the woman who phoned us the first night as she said she was coming to talk to me

He said “why would she see you ...Have you not been moved.......you have not paid anything for your caravan, it is free.....Have your problems been sorted .....I said no because I want to complain about the bad treatment and how the general manager had spoken to me and my daughter and lied to me about a lot of things and the women who put me and my children into the first disgusting caravan and had a good laugh.
I said I would put a complaint into *** who I was told was the head Manager of the camp.
This man then said if you make a complaint I will have to complain about you and the disturbance of my camp and the name calling of my staff..do you understand.
I said to him that is a lie I have not disturbed this camp and if I am walking up the road talking to my daughter in the open air with no one around it was none of his business...he said it was I was not allowed to say anything even in the open air on the camps grounds ( not that I did say anything).
I told this man to tell my daughter what he was saying and as he was speaking to her saying she had a free caravan and that if there is anymore of this we will be removed!

I want to stop here as it is making me sick what has happened to us.
Just please if you intimidated or fobbed off on this camp please report it out side the camp as they all stick together...they use the number of staff to make u back down...I would not back down so they threatened me...and now i have left after my daughters competition this morning I do not not have to keep my mouth shut.

Before this my daughter was sent letters to get her to upgrade (though we were gold)

A phone call to upgrade a week before our holiday (told her we were gold)

At the complex when getting the keys a member of staff were announcing over the mic -Any one wanting to upgrade details over there

To me this competition was about making as much money and holding the competition during the working week...putting the contestants in the lowest grade accommodation and then trying to get them to upgrade....this includes anyone who booked bronze or a lower grade.

I will stick to my old Holiday Park New Beach and never go camber Sands holiday park ever again...I have never been treated so badly of threatened by a little boy who claims he is a big boss of the camp...whatever relationship with this general manager he has must be big to do what he did to me.
I am yet to speak to a person this has happened to two years ago and yet they are still doing it.

[MegaShocked]

I've read your post through a couple of times now and still can't believe what you had to deal with. It must have been awful but it doesn't surprise me one bit. I've been to the Camber park and I have to say, the main reception staff just look at you like your nothing and you have to speak to them first to get their attention because they wont get up and ask 'how can I help?'. It's like they think you've just gone in there for the sake of it. No...we go in there because we need help. They don't smile, they don't look happy to be there and it just goes against every single thing I've ever been taught about customer service practice. I'm glad I didn't have to go there very often this time. Luckily, I met other really friendly members of staff who always smiled and said hello when they saw me. It makes all the difference. I'd rather not go in there and have to ask for any help or information and you're better off asking other staff around the camp about stuff because at least they smile and are as helpful as they can be. I met a few people who were really unhappy with their treatment when they needed help or had a complaint. When people are rude to you and ignore you, it makes you not feel like you can't ask anything or complain. But that's probably what they want. I wonder if anyone's explained to them that it's the customers who pay their wages in a round about way and without us they'd be out of a job!

[XHoneyBeeX]

We had simular treatment at this hell hole! Avoid like the plauge!
Do not wastst time, money effort going there!

[Tarry]

There is a better one (although not much there just a entertainment complex, a small swimming pool and a children's play area) at Rye Harbour owned by Park Holidays (instead of Park "sharks" as it seems to be nicknamed).

It's a good location, not far from a nature reserve, near Rye and near beaches.

[Hailzy]

Can I just say, it does state in booking info that u cannot check in until 4pm. Perhaps u should read the booking info before you leave and set off at a time so u wont be waiting around?
I have been tom Camber Sands many times, and my 78yr old Nan goes every year, and its lovely. A lot of the problems with holiday sites is the group of kids that all go away to them as they are reasonably cheap. The loud music, yobbishness etc isn't exactly the sites fault. I know of people personallyn(who i DONT like) who went to a site in Newquay and trashed the caravan, broke doors and seats and made a complete mess, but yet the site gets the blame for this.
I have been going to St Margeret's bay in Dover for years now, and its lovely there. Clean, quiet, very very helpful staff. I am disabled and in a wheelchair and i therefore have more requests when going on holiday than most, and they have accomadated me every time and been v helpful. Infact, on monday, I am off to Coopers Beach in Essex for the week, staying in their new exclusive accomodation, a lodge, and cannot wait. They have been great every step of the way, even measuring the door width for me!

Some people go away to parks and expect the world. They are generally bases to go out and about from, and the site cannot help it if they get loud and messy and unruly visitors that mess up others ppls holidays.

Instead of moan moan moan moan moan constantly,perhaps u should get behind our UK holidays, especially when we're all trying to save a bit of money! Personally, I give them the thumbs up!!!