to be incredibly annoyed with Butlins right now

[bearfrills]

I've come to Butlins with DH and the DC2 staying in gold accommodation with a premium meal plan.

We arrived today and got into our room at 3pm. By 3.15pm I had to contact maintenance and guest services about the state of the room.

• floors not hoovered and covered in various bits of stuff, including discarded loom bands which my 2yo immediately picked up and put in her mouth
• dead insects on the floor next to the windows in the living room
• I had to clean poo off the toilet seat and back of the toilet before DD could go for a wee
• old, used hair rollers in the cupboard
• rollie cigarette butts shoved in the lock of another cupboard
• security chain on the front door broken
• shower pipe/hose leaking, a stream not drops
• lino on the kitchen floor curling right up (4 yo has tripped on it at least four times)

We complained to reception who said they would get it sorted ASAP, today, before we got back this evening. Well we've gotten back this evening and it's not sorted. You'd think that given we had a specific list of complaints they'd have made sure they were all addressed? Nope. Came back to the room to dead insects still there, floor still make, lino still curling, cig butts still in situ and 2yo immediately found yet another frigging loom band. They've been in because the rollers are gone and the shower and door are mended.

I'm so angry I've been looking forward to this holiday, our first since I had DS2 and it's gotten off to such a sour note.

It's Butlins. I don't expect mints on the pillows and flowers in every room but AIBU to expect it to at least be clean and serviceable rather than grotty and dirty and grim like we found it today?

That's really nice of them fluffymouse, I hope your DM was okay?

what is their problem op!

its madness! what about that out and out lie about a little something? how bizzare is that?

I worked at Butlins when I was somewhat younger and, unless things have drastically changed, I would imagine the reason these things happen is the same reason they happened when I was there - the staff are very very young, extremely poorly paid, completely untrained and their social life is pretty wild - and that's if they stay longer than a couple of weeks (the staff turnover was just unbelievable). I roomed with all sorts of people including the room cleaning staff, lifeguards, chefs, retail guys, bar staff (told you staff turnover was mad) - and all, to a man/woman were completely inexperienced for their jobs...

I have a soft spot for the place as it really was an amazing experience - fun, booze-filled and I made friends for life - but it wasn't a place that was staffed by people willing to go the extra mile and it sounds like nothing has changed.

Placid - Butlins and Haven are the same company nowadays. Bourne Leisure.

I am watching this thread with interest, as an Owner on a Haven site, I have heard of many people lodging complaints with Hemel (Bourne Leisure HO) - very rarely does anyone seem to get the resolution they want!

Good luck OP.

Thanks bear she was fine, just embarrassed. I was pleasantly surprised by how amazing they were.

I am currently at Butlins Bognor.

The accommodation is significantly cleaner than my home

Hope you get a resolution soon, we are having a fab time. Its my first time at Butlins too. I love the slightly retro vibe and the kids are really enjoying themselves.

It may help that I am currently having a wine whilst my DH takes children swimming, as I "have to cook spaghetti bolognaise".

I really should cook now.

Virtualpiintyhat, how old was your dn then? I can't think that there would be a problem - the pedal karts are so slow, not least because you have to avoid pedestrians anyway - surely there would only be a problem with kids that aren't old enough to sit up unsupported?

That sound lovely Tatty, enjoy your wine! :o

Usually we don't have any problems, we've been going for the last few years and it's normally great. The kids are only little (almost 5, almost 3 and a 5mo) but they love all the entertainment and so much is free, that Bob's Yard with the kids rides? Thank goodness it's free because DS would happily ride the airplanes a hundred times a day. And last year when I was around 8 weeks pregnant and feeling rough (for 'rough' read 'vomming at least three times a day) it made such a difference having them occupied so that I could puke in peace rest a bit. The accommodation is normally nice and clean. The staff are normally great. Then this year it was just rubbish. Horrid, dirty room in need of a clean and repair work made ten times worse by the woefully inept response to it. It should have been clean. When it wasn't and we let them know about it they should have sorted it out ASAP. But they didn't and it became a catalogue of errors and missed opportunities to put things right. I spent a lot of time visiting Guest Services, ringing Guest Services, and emailing James when really my phone should have been in the safe in the apartment, switched off, while I enjoyed quality time with my family.

500 he was 2, and very capable of sitting unsupported

STILL no response...

Response letter has arrived today.

The basic of it is that they are very sorry, a mistake happened and they're not sure how but it did and did they mention they're sorry?

The £104 they gave me on resort was a refund of one night's stay which a, was not explained to me as being the sum total of my refund (the word refund was never ever mentioned, I was told it was ", little something" for me) and b, is a bit of a joke considering that I spent four days of the five days we were there dealing with it. That's all they're prepared to offer.

So that's that.

Thank you to everyone on the thread who has offered commiserations, been angry on my behalf and made me smile. You're all wonderful, far more wonderful than Butlins

Thank you for brightening up what was, ultimately, the shittiest holiday I have ever been on.

What a crock of shit.

Thank you for telling us about it and making sure hundreds of mumsnetters never go to Butlins.

So, whats next OP? Because that reply from then is not good enough.

Watchdog, Trading Standards, after all, they didnt come up with the goods that you payed for. Fight them all the way for a FULL refund.

Cheek of them. Im furious for you.

Honestly, I don't know. I think tomorrow I'm going to sit down and write back to them. If it had been made clear to me that the £104 was a refund for one night's stay and that this was, in their minds, compensation for the trouble then I wouldn't have accepted it. One night's refund is a but rubbish when four days of the holiday were impacted upon. I think at the very least they should have worked out what percentage of the total holiday cost is for accommodation and housekeeping and refunded that (and I feel really grabby thinking that, I'm crap at complaining, I just want to be nice to everyone).

Christ, this has confirmed my suspicion that I'd rather stay at home than go on holiday to Butlins.

It sounds like the gulag

I am so angry reading this.

How dare they just fob you off like that? That is absolutely appalling compensation. I will NEVER go to Butlins after reading this. They quite obviously treat their customers like crap.

The photos you posted made me feel sick. If I went to a place as filthy as this, I would be going apeshit. Contact them again and tell them you're going to post on every social media site available until this is resolved properly.

As someone up thread said, holidays are sacrosanct and holiday companies should bloody well realise that and do better.

Arrghhh I am so fucking angry!!

I am aghast they have responded like this.

It's not grabby at all! A FULL refund is the very least they should offer.

They MUST be reading this surely??

I also, will NEVER go there after reading all this. AND I will tell everyone I know, FB it, tweet it that they have treated one of their customers appallingly. And who knows how far reaching my tweets will reach? Perchance I have some pretty heavy influences regarding tourism and can tip some balances Perchance I am, coincidently due to appear on national television this week to talk about this exact same topic? Maybe definitely I will point potential customers (even returning ones) towards this thread.

Butlins, it's not too late to redeem yourselves....but the clock and my green room is ticking.

Exciting Shakey .

Its gone on so long and they lied to op as well, can the balance be re tipped?

Well, they may redeem themselves by offering a full refund and say, a free weeks stay at OP's convenience IF they make the utmost effort to ensure the very basic levels of cleanliness.

Oh there's a break already booked. DH's idea to try and undo the bad holiday by having another crack at it, booked against my better judgement with a promise that he owes me big time if/when we get a dirty room again. After the response today though I'm in the mindset of not wanting to go, they obviously couldn't give a stuff about spoiling my last holiday so I have no hope that the next one will be better.

I fully acknowledge that mistakes happen. I make mistakes all the time, just today I accidentally clocked DS1 in the head with a plate when I step-turned without realising he was behind me, mistakes all over the place. But the let down isn't in the mistake itself, it's in the way the mistake is dealt with. If you make a mistake you own up to it, you explain what happened, and then you make it right. Even my 4yo knows that. What Butlins did though was to drag it out. No one took responsibility, no put it 100% right, no one explained why it had happened and no one apologised. Then we were given a refund but not actually told it was a refund and not told that this refund, as far as they are concerned, was the end of the matter.

Agree that holidays are sacrosanct. I don't want to do a DM violins and sad faces speil but I was so looking forward to it! I've got three DC under five (entirely my choice, I accept that) and I've been knackered since having DC3 in February, DH has been working loads to support us all as I'm on SMP and blah blah blah . I wanted a lovely time. I got stress, running around and mountains of bullshit. I could have done all that at home/work.

I think you're all brilliant to you all (may have had a bit already myself).

Well, they may redeem themselves by offering a full refund and say, a free weeks stay at OP's convenience IF they make the utmost effort to ensure the very basic levels of cleanliness

What gets me is...if they did offer this to op, which they should, would this really affect them financially> They are a massive huge company also incLUDING HAVEN.

Really, would it have been such a big deal to simply do that as soon as complaints received? Here have this ^ and please let us do a better job of pleasing you and giving you a wonderful holiday. We got it wrong we want to put it right.

This is what really irritates me. This isn't a one man band business its a massive sprawling company.

Bearfrill, please don't go back, please!

PLEASE i beg you, dont go back, try something new!

Many of us manage with small children in wonderful holidays try working farms and all kinds of places..