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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think holiday park should be better prepared for cold weather?

31 replies

Bearfrills · 18/03/2018 07:53

I'm on a Friday-Monday holiday at a caravan park with the DC and since last night we've got no running water including water to flush the toilet. Someone from the resort team came out last night, said our pipes are frozen and they'd drop some bottled water off (but haven't) and that there's absolutely nothing can be done about it. No alternative accommodation offered, no other toilet available (there are toilets in the entertainment centre but it closes at midnight and doesn't open until 9am), and none of the promised bottled water delivered.

We're probably going to go home today once all the DC are awake and I get us packed up.

Obviously they don't control the weather but AIBU to think the holiday park should be better prepared than this? There is no lagging on the external pipework and no skirt around the bottom of the caravan so the bare pipes are exposed to the elements, there seems to be no process in place for dealing with these problems when they arise such as access to an alternative toilet and delivery of bottled water, official advice last night was to boil the kettle a few times and pour it down the plughole to see if that melts the ice (when I don't even have running water to be able to fill the kettle in the first place!)

OP posts:
Veterinari · 18/03/2018 07:57

That’s crap OP
You’re right they should be better prepared and it’s ridiculous to leave you without clean water or toilet access - definitely complain.

Tensecondrule · 18/03/2018 07:58

Yes they should be prepared! Despite it being almost spring we often have unseasonal weather at this time of year so they should have lagging on the pipes as standard. I assume they’ll be offering refunds?

Original poster
Bearfrills · 18/03/2018 08:06

All that's been offered so far is a glib "we often lose our water supply" followed up with "there is nothing anyone can do about it" Hmm

OP posts:
Original poster
Bearfrills · 18/03/2018 08:09

Apparently the launderette is open and has a tap we can use.

That's what I came on holiday for, to carry my kettle back and forth to the launderette in the freezing cold.

OP posts:
Bagel88 · 18/03/2018 08:25

They can't control the weather, but I do agree that it's unreasonable of them to not keep the toilets in the centre open, or deliver bottles of water.

fiorentina · 18/03/2018 08:26

Poor you. Is it a privately owned holiday park or part of a larger company. I’d be tempted to contact their HQ via social media. They should have had their maintenance team on site to help with this and managers etc should also be around. The cold weather wasn’t a surprise.

HolyGoats · 18/03/2018 08:31

Are you staying somewhere that doesn’t often get snow? I’m in south Devon and I’ve seen more snow in the last couple of weeks than I have in the last 35 years. Considering they often close for Dec-Jan it’s not unreasonable to be unprepared for unseasonable extreme weather. But as they said it’s happened a lot it doesn’t sound like that’s the case.

Sorry you’re having a crap time op. Were you all warm enough last night?

Mummyoflittledragon · 18/03/2018 08:33

That’s horrendous. Are you just there for the weekend?

Original poster
Bearfrills · 18/03/2018 08:33

It's part of a chain so definitely should have policies and procedures in place.

OP posts:
Slartybartfast · 18/03/2018 08:34

I think you should be provided with bottles of water

Original poster
Bearfrills · 18/03/2018 08:35

The heating is working, thankfully, and I had two of the DC sneak into my bed during the night so we were toasty warm.

We're somewhere that does get cold in the winter and snow isn't very unusual.

OP posts:
BarbaraOcumbungles · 18/03/2018 08:35

It’s not exactly normal weather is it. That said, I think if you choose to holiday in very early spring you need to accept that there's the possibility it may well be cold!

Original poster
Bearfrills · 18/03/2018 08:39

I accepted there was a possibility it would be cold when I booked it. Cold doesn't bother me as we booked a caravan with central heating and all of the entertainment is indoors anyway but considering they posted on their social media that they were open, entertainment on, etc. it didn't occur to me that the water would go off as I presumed they'd be prepared for things like that.

OP posts:
ClaudiaWankleman · 18/03/2018 08:40

It’s not exactly normal weather is it

Well actually it is pretty normal for the weather to be pretty cold - skirting and a bit of foam insulation on the pipes is just about the bare minimum the park should be doing. The temperature is hovering around -1° so not unimaginably cold. OP hasn’t suggested her petrol has frozen or something...

RebelRogue · 18/03/2018 08:45

@BarbaraOcumbungles OP is not complaining it's cold,she's complaining she has no access to running water.
And if she's supposed to expect the cold,then so should the park and plan accordingly.

ShatnersBassoon · 18/03/2018 08:46

They should have got their act together in anticipation of this happening. When you're renting out poorly insulated accommodation in winter, it's not unlikely that the plumbing will freeze.

Make it known that you're leaving because there are no toilet facilities and you're unable to carry enough water back from the launderette for the whole family. Put it in writing, too.

GnomeDePlume · 18/03/2018 08:51

YANBU

Either they should have frost protection on things like pipes or they shouldnt open this time of the year. I am in the midlands and our last frost date is mid-May (gardener so I know this type of thing!). Freezing weather in March is hardly a thing of wonder.

BewareOfDragons · 18/03/2018 09:14

I would tweet them / post on social media that you're still waiting for bottled water, that they haven't opened the working toilets overnight, and expect you to deal.

Shame them, since they obviously don't give two hoots if no one 'knows' this is how they treat paying guests.

And demand a refund for their failure to even try to sort it out.

BailOutChapsGingersGornSquiffy · 18/03/2018 09:14

That said, I think if you choose to holiday in very early spring you need to accept that there's the possibility it may well be cold!

She hasn’t - it’s still winter. Spring doesn’t start until Tuesday.

Hope you can get home safely OP.

JaneEyre70 · 18/03/2018 09:17

We booked a caravan once in April and it snowed. We've never been so cold and miserable in our lives, and left on the 3rd day of the week as the venue had a really shitty attitude that is was nothing to do with them..... the caravan had a broken window and inadequate heating. It was our last ever caravan holiday......!!
I think social media may be your friend here. We got a tiny %age of our money back, and tbh I deeply regret not taking it further.

turnipfarmers · 18/03/2018 09:20

As the site open in winter and are somewhere where snow isn't unusual they really need to have plans to provide water and leave the toilets open overnight (or fit a key code door). I'd resort to using social media to name and shame them if it is a big chain but not if it is a small family run site.

I hope you have a safe journey home.

Eliza9917 · 18/03/2018 09:25

If you ask them to move you they will. The lagging to the pipes etc is the caravan owners responsibility, not the parks.

ikeepaforkinmypurse · 18/03/2018 09:27

YANBU

If they chose to open, they should make provision for winter weather. If the site is only suitable for summer, then they shouldn't accept bookings.
It's perfectly reasonable to expect they will have the right facilities and provisions.

It's the same with a park covered in mud and pretty much inaccessible. Yes, it rains and snow, yes it's muddy, but if they open as normal at full price without warning, how are clients suppose to guess they have not made any arrangements for the winter?

If they can't provide what you've paid for, they at least own you a refund!

AuntieStella · 18/03/2018 09:28

They should have provided the bottled water - especially as the staff member said they would! That's seriously dreadful.

Also, they should have arranged an open toilet somewhere.

I could put up with the adversity of the water going off (character-forming and all that) but would be deeply, deeply annoyed at the lack of response.

Original poster
Bearfrills · 18/03/2018 10:02

That's it, I can cope with no running water/bottled water/launderette tap water but no toilet access is a deal breaker and then the lack of response is annoying.

Spoke to reception and the attitude of the person I spoke to is very much 'not my problem, mate'. No acknowledgement, no apology, not even sympathy. Simply "everyone is in the same boat" and we can use the toilet at reception, which only opened at 9am, or the entertainment complex, which again has opening/closing times. They said bottled water is in limited supply which is why we weren't sent any but that he would get some sent along now. That was an hour ago and water not arrived yet.

Packing for home now, DC have been promised take away for dinner and their body weight in sweets as a consolation.

OP posts: