To think that this was an appalling response from holiday park owner/managert?

[PyongyangKipperbang]

Not sure what the position was of the woman we spoke to but her manner suggested she had authority so I am erring on the side of owner/manager.

Stayed in a naice lodge Mon/Fri this week with eldest DD, her DP (SonIL for ease) and youngest DD. DD1 and SonIL paid a lot for this and invited DD4 and I along. It was very expensive and billed as "luxury" with price point to match.

Flies. So many flies. We kept everything closed when we went out and there would still be so many when we got back, they were getting in somewhere that we couldnt identify. So we asked one of the maintenance people about it and he bought some spray. Except it wasnt suitable for open plan areas which this was. The whole downstairs was open plan including kitchen. Basically you need to spray the whole area, shut it off and wait as you shouldnt breathe it in or have it near food. Its a massive living space. So it didnt work.

Checked out this morning and SIL and DD mentioned it to the Manager and she got very defensive and said "Well there are a lot of flies! Thats what its like around here! We have had people leave because of it" (not quite sure how she thinks that makes it ok!). DD said "We have been several times and its not been like this before".....again "Its just what its like!!" SonIL said "So you know its an issue and you have done nothing to address it? No fly papers, no electronic devices?" "Its just how it is!" SonIL again points out that they know there is an issue so why have they dont nothing about it?

She was having none of it.

AIBU to think that it was a fucking disgusting reaction to people paying A LOT of money for a self catering lodge? Not least because all the "luxury" extras they paid for clearly hadnt been maintained. DD loves a hot tub but one of the jets wasnt working, one was working....ish. All a bit shoddy.

Its not their fault if its a bad year for flies, but anti fly door and window covers and fly papers would help. Not ideal but better than what we had to deal with and at least it would show that they are trying.

ETA sorry should mention that this was in the UK.

But it's like rain, a natural event that can't be helped. I fucking hate flies, I've got screens, I spay and chase they still get in and bug me

Very blasé response. Can you leave a review? In fact, it would be interesting to read other reviews.

Well, you said yourself it’s not their fault if it’s a bad year for flies 🤷‍♀️

You can’t pretend you would have been thrilled if the place had been covered in fly paper either…

Oh I get that but it was her manner and reaction that was the issue.

Not a "Oh I am so sorry, we have had a really bad year for them, we will try and put some measures in place thanks for letting us know" but immediately on the defensive of "put up with it or fuck off, which some people have done!" Even a warning when we arrived would have been better than nothing, advising that the flies are bad so keep the windows closed if possible. It was made very clear that they didnt care.

And really I cannot over state how bad they were. Scores of them every day.

It depends though.

"We are really sorry but there has been a real problem with flies this year so although its not nice, we have found the fly papers really help keep them at bay" is ok. As I say no ideal but ok. We were driving around shops trying to find some!

"Its how it is. Tough" is worse than fly papers! As they have had people leave early due to it, you would think that they would want to be more proactive!

I say again that they are billed as a luxury option. "Luxury Barns" are the words in their name, so people paying those prices expect more than "deal with it or fuck off".

I agree, people should always own it if it’s on them, not immediately get defensive, that gives me the arse as well. Had a similar situation myself this week, with a twatty letting agent getting defensive and it was completely her fault

Hahaha sorry OP I do think your reaction is a bit OTT, sure the manager could have been nicer in her response but she can’t really control how many flies are around. Fly paper will do basically nothing. I live in QLD Australia and you wouldn’t last a single day here in summer. Maybe next time book a hotel instead of converted barn accommodation if your sensibilities are so offended by nature.

Well for a start we are not in Aus, secondly it isnt actually a barn, its a pre-fab thing made to look like a barn and thirdly I live surrounded by many farms, flies and a LOT of nature. None of those things offend me.

What offends me is my daughter and son in law paying a lot of money and when asked if they had a nice stay, pointing out the issue they had and her going straight on the defensive.

I work in hospitality. If there is a complaint that we genuinely cant do anything about ("Its too hot in here!!" when they have booked into the conservatory!) I will say that I am sorry they are too hot, would they like to move (always they say no) and at least act like I care even if I dont. We were more pissed off with her attitude than the flies!

No, I don’t think it was appalling or fucking disgusting.

It would have been better if she had said something like ‘oh, I’m sorry about that, it has been a bad year for flies’ bit I don’t think what she did say was fucking disgusting.

If you were paying several hundred a night for a self catering lodge, I bet you would feel differently.

I tend to expect if I'm booking a lodge or cottage type of accommodation that things like fly spray or fly paper is for me to provide.

Yes her response was quite blasé but id expect you're not quite telling the entire story.

The answers so far are mad!

Of course this was unacceptable. Not just her response but the whole situation.

You should expect a refund.

I'd be leaving lots of honest reviews everywhere. If it cant be helped then people deserve to know beforehand to make a choice about whether to book or not.

A few hundred a night?

Dnu

You've called the accommodation all kinds of things, including a lodge, a barn and then said it's prefabricated, it sounds like you're not quite sure what the term is - do you mean a static caravan? This sounds like the sort of attitude that you'd get in one of those caravan parks, so it's probably about right. I don't think you paid a few hundred a night though.

Yeah, think Centre Parc prices,

Not really, there's usually a source. So a muck heap, rubbish dump, unclean areas are their breeding grounds, they nest in attics over winter as they're warmer.

I very rarely have flies. Even my muck heap which is cleared regularly doesn't have many.

It is billed as a barn The company is "X X Luxury Barns". I actually thought it was billed as a lodge, I was wrong.

But the reality is that they are big (very impressive it must be said) pre fab things made to look like barns. There are several homes near me like that. Designed to look like barn conversions but are new builds.

The park has, in the last year according to DD, added many many static caravans/mobile homes done up with cladding to look posh.

That’s disgusting on the part of the accommodation managers. Flies (real flies, not midgies in Scotland) are NOT just seasonal nuisances. They are feeding on something decomposing like spoiled food, something dead and hidden, animal faeces, agricultural sources such as muck heaps. I’d be very very unhappy at having paid hundreds a night and being overrun by flies.

The water thing made me think.

There is a fishing "lake" (big pond imo). Man made and very low on water this week, which we put down to the warm weather. Also lots and lots of wild geese so goose shit everywhere.

Would that be the culprit?

I mean, anyone can call themselves X X Luxury Barns, that doesn't make it so. Did you not check out reviews etc online before booking?

They're hardly going to call themselves X X Prefab Shitboxes: Now with Extra Flies, or X X Barns: They Look Alright, But You Won't Like the Customer Service.

Excellent hypothesis

No I didnt as I didnt book it.

Neither did my DD this year as she has gone twice a year for the last two and a half years and its always been fantastic. So this was a real drop in standards.

Prefab shit boxes 🤣🤣🤣🤣

The thing is, they are not shit boxes. They are good buildings, nice, spacious etc. But they are not barn conversions as the company promotes them to be.

Whilst the fly issue does sound frustrating, personally I would be focussing any complaint / request for a refund on issues such as the malfunctioning hot tub. It is not unreasonable to expect that any such fixture is properly cleaned between stays and checked to ensure it is safe and fully functioning. If the malfunctioning jet meant you were unable to use it during your stay, you should ask for a partial refund to reflect your loss of use of one of the amenities that was likely an attraction for booking this location.