I took my daughter to the Play-Centre in Bangor, Gwynedd. I got there at 11.00am and had to stand outside for close to 10 minutes before anyone came to open the door, having ringed the bell several times. It was clear that I had been heard, as the bell was audible even from the outside.
As I was about to leave, a grumpy woman with a mouth full of food let me in. She made no apology for not staffing the entrance or for my prolonged wait in the cold with my daughter. I may have understood a delay if the Play-Centre was busy, however I was the only customer, even though they opened at 10am. Furthermore, I would have felt somewhat compensated if an apology had been given.
As I sat watching my daughter, the staff had disappeared out of sight. Soon another woman arrived and she too was kept waiting at the door for quite some time.
I am sad to state that the place has become a disgrace. The staff are never available and are found chatting in kitchen area. There is zero customer service. You literally have to call for attention from the kitchen, to be served. Moreover, when they do attend the desk, the attitude by staff is of contempt and seem to be continually eating. I actually witnessed a customer becoming irate and bellowing for attention, having being made to wait for several minutes to be served.
This also brings up the question of safety. If a problem were to appear, such as an injury, I would doubt the staff at hand would be able or willing to offer medical assistance, if in fact they were trained at all. To which I would hope it to be a pre-requisite for employment.
To add insult to injury, I discovered that the toilets were also blocked and filthy. This place is designed for children but the toilets resembled that found at an outdoor festival. I have always maintained that where there is poor toilet hygiene, then there is no doubt poor kitchen hygiene too. It should be noted that the Play-Centre also serves food.
This is the last time I will ever set foot in the place. I have asked all my family and friends to do the same, and to pass this message on.
Luckily, there are alternatives found in Caernarfon, Llanberis and Llandudno, to name a few. If you value your children?s health and safety, and appreciate good service then my advice is to avoid this place like the plague. :(