COMBE HAVEN Issue 2
Hello there!
After entering the words 'Caravan Owners Forum' into Ask Jeeves, it presented me with a link to your website. After reading it from start to finish my eyes have definitely been opened.
My Husband and I have for some time now been considering buying a caravan and siting it somewhere around the south coast. Off we went to Combe Haven where we were duly shown around by the salesman who's eyes lit up when he realised that he might get a hefty comission if he was the person to put in the order for our Pemberton Mystique or Park Lane caravan. Showing us around the park he was continually emphasizing to us how well they looked after their caravan owners and all the treats they done for them etc.
I have to say that initially I was impressed - until I asked how much the site fees were and were told that unless we paid in the coming few weeks that they would be going up to over £4,000 !!! I nearly had heart failure as the price we had been quoted for a park (not in the Bourne Leisure group) in Kent was just £1,400. I then asked about having a small shed in which to store sun loungers, picnic tables, a barbecue etc and was told that they didn't allow sheds of any description and that anyone who did have one was under orders to remove it, as they made the park look messy (?) Personally I felt that they made the caravans look more individual and less regimental and of the Hi-de-hi variety. That put me off but was not all. I then mentioned that since the two caravans we had in mind had front opening doors on the lounge end, that we wanted to have a verandah and a side ramp for my wheelchair. I was told that I could have the ramp up to the back end door from the back end of the van (which is actually not possible as there are regulations on the gradient of the slope for wheelchair ramps and the length from door to back of van is not enough). Also my wheelchair would not go through that door which is why we chose the Mystique because of the double opening doors on the end. I was told they would have to check my disability (fair enough) but would still only be able to have the ramp as he suggested. Needless to say we won't be going back - either for a holiday or as owners.
Having read through some of the postings on your website, my initial feelings about Bourne Leisure have been confirmed and I shall now be looking for alternative parks upon which to site my van.
I know Lower Hyde used to be owned by Haven but is now Park Resorts. Are Bourne Leisure anything to do with them?
I wish yourself and all other owners who are experiencing problems with BL all the best in getting them resolved.
Kind regards
Hello again,
Further to my recent communication I thought you may be interested in the following update. Before finding your site and reading about the numerous worries some of the owners have been having with Bourne Leisure (BL), I had requested some brochures about holiday home ownership from Littlesea and Weymouth Bay. These arrived this morning - lots of lovely pictures in them - very tempting! But what was this in the Owners Exclusive brochure that came with the Littlesea package.....pictures of caravans with decking around them? And more of the same (well, the same picture actually) in the Weymouth Bay brochure? Isn't that rather misleading? Surely they are breaking some rule by misleading customers like that if their rules state that they are not allowed them.
I also sent an email to Bourne Leisure regarding my visit to Combe Haven which was subsequently passed on to the GM there and I actually got a reply. I wasn't impressed that he insulted my intelligence that I must have mistaken this holiday park for a residential park (I hadn't and have been fully aware of it's status for well over 20 years). He also assumed I didn't get to see his 'stunning new development' (the one that overlooks the landfill site...er...no...we saw that !) He went on to say that he thought Combe Haven was the ideal choice for us to site our caravan (I think not!). I have written back and told him that we have now removed all BL parks from our short list. I do feel sorry for all the owners who are having such a miserable time trying to get issues sorted with BL, and hope it's not long before BL buck their ideas up and realise that it is you, the owners who make their profits for them and deserve more respect and help for doing so.
Kind regards
