Fisherman
Full Member
- Posts
- 12,281
- Likes
- 36,354
On the 4 August the warden at Culloden Moor campsite closed the toilet facilities for almost 24 hours.
I wrote to the club to complain and yesterday I received this email.
I have also posted my reply posted tonight.
Generally speaking I have been pleased with my stays at their campsites, but what happened here was simply not on.
I am doing this to give you all a heads up in case this happens to you.
And I intend to be extremely persistent on this matter.
There are principles at stake here that I reckon are very important to us all.
Dear Mr
Please accept our apologies for the delay getting back to you. We’re receiving enormous levels of correspondence at the moment and to ensure we manage this fairly, we’re investigating and responding to members in order of receiving their feedback.
We’re sorry to hear that you were disappointed in the way a situation on site at Culloden Moor unfolded. We received a number of emails about this temporary closure of the toilet block which was necessary 4-5 August. Some members were unhappy with the way this was handled by the site staff, while others were supportive and complimentary as they understood the team there were dealing with a difficult situation which had arisen due to the behaviour of some members/guests on site.
Having discussed the options with their Regional Manager, the Head of Sites Operations agreed that closure was the only way forward in these very difficult circumstances. At that point the following statement was made available for site staff, contact centre agents and posted on Club social media feeds.
Tuesday 4th August - Due to guests forcing entry into facilities which we had closed to maintain social distancing, in accordance with our COVID secure guidelines, we have taken the difficult decision to close the toilet block at Culloden Moor until tomorrow. We have taken this unusual step to ensure the safety of all guests and site staff, and we apologise to members currently on site for the closure.
We’re also sorry that you felt that general maintenance and grass cutting was not up to usual Club standards. In their defence I know sites teams across the country prioritised all the new deep cleaning and other measures necessary to comply with the Government guidelines and the Club’s Covid Secure commitment, and in some instances it took them some time to catch up with more routine maintenance. Coupled with the fact that our sites network is operating at record levels currently, I know they have been working hard to keep members and guests happy and safe.
Thank you very much for taking the time to contact us, and we hope you enjoy many more stays on the sites network in the coming weeks.
Kind regards
my reply
Hi
Many thanks for your reply.
I am sorry to read the contents of your email which fail to answer some of the salient points raised in my initial email.
First and foremost I discussed this with several campers and not one of them was happy with what happened. As a matter of fact some were threatening to leave the caravan and Motorhome club because of how this was dealt with. Sorry but I simply cannot agree that this action was either appropriate or proportional under the circumstances. Also I find it difficult to believe that this happened in both the ladies and the gents toilets. And therefore wonder why this punishment was deemed appropriate for both sexes. Also you claim that this was done for our safety. I find that comment surprising. With only the disabled toilet left available this meant that this facility would be in great demand, and being used by many more than would have been normal, increasing the chance that Covid would spread within the campsite. Also there were disabled campers there, this could have made things less safe and more difficult for them. When leaving next morning I witnessed large queues of people waiting for access to the toilet block, further increasing the chances of spreading Covid.
You also failed to mention the reply I received from the warden when simply asking what had transpired, and why I was being refused access to facilities that I and others had paid for. His response was rude and offensive, I had every right to ask what was going on. The fact remains that approximately 200 people who had paid for the use of toilet facilities were denied access due to the actions of what appears to have been one stupid individual. And it’s even possible that the culprit had left the campsite before these draconian measures were taken. It’s also possible that what transpired were the actions of an individual out-with the campsite who simply entered the campsite to use the toilet facilities. One camper witnessed a couple who had been out walking entering the campsite using the toilets then leaving again.
Also as stated on my previous email, a couple in a camper with no toilet facilities were checked in without being informed of the situation. This surely should not have happened.
Sorry Fiona but I feel just as strong now as I did 5 weeks ago when for no reason applicable directly to myself I was refused access to facilities that I had paid for.
I don’t accept that any business can charge people for facilities then refuse them, even in these sad times.
Regards
I wrote to the club to complain and yesterday I received this email.
I have also posted my reply posted tonight.
Generally speaking I have been pleased with my stays at their campsites, but what happened here was simply not on.
I am doing this to give you all a heads up in case this happens to you.
And I intend to be extremely persistent on this matter.
There are principles at stake here that I reckon are very important to us all.
Dear Mr
Please accept our apologies for the delay getting back to you. We’re receiving enormous levels of correspondence at the moment and to ensure we manage this fairly, we’re investigating and responding to members in order of receiving their feedback.
We’re sorry to hear that you were disappointed in the way a situation on site at Culloden Moor unfolded. We received a number of emails about this temporary closure of the toilet block which was necessary 4-5 August. Some members were unhappy with the way this was handled by the site staff, while others were supportive and complimentary as they understood the team there were dealing with a difficult situation which had arisen due to the behaviour of some members/guests on site.
Having discussed the options with their Regional Manager, the Head of Sites Operations agreed that closure was the only way forward in these very difficult circumstances. At that point the following statement was made available for site staff, contact centre agents and posted on Club social media feeds.
Tuesday 4th August - Due to guests forcing entry into facilities which we had closed to maintain social distancing, in accordance with our COVID secure guidelines, we have taken the difficult decision to close the toilet block at Culloden Moor until tomorrow. We have taken this unusual step to ensure the safety of all guests and site staff, and we apologise to members currently on site for the closure.
We’re also sorry that you felt that general maintenance and grass cutting was not up to usual Club standards. In their defence I know sites teams across the country prioritised all the new deep cleaning and other measures necessary to comply with the Government guidelines and the Club’s Covid Secure commitment, and in some instances it took them some time to catch up with more routine maintenance. Coupled with the fact that our sites network is operating at record levels currently, I know they have been working hard to keep members and guests happy and safe.
Thank you very much for taking the time to contact us, and we hope you enjoy many more stays on the sites network in the coming weeks.
Kind regards
my reply
Hi
Many thanks for your reply.
I am sorry to read the contents of your email which fail to answer some of the salient points raised in my initial email.
First and foremost I discussed this with several campers and not one of them was happy with what happened. As a matter of fact some were threatening to leave the caravan and Motorhome club because of how this was dealt with. Sorry but I simply cannot agree that this action was either appropriate or proportional under the circumstances. Also I find it difficult to believe that this happened in both the ladies and the gents toilets. And therefore wonder why this punishment was deemed appropriate for both sexes. Also you claim that this was done for our safety. I find that comment surprising. With only the disabled toilet left available this meant that this facility would be in great demand, and being used by many more than would have been normal, increasing the chance that Covid would spread within the campsite. Also there were disabled campers there, this could have made things less safe and more difficult for them. When leaving next morning I witnessed large queues of people waiting for access to the toilet block, further increasing the chances of spreading Covid.
You also failed to mention the reply I received from the warden when simply asking what had transpired, and why I was being refused access to facilities that I and others had paid for. His response was rude and offensive, I had every right to ask what was going on. The fact remains that approximately 200 people who had paid for the use of toilet facilities were denied access due to the actions of what appears to have been one stupid individual. And it’s even possible that the culprit had left the campsite before these draconian measures were taken. It’s also possible that what transpired were the actions of an individual out-with the campsite who simply entered the campsite to use the toilet facilities. One camper witnessed a couple who had been out walking entering the campsite using the toilets then leaving again.
Also as stated on my previous email, a couple in a camper with no toilet facilities were checked in without being informed of the situation. This surely should not have happened.
Sorry Fiona but I feel just as strong now as I did 5 weeks ago when for no reason applicable directly to myself I was refused access to facilities that I had paid for.
I don’t accept that any business can charge people for facilities then refuse them, even in these sad times.
Regards
