hi everyone....hope you are all well ? As some of you already know sadly I lost my Husband of 40 years last July. I have tried to rebuild my life and move forward ... Bought a smaller motorhome, and drove it.
A couple of weeks ago I along with some Friends (who many of you know) went to Sandringham C&CC had a lovely weekend and met up with some Friends. On the Sunday not wanting to head home we looked for somewhere else in the area....and my Friend Sue came up with Searles. Now I know there is a topic in Solo motorhomers...but I wanted to explain a little further what happened and how it made me feel.....I did indeed start a topic on the FB motorhome forum...which some of you may have already seen, and have had over 200 posts of support. It seems Widows ....and indeed any other single motorhomer (and toured owner) is a risk to society...which is laughable as anyone could simply walk on to the site from three entrances that I know of, plus any single local could join their leisure club. Initially we thought this just applied to their own accomadation...but I can confirm this is touring units too, I know we could have gone somewhere else...but it was 3pm ish on a Sunday afternoon in winter. I wanted to bring this to your attention....as a lady on FB (single with MH) had booked for Xmas, she was due to arrive on the 22/12 and having seen my posts on FB rang them...they have told her she isn't allowed on being single....and would have been turned away on the 22/12 ! Leaving her with nothing else booked for Xmas. I find this appalling .... And only yesterday they phoned her to confirm this was a directors decision...she is the same age as me and no threat etc, all she wanted to do was spend Xmas somewhere. They told her she would get a cheque as a refund, she asked for the money to be refunded to her card as she had paid that way...and was told it was company policy to send a cheque.
She rang them back after a couple of posts in the FB forums....and insisted they refund the money immediately back to her.....not sure if she is a member here to tell her story.
However to not go on....I will post now the email to them regarding myself sent by my Friend, along with my email to them too....I know others have sent emails and I know some our members here too. But it seems Searles feel that any 'single motorhomer' isn't welcome on site.....and it just doesn't seem right to me, in this day and age of discrimination it is appalling. Thanks for reading Nette
Quote.
Dear Sir,
Recently my best friend, myself and my husband decided to book 2 motorhome pitches on your touring park. We chose Searles because it had some excellent reviews on the internet, plus it had an indoor swimming pool. Because my best friend Annette and I have recently started a healthy exercise routine and go swimming and attend water fitness classes at our local gym most days, we were looking to stay on a campsite that offered such facilities for us and Searles fitted the bill perfectly.
We called your office to check availability and subsequently booked 2 fully serviced pitches over the phone before we arrived. I explained that my friend wanted an adjoining pitch to ours if possible as she was only recently widowed and would feel happier being pitched next to us. The person taking the call did not ask how many persons would be staying in each motorhome and she confirmed that 2 pitches had been reserved for us both.
When we arrived at the site, your arrivals area was busy and consequently there was not a great deal of parking space in the arrivals lane for 2 motorhomes to check in, so my friend Annette remained in her vehicle and my husband went into the reception alone to pay for both bookings. He came out after only a few mins and explained to me that Annette was not going to be allowed to stay on the Searles touring site!!!!! I thought he must be mistaken but he assured me that is exactly what the receptionist had said and because Annette was a single person, she was prohibited from staying on Searles!!! I was convinced my husband must have got it wrong somehow and had misheard the receptionist, so I went into the reception to clarify the situation myself!!!
The young lady on reception confirmed what my husband had told me and verified that she could not let my friend stay on their site because no single persons were permitted! I was flabbergasted and said my friend was a respectable 57 year old lady, who'd recently lost her husband and what on earth did they think she was going to do? I said I'd never heard anything so ridiculous in all of my life and just couldn't believe why a single lady in her own motorhome accommodation was seen as a problem?
The receptionist to be fair was very polite and did seem very sympathetic and apologetic but she repeated several times that unfortunately, she did not make the site rules. There was another receptionist on duty too at the same time and she remained silent throughout, so that immediately quelled any doubts in my mind that the young lady dealing with me must have somehow got her company's booking terms and conditions wrong!
I really did not want to have to go out and announce to Annette that she wasn't welcome on to your site because being a lone female meant she was for some reason not welcome. Losing her husband Phil 4 months previously after 40 happy years of married life and having to suddenly face life on her own without him was already a very sensitive and painful situation for her to come to terms with and the last thing she needed was to be singled out as being different to others in any way! She'd had 18 months of nursing her husband through cancer and I knew she would be greatly upset if I'd said we had to leave!
Annette had never driven the motorhome whist her husband was alive, so driving and looking after her motorhome alone is still a very new and slightly daunting experience for her and therefore, being with friends who can guide, help and support her is immensely important to her. She did not want to give up motorhoming after losing her husband and so she sold the motorhome they shared, bought a smaller, more manageable sized one and plucked up the courage to try and carry on enjoying the motorhome lifestyle as best as she could on her own! She is trying hard to be brave and I knew that if I announced to her that she could not stay on your touring pitch it would be deeply upsetting and was not something I felt she could have handled! So rather naughtily - I ended up telling the receptionist a bit of a "porkie pie" and I told her that Annette's son was coming down that evening to join her and he would be staying with his mum in her motorhome for the next 3 nights! Now whether she saw through my "white lie" I do not honestly know but she proceeded with the booking and Annette was then allowed onto your site.
We all ended up having an enjoyable few days at Searles and we all spent money in your restaurant and bar - in fact, for Annette personally, your park is a perfect and safe retreat for whenever she wants to get away for a few days or longer and I know she would have happily returned back again and again in the future. Everything she needs for an enjoyable break is located onsite, plus the town, beach and shops are all close by for a female on her own to enjoy safely. What a pity that because Searles has this prejudice towards ladies and gentleman on their own, she cannot return to your complex!
Sadly, the check in drama has left a very nasty taste in our mouths and even your entertainment staff (whom I must stress were extremely pleasant and sociable, when they mingled and interacted with your guests) seemed genuinely shocked when Annette told them about the Searle's absurd campsite single persons rules! They were very apologetic but of course this was not their department and understandably could offer no solution or explanation.
In my opinion this rule is absolute discrimination and for the life of me I cannot understand why any single person (male or female) who is using their own caravan or motorhome accommodation on your touring pitches and paying the same price as a couple or family, is viewed so negatively by your company!
Once we returned home I have since told Annette what happened when we checked in at Searles and she was both hurt and angry about the situation, especially as she thought she'd found an ideal place to try on her own sometime. She was even considering attending this weeks turkey and tinsel themed break!
Annette and myself belong to many internet based motorhome websites and forums and yesterday Annette submitted a post informing the hundreds of members who frequent these popular websites about your no single persons rule and everyone is absolutely outraged by such obvious and unfair discrimination towards solo guests. We certainly intend to take this matter further including the media and if the response we have experienced from the forums we are members of is anything to go by I should imagine Searles will have a lot questions to answer!
Just for the record - motorhomes are by and large owned and enjoyed by the more mature age group amongst us, and consequently such people have reached the time in their lives where not only can they afford such a luxury item but they also have the leisure time and the freedom to use them. Most of us have taken early retirement from successful and professional careers or have reached full retirement age and have money in our pockets to spend. Therefore, it stands to reason that many motorhome owners, will because of their ages, be or will become widows and widowers and to penalise such a huge target market, is not only grossly unjust but I would add is also a ridiculously stupid move financially for any sensible and forward thinking touring site business. Why are Searles turning away such valuable customers and revenue - especially during the winter months when business is slow?
I'll eagerly await your reply and explanation
Unquote and now my own email to them...so far no replies to these
Dear Mr Searles
I would like to make known my sheer confusion and disappointment at your ruling of no single people in touring units. I understand that my Friend has already contacted you as she knows how upset I have been.
My Husband and Family visited Searles in March 2012 and had a lovely time..it was a place we always planned to go back to, but unfortunately circumstances developed that prevented us using our lovely motorhome and the life we had loved .. It travel around the UK in it.
I have tried to be positive and move forward with the help of Friends and Family after losing my Husband after a very traumatic time. And I bought a smaller motorhome and decided to carry on with the life we had loved...even though a daunting thought. So far all the places I have visited have welcomed me with open arms...told me how brave I am etc etc. wardens have cheered me on when I have reversed on to a pitch etc boosting my confidence and self worth.
I now find that Searles does now and will not welcome me....as a single Widow WHY ! What am I going to do ? Yet local people apparently can join your facilities as single people ie pool etc ...could you please explain to me what the difference is as I believe this is discrimination ! I read of a reply from your Staff on one of the forums, and it seems I am a threat ! Unless I am part of a rally ! Or with Family staying in another unit...could you also explain to me what I might do if not part of a rally or with Family. This is outrageous ! Especially reading more into it....if this means I might be a threat to families and children etc etc please look at History and married/couples ie Fred West, Ian Huntley, The Yorkshire Ripper, Harold Shipmen, Ian Brady....the list could go on and all part of couples .....yet some of the loveliest people in the world have been single and raised money for charities, done wonderful work etc etc.
I have to say on my return home last week, I felt very very down...and cried a lot for three days...as now I feel a freak, unattached and unworthy to be tarred with a new brush, single not allowed....a bit like the days of 'No coloureds...No Irish'.
I am so so disappointed to be banned from your lovely site like a dangerous breed of dog...I believe the media will be interested in this along with your comments too. I along with another lady on a motorhome forum fully intend to contact the media.....BUT I will await your reply first.
A couple of weeks ago I along with some Friends (who many of you know) went to Sandringham C&CC had a lovely weekend and met up with some Friends. On the Sunday not wanting to head home we looked for somewhere else in the area....and my Friend Sue came up with Searles. Now I know there is a topic in Solo motorhomers...but I wanted to explain a little further what happened and how it made me feel.....I did indeed start a topic on the FB motorhome forum...which some of you may have already seen, and have had over 200 posts of support. It seems Widows ....and indeed any other single motorhomer (and toured owner) is a risk to society...which is laughable as anyone could simply walk on to the site from three entrances that I know of, plus any single local could join their leisure club. Initially we thought this just applied to their own accomadation...but I can confirm this is touring units too, I know we could have gone somewhere else...but it was 3pm ish on a Sunday afternoon in winter. I wanted to bring this to your attention....as a lady on FB (single with MH) had booked for Xmas, she was due to arrive on the 22/12 and having seen my posts on FB rang them...they have told her she isn't allowed on being single....and would have been turned away on the 22/12 ! Leaving her with nothing else booked for Xmas. I find this appalling .... And only yesterday they phoned her to confirm this was a directors decision...she is the same age as me and no threat etc, all she wanted to do was spend Xmas somewhere. They told her she would get a cheque as a refund, she asked for the money to be refunded to her card as she had paid that way...and was told it was company policy to send a cheque.
She rang them back after a couple of posts in the FB forums....and insisted they refund the money immediately back to her.....not sure if she is a member here to tell her story.
However to not go on....I will post now the email to them regarding myself sent by my Friend, along with my email to them too....I know others have sent emails and I know some our members here too. But it seems Searles feel that any 'single motorhomer' isn't welcome on site.....and it just doesn't seem right to me, in this day and age of discrimination it is appalling. Thanks for reading Nette
Quote.
Dear Sir,
Recently my best friend, myself and my husband decided to book 2 motorhome pitches on your touring park. We chose Searles because it had some excellent reviews on the internet, plus it had an indoor swimming pool. Because my best friend Annette and I have recently started a healthy exercise routine and go swimming and attend water fitness classes at our local gym most days, we were looking to stay on a campsite that offered such facilities for us and Searles fitted the bill perfectly.
We called your office to check availability and subsequently booked 2 fully serviced pitches over the phone before we arrived. I explained that my friend wanted an adjoining pitch to ours if possible as she was only recently widowed and would feel happier being pitched next to us. The person taking the call did not ask how many persons would be staying in each motorhome and she confirmed that 2 pitches had been reserved for us both.
When we arrived at the site, your arrivals area was busy and consequently there was not a great deal of parking space in the arrivals lane for 2 motorhomes to check in, so my friend Annette remained in her vehicle and my husband went into the reception alone to pay for both bookings. He came out after only a few mins and explained to me that Annette was not going to be allowed to stay on the Searles touring site!!!!! I thought he must be mistaken but he assured me that is exactly what the receptionist had said and because Annette was a single person, she was prohibited from staying on Searles!!! I was convinced my husband must have got it wrong somehow and had misheard the receptionist, so I went into the reception to clarify the situation myself!!!
The young lady on reception confirmed what my husband had told me and verified that she could not let my friend stay on their site because no single persons were permitted! I was flabbergasted and said my friend was a respectable 57 year old lady, who'd recently lost her husband and what on earth did they think she was going to do? I said I'd never heard anything so ridiculous in all of my life and just couldn't believe why a single lady in her own motorhome accommodation was seen as a problem?
The receptionist to be fair was very polite and did seem very sympathetic and apologetic but she repeated several times that unfortunately, she did not make the site rules. There was another receptionist on duty too at the same time and she remained silent throughout, so that immediately quelled any doubts in my mind that the young lady dealing with me must have somehow got her company's booking terms and conditions wrong!
I really did not want to have to go out and announce to Annette that she wasn't welcome on to your site because being a lone female meant she was for some reason not welcome. Losing her husband Phil 4 months previously after 40 happy years of married life and having to suddenly face life on her own without him was already a very sensitive and painful situation for her to come to terms with and the last thing she needed was to be singled out as being different to others in any way! She'd had 18 months of nursing her husband through cancer and I knew she would be greatly upset if I'd said we had to leave!
Annette had never driven the motorhome whist her husband was alive, so driving and looking after her motorhome alone is still a very new and slightly daunting experience for her and therefore, being with friends who can guide, help and support her is immensely important to her. She did not want to give up motorhoming after losing her husband and so she sold the motorhome they shared, bought a smaller, more manageable sized one and plucked up the courage to try and carry on enjoying the motorhome lifestyle as best as she could on her own! She is trying hard to be brave and I knew that if I announced to her that she could not stay on your touring pitch it would be deeply upsetting and was not something I felt she could have handled! So rather naughtily - I ended up telling the receptionist a bit of a "porkie pie" and I told her that Annette's son was coming down that evening to join her and he would be staying with his mum in her motorhome for the next 3 nights! Now whether she saw through my "white lie" I do not honestly know but she proceeded with the booking and Annette was then allowed onto your site.
We all ended up having an enjoyable few days at Searles and we all spent money in your restaurant and bar - in fact, for Annette personally, your park is a perfect and safe retreat for whenever she wants to get away for a few days or longer and I know she would have happily returned back again and again in the future. Everything she needs for an enjoyable break is located onsite, plus the town, beach and shops are all close by for a female on her own to enjoy safely. What a pity that because Searles has this prejudice towards ladies and gentleman on their own, she cannot return to your complex!
Sadly, the check in drama has left a very nasty taste in our mouths and even your entertainment staff (whom I must stress were extremely pleasant and sociable, when they mingled and interacted with your guests) seemed genuinely shocked when Annette told them about the Searle's absurd campsite single persons rules! They were very apologetic but of course this was not their department and understandably could offer no solution or explanation.
In my opinion this rule is absolute discrimination and for the life of me I cannot understand why any single person (male or female) who is using their own caravan or motorhome accommodation on your touring pitches and paying the same price as a couple or family, is viewed so negatively by your company!
Once we returned home I have since told Annette what happened when we checked in at Searles and she was both hurt and angry about the situation, especially as she thought she'd found an ideal place to try on her own sometime. She was even considering attending this weeks turkey and tinsel themed break!
Annette and myself belong to many internet based motorhome websites and forums and yesterday Annette submitted a post informing the hundreds of members who frequent these popular websites about your no single persons rule and everyone is absolutely outraged by such obvious and unfair discrimination towards solo guests. We certainly intend to take this matter further including the media and if the response we have experienced from the forums we are members of is anything to go by I should imagine Searles will have a lot questions to answer!
Just for the record - motorhomes are by and large owned and enjoyed by the more mature age group amongst us, and consequently such people have reached the time in their lives where not only can they afford such a luxury item but they also have the leisure time and the freedom to use them. Most of us have taken early retirement from successful and professional careers or have reached full retirement age and have money in our pockets to spend. Therefore, it stands to reason that many motorhome owners, will because of their ages, be or will become widows and widowers and to penalise such a huge target market, is not only grossly unjust but I would add is also a ridiculously stupid move financially for any sensible and forward thinking touring site business. Why are Searles turning away such valuable customers and revenue - especially during the winter months when business is slow?
I'll eagerly await your reply and explanation
Unquote and now my own email to them...so far no replies to these
Dear Mr Searles
I would like to make known my sheer confusion and disappointment at your ruling of no single people in touring units. I understand that my Friend has already contacted you as she knows how upset I have been.
My Husband and Family visited Searles in March 2012 and had a lovely time..it was a place we always planned to go back to, but unfortunately circumstances developed that prevented us using our lovely motorhome and the life we had loved .. It travel around the UK in it.
I have tried to be positive and move forward with the help of Friends and Family after losing my Husband after a very traumatic time. And I bought a smaller motorhome and decided to carry on with the life we had loved...even though a daunting thought. So far all the places I have visited have welcomed me with open arms...told me how brave I am etc etc. wardens have cheered me on when I have reversed on to a pitch etc boosting my confidence and self worth.
I now find that Searles does now and will not welcome me....as a single Widow WHY ! What am I going to do ? Yet local people apparently can join your facilities as single people ie pool etc ...could you please explain to me what the difference is as I believe this is discrimination ! I read of a reply from your Staff on one of the forums, and it seems I am a threat ! Unless I am part of a rally ! Or with Family staying in another unit...could you also explain to me what I might do if not part of a rally or with Family. This is outrageous ! Especially reading more into it....if this means I might be a threat to families and children etc etc please look at History and married/couples ie Fred West, Ian Huntley, The Yorkshire Ripper, Harold Shipmen, Ian Brady....the list could go on and all part of couples .....yet some of the loveliest people in the world have been single and raised money for charities, done wonderful work etc etc.
I have to say on my return home last week, I felt very very down...and cried a lot for three days...as now I feel a freak, unattached and unworthy to be tarred with a new brush, single not allowed....a bit like the days of 'No coloureds...No Irish'.
I am so so disappointed to be banned from your lovely site like a dangerous breed of dog...I believe the media will be interested in this along with your comments too. I along with another lady on a motorhome forum fully intend to contact the media.....BUT I will await your reply first.