Ever experienced anything like this? (1 Viewer)

[GAVLAD]

Our friends are on the Camping & Caravan Club rally at Bolton Abbey, North Yorks and as it's near to us, we thought we'd catch up with them for an hour and have a brew. Armed with buns & cakes, we followed the directions and found the rally field at the rear of the Bolton Abbey main car park with access through a gate into the rally field from this car park.

Turning off the main road into the car park, there's a car park booth/shed like you find at most National Trust/Stately Home type venues.
We were greeted by the frosty lady who said '£8.00 please'.

I said, 'We're here to meet with friends on the Camping & Caravan Club rally in the field over there'

'That will be £8 please' was her reply.

'No, I don't want to park in the main car park or visit the Abbey, I'm visiting some friends in the rally field and will park next to their van'.

'It's £8 to enter' came the reply.

'But it's 3 o'clock and I'm only planning on staying an hour and I'm not even parking in your car park. I'm not paying eight quid to park up in a field'.

'Well you're not coming in then'

By this time, our friends had realised we had arrived and phoned to say where their van was. I told them that unless we paid £8 to transit through the car park - which I was refusing to, that we couldn't come in.

By this stage, another car had pulled up to queue behind us.
The frosty cow in her bubble booth told us to either pay and that we couldn't stop where we was.

I asked 'can I park over there in one of the many vacant spaces whilst my friend came and collected some cakes from us?'

'Yes, if you pay £8'

'I'm not paying £8 to deliver some buns'

'Well you'll have to go park on the road then' (double yellow lines)

I phoned our friends and told them that we couldn't even wait whilst they walked the 100 metres to us to collect the cakes we'd bought them.
We ended up leaving.
Fortunately, we managed to find somewhere to park and walked 20mins back to where the rally field was.
The air was blue when we walked passed Miss Frosty knickers but as we had our toddler with us, (who's taken to repeating everything) we just glared as we passed.

Our friends paid £9 for 3 days in the rally field with C&CC.
Bolton Abbey Estates wanted to charge £8 to park for an hour or £8 to deliver some cakes or £8 to transit their car park to gain access to the rally field.

I appreciate that car parking is a good source of income to such places but talk about an unhelpful and inflexible approach to customer service.
I'm not tight, but I refuse to be ripped off.
Don't think we'll be heading back. Still feeling pi**ed off about this.

 

[pappajohn]

That's Yorkshire for you.....tight as a ducks arse.

 

[Badknee]

I would put that down to her being a jobsworth. Got your friends to look after your toddler then gone over to give her a piece of your mind....... The piece you keep in the knuckles of your right hand

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[movan]

I think I'd have done a wheelie round the car park.. then stopped and when she came over done it again ... and again.. and again.. childish but not as childish as her .. I'm annoyed and I wasn't there. !!!!!

 

[DavidG58]

so if you had been in your MH on your way to the rally would she just have waved you past?

or did they have a different way in? that would at least then make some sense

 

[BobtheBass]

We live in a 100% rip off society where it seems pretty much everyone tries to screw every last penny they can from any opportunity that comes their way. When was the last time a tradesman gave you a proper quote for a job based on the hours he would take and the materials he would use? Everyone I have dealt with (except friends) in the last few years simply thinks of the highest number he would like to get away with and bugger honesty and reasonableness. I had my fascias replaced a few months back, and asked a very nice local chap who had done my neighbours house a few weeks before to quote. He quoted exactly double for the same job on the same type of house as he didn't know I knew how much my neighbour had paid. He just looked at the new Carthago in the drive and thought this guy looks reasonably well off, how much can I screw him for? Local Authorities are all at it as well. Evesham doubled their car parking charges when there was a big fishing festival in town a few weeks ago, and I paid £3 for a paper cup of hot coffee coloured water which I threw away in disgust. It's such a pleasure to spend time in France where things seem a little more in control, unlike here where a reasonable price for a reasonable job or service seems to be an unknown phrase for many. Rant over, but I could go on, it's a subject I feel strongly about.

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[GAVLAD]

so if you had been in your MH on your way to the rally would she just have waved you past?

or did they have a different way in? that would at least then make some sense

I asked my friend how they got into the rally field and he confirmed it was via the car park - one way in and same way out.

 

[TheBig1]

i would just say"im on the rally field" and drive on. by the time the miserable old bag had got anyone to do anything you would be long gone

 

[Baldeagle7470]

I am currently having a pair of heavy rusty metal gates replaced by new on our very old french house.I need two enormous oak posts putting on to the stone first to,support the gates.
The guy doing this has a siret number so all legal.
He arrives on time,has his cuppa,works for a while and then stops for a smoke and chat to the Mrs. On the phone,not once but loads of times a day.We agreed a day work rate at the beginning as he is a good worker normally.I certainly shall not do that again.
We have been ripped of loads of times recently in different ways,not good.

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[big map]

I would write to the coo of chatsworth settlement trustees and leave a poor review on trip advisor.

 

[EX51SSS]

I would put that down to her being a jobsworth. Got your friends to look after your toddler then gone over to give her a piece of your mind....... The piece you keep in the knuckles of your right hand

 

[iandsm]

It wasn't the Estste that was being unreasonable and inflexible, it was the lady in question. Could you have simply just driven past her a short way to avoid stopping others entry then gone to her and told her to get a supervisor who could have perhaps been more flexible.

Have you written a letter of complaint setting out what happened. If not, you should, she needs some management advice.

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[Candapack]

Not excusing it, but by 3pm she could already have spent a few hours taking dog's abuse from many of the people she was relieving of £8 for parking.

 

[Geo]

If she was looking after my car park she would get a medal
Interesting post complaining about folk who do a good job and those that dont
How does that work ?

 

[Khizzie]

That's Yorkshire for you.....tight as a ducks arse.

Totally agree .lovely county but blxxdy expensive to see or do anything remotely chargeable...

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[sdc77]

If she was looking after my car park she would get a medal
Interesting post complaining about folk who do a good job and those that dont
How does that work ?

+1

 

[MicknPat]

If she was looking after my car park she would get a medal
Interesting post complaining about folk who do a good job and those that dont
How does that work ?

Geo, are you?

 

[busby]

You should have driven past and ignored her,,,,BUSBY,,

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[GAVLAD]

If she was looking after my car park she would get a medal
Interesting post complaining about folk who do a good job and those that dont
How does that work ?

How do you make that out?
Do you think that the lady in question was being reasonable in not allowing someone to transit a car park to get to a rally field or even wait two minutes whilst someone collected something?

 

[GAVLAD]

+1

?

 

[Geo]

I can answer if you tell me
Are you questioning the principle or the cost
G

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[iandsm]

As a representative of Bolton Abbey I would have thought that being totally inflexible, refusing to accede to a perfectly reasonable request and displaying a severe lack of common sense or good will could hardly be described as doing a good job. Its not as if the OP was wishing to park, he was simply wishing access to a rally field with is a completely different thing, and he says he had explained his intentions. If I were her supervisor I would be concerned she was presenting the wrong image, one which I would see as hardly likely to foster good public relations. I would also be concerned because I prefer public facing employees to have a sense of humour, and to be welcoming and helpful to those they encounter.

 

[CWH]

Its not as if the OP was wishing to park, he was simply wishing access to a rally field with is a completely different thing, and he says he had explained his intentions.

... and she's supposed to believe him because...???
Doubtless everybody at the rally had some documentation to prove this was the case.
I wonder how many people with no connection with the rally, given the chance, would simply drive into the rally field to AVOID paying in the car park?
She has a job to do; she does it.
Rip-off Britain goes two ways - suppliers and consumers.

 

[EX51SSS]

How do you make that out?
Do you think that the lady in question was being reasonable in not allowing someone to transit a car park to get to a rally field or even wait two minutes whilst someone collected something?

In all fairness, some people's 2 minutes end up being several hours. There may have been a previous situation where someone was allowed in and the money taker was hauled over the coals. Admittedly, there is no excuse to be rude or even terse but I remember a post on here where someone slated a CC warden and many followed and calling for his head on a salver but after the warden replied on here and explained the situation fully, there was a complete change of attitude towards the warden.
There's always 2 sides to every story so let's not be too hasty to judge and be totally biased against. We only know one side.

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[Geo]

Car park audit Spot check 50 cars at £8 =£400
Cash in bag £392
Oh! him? I just let him in for free because??????????? half hr LATER YOUR STILL WAITING!!!!!
Every good turns bites you in the a**e

 

[Hammie]

Our friends are on the Camping & Caravan Club rally at Bolton Abbey, North Yorks and as it's near to us, we thought we'd catch up with them for an hour and have a brew. Armed with buns & cakes, we followed the directions and found the rally field at the rear of the Bolton Abbey main car park with access through a gate into the rally field from this car park.

Turning off the main road into the car park, there's a car park booth/shed like you find at most National Trust/Stately Home type venues.
We were greeted by the frosty lady who said '£8.00 please'.

I said, 'We're here to meet with friends on the Camping & Caravan Club rally in the field over there'

'That will be £8 please' was her reply.

'No, I don't want to park in the main car park or visit the Abbey, I'm visiting some friends in the rally field and will park next to their van'.

'It's £8 to enter' came the reply.

'But it's 3 o'clock and I'm only planning on staying an hour and I'm not even parking in your car park. I'm not paying eight quid to park up in a field'.

'Well you're not coming in then'

By this time, our friends had realised we had arrived and phoned to say where their van was. I told them that unless we paid £8 to transit through the car park - which I was refusing to, that we couldn't come in.

By this stage, another car had pulled up to queue behind us.
The frosty cow in her bubble booth told us to either pay and that we couldn't stop where we was.

I asked 'can I park over there in one of the many vacant spaces whilst my friend came and collected some cakes from us?'

'Yes, if you pay £8'

'I'm not paying £8 to deliver some buns'

'Well you'll have to go park on the road then' (double yellow lines)

I phoned our friends and told them that we couldn't even wait whilst they walked the 100 metres to us to collect the cakes we'd bought them.
We ended up leaving.
Fortunately, we managed to find somewhere to park and walked 20mins back to where the rally field was.
The air was blue when we walked passed Miss Frosty knickers but as we had our toddler with us, (who's taken to repeating everything) we just glared as we passed.

Our friends paid £9 for 3 days in the rally field with C&CC.
Bolton Abbey Estates wanted to charge £8 to park for an hour or £8 to deliver some cakes or £8 to transit their car park to gain access to the rally field.

I appreciate that car parking is a good source of income to such places but talk about an unhelpful and inflexible approach to customer service.
I'm not tight, but I refuse to be ripped off.
Don't think we'll be heading back. Still feeling pi**ed off about this.

What customer service??? She should have stayed at home that day and let someone else do her job? Silly mare could have charged you £1 for the hour which would still have been extortionate instead she got nothing for the Estate except bad publicity!

 

[KeithChesterfield]

I wouldn't call it an inducement but .......

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[iandsm]

... and she's supposed to believe him because...???
Doubtless everybody at the rally had some documentation to prove this was the case.
I wonder how many people with no connection with the rally, given the chance, would simply drive into the rally field to AVOID paying in the car park?
She has a job to do; she does it.
Rip-off Britain goes two ways - suppliers and consumers.

Why shouldn't she believe him, its not her job to assume everyone is lying and dishonest. Some are certainly but not the majority and presumably she would be able to see the 100 yds to the rally field and call a supervisor if a driver appeared to have no connection to the rally was simply telling a tale to get free parking. I take the point she was doing a job, but I think she was doing it badly.

 

[Hammie]

Car park audit Spot check 50 cars at £8 =£400
Cash in bag £392
Oh! him? I just let him in for free because??????????? half hr LATER YOUR STILL WAITING!!!!!
Every good turns bites you in the a**e

What a miserable way to go about your life believing every good turn bites your ass!

 

[Hammie]

As a representative of Bolton Abbey I would have thought that being totally inflexible, refusing to accede to a perfectly reasonable request and displaying a severe lack of common sense or good will could hardly be described as doing a good job. Its not as if the OP was wishing to park, he was simply wishing access to a rally field with is a completely different thing, and he says he had explained his intentions. If I were her supervisor I would be concerned she was presenting the wrong image, one which I would see as hardly likely to foster good public relations. I would also be concerned because I prefer public facing employees to have a sense of humour, and to be welcoming and helpful to those they encounter.

Too true and rare enough to impress when someone actually smiles at you.

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