A couple say their romantic getaway was ruined after the holiday caravan was so dirty they had to clean it themselves - and the furniture broke when they used it. Charmaine Bell, 30, and Natalie Berrisford, 37, splashed out £615 for what was supposed to be nice break.
But they say the holiday to Norfolk was ruined by the “dirt pit” caravan - which they say had wallpaper hanging off the walls, mould in the loo and a mucky fridge. They say the sofas in the property were full of “hard lumps” and the bed slats were so broken they were left sleeping at an angle.
Despite complaining to the holiday company, 2C Holidays, they say they had to stay in the “filthy” caravan for nine nights. Charmaine, from Royston, Herts., said: “It's really upset me and my partner, we’ve been together 13 years and thought we’d have a nice holiday with the dogs.
“From the second we got to the caravan and walked in it was dirty. There was wallpaper coming away from walls, mould in the corners of the room and under the lid of the toilet, the sides were dirty, and the fridge had sticky stuff in it, it was filthy.
“The sofas had really big hard lumps in bottom of them - every time we sat down, we were sat on an angle.” The couple arrived in Hemsby for a romantic getaway on March 6 – but say as soon as they walked into the caravan at the holiday park they found it filthy.
They say they were looking forwards to spending quality time together with their dogs, with Nathalie travelling down from Scotland for the trip. But they say when they complained to 2C Holidays about the conditions, they were told they could clean it themselves or spend another £300 to be upgraded to a new caravan.
Charmaine said she decided to clean herself – and says the company offered her £50 for her efforts. The couple say at the end of their stay they were offered £75 compensation – but claim after the £50 for cleaning, this leaves just £25 for their inconvenience.
“We couldn't pay out for a new caravan, there was literally nowhere else we could go, so it was very upsetting,” said Charmaine. “Nathalie had a serious back surgery a couple of years ago and she nearly went through the bed.
“She came down from Scotland and this happened, it was just so upsetting, we were literally trapped there.” A spokesperson for 2C Holidays said: "We deeply regret that Charmaine and Nathalie arrived at a property that wasn’t fully prepared.
"The owner of the caravan was mortified to learn that he had been let down by the person due to carry out the start of season cleaning. We acknowledge this oversight and are truly sorry for any inconvenience this caused.
"Despite offering various solutions, including a full refund or relocation, Charmaine and Nathalie chose to stay at the caravan for the duration of their booking. "We addressed their maintenance issues promptly and spoke with the couple many times during their time at the caravan.
"We tried so hard to please them, but regrettably, fell short of their expectations. We were happy to pay compensation to the couple that was both fair, and in proportion to the cost of the holiday and the inconvenience they experienced.
"Given that the guests chose to continue their stay at the property, the full refund they requested was not appropriate. As a small, independent holiday lettings company, we are passionate about ensuring our guests can have an enjoyable time away with their loved ones.
"We can only apologise to Charmaine and Nathalie if they remain disappointed."
