Waterside Holiday Park ‘disaster’ still costing family of dialysis patient £1500 a month for a caravan they can’t sell and can’t use, after promised ‘£3 million park upgrade’ actually removes facilities essential to their holidays
Life changes
In April 2022, David Nicholson (54) finished training at Fareham Hospital for home kidney dialysis that would be part of his life from that point on. Wife Jaqueline (51) would be his carer as well as running the family business, a small window company in Winchester.
The couple’s lives would change in many ways with David’s health concerns, and one thing the Nicholson’s didn’t want to miss out on was holidays. “Going on holiday with dialysis presents unexpected challenges, as you might expect,” explains Jacqueline. “But we were determined that we should not miss out on these holidays with our 11 year old daughter Georgina.”
“David’s research pointed us towards UK holidays and specifically a Torquay park called Waterside. We arranged a visit with a salesman called Steve. We saw a caravan that was ideal and Steve told us it would not be on the market long because of the sea views. Sitting on the sofa, with the french doors open, the view was indeed phenomenal.”
Key to David and Jacqueline’s decision were the close-by facilities available. Steve showed them the outdoor pool, the arcades and bingo hall which hosted onsite entertainment.
Steve also explained that the caravan could be sub-let to the park, bringing in revenue of up to £10,000. “This was what influenced us to make the decision and buy,” says Jacqueline. “This would cover our annual costs. It would pay for our holidays and still leave money left over. We loved the place and so did Georgina. We put down a £40,000 deposit and took out finance arranged by the park for the remaining £49,000. £89,000 altogether. The first year’s pitch fees were included and David’s dialysis equipment could be delivered there as well. It was a lot of money for us, but we wanted holidays that would suit our family situation.”
Rental disappointment
The Nicholsons visited the park several times to make ready for a holiday in August 2022, their first in three years. Jacqueline immediately went to reception to discuss subletting the caravan, as salesman Steve had promised they could. “Firstly they told me they needed to do an inventory of the caravan to make sure it was rentable. When they returned, they told me that we needed to replace two ripped chairs. We had not even used the caravan at this point, but we replaced the chairs anyway.
Shockingly the park then told Jacqueline and David that their caravan was not eligible for subletting back to the park. “They said our caravan was too old to qualify for the ‘Gold Program’, which allows you to do this,” says Jacqueline. “This was a huge shock. We were counting that income to help finance the purchase. If Steve had told us this in advance instead of telling us we would be able to sublet it to the park, then it is unlikely we would have been able to go ahead. However when we checked the contract, it was too late for us to pull out of the deal.”
Despite this, the family made the best of things and their first holiday was a roaring success. “We had to give the Nxstage Medical supply team 6 weeks notice for Dave’s Dialysis stuff,” says Jacqueline, “which we did, without issue. Our holiday was a smash. Gina bought her cousin with her and went swimming whilst Dave was on the machine and was watching Gina two minutes away from Dave in case he needed me. At night we always went to bingo and Gina went on the arcades. We had a whale of a time.”
Facilities gone
When the Nicholsons returned in May 2023, the park had changed dramatically.
Jacqueline explains: “We had been told that the £3 million makeover had started in January and were expecting great things. It was already perfect for us, so we were wondering how they could have possibly improved the place.”
In fact, to the family’s disappointment, many of the facilities had been removed
“We couldn’t believe our eyes,” says Jacqueline. “The £3 million had not been spent on a ‘makeover’ at all. The outdoor pool had been removed, and three new caravans were in its place. The arcades and entertainment areas were gone, and in their place were employee offices and an adult, indoor pool.
“All they had left from when we bought our caravan was one little swing park. Everything else had gone. Far from upgrading the park, the money seemed to have been spent on renovations aimed at maximising revenue at the expense of the leisure facilities that made it suitable for our holidays.”
The couple knew that the park would no longer suit their needs and headed to reception to ask about selling the caravan back to the park.
Huge financial loss
“The park told us that they could only offer us £20,000. A £70,000 drop in value in less than a year. Not only that, but our ground rent was going up. Originally it was £6900 a year, currently it is nearly £8000.
“We found the offer insulting and decided to go to an estate agents instead. We have not found a buyer yet, despite reducing the asking price.
“People need to think twice about all the expenses involved about getting involved with holiday parks,” says Jacqueline. “The costs are always more than you think. Electricity alone cost us £500 for a year and we only visited three times.
“Altogether, including buying the caravan, ground rent, bills, alterations and repairs we have spent over £175,000 over the past three years.
“It’s a decision we deeply regret.”
Consumer protection
“Sadly there is nothing unusual in the Nicholsons’ story,” explains Greg Wilson, CEO of European Consumer Claims (ECC), leaders in the fightback against rogue holiday park operators. “Elements like the unexpected huge depreciation in value over a comparatively short time, the hidden costs and the misleading sales presentation with life changing consequences are all too common amongst our holiday park clients.”
“I am proud to say our caravan and lodge park division, Holiday Park Advice Centre, is at the forefront of the movement to seek redress for wronged holiday park consumers.”
