“Misrepresentation, hidden costs and exploitative practices left my husband and I working three jobs between us to keep our heads above water.”
Dream holiday
Lisa Colvin-Jones and husband Robert made the decision to create a more manageable and peaceful life by downsizing their home and buying a caravan by the sea. “The idea was simple,” says Lisa, 55, a carer from Hayling Island near Portsmouth. “We wanted to give our grandson Harvey the same happy memories Robert and I had of caravan holidays.
“I was going through some serious medical issues at the time too and a calm, relaxing retreat for our family seemed just the ticket”
In September 2021 Lisa and Robert, 56, visited Seal Bay Resort holiday park on the West Sussex coast. “We were greeted by a salesman called Tom, who seemed polite and welcoming,” continues Lisa. “We confided our family’s medical struggles to Tom, who seemed sympathetic. He recommended a 2019 ABI Ambleside caravan for £89,995, reassuring us that as it was a ‘Platinum’ caravan (the highest earning rental classification) we would earn significant income when we were not using it ourselves. This assurance was absolutely key to our decision making.
“It was an intense day long sales pitch from Tom and as he convinced us that the rental earnings would offset the cost, we paid a £10,000 deposit and financed the remainder.
“We could not have known this would be the start of a financial nightmare that is still ruining our lives today.”
Cost shocks
Soon after taking possession of their caravan Lisa and Robert realised they would need a veranda for the safety of Lisa’s father, William, who suffers from COPD and Harvey who was only a toddler at the time. “Robert and Lisa found a reputable contractor who would do the job for £6,000,” explains Greg Wilson, CEO of European Consumer Claims (ECC), the firm representing Robert and Lisa in their bid to retrieve compensation from Seal Bay. “But Seal Bay quickly informed the couple that they were only allowed to use the ‘park approved’ contractor who charged £11,000 for exactly the same work”
“We were also contractually bound to buy our gas bottles directly from the park at £105 per bottle” adds Lisa. “Elsewhere the same bottle costs around £80. Electricity similarly has to be purchased from the park in fixed blocks with no transparency or control. We were not allowed to install cheaper, green options like solar panels”
Lisa and Robert tried renting out the caravan to cover some costs, but were devastated to discover that, despite Tom having sold them a ‘Platinum’ class caravan, their unit was actually only a ‘Gold plus’. Meaning that the rental rate and booking volume were drastically lower.
“When we did get renters in, the energy bills surged, as renters had less concern for consumption,” explains Lisa. “Meaning our returns were negligible.”
To add to the couple’s woes, they were then hit with a several hundred pounds increase in ground rent. “Tom had told us that any increases would be minimal, and that the fees had remained consistent for years” says Lisa. “Overall, we were given drastically unrealistic expectations around costs and rental income. We were lied to, basically.”
Good money after bad…
In 2023 a Seal Bay salesperson convinced the couple that the way out of their financial trouble was to upgrade to an even costlier caravan that they could rent out more easily and for more money. After a further £3,000 deposit, and another £22,000 in financing, Robert and Lisa were now the owners of a Victory Riverwood Lodge.
“We were promised the new unit would generate £20,000+ in annual rental income,” says Lisa. “We were obviously hesitant after our previous experiences, but we felt like we had no other options. We were desperate.”
When the new lodge arrived, it needed a larger pitch. “This in itself meant a further increase in ground rent,” says Lisa. “We have gone from £6500 a year to £7500. Also the new pitch had no path across the wet grass, which was dangerous and meant we were constantly treading mud inside the caravan. Our last caravan had a flagstone path to prevent this, and we raised the issue with Seal Bay.
“The park told us we would have to pay for a path to be fitted, and we would again have to use their approved contractors plus pay a planning fee. Altogether it was £899 for nine flat stones. We found out afterwards that the slabs were previously already in place for this pitch but were removed temporarily when our caravan was put in. Seal Bay basically charged us for putting them back!”
The final insult
“When we did manage to rent out the caravan, the park held onto the money for months, and there was little left over after the bills. We lose money every month. In total after the extra expenses incurred from renting we ended up with £500 income to show for the 32 weeks we rented the caravan out in 2024 which doesn’t begin to cover our costs, including our Black Horse loan. We have stayed three days in our own caravan in 2024, and none in 2025.
“Our grandson loved the caravan holidays we did have, and we tried so hard to make it work but the costs are just unworkable. In the end we asked Seal Bay to buy back the caravan. To our horror they told us they could only offer £24,100. Around an 80% loss in two years!
“Other people who sold back to the park have told us that their caravans went straight back on the market for full value.
“We looked into selling it privately, but Seal Bay told us that if we did not sell it to them, then they would charge the new owners an extra £500 a year in ground rent. Effectively making private sales impossible.
“Robert and I are forced to work three jobs between us because of the financial hole that dealing with Seal Bay has left us in. I am caring full time for my father, and Robert is working in IT plus baggage handling at the airport. It is not where we wanted to be at this stage of our lives.
“The dream of a peaceful retreat has turned into a financial nightmare. Altogether in under four years we have spent over £150,000 dealing with Seal Bay. What should have been a simple, peaceful family investment has instead turned into a huge financial loss, with misleading information, hidden fees and false promises at every turn. Our trust has been completely betrayed.
“We feel trapped and hope that sharing our story will prevent others from falling into the same trap.”
“Sadly, the Colvin-Joneses experiences are by no means unique,” comments Greg Wilson. “Misleading sales presentations are totally unacceptable when life changing amounts of money are involved. Inflated, hidden and monopolistic costs are reported right across the industry, and we at ECC are leading a nationwide call for the government to introduce legislation to protect people like Lisa and Robert.”
