BARCOOS FIRST EVER BAD REVIEW ON TRIPADVISOR. But before I go there a very exciting milestone. DRUM ROLL - today saw 100 reviews on Tripadvisor!! So very excited that the 100th review was written by Jodie Small. Thank you Jodie and family. This family has visited Barcoos I think around 8 times!!!, it might be more! so we now count them as among some of our very special friends. This happens with Hosted Accommodation, guests become friends, they arrive as strangers, you share your farm and animals and they leave as friends. 99 of those reviews have been awesome, one that arrived yesterday was disastrous! Its funny but I was having a conversation with a friend in the industry last week and we were discussing the fact that it would happen sooner or later! Later would have been nicer! Why am I sharing this experience? It gives me the opportunity to explain a few things about Barcoos. You can read the review here - tripadvisor.au/ShowUserReviews-g255317-d1737… This was my response to the review. We are obviously very saddened to receive this review of Barcoos after 96 other fantastic reviews on Tripadvisor. We are also very sorry that these folk did not stay long enough to experience what Barcoos has to offer and why other folk love coming here. I (Elaine), did not even get a chance to meet them. When I got home from town a short while after they arrived, they had already left. A full refund was transferred as soon as I received bank account details and before I was aware of this review being posted. Yes, we do require full payment for our powered sites, we only have 2 and have sometimes turned folk away because sites were booked, but then folk change their mind about staying just a day or 2 before arrival. Barcoos is a working farm; we do not promote ourselves as a Caravan park, but as having camping/caravanning sites on a working farm. I specialise in interactive activities with the farm animals and love doing this. Ken runs the farm with the help of our son, and loves taking kiddies for drives in his big farm tractor and helping with Farm Tours. All photos on the website are taken on the farm. Yes, there is machinery, current and old and yes you do drive past the workshops/sheds to get to the campsites. Our camp kitchen/amenities are 3 years old. The walls of these amenities were specifically clad in weathered corrugated iron to blend in with the shed it adjoins. If you are still with me, (its a long post Im sorry), this email arrived before the review was posted on Tripadvisor. We have arrived home from our caravanning break away from Canberra and feel you deserve an email from us. We had booked two nights with you (22 and 23 December) and paid prior to arrival as requested. We arrived about 1 pm. and were shown where to place our caravan. We were immediately disappointed by this position in that we were squeezed between a water tank and the fence of a septic tank. When I say squeezed, there was not even enough room to extend our awning. In addition, there were none of the scenic views as seen on your web site. Just the opposite in fact as we were placed behind the shed that is the camp kitchen, which although it is described as new, falls far short of many camp kitchens we have experienced at grounds charging considerably less. I can send you the addresses of these if you wish.The views might be considered by some to be more of a rocky paddock or wrecking yard. We had two dogs travelling with us and were also anxious about the young farm dog that was hanging around and not restrained as ours was expected to be. I notice that a refund is not offered, and having seen what was offered to us, perhaps we are not surprised. We were offered the same again at a later date but having seen what was available this would never be an option we would choose. I must insist that our two night booking fee be returned as we saw nothing of what was expected and advertised in the photographs on your web site. Failure to agree to is will leave us no option but to express our experience and disappointment via Trip Advisor and Facebook. Some of these points are covered in my response above on Tripadvisor. I just thought I would make mention of a few of the other points that are bought up in the email. Our dogs - this is their home, Kali is 8 years old and has never intimidated a guest or a visiting dog! Ruby is usually kept in a cage until I have time to socialise” her with visiting dogs, just to make sure she accepts them at her home. Our policy with visiting dogs is to have them on a leash for their safety and the safety of our animals, and for the comfort of other guests. Owners must sign an agreement accepting responsibility for their own dogs and for any damage that may be caused by them. I am speechless as to the comment about the rocky paddock - got me beat?! Relics/wrecking yard - The farm has been in the same hands since 1830s. Yes, there is machinery here and there are a few relics that lots of folk find interesting! I do admit I was deeply offended by the comment about a refund! - On receiving this email I immediately asked for account details so as to forward a refund, and did this as soon as I received the details. Alas, the review was still posted. What am I feeling now? - Just a lot of thankfulness for the 99 positive reviews and countless others in guest books and on our website. The support of some wonderful people to talk to about this, thank you is not enough! My wonderful rock of a husband - Farmer Ken. How very blessed am I? 2015 is going to be a wonderful year at Barcoos, there are going to be a few additions and they will also be clad in weathered iron in keeping with the rest of the buildings. PS, Love my 2 little lambs that Tripadvisor uses to promote Bathurst!! Review of Barcoos Barn Farmstay Review of Barcoos Barn Farmstay tripadvisor.au
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 21:13:29 +0000
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