Bourne leisure/haven/evergreen finance major serious complaint

Siy1083

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Jul 7, 2016
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7th Jul 16, 3:20 PM
SIY1083
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Bourne leisure/haven/evergreen finance major Bourne serious complaint
In 2014 my fiancee and I purchased caravans through Haven at there presthaven holiday park, we currently trying have one fully paid for van and 2 on finance through Bourne leisure finance company evergreen. We rented these out to offset cost and hopefully eventually provide us a secondary income, we were told that the site licences lasted for ten years but Haven do not throw you off park for having older vans, so our mindset was we could rent the vans for at least ten years.

So 2014 and most of 2015 we enjoyed a fairly successful rental on these vans, however, and the later end of 2015/2016 the park manager sent us (my fiancee and I ) notice of termination of site licenses. Stating it was due to me being discourteous on park and running a rental business from park. Renting of caravans is acceptable from havens parks.

I replied with a formal letter of complaint to the manager who responded, basically making no difference at all, yes I was renting out caravans bit never was I discourteous to anyone. This led then to me having to take this company to court, on the basis it was unfair to terminate our pitch licence, in court the manager stated she no longer wished to tolerate me on park and that I should not be entitled to an injunction against the termination and removal of the caravans I responded in court by saying myou fiancee also owned a caravan so in any event the manager would have to tolerate me so it made no difference, and this issue is just a case of her dislike to me. The court was adjourned and the manager made an undertaking not to disconnect the vans. By the time we went back I to court 2016 site fees became due, and given the earlier termination notice which was still in dispute we did not pay the site fees, so the manager sent a second termination notice but this time for all our vans 3 in total saying that she had now terminated due to site fees being due, this was the second week of March and site fees become due end of February, this was don't in Co trevention of the oft fair caravan pitch licence terms that Bourne have agreed to, so we went back to court and the judge refused my I junction based on this second termination. We then attempted to resolve our dispute but the solicitors and Bourne were not helpful, we then combined to the MF of Bourne again to no help, on the 1st April the manager sent maintenance guy telling him to CUT the service lines to our vans, when normally they just unplug them this guy was told to cut them meaning it caused damage to the electric cable, has line and water line of the vans. We were told by a friend that this had happened and he sent us pictures of the damage to all 3 vans, we contacted north Wales Police and made a complaint to of criminal damage, weeks later the police told us that the manager had told them this is normal practice for disconnecting a van that has had a pitch terminated which in all honesty is just full BS. So we then received notice from. Bourne leisure finance company saying that they were repossession the vans on finance as we had missed a payment, so now we were left defending bourn from repossession of our vans and attacking Bourne from a breach of contract unfair relationship claim and claim from criminal damages. In short we are now in a horrible financial position where we are standing to losses over £30000 in made payment and deposits and have lost the 2016 rental income, as we can no longer honour booking made, we had to move customers who paid full for their holidays into alternative caravans, sometime the caravans cost us more than the rental amount we had charged but that was in our contractstatic with our holiday makers. So please, anyone reading this who is considering buying into the Haven lifestyle with Bourne leisure, what ever you do DONT do it, the Haven lifestyle only works if your prepared to pay your hard earned money eye to a company that will treat you u fairly with Managers that seem to say it's my park myour rules like it or move off. We have requested to move our caravans to an alternative park but the finance company refused u till we paid the full finance amount to them, we asked if we could move the fully paid for one to be told it would cost us £1600 and if we didn't pay that they would sell it under abandonment rights or something. So in a nut she'll we paid £18,000 for one caravan I full, paid a £13500 deposit on another and 24 more than of £271.06 and £7995.00 deposit and £361.80 for 24 months on the other to be left with 3 vans we can't use as they are no longer connected to services, and are not allowed to move them, the Haven lifestyle is a myth, the reality is a huge multimillion pound company that thinks it can do what it wants when it wants and sod the little guy, best of it all in court I was a litigant in person without a solicitor, Bourne leisure could have sent a normal solicitor but no they sent a Barrister, kinda like sending a tank to a sword fight.. that how they play,the result 3 children devastated at not being able to see friends they have on park, a financial ruined family with me having to take antidepressants.
 

WhatConsumer

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Feb 10, 2020
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It sounds like you've gone through a very difficult and distressing experience with Bourne Leisure. This is a complex case involving contractual disputes, finance, and alleged damage, and it's clear that it has had a significant financial and emotional impact on you and your family. Given the stakes and the legal elements already involved, here are a few steps that may help you move forward:

1. Legal Advice for Caravan Site Licensing Disputes

Since you’ve already been to court without success, I’d strongly recommend seeking a solicitor with experience in caravan site licensing or contract law. Although it’s costly, a solicitor can help to identify any contractual breaches on Bourne Leisure’s part, especially around site termination procedures, fair treatment clauses, and if there were violations of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) guidelines on holiday caravan sites.

2. Contact the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS)

Since Evergreen Finance (Bourne’s finance company) is involved, and repossession is now an issue, the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) may be able to review whether Evergreen Finance has acted fairly in handling your finance agreements and if they have provided you with reasonable alternatives. Make sure to present all details, including your efforts to meet their requirements, evidence of payments, and requests to move caravans.

3. Document the Damage and Report to Trading Standards

The cutting of service lines to your caravans, as opposed to standard disconnection, may be grounds for a claim of property damage. Keep any photographic evidence you have, and if possible, obtain statements from anyone who can corroborate what happened. Reporting this incident to Trading Standards might be another avenue, as they handle complaints regarding unfair business practices, particularly if damages were a result of intentional actions.

4. Seek Financial and Mental Health Support

While these kinds of disputes are frustrating and often financially draining, seeking support from charities or debt advice organizations like StepChange can be beneficial in managing the financial pressure this dispute has caused. It may also be worth speaking to mental health organizations like Mind for support due to the emotional toll.

5. Raise Awareness through Consumer Advocacy Groups

Organizations like Citizens Advice can offer additional guidance and, at times, mediate between consumers and companies. Additionally, some caravan owners’ associations advocate for owners’ rights and may offer resources or put you in touch with others who have experienced similar issues.

It’s unfortunate that you’ve had to deal with this situation, especially without legal representation in court. Hopefully, taking these steps can bring some resolution and support.