BIG4 Riverside Swan Hill — Hotel in Northern Victoria Region

I’m incredibly disappointed with my recent stay at BIG4 Riverside Swan Hill. My friend had booked two nights for two separate campsites—one for his family and one for mine. We arrived after hours expecting to find two letters clearly indicating our respective site numbers. Instead, only one letter was provided, leaving my family without any guidance on where to set up. With no site information, we had no choice but to squeeze into our friend’s campsite and sleep in our car for the first night, which completely ruined the start of our holiday.

The worst part was the response the next morning. When we politely requested a refund for the night we couldn’t properly use, we were met with a shocking lack of empathy and professionalism. The staff at the customer service desk outright refused any form of compensation or even partial reimbursement. She rudely interrupted us, and kept insisting we should have called their after-hours number—even though the error was clearly on their end for not providing proper instructions. When I suggested a 50% refund, she shut it down immediately, repeatedly saying “we don’t do refunds” without any willingness to help or understand the situation.

It’s unsettling to see such arrogance and unwillingness to acknowledge a mistake. We paid full price for two campsites, yet we spent our first night crammed into a single site, inside our car, due to their oversight. If this is how BIG4 Riverside Swan Hill treats guests after a very clear error on their part, I would strongly advise looking elsewhere for a more customer-focused and responsible camping experience.

My reply to the owner's reply:

Thank you for taking the time to respond, but I’m disappointed that your reply focuses solely on why I did not call your after-hours number rather than addressing the central issue: your team failed to provide the promised documentation for our second campsite. Because of that oversight, my family had no information about our site and was forced to sleep in our car.

I understand having an after-hours number is a backup plan, but the bigger problem was the lack of clear instructions left for us—something entirely within your control. You also continue to ignore how your staff mishandled our request for compensation or even a partial refund the following morning. Instead of any genuine empathy or willingness to rectify the situation, we were met with rudeness and a refusal to even discuss solutions.

A simple acknowledgment of your mistake and a more respectful approach could have gone a long way. Unfortunately, your response here suggests that future guests might face similar treatment if something goes wrong, as their concerns might be dismissed rather than professionally addressed. I hope you will consider providing clearer instructions to guests and training staff to handle issues with greater courtesy. Until that happens, I stand by my recommendation for travelers to...

Extremely Disappointing Experience I recently visited Big4 Swan Hill with my family, and I must say it was an incredibly disappointing experience. The numerous issues we encountered made our visit far from enjoyable. First and foremost, the cleanliness of the pool area left much to be desired. It was evident that proper maintenance was lacking, and the pool did not meet the basic hygiene standards one would expect. This not only affected our enjoyment but also raised concerns about the overall safety of the facility. Furthermore, the absence of well-maintained roads/asphalt for kids to ride their scooters on was a major letdown. This omission made it challenging for children to engage in activities that are typically encouraged in family-friendly environments. The staff's behavior was another significant concern. Rude and unprofessional staff members tarnished our experience. Their attitude was not only unwelcoming but also unacceptable in a service-oriented environment. The state of the barbeque and restroom facilities was equally disappointing. Both were unclean and far from sanitary, creating an uncomfortable and unsanitary environment for visitors. This was especially disheartening as these are fundamental amenities that should be well-maintained for the convenience and safety of all guests. Adding to our safety concerns, there appeared to be no speed limit enforced, particularly for staff members driving electric cars. This lack of regulation not only posed a potential danger to children but also highlighted a disregard for the safety of patrons. In conclusion, my family's experience at Big4 Swan Hill was marred by numerous issues that detracted from what should have been an enjoyable outing. I hope that these concerns are addressed promptly to ensure the safety, cleanliness, and overall satisfaction of...

Very disappointing. Booked and paid for pet friendly caravan site some time ago plus a cabin for a friend travelling with us. Arrived on the day and checked in at the office. Service friendly but abrupt. Asked for $3+ additional fees for the site - when questioned why when I’d paid in full on booking was advised that it was due to a rate rise - despite my protest was advised it would need to be paid. I was advised that we would receive a message when our friends cabin was available. When we arrived on our site it was littered with rubbish that had been shredded by the lawn mower - we then had to pick it all up to avoid our pup eating it. The site was bare earth where the caravan door was despite there being a row of sites behind us that had fake grass on them that remained empty for the night. The site was also quite a distance from the cabin despite observing dogs on sites much closer. We did not receive a message to advise that our friends cabin was available. Overall very disappointed given we’d booked well in advance (and paid in full) and would expect no further fees, and a decent clean site would be allocated as close as possible to our friends cabin as was requested. Won’t be...