Mansfield Holiday Park — Hotel in Northern Victoria Region

We sat on the verandah of our cabin and wished we had read the reviews about this place before booking, the bad ones were the ones that were now ringing true. The location (Mansfield/Eildon Area) is good, and the place itself is an average park, although the mini-golf course is in disrepair, there are loose pavers long the edge of the pool, and one BBQ just takes your money, but the real problem is that the owners are the worst we have ever encountered in over 40 years of camping, and if something goes wrong, I’m sure you too will mark this place off as one to never ever stay at again.||We initially enquired about 2 tent sites and a cabin back in November and was told three sites were available all next to each other (we were given actual specific site numbers), and checking the plan, it was confirmed that the tent sites were directly over the road from the cabin. A day or so later, we booked by phone, confirmed that these were the sites we were to be given (again quoting the specific site numbers), and we paid $500+ deposit money on this basis. ||Arriving that fateful evening in January, the woman at the office directed us to our tent site – which on the map was as far away as possible from the cabin, and not even a real tent site but a dusty caravan drive through site! Two caravans were on our sites that we had booked. In addition, this woman had no idea how the computer system worked and couldn’t check anything, had no idea why we weren’t where we were meant to be (“it wasn’t her job”, she was just directing people to sites), and had collected another full payment for the cabin from an earlier arrival in our group which exceeded the total balance owing for all sites.||Before setting up the tent, we gathered at the cabin to consider our situation. A man in a park uniform came by and we engaged in conversation about the situation. At the back of the cabin was a large mown area. Next to the cabin was a power pole with two live power points which he checked. It was agreed that this could be a solution, but lacking any authority, he went off to the office. He was the last helpful person we met. ||Whilst on the verandah, he returned accompanied by a woman who’s only introduction to us was that she was “from the office”. Many later read reviews talk about the extreme rudeness of the staff at this park, here it was personified. Her first move was to try and give us the overcharge back without any documentation – didn’t appreciate our request for an itemised account for checking purposes (the need of which was revealed later). Her next move was to tell us to remove the second car at the cabin to the outside car park. (Even though we only had three cars and three sites, we happily agreed). Next move was to tell us that the dog was not allowed in the cabin or even on the verandah (she was resting on the ground at this stage and again we agreed). Pleasantries out of the way, we asked about our idea of a solution to our tent sites problem – simply flatly refused, but eventually after much probing it was claimed it was a Council permit issue. ||So, what can be done, we asked? Her response was “nothing can be done”, the sites opposite the cabin are booked for the rest of the week, we have our site on the other side of the park. Again, we were issued instructions to move the car – (OK we agreed to that). ||So how come we didn’t get the sites we booked was the next question? The answer was because they weren’t grouped in the booking system - a box wasn’t ticked. But we booked on the phone, not online, wasn’t that your job to tick any boxes in the system, we asked? Response - Dogs aren’t allowed in the cabins, you make sure it doesn’t enter a cabin! (OK you told us that already).||We originally had two tent sites for 4 days each, but extended one to 5 days, but needed the second for only 3 days. We suggested, maybe a refund on the day we don’t need the tent site may be a compromise (given it isn’t the actual site we booked anyway)? Response – No, it’s a four-day minimum on sites, that’s our policy! (Now you really can’t hide behind a policy when it’s only your policy, that just degenerates to a “because I said so”). ….and you must move that car.||This conversation just dragged into ad nauseam. No solution suggested except a snarly offer of a full refund and suggestion we could go somewhere else (basically a bit of bullying confident there was nowhere else – although it didn’t stop us making a few phone calls). The third mention of the now dozing dog included an aggressive threat of fines and eviction if it was found to enter the cabin. But the final straw to our patience when we were told to move the car for now a fourth time. We asked the much nicer man to take the woman away, which he so kindly did.||So, to round off the story, the car was moved immediately, the dog never set foot anywhere prohibited, and we tented on the distant caravan site. The itemised invoice eventually came, and they had in fact had unapologetically overcharged us. We discovered rudeness was not limited to just one member of staff when we went in to claim our rightful second refund. They never admitted it was them that messed up the booking in the first place, they never even considered a simple apology for their error, and hence they didn’t do a single thing that remotely looked like customer service to rectify or at least placate the situation that they alone had created. Instead, their tactic was rudeness, bullying and general apathy, as witnessed now by us and previously...

WORST place to stay in Mansfield.

At the reception of Mansfield Holiday Park while I was sorting out the booking and I faced my brother to ask him if we should stay the two nights or the one night. We spoke in our own language, as English isn’t our first language, and the manager said “EXCUSE ME BUT CAN YOU SPEAK IN ENGLISH IN MY PRESENCE AS IT EXTREMELY RUDE!!”

We were shocked and said we were just discussing if we should stay one or two nights, and that we decided two nights. And then she started lecturing us on how its rude to speak in another language in front of other people. We couldn’t believe this and told her we’ll just stay the one night as we don’t want to stay in a place where the manager has a re.dneck mentality and then we walked out of the reception. She then RAN after us and continued her arrogant lecture. And she said how can I have racist mentality when I’m not even Australian… Imagine if you go to China and you are checking in at the reception of a hotel and you ask your family member something in English and the manager starts lecturing you cause you didn’t speak to your family member in CHINESE in front of them!!! How ridiculous would that be, well now I know. Then to make matters worse she said “YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE” (I don’t know if she meant the holiday park or Australia in general).

This killed our mood for the day. Then the day got worse when the other manager came huffing and puffing to our cabin 5 minutes later. He was threatening in his body language and demeanour and asked what happened. While telling him he told me to shut up and pointed his finger at me (because he didn’t agree with what I was saying), talk about customer service and the friendly people you except in country towns. Then when he finally heard me out, he became passive after that (because he realised the other manager was in the wrong). I felt sorry for him to get involved in this because he seemed like a nice bloke. But the worst thing was, when he was defending her (the other manager), I asked him that in NT there are Aboriginal communities who don’t speak any English, and if they were speaking their Aboriginal language in front of him, would he find that rude? He said YES!!! Like seriously imagine if the Aboriginals asked him to stop speaking English in front of them!!! You can’t because Aboriginals don’t have such subconscious racist mentality. With more tourists coming from Asia to Australia, these managers BADLY need cultural awareness training!! They ruined my stay in such a lovely country town. She reminded me of...

I travel weekly with work and have been doing so for 5 years. From City hotels to regional ma and pa motels and caravan parks. I'm up early and in consideration of others i try to leave without undue disturbance to neighbours. This is my second and hopefully last visit to Mansfield Holiday Park. On arrival I got huffed at when booking in as we hadn't informed them that I have a trailer, even though I d been there before trailer in tow without issue. With much huffing I was directed, yes directed to park my work van at the cabin and my trailer separately on a nearby specific vacant site between two caravans. Knowing how noisy the van and trailer can be I tried to suggest what I did previously and I was firmly told. "You've been told where to park." As I tried to explain its a noisy and a pain to unhitch the trailer each day and re hitch in the dark in the morning (5.30-6.30am) when i was again spoken over and cut off with "That's not my problem." 😮. I thought customer service was your problem was my parting thought.

Thankfully I was permitted to park the van and trailer coupled still on the vacant site between two caravans. (sorry neighbours but I've been TOLD) There was other convenient parking which didn't take up a spare van site or disturb neighbours, I was even prepared to park outside the gate, had I been given the opportunity to explain. Park and cabins are really good, but the owners really need to work on their customer service skills. I've never been spoken down to by someone at accommodation...