Family booted from Dorset holiday park after friend-paid trip sparks row
A Lancashire family says they were treated as criminals when Sandford Holiday Park staff challenged a booking paid for by a friend; the park later apologised and issued a refund plus compensation.
A Lancashire family was asked to leave Sandford Holiday Park in Poole, Dorset, minutes after checking in on July 21 after their friend paid for the stay, an incident they describe as humiliating and heartbreakingly disruptive.
Claire Williams, 38, and her husband Mark Williams, 39, had travelled seven hours to the seaside site to use a weeklong break in place of a friend who could not make it. The couple had contacted the resort to change the name on the booking and paid a £40 amendment fee to transfer the stay into Claire Williams’ name. The original booking was for a seven-night stay worth about £809. After checking in, they say a resort manager confronted them over the arrangement, telling them that having the friend book and pay for the holiday was fraudulent and amounted to money laundering. The family says the manager refused to accept proof from their emails or a phone call from their friend and gave them just one hour to leave the site.
The couple recounts that, once at reception, staff claimed the family had not paid for the holiday, despite the £40 amendment fee already having been processed and confirmed. They were told to step away and that they would need to depart the premises within an hour. The moment was described as panic-inducing in a public area, with Claire saying she had a panic attack as passersby looked on. The family says they had no option but to drive back home after the sudden eviction, a journey they say was emotionally exhausting for the children and the parents alike.
Following the incident, the Williams family submitted formal complaints to Parkdean Resorts, the parent company of Sandford Holiday Park. They say that after contacting the company’s chief executive, the manager involved issued an apology and offered a full refund of the holiday, including the booking amendment fee, plus £200 to offset travel costs and other expenses. Claire Williams says the compensation could not, in her view, undo the damage of being told she and her family were fraudulent and forced to leave mid-trip. She adds that even the offered travel compensation fell short of covering the fuel and food costs incurred during the trip.
In a statement, a Sandford Holiday Park spokesman acknowledged the incident and apologised for the experience. The spokesperson said the park prides itself on high customer-service standards and that Ms. Williams’s experience did not reflect those standards. The resort said it had reimbursed the full cost of the holiday, including the amendment fee, and provided compensation toward travel costs, and that the matter was considered closed.
The case has drawn attention to the potential friction points in name changes on bookings and how staff respond when a third party pays for a stay. Claire Williams says she and her family are not seeking to demonise the park as a whole, but they want others to be aware of the risk they faced when a friend’s payment was questioned during check-in. She notes that she would warn others away from the park and that she has no intention of returning.
Experts say such incidents highlight the importance of clear communication and documented proof in hospitality bookings, especially when transfers or amendments are handled at the last minute or across different parties. While the majority of holiday operators strive to avoid such misunderstandings, the public nature of the confrontation and the emotional toll on a family with children underscores why many providers review their on-site protocols for handling name-change requests and payment questions in the future.
The Williams family’s experience is now a talking point about how tourism businesses handle disputes at check-in and how quickly a frustrating situation can escalate when policies are misapplied or misinterpreted. Parkdean Resorts officials emphasise their commitment to customer service and note that refunds and compensation were issued to address the issue; they say the matter has been resolved, though the family continues to advocate for greater clarity to prevent a repeat of the incident for other guests.