Dream Lakes follow up email

[daveabbott]

After reading trickys post about dream lakes

And also seeing it on several other forums

I decided to contact them personally as i was unsure that what i was reading was correct.

I got the reply that i expected

I would truely say Dreamlakes do seem like a top venue to go in france and i have heard alot of good feedback, the email has been edited but all the main points are issued and corrected.

If some one is a member on the other forums please issue them of my reply

Trickys original post is in orange

And the reply to myself from dreamlakes is in blue below

Just found this post on another forum what do you make of this After returning from a weeks fishing at Dreamlakes in France,
I have copied below a letter of complaint that i have sent to their head office of all the weeks events.

After what we have experianced please do not go!!!!



'Dear Sirs,

Having just returned from a weeks fishing on Dreamlakes 2 I feel it appropriate to contact you to outline quite a few problems / inappropriate situations we found ourselves in through poor and unprofessional on site management.

We arrived at the complex at 6.30am on Saturday morning whereupon the peg draw etc… took place. We were then informed to report to the lodge at 10am for breakfast. We were expecting to be taken through the Health and Safety procedures but unfortunately this never materialised. I asked a member of staff what the emergency procedures were and he said he did not know!!

On Saturday evening a member of our party fell ill and my father went to contact a member of staff for help. The staff member that my father managed to get hold of was called Matt. Matt organised for a taxi and accompanied my father and uncle to the hospital. After being seen by the doctors, my uncle was given the all clear to return to the lake but was told that if he fell ill again to report back to the hospital immediately. Once my father and uncle returned, they were saying that they were happy with Matt’s quick and positive attitude and fast actions. How wrong could we be!

Unfortunately on the Sunday evening my uncle once again fell quite ill and we had no other option but to go and get help and get him quickly back to the hospital. Once again my father went in search of a member of staff for help. To our relief Matt appeared to be on duty again and stated he would make a few phone calls and come and inform us what the plan of action was. After 30mins had past and my uncle getting worse by the minute, my father went to find Matt to see what was happening. Matt said he was still making phone calls and would come back to us. After approx 2.5hrs Matt came back and said the hospital was closed and that we were miles away from anywhere. Matt said that if my uncle got worse during the night there wasn’t much you could do!! My father went back to see Matt and see if there was anything we could do. After considerable time, a taxi was organised to pick us up and take us to a medical centre. This time around Matt decided not to attend and my father and uncle were sent to a French speaking hospital on their own! Luckily they found an English speaking doctor and everything ended up being ok. But it could have been so much worse and we can not believe that a representative of Dreamlakes did not attend.

Monday came and went and finally we started to enjoy our holiday. We were catching fish and everybody was happy. Not for long though!

On Tuesday evening approximately 7pm music could be heard coming from the bailiffs accommodation. As I was fishing peg 1 (the nearest peg) I could hear the music quite clear but it was just about at an acceptable level. As the night wore on, the music was turned up to an intolerable level and with the combined shouting / antics of what appeared to be all members of staff we felt we had no other choice but to go over and ask if the music could be turned down as now the time was 11.30pm!! We did not ask for the music to be turned off (of which we would have been entitled to!) only for it to be turned down as I could not sleep and had no chance of catching any fish!! When we went over we were confronted by aggressive members of staff who could not believe we were trying to spoil their fun! Matt said it was his birthday and that they were all celebrating. Another member of staff by the name of Neil stated that they work 24/7 and that they are entitled to have fun on their nights off. I’ve not come all this way for them to behave like this. It was quite clear that all members of staff were drinking and therefore the question I would like to ask you is: ‘who was in charge in a sober state incase of an emergency?’ It appeared nobody was!! We have not paid nearly £2000 between us for an outside music festival. Other members of their party started insulting us further by asking questions such as: ‘what time do you go to bed?’ and ‘what music do you like?’ ‘we can put on what you like’. This sort of rude and abusive behaviour is totally unacceptable.

The music was turned down eventually and we made our way back to our bivvies. As we were walking back, an irritated and extremely aggressive Matt shouted that we would be kicked off the site the following morning and that he would be taking us to the station. We were in utter shock and disbelief! We were threatened to be kicked off the site for asking for the music to be turned down to an acceptable level whilst on our holiday! Even now whilst writing this, I still can not believe what happened. Disgraceful is the only work I can use to describe this.

The following morning we went for breakfast as usual. Anglers from lakes 3,4&5 also heard the loud music and even asked us if we had a party!!! Matt was not working this morning. We asked Neil where he was and he replied ‘I don’t know, maybe in bed’. After breakfast we went round to the sleeping accommodation to discuss with Matt what was happening. Unfortunately after several knocks on his door we received no answer and could only assume he was sleeping off the previous nights events. We did not see Matt again until Friday of which would be another memorable holiday moment!

During the course of the week, a large carp had been caught from the large stock lake and had been sacked by the bailiffs for photos in the morning. Due to it being sacked, the fish was extremely lively and the bailiff struggled to hold the fish still for the photo. For some unbeknown reason he decided to stand up full height with the fish. The fish struggled once again and in horror was dropped head first onto the gravel. In a blind panic the 2 bailiffs quickly ushered the distressed fish back into the water. We were not sure if it was even still alive at this point! We were told not to sack any fish. So why were the bailiffs able to??

Whilst on the matter of the bailiffs fishing the stock lake, they were also fishing Lake 2 at the same time. Apart from Neil, the other bailiff was always away from his rods and could often been seen running to his rods from anywhere on the site when he had a bite. Once again we find this behaviour inappropriate for fish of such huge sizes.

On a Health and Safety matter, the bailiffs regularly used a rowing boat to deposit their rigs at range when fishing the stock lake. When both bailiffs were in the boat together, only one bailiff ever wore a life jacket. There were plenty of young anglers around this week and this is definitely NOT an example the bailiffs should be setting! They are risking their lives for no reason!

On Thursday we found a very large catfish (approx 80lbs) showing signs of distress in our margin. We made several attempts to help it but without any success. We informed the bailiffs who then came and removed it. It was dragged up the bank to the patch of grass near the lodge whereupon it was hit several times over the head with an inappropriate instrument in full view of people sat at the lodge. As it was still alive after this brutality it was then hooked through its tail and lifted into a large black rubbish bin. It was then driven off somewhere.

Please could you confirm which legal organisation I can make an official complaint about fish cruelty?

At the start of the week the bailiffs asked us that if we caught any small catfish that we keep them out of the water where they could then be disposed of. We were not happy with this.

The following morning whilst having breakfast we were informed by anglers fishing Lake 1 that one angler in particular had caught 13 catfish and each one had been thrown behind his swim where they were killed and set on fire. We were also informed that these so called anglers started experimenting with different ways to kill them. The most chilling and horrific was by pouring petrol down their throats whilst still alive and then were set on fire. A child who was fishing this water was meant to have witnessed this act of evil! Unfortunately we never saw this but if we had we would have tried to stop it. This cruel person was a friend of the bailiffs and by all accounts confirmed the bailiffs knew what he was doing. Either way, this is disgusting behaviour from a supposedly premier carp fishery!

After chatting to other anglers experiencing similar troubles as us, I got chatting to a father and son who said that unfortunately they missed the coach and ferry crossing and therefore had to make their own way to the complex. They arrived on Saturday morning 15mins after breakfast had finished. Due to the fact they were hungry, the father asked the chef if he could quickly make them something. The chef said he would cook them something as he understood that it must have been a long journey. Matt overheard their conversation and ordered the chef NOT to make any food as they were late!!!! Once AGAIN we could not believe what we were listening too. Having witnessed all the above mentioned events over the course of the week, it is clearly evident that you do not have one professional person running the fishing complex and this is indeed the Dreamlakes way.

If you believe all the above is perfectly acceptable then you are clearly not fit to run such an establishment. As you can tell, we have not enjoyed our first fishing trip abroad and feel it is only right to spread the word on what is a shambles of a fishing holiday

Hi Dave,

Thank you for letting me know. However, I have been made aware of this particular diatribe from Mr Kay.

There are least 2 sides to everything, regrettably there are many others who clearly choose to accept these comments at face value, while a minority are even small minded enough to help form the 'baying mob' that will demand execution before trial.

The truth about Mr Kay, is that he and his 2 colleagues were unhappy with their holiday. I will not reiterate his letter, which is self explanatory but the main point was relating to the welfare of his colleague Mr Grace. Quite simply, Mr Grace felt unwell so Matt (our Fishery Manager) took him to hospital. He stayed with him through the night and brought him back in the early hours of the following morning. The next day, Mr Grace felt unwell again but Matt was not able to take him to hospital - after all, he does have a business and 50 other anglers to look after. Anyway, he arranged a taxi for Mr Grace so that he could attend hospital. Now, I have travelled extensively, and I do not know anywhere, where the manager of a hotel or leisure complex will personally escort you to the hospital for medical treatment in this way. I believe that Matt not only acted in the best interests of Mr Grace, but provided an exemplary service.

Naturally, we provide everyone on our Inclusive Package with a fully comprehensive travel insurance policy that includes a 24/7 365 day a year Global Emergency Response Service. This service is multi-lingual and would happily arrange transport and care for those requiring it - naturally they would also foot the bill. Alternatively, of course, they could have dialled 112 from any mobile or 15 from any French landline to summon the emergency services..... we would have been happy to do this on behalf of Mr Grace, but they chose not to. Having now been upset by their 'appalling treatment', they seemed to 'have it in' for Matt and anyone who liked him (just about everyone else on the complex). Little wonder that they complained and became aggressive when the other anglers threw Matt a birthday party during the week. As a result, we received several complaints about Mr Kay and his colleagues from other anglers, who were now getting fed up of their whinging, moaning and their selfish angling tactics. All we ask is that anglers respect each other and are considerate and responsible when fishing our lakes. Although it is not true that we were prepared to evict them from our complex, it is fair to say that we would not welcome their return.

Strangely, at the same time that I received Mr Kay's letter, I also received a catch report from a very happy angler. He was on the same lake and at the same time as Mr Kay and his colleagues - he said "Superb holiday from the minute we got on the coach. Matt and the boys were excellent again. Food.... what can you say - Superb! 10/10". Were they really having the same holiday? (Mr Robertson's report is on the Anglers Pic's section of our web site). Additionally, there were at least 2 moderators from another forum present at the same time as Mr Kay. If you read their comments on their forum, they clearly enjoyed their trip and our hospitality.

The other issues that Mr Kay has raised are only in an effort to bulk out his main grievance of course. However, it is true to say that we have been selectively reducing the cat population in some of our lakes. This is not cruelty, but sound lake management. Sadly, however, we admit that it is not possible to personally supervise every angler and indeed there may be those who derive pleasure from torturing these poor creatures.... this, it seems is also down to human nature. The other claims by Mr Kay that fish were mistreated by the staff (or other anglers, to the best of our knowledge) are unfounded.

Finally I would suggest that the real reason for Mr Kay's complaint was simply to achieve a discount off of the price of their next trip. This is not supposition on my part, but was the key element of his letter. I understand that he has omitted this part of his letter from the forum, but it is something that he clearly admits in his text later on (as an addendum to one of my responses to his letter).

I simply ask these questions:
Is it really fair to expect a Fishery Manager to be on hand to taxi you to hospital every time that you feel unwell?
If you felt that your health or welfare was in danger, would you not summon the emergency services, or at least contact your travel insurance helpline?
If you had such a poor holiday and hated the complex, staff and service that much, would you really request a discount off your next trip?
Why would you post such comments on a forum, if it were not merely to try and force the provider into submission to get what you wanted - i.e.. a discount?
If you were truly upset and had a genuine grievance would you not simply use our judicial process in order to reclaim your money?

Regardless, we aim to provide a quality, family fishing holiday venue (if in doubt, just look at the photos of anglers on our web site... do they look like 18-30 chavs?). Sadly, we admit that we are not perfect and are unable to get everything right all the time. However, should we fail in any way, then we are committed and happy do all in our power to put things right - after all, the Customer is King.... and 1500 anglers a year can't all be wrong.

Best Regards,

Graham

Graham Green
Commercial Manager

[coops38]

well done dave i think you did right thing emailing dream lakes as other anglers mite be put off buy the article so a big well done . if you are thinking off going to france make sure you get as much information for the place you are going as possible and resource your info from over places than the forum

[daveabbott]

The feedback on the site reflects that its a good water

And like Graham says 1500 anglers per year is a lot so they must be doing something right.

It just looks like the other chap is trying to pull a quick one to me

I wouldnt expect no Bayliff to come to hospital with me, or Heath and safety instructions it is a fishing lake not a bloody building site!

[stes]

when i first read the letter u can tell straight away what type of guy he is who the hell wants to go though health n safty when they fish a lake. would he expect to go though the health n safty at day tickets in the uk it just the same.

[chukie]

All in All the bloke and his family are just after a freebie would anyone want to go back some where if it was that bad but this is how the country is going you only have to go up your local town to see all the vultures ( no win no fee ) like as been said how can 1500 anglers be wrong

[mancity]

I just hope the Catfish things are false

[Carper90]

dave, i went dreamlakes this year, and booked on twice next year, it is an awesome company and run very well, all the lakes are spot on and the food is great as well, the best £550 i spent this year. i cant rate the place highly enough