Sykes Cottages Reviews

Name: Sykes Cottages
Address: Sykes Holiday Cottages Lime Tree House Hoole Lane, Chester
Rating: 1.20

1.2 Rating 1,498 Reviews

4 %

of reviewers recommend Sykes Cottages

Company Reviews

Questions

Metrics

1.2

Based on 1,498 reviews

Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods	Own Driver
Customer Service
Communication Channels	Telephone, Email, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In	Over A Week
Customer Service	1.1 out of 5
Returns & Refunds
Refunds Process	Difficult
Returns Process	Could Be Better

Phone:

0124 435 2059

Location:

Sykes Holiday Cottages Lime Tree House Hoole Lane
Chester
CH2 3EG

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Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Sort by: Most Recent Most Recent Highest Rated Filter: None None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“Rented riverbank in Grasmere Lake District after new year. Place was disgusting, damp, full of condensation black around windows, lounge only had seating for 3 people not 4 and it was dirty and broken. I’m asthmatic so we had to vacate the next day it was making me ill. We rented a different place with Sykes but they sent housekeepers round to check our issues and they agreed with us. Sykes now refusing compensation saying it’s owners responsibility and I need a solicitor/third party to claim against owners insurance.”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 day ago

“Booked with Sykes, no customer care to speak of despite using their App, email and telephone calls. I reported the following to them, we paid £1300 for a week in the Lake District Christmas 2024. Very disappointed with our stay at Eribel Cottage, Threlkeld. Property is in need of deep clean, previous reviews mention this. Heating thermostats were not working correctly, so heating was hit and miss, also previous reviews report this. Television is not Smart, nor does Netflix play and again previous review on this. So why have these not been rectified? Reported to Sykes whilst there and been home 2.5 weeks and 3 calls to them. These issues have not been addressed. Finally offered £100 compensation, which I declined. I won't book again with Sykes. This property is not as advertised by them.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 days ago

“We booked a long weekend in Porlock. Unfortunately we had to come home early due to a power outage in the storm, which left without heating, lighting and anyway to cook. We had taken out the recommended insurance through Sykes. We phoned Sykes the very next day and explained what had happened. The insurance wasn't fit for purpose and refused to pay out. The policy was aimed more at foreign holidays not domestic stays. So we contacted Sykes by email to see what they could do, they told us we had left it too late... we explained we contacted them the very next day, it's been over a week and they still haven't responded. Very very disappointed in a company we have used a few times. Date of experience: 06 December 2024 booking reference: 78G44-24-SA”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 week ago

“Property booked for a 50th birthday celebration and cancelled with less than a weeks notice. They made very little effort to help us find an alternative and in the end we had to cancel. Unhelpful and poor attitude, will ever use again.”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 week ago

“I had to cancel a booking with Sykes Cottages due to an error on the property description which meant that the property was not suitable for our group, and it was extremely difficult to communicate with anyone at Sykes. When I was finally able to contact someone I was promised a full refund in "3-5 working days". After waiting, and waiting, and waiting... I finally got their attention by disputing the transaction with my credit card company. Two months passed before they sent a refund, and by that time the exchange rate had changed so much that the refund I received was significantly less that the original charge, so I ended up paying for their error. Do a bit of Googling to see other reviews, and think long and hard before you book anything through Sykes Cottages.”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 week ago

“Would give zero stars if it was available - Please please please do not book a Holiday with SYKES Cottages - Nothing more than modern day robin hoods. Took £354 from my account as deposit and refused to return even though the holiday was still eight months away - Nothing more than thieves TBH . Somebody is getting rich from ripping off hard working families - you have been warned”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 weeks ago

“Do not use this company. They double booked us, added additional charges and made up a new 'minimum night stay' rule, which cost the group an extra night. Then after check out, they falsified the damages and extra costs and made up a figure, based on no evidence. MONEY WAS TAKEN WITHOUT BEING ASKED OR HAD THE CHANCE TO DISPUTE. Terrible customer service.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 weeks ago

“If I could give 0 stars I would. Awful customer service and extremely unhelpful. What a shame they have the monopoly on what appears to be all holiday lets in the Lake District. I think it is case of they are so big they really don’t careless as long as they are getting your money. I will try to find a private let in future or will holiday elsewhere after many years of visiting since early 1990’s. Very disappointed”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 weeks ago

“Sykes Cottage's left us in a Cottage at the end of December on the North Pennine Moors with no central heating or hot water. They took 26hrs to respond to our situation- by which time we had tracked down the cottage’s owner and tried to resolve the situation. Unfortunately the heating/boiler could not be repaired and the owner was so sorry he promised a full refund. Sykes as the booking agent decided they had done ‘All they could to help us’ so are keeping their 1/3 of the total, they have also kept a one off payment we were forced to pay after booking- we still don’t know what this amount of £33 was for but unless we paid it we would’ve lost the holiday so had no choice. I can’t stress strongly enough to double check to see if you can book with someone else- better still try a direct booking. Sykes will take your money ONLY, as a ‘Booking Agent’ they have no use for you once you have paid, they are impossible to contact by phone unless you want to hold for an hour or so on their advertised numbers. Their customer service team is aggressive and uncaring. Beyond doubt they are the most awful company we’ve ever had the misfortune of dealing with- BEWARE and book elsewhere.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 weeks ago

“Their customer services are shocking. Once you have booked a holiday and you have an issue, forget it. They will send you round and round on the website which will keep pushing you to contact via whatsapp. No-one responds on WhatsApp or when they eventually do after several days and weeks of trying to get.hold of them, they shut the chat down before you've finished. They don't respond to emails. They won't actually speak to you unless you want to make a new booking. The property i have booked is not as described as a customer review after my booking explains that it isn't. Sykes will do nothing to rectify the issue that the garden is not enclosed and there is a rat problem at the property.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 weeks ago

“This platform appeared trustworthy, but after I made my investment, I was unable to access my funds, and all communication with their support team was cut off. I was devastated, thinking my savings were lost forever. Fortunately, I came across: 𝘌𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭: 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘵7 @ 𝘨𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭 .𝘤𝘰𝘮 WhatsApp: +44 73-88-69-79-58. Their team was professional, didn’t require any upfront payments, and guided me through the entire recovery process. To my relief, they recovered my entire £277,400. I’m beyond grateful for their help and would recommend their services to anyone who has fallen victim to scams.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 weeks ago

“Shocking!! I reserved back on the first of October to stay in Lincoln for Xmas arriving the 22 nd of December for 5 nights a party of five of us, I received all the confirmations and then today the 20th of December received an email to say they had to cancel my reservation a they had a double booking!! no help and just when i eventualy got through on the phone they could only say sorry and they will reimburse me. Shame on them ruining our Xmas holidays.”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 month ago

“Absolutely appalling. I booked for Christmas, received confirmation along with key collection and arrival details, only for them to cancel without any notice. They made no attempt to contact me or resolve the issue. Completely unreliable – avoid at all costs.”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 month ago

“Shocking service from this company be you customer or owner! All they are interested in is your MONEY!! Nothing else matters. Dont answer emails, give confusing information very disorganised. My advice is to give them a very wide bearth!!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 month ago

“Booked The Oaks close to St Clears in Carmarthen for 5 of us. The bungalow is beautiful. Although it is just off the A40 you cannot hear the traffic. Great pub on site and tasty food. Large lounge, kitchen, 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Will definitely return.”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 month ago

“Firstly trying to contact this company is very difficult you can use the contact facility ONLY if you’re making a new booking otherwise you have to rely on what’s app and wait for a response . They give no contact no although I’ve just found one online which I will now use. We encountered a difficult personal situation and all we wanted was a seven day extension to pay the second part of the deposit BUT we were just quoted the booking terns told we’d lose the booking if we didn’t pay!! I’m not prepared to lose the holiday so I told them we’d sit in the cold and cut back Xmas to do this to which they replied thank you for confirming that you will pay on time !!! What a heartless and callous company just concerned with money and no compassion at all !! Absolutely disgraceful attitude and I’d never ever recommend using them to anyone so beware this company DO NOT CARE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS! At all !!”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 month ago

“Please avoid. We booked a cottage earlier in the year and to be fair that went well. So we booked another one for our annual beginning of December break for a birthday . Couple of months in had a message to say the owners needed to do maintenance so wanted to cancel well actually they did cancel without even ringing us. Then we had a phone call to say it had been a mixup they weren’t cancelling for maintenance they wonder whether we wanted the cottage next door as an upgrade because someone else cancelled. I told them I was happy with the cottage I had. A week before we were due, I had another message to say the holiday has been cancelled due to maintenance. I rang them to which they replied. Oh it’s alright will give you £50 compensation. I think we all know if I’d have cancelled I would’ve had to pay about £180 fee, the £50 was towards another cottage. They won’t just give it me in cash. I think maybe the owner had someone else who wanted to have the cottage well just say that then instead of lying. Got a full refund and will definitely not be going with them again”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 month ago

“Review Title: Poor Customer Service and Unfair Charges I am extremely disappointed with how Sykes Cottages has treated me as a customer. I followed their guidance to request a simple date change for my booking, using their online system as instructed. Despite doing everything correctly and providing plenty of notice, my request was ignored. Instead of actioning the change, they charged me an outrageous £526 cancellation fee without any proper explanation or attempt to resolve the issue. What’s worse is the lack of communication and accountability. I tried reaching out multiple times to address the issue, but the responses were either unhelpful or nonexistent. This has caused me significant stress and disrupted my plans entirely. It’s unacceptable to penalize customers for mistakes or delays that are entirely the fault of their system or staff. If you value transparency, responsiveness, or fair treatment, I strongly advise against using Sykes Cottages.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“We booked Cart Barn through Sykes Cottages, looking forward to a relaxing stay. Unfortunately, our experience was far from what we had hoped for due to a serious issue with wasps. Within 30 minutes of arriving, we discovered numerous wasps inside the cottage. We managed to let most of them out and immediately contacted the owners. They were on holiday and informed us that wasps might be "normal" for this time of year but promised to visit the next day to investigate. We stayed the night, but by morning, the situation worsened. There were even more wasps inside, and it was clear the cottage was not a safe or comfortable place to stay. At that point, we decided to leave. We contacted Sykes Cottages for a refund, and while they liaised with the owners, we were only offered a 5% refund and a future off-peak stay. Unfortunately, after this experience, we have no intention of returning. This was a deeply disappointing stay, and we feel the response from both the owners and Sykes Cottages was inadequate given the circumstances. We would not recommend this property to anyone unless the wasp issue is thoroughly addressed.”

Sykes Cottages 1 star review on 17th November 2024

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“At the end of our stay at a cottage near Bath, we discovered while stripping the beds something resembling excrement between the duvet and duvet cover. We complained to Sykes. They did not respond but when we persisted they denied any responsibility and the owner of the cottage refused to do anything. Since we booked the cottage from Sykes, they should take responsibility for any problems but they claim that the contract is with the cottage owner. Basically if you have a problem, Sykes will do nothing - so my advice is, don't hire from them as they have very poor customer service.”

Sykes Cottages 1 star review on 8th November 2024

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

Sykes Cottages is rated 1.2 based on 1,498 reviews