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

“I booked a 2 week holiday for August 2022. I have stayed at Compton House with my family before and we loved it so we wanted to go back with our children and grandchildren for a special family celebration next year. Everyone was really excited about what was going to be a special event for our family. We were shocked to receive a telephone call this week to say the owners have changed their minds and will now renege on our booking. In the meanwhile prices have gone up and we will not be able to find equivalent accommodation within our budget. This is disgraceful behaviour and I think that the owners of the property and Sykes Cottages have broken their contract with us. Had the owners decided that they no longer wish to rent out their property that is their prerogative but, at the very least, they should honour existing contracts.”

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Posted 3 years ago

“I booked a house, Jacks Hill in Ventnor, in January. To go 27 August for a week. I paid the deposit and in June the balance. I received confirmation email with key code and welcome pack. Yesterday 7th July I was told it was all cancelled. I received various excuses, I was offered money back. I had hired car, paid for ferry arranged to be near friends. Booked sailing for my kids. I can’t find anything else suitable. They have literally ruined my and my family’s summer. I had to hang on for 45 mins to speak to someone who sounded like they were reading from a script. What’s the point in booking if they can cancel on a whim. I am speechless!”

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Posted 3 years ago

“Property 114 By the Sea , Pakefield, Suffolk. On our first night as we sat in the kitchen a mouse scurried across the floor and promptly disappeared behind a fridge/freezer. I contacted the owner the same night. There was no response until the Sunday. (I contacted owner on the Friday.) A mouse friendly trap was left on the doorstep on the Monday. This had no effect. Contacted owner again. They sent plug-in deterrents, which arrived on the Tuesday. On reading instructions it stated that mice activity would increase initially. We had a 5 month old baby with us. We did not use plug ins as the last thing we wanted was to be overrun with vermin. On Wednesday it was suggested that we could leave early. We were due to leave on Friday morning. We stayed because our party had not only travelled a couple of hundred miles to the destination, but the cattery had been booked and paid for and the equipment that had been packed for a young baby was substantial. It was supposed to have been a relaxing break for the new mum. As you can imagine she was very stressed by the presence of mice in the property. Thank god the baby wasn’t crawling. Below is a photo of the result of mice activity at the property during our stay. Mouse scratching was heard from inside the cupboard on a nightly basis and an actual mouse seen on three separate occasions. The owner claimed they had never had mice in the property before. I refute that as there was an established route and a locked cupboard in which the mice congregated.”

Sykes Cottages 1 star review on 9th July 2021

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Posted 3 years ago

“Last year we rented four cottages with no problems and all were very clean, due to Covid. Last week we stayed in All Saints View , Cockermouth and this was the opposite, parts of it looked like they had not been touched for weeks, dust cobwebs and dirt everywhere on the ground floor, although the upper floor was acceptable. We reported this to Sykes and they said they would get the cleaners back. We declined as we were half way through or stay and didn't want the disruption. On returning home I completed their feedback form detailing the unacceptable cleanliness, heard nothing and received no apology or comment. After chasing them up I received an email thanking me for my feedback, still no apologies. I will not be booking with them again.”

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Posted 3 years ago

“Also known as 'Hogan's Cottages'. Booked and paid for holiday to the Republic of Ireland. Due to Covid restrictions, and as I live in England, I can not go. Current restrictions state I would need to isolate in Ireland for 10 days, and they 'may' review this on 19th July for all fully-vaccinated people. Problem 1: I travel on 18th July. Problem 2: I was a volunteer for Novavax vaccine research late last year, and am fully-vaccinated with a highly effective vaccine. However, as this vaccine is not yet officially approved, I do not have proof that anyone outside of England will accept. Therefore, on both counts I can not travel to the Republic of Ireland. And Sykes are refusing to refund me, so I am able to book something else in the UK - even though I am less than 12 days away from my departure, and current restrictions state that people from the UK can not travel to the Republic of Ireland without isolating for 10 days in a very expensive hotel! Absolutely shocking treatment! Do not book with this company - they take your money, and then deliver zero customer service and zero empathy for one of the many UK volunteers making it possible for everyone else to have their vaccinations...”

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Posted 3 years ago

“So glad we left Sykes after finishing with them they with held over a £1000 And we have so many compliant from people who have not had their deposits back and been messed about glad we have finished with them”

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Posted 3 years ago

“I wish I read these reviews before I booked through Sykes! We have just come back from Daisy Cottage in Somerset. At first glance the cottage looked clean and tidy. We noticed a couple of issues but thought it might be an oversite by the cleaner, however on closer inspection. It was very apparent the place (especially the kitchen!) was in need of a deep clean. There were too many cleanliness issues to list, but some were: Kitchen drawers and cupboards dirty, inside and out some utensils caked in grease. Roasting tins need replacing Sockets thick with dirt. Cooker hood and spot lights very dirty Microwave not clean, inside or out Fridge needed cleaning properly Questionable stains on skirting and floor near toilet Thick dust in places and several cobwebs The list goes on.. We probably would have raised these issues after the holiday but because of Covid and the health and potential risks at the moment we raised it with Skyes. They told requesyed we send them pictures and they would contact the owner to arrange a deep clean! We thought nothing of it and hoped it was sorted, a cleaner would be arranged and recifty the issues and we could get on with our holiday. Instead, A few hours later the owners relative turned up at the cottage unannounced! We showed her some of the issues. You could tell from the onset she was quite dismissive, not interested and very rude towards us! She left abruptly, we felt very uncomfortable and upset after this. We called Sykes and explained what happened and told them we we wanted to leave, my husband has disabilities and a heart condition and we didn't need this stress we requested a refund! Unfortunately, when they went back to the owner although initially pleasant on arrival on the phone, would not refund or acknowledge the issues with cleanliness. Skyes said there is nothing they could do despite seeing the pictures and agreeing the place was not as clean as it should be. Not to lose the money we stayed in the end despite feeling very uncomfortable there and left a day early. We are extremely frustrated that Sykes were not interested in the state of the cottage and the fact we were (as paying guests!) treated very disrespectfully by the owners relative! We also had to call customer service back twice because they didn't call back (as promised!) bearing in mind it was a minimum 30 minute wait each time for anyone to answer the call!”

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Posted 3 years ago

“We have just had a week at Jacks nest Poadmarch Farm Ash Mill, South Molton Devon. This two person accommodation on one level is fantastic. Elaine Cole was very pleasant and greeted us on arrival with cream tea. The farm is very peaceful and the surrounding areas an absolute delight. If you want a peaceful holiday with stunning views and a private garden in a beautiful cottage this is the place to go.”

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Posted 3 years ago

“After booking a few times with them previously - cottages were fine. Last year had a terrible experience with them - customer service is appalling or non-existent. Cottage in north Wales, lovely location but in a poor state of repair and dirty. There was a storm and the mains electricity failed. That's not the problem but the fact that there were no torches or some other form of emergency lighting was very poor. We made complaints immediately and asked for the cottage to be cleaned. Someone was sent during the period of our stay but we monitored and barely any cleaning was undertaken. We complained formally on our return and despite numerous emails and even a had copy letter containing photographic evidence of the poor state of the property (rotten window frames, etc.) sent to the CEO, no action from them. I say AVOID them at all costs. They are a bunch of crooks and liars. Once they have your money, they are not interested and don't take any responsibility by blaming the property owner. This is rubbish as a customer as the contract is with them. I could not face the stress of taking them to court so I cut my losses.”

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Posted 3 years ago

“We picked a cottage in Cornwall called the brambles . Looked very nice. When inside noticed all the windows where blown . Owner said condensation. Washing machine, microwave. Fridge freezer, filthy. Shower didn't work , bed very uncomfortable, and down the sides of the sofa full of crumbs and nasty bits . Sky cottages told us to send photos, we did and said they would get in contact with owner . The owner didn't for a week . When he did answer told sky cottages a Fridge had been replaced and the windows where OK. And sky cottages said the photos where bad . But next call off them said it was basically our fault for not reporting earlier.”

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Posted 3 years ago

“This company would allow their customers to suffer serious bodily harm and even die before offering alternative accommodation. I am staying in a holiday lodge and have 28 days booked. Property is pleasant enough and adequate for our needs but after a 5 day stay the CO2 alarm (as stated in the property details) started to go off continuously at 8.30am in the morning. I contacted Sykes at 9.30 who suggested the battery needed replacing. There were no spare batteries on the premises so they arranged for a maintenance person to come and replace the battery. We went out for the day but received phone calls to tell us the alarm battery had been replaced. When we returned we could hear the alarm from outside as we parked our car. The battery had been replaced and I was assured the alarm was working correctly so this indicated a real CO2 emission problem. I phoned Sykes again. They suggested the maintenance person hadn't correctly tested the battery and it was just resetting. I had a shower which meant the gas boiler was working and the alarm went off again. I phoned Sykes and told them the property was not safe. They told me they couldn't authorize alternative accommodation until they received permission from the owner who they were having difficulty contacting. They promised to phone me back as soon as they had managed to contact the owner. The phone calls went on throughout the afternoon until I was promised at 7pm that a manager would phone me back and make 'an immediate decision'. It is now 8.15pm. I have had no call back from Sykes and every hotel in the area is fully booked. We will be sleeping in our car rather than risk death in the holiday home we have paid £3,200+ for a 28 day duration. I am disgusted that Sykes have so little care for customers that they have no emergency process in place. I will certainly never use this disgusting company again.”

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Posted 3 years ago

“had a booking 1 may 2020 move it to 7 may 2021 because of covid 19 I cancelled 2 weeks before holiday date we didn't feel safe to go the holiday let was fully rebooked so minimal loss to holiday let or agent but no sniff of a refund as a good will gesture”

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Posted 3 years ago

“Where to start.....suffice to say it was a little like dealing with a sharky estate agent. Issues with our booking were blamed on the property owner, well we got hold of the property owner (who was lovely) and who gave us a completely different story, Sykes were called out by us and the property owner and then immediately caved having been caught red-handed. Now owned by a PE firm so expect them to be putting profits over the customer every single time. If you're curious you can have a look at Sykes on companies house as they have open accounts, this will give you a view on revenue, profits and how much the directors earn if you have any lingering thoughts about them being a hard up mom and pop shop.”

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Posted 3 years ago

“Stay away... will take your holiday booking and their fee but that is the end of their customer service. My family and I where unable to travel to the holiday cottage booked via Sykes for June this year due to a positive covid test . Informed Sykes immediately (4 days before travel date) but they did not inform the cottage owner until the day before we where supposed to travel . Have been refused a full refund or a change of dates by both Sykes and the property owner but they wanted a review off me.”

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Posted 3 years ago

“All these negative reviews don’t fit with our experience of eighteen different Sykes Cottages in four years. (eg, how can Sykes be criticised for a poor phone signal?). We had a prompt covid refund from Feb 21. I find the App so quick and easy to personalise. We really study a cottages details and reviews, and have generally found them accurate. Also we find it and the surroundings on Google Earth and Street View where possible. Haven’t had any problems with cleanliness … though we always tap ‘no pets’ in the options.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“All these negative reviews don’t fit with our experience of eighteen different Sykes Cottages in four years. (eg, how can Sykes be criticised for a poor phone signal?). We had a prompt covid refund from Feb 21. I find the App so quick and easy to personalise. We really study a cottages details and reviews, and have generally found them accurate. Also we find it and the surroundings on Google Earth and Street View where possible. Haven’t had any problems with cleanliness … though we always tap ‘no pets’ in the options.”

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Posted 3 years ago

“Never had a problem”

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Posted 3 years ago

“We booked a week at Ivy Cottage in Beguildy Mid Wales. We only stayed 2 nights. The property was filthy and in need of some serious maintenance and cleaning. The pictures on Sykes website were clearly taken a few years ago, and no further work had been taken to maintain the standard required. When we complained about the damp and general disrepair of the property, the owner admitted that the property needed some maintenance. When we complained to Sykes they basically dismissed us. I was completely shocked as we have been loyal customers for over 15 years, booking 2 or 3 Holidays per year. Needless to say we will never book with Sykes cottages again. Phone calls and emails unanswered, calls back promised failed to materialise. Totally disgusted with the awful customer service. Please avoid Sykes cottages at all costs.”

Sykes Cottages 1 star review on 15th June 2021

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Posted 3 years ago

“. Despite indicating on their website that they would treat customers reasonably in respect of any booking affected by COVID Sykes failed to show any reasonable treatment or contemplation to my situation which was a booking for accomadation in Ireland which based on both UK and Eire government/HSE advice my family and I were unable to proceed with. 2. I requested that date balance of payment was due be put back so that appropriate assessment of safety, my family's welfare, adherence to both Government's advice and Covid situation could be better assessed. My request here was denied by Sykes despite Sykes having ample capacity to support this request with no negative effect on their business. 3. In view of above refusal my subsequent request that the deposit I paid in good faith (and based on Sykes web site assurances re COVID) was refused for no apparent reasonable reason other than this being justified via booking terms. 4. When I advised I could not proceed with booking due to health and safety concerns Sykes advised I would loose my deposit AND attempted to charge me another £165 for charges due despite the due date for balance being, as per booking paperwork, at least 3 working days away. 5. The only option Sykes were willing to offer me was for me to pay the balance (over £600) but without any assurances as to any refund if we were unable to travel due to COVID. This was I felt unreasonable and an attempt to extort monies from me and seek to take advantage from my family and taking advantage of an international pandemic. 6. Sykes appear to have misslead me to believe that if my booking were to be affected by COVID then a full refund would be given - my request here was refused so I believe I have been misled and/or that the advertising on Sykes website was false and/or misleading. 7. I believe Sykes have sought to gain financially and/or extort monies from me and/or victimise my family and I during a pandemic because we sought to adhere to the mandatory safety advice from the UK and Eire. 8. I believe Sykes are in breach of the terms, spirit and or reasonable belief/expectations of the contract I entered into in good faith by retaining my deposit despite my inability to proceed with the booking being wholly outwith my control and the circumstances being wholly foreseeable. 9. I believe other customers in broadly similar circumstances may have been given refunds. If this is the case as an Irish national seeking to visit my home I may have been treated differently here - if yes why? 10. Sykes both refused my initial requests regarding a refund request AND/OR that the balance due date be delayed on the same call AND stated this was their final decision on same call without any due consideration, additional time and/or any other persons being consulted or any additional time or additional consideration being given. Such actions do not appear to be consistent with a business who truly gives customer concerns reasonable and object considerations and is both contradictory to web site assurances and the government guidance that organisations should not unfairly penalise or detrimtalky treat anyone related to or because of COVID. 11. How many other 'customers' have been negatively, unreasobly and/or disproportionately treated as my family and I have been resulting in monetary gain towards or extortion by Sykes? 12. I believe there to be a wider public interest here which the general public need to be made aware about”

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Posted 3 years ago

“Up to now I have no qualms with sykes. My husband and I stayed in a chalet in Bridlington. The three piece looked ok until you say on it couldn't get up as it was that low. Living area had far to much furniture in it. Sliding door entrance is far to high it needs a proper step.”

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Posted 3 years ago

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

Sykes Cottages Reviews