Sykes Cottages Reviews

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

1.2 Rating 1,481 Reviews

4 %

of reviewers recommend Sykes Cottages

Company Reviews

Questions

Metrics

1.2

Based on 1,481 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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Sykes Cottages 1 star review on 8th November 2024

Anonymous

Sykes Cottages 1 star review on 2nd November 2024

Anonymous

Sykes Cottages 1 star review on 18th September 2024

Julie

Sykes Cottages 1 star review on 22nd June 2024

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216

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

“Wouldn't actually give any star!! I've lost £300 deposit. Supposed to be in Wales this Friday 12th June. Obviously we cant go. When the time came a few weeks ago to pay full amount felt I had no choice but to cancel. Didn't want to have to fight to get £1000 back off them weeks later. With a good possibility of not getting any back at all. Customer services useless, when you can get through to them! On average waited on line 30 mins. I'm a keyworker, so is my son we were really looking forward, as a family, to this week away especially as we've been so busy at work. I feel Sykes have treated not only myself but hundreds of other people dreadfully. I will never book with this company again.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Had a cottage booked for May, lock down came, Sykes took the money anyway , and have refused to refund the money, offering a myriad of excuses, never answer the phone send emails that are just standard, terrible company please please avoid”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“As per hundreds of others, our holiday was cancelled due to covid. We undersood this no problem. But to be completely ignored time after time by email is totally wrong. An automated voice message saying no calls will b answered due to massive backlog also made things worse. The only reply was a very blunt one telling me that I had to rebook for next year. I explained by email we cant book for next year as my friend who was due to travel with us next week has a debilitating condition and cannot plan ahead . Their reply? Take someone else with you.... I, like many more, want our money back. Very very upsetting stressful and unkind”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Had to cancel because of COVID 19, Sykes took over £200 deposit, despite knowing we couldn't travel. Now trying to get the money back. Awful company, will never use them again”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“What an awful company to deal with. They are still holding money of mine in an ex.gratia voucher which I did not ask for. Dozens of emails have gone unanswered. Hopefully, now the CMA have stepped in they will be forced to repay people's hard earned money. There are over four thousand members on Sykes unhappy customers on Facebook. All being treated despicably. Decent cottage owners are also leaving them. Before you book with Sykes take a look at the Facebook group for Sykes unhappy customers.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“We booked a cottage with a twenty pounds deposit last year for June this year. They took our balance even though they knew we could not travel due to the covid 19 restrictions. I could have stopped the balance payment and let them chase me for it, but I was daft enough to trust this company to do the right thing and they didn't. I wrote and told them that I was a frontline NHS worker and needed a refund as I cannot rebook as my holidays have to be agreed many months in advance. I sent them a copy of my wage slip, NHS ID, and NHS photo ID, and copy of the salary being paid into my bank and they did not reply. I sent it twice more and still no reply. I contacted them on Facebook and Twitter and they blocked me without replying. They do not answer the phone and eventually after lots of emails which they ignored they refunded two thirds and one third of the balance they have put down as a future credit. How on earth can I trust this company to even consider booking a holiday with them again? I complained as did many others to the CMA who state that we are allowed a FULL REFUND due to a frustrated contract. How can I trust a company that takes balances out of our accounts when we cannot go to holiday lettings during the current health legislation? How can I trust a company that cuts off all ways of communication? You send them an email and you get an automated response with a do not reply email address. You think that by sending them a facebook or twitter message you may get a response to then realise they have blocked you? I recently had to cancel a flight and holiday with a different company who did not hesitate to refund me but Sykes are just hanging on to people"s money regardless. I kept my side of the contract by paying my balance and they are charging me fees and commission for what? The commission is between them and the cottage owner and not me. They reluctantly gave me a partial refund and the rest they kept as a future credit. I told them before they took my balance I did not want a credit only a full refund and I explained my reasons. Who even knows whether they may go bankrupt before long but in the meantime they are keeping back money from their customers. I wish now I had blocked the payment like hundreds of other people have. I would have lost just £20.00 but now I am out of pocket. If Sykes had communicated with me then there would not have been the need for me to leave a negative review. I have now made a claim with my credit card company for a section 75 chargeback. Sykes has lost my custom and many thousands of others who are in the same situation as myself. Even some cottage owners are taking away their custom from Sykes. I have used Sykes before but never again. In future I will only book directly with an owner in case I use one of their other companies Sykes are involved with. There are lots of negative feedback all over the Internet against Sykes Cottages. Read them and make up your own minds. But I will never use them ever again!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Customer service disgusting no support unable to amend change booking we had been left with no option but to cancel our holiday costing me £430.00 and huge amount of stress and anxiety Closing call centre and ignoring emails. Please avoid this company there are no words to describe how dreadful they are 😔”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Appalling untrustworthy company setting customers and owners against each other. Taking and holding money that doesn’t belong to them. No effective customer service. I will never use a holiday booking agent again.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“a terrible company unable to contact them in any way the company took whole payment from my booking and not the deposit as requested, now am unable to get my payment back. Sykes cottages are criminals and will be taken to court for mis representation and not following their terms and conditions. very poor company, avoid at all cost .”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“NO REFUND. We will remember this lot when we book our next cottage.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Maybe some good news - CMA (Competition and marketing authority) have started procecutions against companies like Sykes who were treating their customers with contempt and not offering full refunds. This gives anyone the right to challenge Sykes with CCJ's. The law is now clear. Full refund or it will cost you more by being taken to court. Start respecting your customers.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Wish I could leave no stars! A terrible holiday let company. Lots of false promises regarding the amount of lettings you'll get. Using Airbnb and Homeaway we earned £8000pa. We switched to Sykes and got £1857!! Their pricing is bonkers and inflexible and not at all personalized to the property. Customer service is appalling-they very rarely reply. And worst of all they only publish excellent feedback which gives a totally biased view of your property. And i just don't like that level of deceit. If you don't refund bookings that customers have cancelled they get very threatening. Horrible company and so not worth the 22% commission.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Due to Sykes terrible communication systems, I was left with no choice but to cancel the holiday I had booked for June this year, losing the deposit charge. The option offered on the website to change the dates was not available as the cottage I had booked will not be available next year. Despite many attempts to contact Sykes by both phone and email, and despite a message from them indicating that they would contact me to discuss my options, no contact could be made, so, when the full payment was due, I had no alternative but to cancel the booking, forfeiting my deposit. Since then I have heard nothing, I wrote a letter of complaint to the CEO and have had no response. I have been a regular customer for many years and I am disgusted by the fact that they totally ignore their customers, they have not offered refunds, and do not respond to any communications. I feel I have been very badly treated by this company, and had no alternative but to waste my money at such a difficult time . Lyn Dowsett”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Due to travel 21/06. No refund full balance taken. I emailed the below text to Sykes today. Lets hope they also change their policy and start treating their customers fairly!!! The holiday rentals firm behind Hoseasons and Cottages.com has agreed to give customers refunds for cancelled trips due to the coronavirus crisis after being reported to the competition watchdog.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said Vacation Rentals had changed its policy after originally refusing to give money back to customers whose stays had been cancelled. But it said it is continuing to investigate the sector, with other holiday companies still refusing to offer customers their money back. The CMA warned it could take court action against firms that refuse to treat customers fairly amid the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Book a holiday with this bunch of *$*&*, had to cancel due to government advise. They TOOK the final payment from our account without permission for a holiday they Knew we couldn't go on. We have tried to get the money back, but they refused to give it to us. So i have reported them, just waiting to hear the outcome. AVOID AT ALL COST.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“I had a holiday booked from 4th July and contacted them re when this would be cancelled as we are still not allowed to travel and stay overnight at a property not our own. This is not likely to change I a few weeks. They have taken the full money and say if I cancel I will lose all the money. I have been contacted by the holiday home owner today to say that they will not be open and they had notified Skyes quite some time ago to tell them this. They knew this when they said it had not been cancelled? The owner has said they will not open until next year and will need to review that voice then as her husband is diabetic and an older man. They have cancelled their contract with Sykes as they are disgusted by their behaviour and lack of response to them as property owners.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Absolute disgrace, tried for weeks to contact them by telephone with absolutely no satisfaction. E mails just had a general text and would not give a personalised response. I have been unable to receive any refund despite taking out their recommended insurance. How can these people be allowed to retain money paid for a holiday they are unable to provide? Will never deal with them again and it is clear from other reviews that the vast majority feel the same.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Had many holidays in the past with this company . Now disappointed and will never use them again .During this Covid 19 ,can’t contact ,generic emails sent back ,will not budge in these uncertain times , Only interested in taking money for which no guarantee that you can take your holiday ,then you have to fight for refund , With over 40,000 deaths so far very bad customer service , Avoid at all costs”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“This used to be a small friendly company. Now just a greedy bloated holiday company. Despite numerous emails re covid refunds contact is non existent. This is not a company to trust.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Bullying and harassing company constantly chasing money. They asked me to change dates, not possible, so they cancelled it but still want the deposit. Doesn’t make sense. Problem is, there will be thousands out there that don’t realise their rights, and will simply pay up.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Sykes Cottages is rated 1.2 based on 1,481 reviews