Lapland New Forest Scam. How to get money back... 18 October 2008 at 9:10PM in England 1.5K replies 220.5K views

alison6692

Hello

I really fancy taking our little one to this http://laplandnewforest.co.uk
But £30 per person is quite steep. Just wondering if anyone has seen anywhere we can find the tickets cheaper?

TIA xxx

Alison x

Official MoneySavingExpert.com Insert: The Lapland Scam?

Sadly as can be read below, this person was asking about what turned out to be not as described and a huge disappointment. There's a lot of discussion later in the thread about what to do. Lapland New Forest's no closed, but there are still some important general tips.

• Did you pay on a credit card? Any spending on a credit card over £100 is covered by Section 75 of the consumer credit act and means the card company is equally liable so you may be able to get your money back. So those who bought multiple tickets may be able to get moneyback this way.
  
  The one problem here is technically the £100 must be a single item. Yet this is not well defined so it's worth trying anyway! Full info and template letters are in the section 75 guide.

• Did you pay on a Visa debit or credit card? If so you may be able to use the 'Chargeback' rules to try and reclaim cash. This is where the Visa processes allow your bank to ask for money back from the person/company you paid's bank. Again full info the section 75 guide.

• Paid another way? Just contact your bank and tell it what's happened. The huge publicity about this and the Christmas theme may make it sympathetic.
• Got your money back. Been and visited? Please click reply to post your feedback and enter the discussion so you can help and talk to all the others.

• New to MoneySavingExpert.com? If you're new to this site, welcome. MSE is a Consumer Revenge site dedicated to help consumers, finding best deals, and taking big companies on. The best way to start is with the free weekly, spam free, ad-free MoneySaving Email.

Update 8.30pm Wed. 3 December:

Alton Towers is offering a free day of "festive celebration" on Saturday 13 December for families affected by this. It's limited to 1500 people but if you can go then email [EMAIL="guest.services@alton-towers.com"][email protected][/EMAIL] to pre-book your place or call 0871 222 9901. You'll need to provide proof of your visit to Lapland New Forest.

vodkawitch1

haven`t found a code sorry

alison6692

Thanks x We paid the full price in the end as it just looks soo fun. Thanks for looking though. Thats really kind.

Alison x

barrymung

There's something about the whole "laplandnewforest" website that makes me slightly worried.

The website is registered to an individual at what appears to be a residential address. The Company details are hard to find on the website and even then they are using a PO box number. They mention numerous times that a Company callked "Snowbusiness" is involved but don't mention any other organisations by name. The "Gallery" is full of stock photos. Mention is made of the event being only 4 to 6 hours long. The Company behind the venture was only set up in August.

Most concerning of all is that the organisers haven't yet got planning permission for the event: http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/3748736.Plans_unveiled_for_a____winter_wonderland___/

I would strongly encourage anyone who books for this event to pay by credit card.

alison6692

Thanks for this.. Oh my goodness. I am starting worry now as I booked £300 worth of tickets. But I did pay using my credit card.Phew.
Thanks for the info.
Alison x

lesley1960

barrymung wrote: »

There's something about the whole "laplandnewforest" website that makes me slightly worried.

The website is registered to an individual at what appears to be a residential address. The Company details are hard to find on the website and even then they are using a PO box number. They mention numerous times that a Company callked "Snowbusiness" is involved but don't mention any other organisations by name. The "Gallery" is full of stock photos. Mention is made of the event being only 4 to 6 hours long. The Company behind the venture was only set up in August.

Most concerning of all is that the organisers haven't yet got planning permission for the event: http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/3748736.Plans_unveiled_for_a____winter_wonderland___/

I would strongly encourage anyone who books for this event to pay by credit card.

I think snowbusiness are just the company providing the snow , the company behind the event is Matchams (South Coast) Ltd , incorporated since 2006 , but no accounts submitted as yet , so not sure how long they have been trading .

A bit worrying they can sell tickets for something that presumably hasnt been built yet?

alison6692

I know it is. But my husband said that all the music festivals don't get planning permission until very near the date and after they have sold all the tickets.

Fingers crossed it will all be fine as I am really looking forward to it.

Alison x

toast967

alison6692 wrote: »

Thanks for this.. Oh my goodness. I am starting worry now as I booked £300 worth of tickets. But I did pay using my credit card.Phew.
Thanks for the info.
Alison x

Hi This is matchams number now, 01425 483484, I have just telephoned the park and they are putting in the ice rink today so hopefully we will all have a lovely christmasy day out :j

nigel1969_2

Hello everyone. I don't often signup to forums, but after visiting Lapland New Forest, I felt that I should warn people, that in my opinion, it is VERY POOR VALUE FOR MONEY.

We paid a total of £150 for my family (my wife and I, our 2 children, and their grandparents), and are very disappointed with what we found there.

It looks good to begin with (lights, snow-covered trees etc), however due to the lack of organization (there was no allocation of "time-slots"), the queue to see Santa was very long indeed - I guessed at least a 90-minute wait. Not surprisingly, my children didn't want to wait that long in the cold and rain - there was hardly any shelter.

The entertainment in the main part of the "arena" was non-existant, the food was vastly overpriced, all the fairground activities were at extra cost, and the ice-rink was closed due to technical problems.

Overall, we are very disappointed, and are considering attempting to get a refund. From other people we spoke to, we aren't the only ones who are going to complain.

My advice - if you haven't been, get your money back and take your kids somewhere else for a Christmas treat!

MammaBling

Don't go. It's a complete scam. We've just returned feeling utterly conned and dissappointed. Absolutely nothing like it purports to be. Turns out to be an extension of the fairground and run by the same. Took us 10 mintues to get round and the content was laughable - only we didn't laugh because it cost us £125 for 5 of us. The nativity scene was a painted board in the middle of a gravelled field propped up on some kind of scaffolding. The 'elves' were dressed in shabby costumes and didn't look like the sort who would endear themselves to children. In fact, they looked more like they hadn't showered for a week and would ask you to shout if you wanted to go faster (if you know what I'm saying!). There was a pen containing howling huskies, a couple of chained reindeer, and a couple of other animals. We didn't even hang around to see what 'tat' Father Xmas was handing out. We met several people in the car park who felt exactly the same and were completely disgusted. Don't waste your time or money. We will also be attempting to get a refund...but won't hold our breath!

alison6692

Uh oh I am very concerned now. I have no idea what to do - We are thinking of still going and then seeing how we get on.

I would be interested in hearing what kind of response you get to your complaints.

Many Thanks

Alison x