LAPLAND: what the customers say

10:08am Monday 1st December 2008

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Here's a selection of the furious emails Daily Echo readers have sent to us and the Lapland Forest management...

"I am writing this email as I have just returned from Lapland New Forest at Matchams Ringwood with my family, having paid £150.

All of us and everyone I spoke to was bitterly disappointed and annoyed that a company none as Lapland New forest LTD could charge this extortionate amount for leaving my children heart broken and a childhood dream shattered.

I am only gratefull they are able to understand things are not always as they seem, I know others with special needs are not able to comprehend this.

The advertisement lends you to believe that this is a "snow covered Lapland village" with "Hollywood special affects" a "bustling Christmas market" with an ice rink.

The website is totally misleading, including photographs which bear no relation to the reality which awaits you on entry.

The reality was: The ice rink was not working and outside the main area ,so can be accessed without purchasing a ticket.

The fake snow was sprayed only over fir trees and not on the ground, so when walking through this so called "snow covered Lapland village" I was actually walking over tarmac.

The nativity scene was a painting on plywood in the distance across a mud flat, the "magical tunnel of light consisted of festoon lighting with gls lamps in it, above the trees was one strip of fairy lights but was anything but magical as described.

There was a 3 hr queue to see Santa, you then got a ticket which you then had to queue again to get a present .

The market consisted of 4 stalls, 1 jewellery 1 sweets 1 stall selling wrapping paper all of which again accessible without getting a ticket, inside the huts which had gingerbread men to ice had run out ,so shut, other huts hardly had anything in them, Not even sure where santa’s helpers were. The average time you would be able to spend there if you chose not to wait 3 hrs to see santa would have been an hour.

Once entered you had to pay for everything else.

When I asked to speak to manager a man called Henry chose to spoke to me only when I approached people entering the park and told them to reconsider entering if they had not already purchased a ticket.

I spoke to some people who had spent £600 to come and visit - they had hired a minibus.

Many people have chosen to take their children to this "magical place" as they cannot afford to go the real Lapland. At a cost of £25 - £30 a ticket an average family of 4 will have to pay over £100.

In this present economic climate this is a vast sum of money that people would have had to consider wisely before spending the money.

I have paid the equivalent of this spending a whole day at a theme park, I would have been disappointed to pay even £5 entry charge.

As we are all aware Christmas is a magical time for children and parents take great joy in providing opportunities for their children to experience Christmas .

I have no doubt this has caused damage to the local area, brought tears to the eyes of parents and children and filled the pockets of this company.

By writing this email I seek only to prevent anyone from purchasing a ticket so no more money finds it way to this company."

Mrs Goodenough, Blandford, Dorset.

"I have just returned from visiting the New Forest Lapland as promoted in your Echo. I was in a group of 10 at a cost of £250.

"I can not describe how disappointed we all were at this event. Every family that we met were complaining. "We waited to see Father Cristmas for an hour and a half and when we finally got there we were informed that no photos were allowed, but photos would be taken at £10 each. "Father Christmas was only interested in getting the photos taken rather than asking the children what they wanted for Christmas. After seeing Father Christmas for about 5min the children were told to go back down the site to get a present (not wrapped).

Some parents did not even wait to see Father Christmas and just got the present and left. £5 to go ice skating on top of the £25 entrance fee and that was broken down also , absoloutly disgraceful.

I feel very angry that people can take advantage of small children. I thought you might like to know the views of some of your customers. I would like to warn other families, the disapointment that my family and I have just had.

This day out was secretly planned as a magical day out for the children , infact it was a total nightmare and I will be seeking compensation from the company involved."

Many thanks From a very disappointed reader Mrs D Davies "This "attraction" which must have sold hundreds of thousands of advanced tickets (at a minimum of £25 per person) if the numbers visiting on Saturday are anything to go by, needs investigation and a warning to others not to spend any money and help to get refunds for others. "The "magical experience" consists of trees covered in polystrene to look like snow and a 3 hr queue to see Father Christmas and receive a "quality gift for the under 12s" which is actually the cheapest possible present, and a hut where you queue again to have 1 person put icing on a gingerbread man biscuit and the children stick Smarties, tiny marshmallows and hundreds and thousands from 3 saucers from a countertop too high for them and where every 10 minutes the doors of the hut are locked with everyone inside.

" The roundabout in the website photos and the tatty icerink (nothing like the photos and which wasn't working on Saturday) is nothing to do with Lapland and costs extra.

"There were thousands of extremely angry and dissatisfied visitors there on Saturday so I guess you will be hearing from others. "

Name supplied
Do you have pictures or video of Lapland? Email them to newsdesk@bournemouthecho.co.uk

"To the Management of "Lapland New Forest"

"We visited today having been looking forward to the children's special day for weeks. This was meant to be the start of the children's count-down to Chrustmas. How sad we were to have experienced the day we ended up with!

"The "event" was appalling!!! £120 for less than an hour. We couldn't bear any more of the disgusting sham that it was. "My 3 year old in tears because it was so awful and she had been looking forward to it so much. It was not even a half-hearted attempt at making a "Winter Wonderland!" "... where, arriving at our free car park, you will be greeted by a woodland elf who is waiting to show you the secret and breath-taking Tunnel of Light, which twists through the natural habitat of spruce and conifer trees towards Santa's village ...."

"(1) No "Woodland Elf" greeted us! (2) Tunnel of Light - fairy lights strung between trees and not even on!

"... peer through the tunnel windows and you might even see polar bears and red deer hiding deep in the snowy woods!"

"(3) Plastic polar bear and some sad looking deer tied up behind a fence. (4) Snowy? Bubbly foam blown around and white stuff on the trees - left with mud under foot and I struggle to find words for the atmosphere, apart from dreary!

"Before stepping through into the winter wonderland, young children collect their magic dust, which then goes into their envelope with their christmas list ready for the Polar Post Office."

"(5) Far from a Winter Wonderland, more like a dreary muddy hole! (6) No magic dust to be seen!

"... the beautiful 'snow' covered log cabins surround the wonderful ice rink ... each cabin is busy with the helpers preparing for christmas ... between each cabin are Santa's live animals: ranging from geese to baby ostriches, husky team to reindeer - all resting before the big day ahead."

"(7) Log Cabins? B&Q Sheds! Plus, they were no where near the ice rink - which wasn't working most of the time! (8) The sheds were not so busy - Elf on a break was noted, plus the sheds had run out of stuff on the first weekend (ginger bread making). (9) The animals looked sad and unkept!

"Near the ice rink and is the refreshment area serving delicious hot and cold seasonal food for all ... and it's around here, so we are told, you will find Shamus the Elf. He is one of the most important helpers as he is the only one who can lead you to Father Christmas ..."

"(10) Seasonal food? Greasy burgers, hotdogs and chips! (11) Shamus must have been on a break! Most of the Elves were looking rather miffed, as they had been told they would not be paid until Christmas Eve - yes we all (visitors) were very aware of that! (12) 2 HOURS to queue for Santa and then (as we were told by one couple) if you don't pay the extortionate rate for your child to have their photo taken with Santa they are not allowed in and can only wave from outside - this shows how the whole thing is a sham, a scam and a pure rip of con, paying with the emotions of small children and preying on the most vunerable little people! I hope you are thoroughly ashamed of yourselves (although I doubt it)!

"... and He is waiting to give all the young children their chosen gift."

(13) He will only see you if you pay - yet more on top of the high ticket price. (14) The children get their toy at a shed!!!

"To appreciate this amazing experience means that you must have time and space to take it all in. The attention to detail of our theme park will truly wow you! "

(15) I don;t know whether or not to laugh at the absurdity of this statement! You really have some front!

"... we therefore have to limit the amount of visitors each day, so early booking is highly recommended."

(16) To 3,000!!!!! In that tiny area??? Are you mad??? "Lapland New Forest ... Where Dreams Really Do Come True!"

(17) More like a nightmare!

"*Images and videos currently displayed on this website and our other advertising campaigns are for illustrative purposes only. We are certain the live show will far exceed these representations."

(18) Well, it didn't come close, not by a mile!

(19) The Nativity Scene!!! A tacky billboard viewed across a muddy field!!! Rubbish!!!!

I could go on, but to what end. You put together a massive promise with a big price tag and the final product was rubbish, nothing like what you said and so far short of what was promised you would need the hubble telescope to see it from where you are!

You have shattered so many children's dreams and left so many disappointed and angry!

I demand my money back! All £120 of it!"