Inside the caravan (Image: Abigail Crimmins)
A couple’s dream of owning a seaside retreat turned sour after their £18,000 investment in a Haven Holidays caravan became their “worst-ever buy” and plunged them into a “nightmare.”
Daniel and Abigail Crimmins were so enchanted by a caravan park holiday in Wales that they decided to purchase their own mobile home. Their 2023 acquisition from Haven Holidays, costing over £18,000, was expected to be a spotless show home, but instead, they found themselves owners of a grimy, run-down caravan.
The Crimmins family had previously enjoyed a delightful stay at Haven Burnham-on-Sea Holiday Village, which led them to invest in their first caravan at the same location three years later.
Daniel did spot several issues with the caravan, including a ripped sofa, bleach stains, a faulty electric heater, the need for new bedding, and a roof tarnished with bird droppings.
Haven promised Daniel that all necessary repairs would be made within a week before the handover, assuring him of a perfect family getaway, as reported by Wales Online, reports the Mirror.
the couple expected to see a show home as promised. (Image: Abigail Crimmins)
However, after parting with approximately £18,500, the couple’s return to the park revealed the caravan remained untouched, much to their dismay.
Upon their arrival, Daniel was astounded by the state of the caravan: “When we arrived we could not believe it, there were cobwebs inside, it was still dusty and hadn’t been cleaned at all. The outside was dirty and none of the work was done on the caravan.”
What started as an anticipated adventure in their new caravan quickly turned into an unscheduled cleaning operation. To stay informed of the most sensational stories from Wales, make sure to sign up for our daily newsletter and never miss a beat.
In a disappointing turn of events, it astonishingly took Haven seven long months just to clean the roof of the caravan due to a series of company delays, though they did provide a free external storage unit as a gesture of goodwill amidst the wait. However, this was only the beginning.
After the roof was said to be done, Abigail arrived and found the work hadn’t been completed (Image: Abigail Crimmins)
Daniel’s situation deteriorated further when he found water damage across the living room, kitchen, and bedroom, with ceiling panels swelling sadly. Despite numerous conversations with staff and finally securing a manager’s attention, the scheduled inspection yielded no resultsshockingly because they reviewed the wrong caravan.
Reflecting on his ordeal, Daniel shared his exasperation: “At this point we were at breaking point thinking my caravan had leaks on the roof, water damage visible on the panels inside and over time damp and mould would ruin the caravan. This has been going on nearly three years.”
Daniel lamented nearly eight months of gruelling wait since reporting water damage, until Haven finally agreed to send a contractor in November 2024. Yet regrettably, the dates kept being deferred from November to December, and again to January.
Having struggled to communicate with the park, Daniel was left assuming the repairs were completed.
Walls and ceiling panels had been taken down and left inside the caravan (Image: Abigail Crimmins)
As the park prepared for its grand reopening on 1 March, Daniel arranged for a cleaner in anticipation of guests, only to discover the job couldn’t be done due to missing roof panels and insulation cluttering the floor.
Upon arrival on 9 March, Abigail and her young children, aged three and five, stumbled into chaos akin to a “building site”, complete with precarious nails and ceiling panels littering the floor.
In an outburst of frustration, Daniel asserted: “For three years all we’ve had is stress. We’ve had one weekend there, it’s been the worst thing I’ve ever done. It should be a nice family holiday home, we should be having fun when we’re there but every time we go down there, there is something we have to moan about because something has been done wrong to our caravan again.”
Daniel and his family are shelling out a staggering £9,000 annually to station their caravan at the holiday park and try to recoup these costs by inviting guests over for stays. Unfortunately, Daniel has had to reject numerous would-be holidaymakers because of Haven’s incomplete work.
Parts of the caravan had been torn away and not replaced (Image: Abigail Crimmins)
Responding to the concerns, Haven’s spokesperson lamented the situation, saying: “We apologise for the delay in completing the initial repairs in 2023, and the disruption caused by the roof leak. In line with our commitment to Mr. and Mrs. Crimmins, all agreed-upon improvements initially raised were addressed within a week of their moving into their holiday home. Our top priority is ensuring a brilliant holiday experience, and we appreciate their understanding as we work to resolve the roof leak as quickly as possible.”