Helpful Holidays Reviews 26

This is sykes automation.customer service AI that takes you round in circles,phone not answered ,on line requests ignored.
DO NOT touch with a bargepole
Agents are overseas and don't follow through queries if you contact by whats app each new communication is start from scratch.

Truly dreadful customer service.

This is my first ever bad review but sadly HH customer service is appalling. Booking was painless but trying to amend it was ruddy painful!
Tried amending online, but my booking wasn’t listed so after weeks of numerous emails, WhatsApp’s & texts (there is no phone option) I was told this was because my booking had, in error, been placed in a “guest account”
So now because of THEIR incompetence it’s too late to change the booking and Im stuck with it.
So so disappointed & won’t be using this company again

Dreadful.

Cancelled our booking over the phone, apparently because owner had forgotten to tell them he needed the cottage for himself. Since then, it has been impossible to contact them. Emails are ‘no reply’, phonelines seem to lead nowhere -the wait times actually increase - and the WhatsApp sends you back to the customer services blackhole.

The company is currently holding £2,200 of my money and apparently refusing to refund. Have raised this as an urgent matter with my bank.

We urgently need to book a new cottage with a reputable and reliable company (not Helpful Holidays or any other subsidiary of Sykes) but can’t do that until the payment is refunded.

Will avoid at all costs in the future and go instead to any of the higher scoring cottage booking companies identified by Which.

We booked Michaelmas Thatched Cottage in Drewsteignton for a week in July.
The cottage was absolutely stunning well stocked kitchen and living area 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. We were very surprised that a thatched cottage would be so warm inside. It also had a very large private walled garden.

Lovely well appointed accommodation in a quiet and peaceful coastal location. Everything you might need is to hand in the apartment with some thoughtful extra touches. Comfortable, spotlessly clean and a very relaxing place to stay. Thanks for a lovely chilled break, highly recommend.

I recently booked a Helpful Holidays cottage near Salcombe for my family holiday. I had some queries about whether the property would be suitable for my elderly grandparents, and the team were fantastic in helping me choose the perfect property. The key collection and travel directions were all very straightforward and we had the best week in the Devon sunshine

Taking a pandemic into account, Sykes (who took over Helpful Holidays) were unsympathetic to my request for cancellation/refund. Calls unanswered, emails going into a black hole but finally got refund after 5 months of chasing. Communication has been appalling, staff not trained in customer service, repeating over and over, no refund, telling me I could 'legally' travel despite the fact we should have all been staying home. Customer service should always be a tool for good communication and keeping customers informed, sadly not Sykes. We will not be using them again despite being repeat customers for many years with Helpful Holidays. The Sykes takeover now means they are too big to care.

They used to be ok many years ago, but have deteriorated badly in recent years. Their cancellation policy is much worse than their serious competition. They can't be contacted by email, and by phone takes ages. Avoid at all costs.

Rented a house, on leaving cleaned the house and left it in a decent state. The owners claimed there was some sand left behind; we fastidiously cleaned, and this is a seaside holiday house! Also some pen marks on a sheet; we purposefully bought washable pens with us that would wash out. In 20 years of holidaying we have never had a deposit withheld. Yet on this occasion the owner decided to keep the WHOLE lot. And "Helpful" Holidays washed their hands, would not enter into any discussion, and just said was between us and the owner. Disgraceful.

I have had to give one star as this is the only way I can send a review of this company - otherwise they would get no stars.
I am fed up of the excuse of Coronavirus being the reason why they are not contacting me about my request for contact regarding cancelling my holiday.
We had a booking for earlier this year which we were ‘encouraged’ to re-book rather than cancel - just after we re-booked the Govt locked down for the period we would have Originally been away.
I have tried & tried to have communication with HH / Sykes since April to no avail. Customer service sent one email with contact details which rang & rang & rang.
I am still waiting for contact with them.
My holiday deposit is due so I suspect they will contact me when they do not receive their money!
We are not happy to travel for the re-booked dates, the company put the cost of the holiday up without consulting us, and the holiday as described is not the same as the small village we were going to has many tourist cafes & amenities closed - on top of this the locals do not want us!
We had used HH for many years but since Sykes have taken over the company appears to be ‘cut throat’.
I suppose they need to get back the £375 m they paid for it!
I will never use them again.

Only after over two months of fighting and involving the CMA and Trading Standards have this appalling company caved in and agreed to return deposits for Covid-Cancelled holidays. Thousands of families holidays cancelled due to a global pandemic and Helpful Holidays ergo the Sykes Cottages empire, illegally withheld funds belonging to holidaymakers and in many cases, property owners trying to make a living. It took threats from the Government to force Sykes to refund its ‘customers.’ It really shouldn’t have been this hard. We will never use Sykes or any of it's subsidiaries again.
Trust absolutely broken, brand permanently damaged.

I am very disappointed with this company who before taken over by Sykes we had used a number of times with no issues. Booked a holiday for the end of July with a balance due on 13th June. At present although HH say that we can travel from 4th July this has not been confirmed by the government. As a family we do not feel comfortable travelling at the end of July due to the current covid situation, both my husband and son suffer with asthma and we have followed government guidance since this began. We are not happy that we would be travelling so close to lockdown being lifted, if indeed it is even lifted by then. Also there is a pool at the property that is unlikely to be available, attractions and restaurants would be very limited even if available. There is also reports of Devon and Cornwall asking tourists to stay away this summer. So I contacted HH to ask if we could amend our dates to next year. Firstly by email - 3 of them, and to date no reply. I then managed to eventually get through on the phone after waiting over an hour and was advised that they would need to speak to the owner but it shouldn't be a problem, the dates were even reserved for 2021. However after asking for the dates to be changed it took a further 3 calls, with over an hours wait each time - as they never call you back as promised - to be told that the owner had not agreed to amend the dates and we would have to travel. As my balance was due I had no choice but to cancel as they would not agree to change the dates. Now my argument is that I can see from their Facebook page there are a large number of customers travelling after 4th July like us who have successfully changed their date to next year for the very same reason. When I raised this I was told it was at the owners discression and there was nothing they could do - I am sorry but this is an unfair practice, it should be the same for all. Now they want me to pay the balance of my low deposit over £300 because I have cancelled - I had an email within 5 minutes of cancelling requesting the amount, as fortunately it did not go through on the automatic payment as I have a new card. We do not want to cancel but rearrange and as others have been able to I dont see why we cannot. The owner will get their booking next year, and we will get the holiday we have paid over £1000 for. I have since had a email to tell me that's the policy and how would I feel if I was losing income, and if I want to change my mind I can or if not I have to pay the deposit balance. Well for your information I am losing income as I am currently furloughed with no date as yet to return if at all. Of course I understand this but the policy needs to be fair across the board. This situation is upresidented and needs to be looked at for what it is - there will be many people who cant or dont want to travel this year and I believe that they are taking advantage of the situation. I can see from their Facebook page there are also others in a similar situation as us. I have reported them to the CMA for taking advantage of the covid situation. Due to them wanting me to reconsider my booking I have asked them to provide me with specifics that have been put in place for cleaning of the property and pool prior to our proposed stay, and confirmation of what restrictions will be in place at the property ie will the pool be available will we be restricted to where we can go on the cottage site. As yet I have had no reply. Sadly I would no longer recommend using HH and am extemely upset with their handling of our situation and others as this very difficult and worrying time.

We used to use Helpful holidays for a number of years. Then they got taken over by Sykes. The quality and service went down hill fast. The web site info went down hill. Do not use

Since being taken over by Sykes Cottages this company is a DISGRACE. There customer service is non existent. They are uncontactable and refuse to discuss any solutions to holidays booked this summer (refunds, change of date) that cannot go ahead because of travel restrictions. They take your money and you hear nothing and can't contact them. AVOID!

VERY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE - DON'T USE THIS COMPANY

I was due to spend a week in Cornwall starting on 3rd July.Due to the current situation I was informed that I could change our dates if I emailed alternative dates. I replied quickly and gave different dates and stated I was willing to postpone until next year or even the year after, which I think is more than reasonable. That was on 21st May. I'm still waiting for a reply on the 27th. As the final payment was due last week I felt I had no choice but to cancel before the payment was automatically taken and no new dates were offered.. However, they emailed very quickly to say I had forfeited the deposit. I emailed to explain that as they had not been touch with different dates and I had not been given the option to change it was unreasonable of them to keep my deposit. I felt I had no choice but to cancel before they took full payment for a holiday that I may not be able to take. I'm still waiting for a reply. I have used Sykes/Helpful Holidays before and found them to be ok. However, their true metal is being shown in these strange times. They either can't cope with the situation or choose not to. Either way their customer service is poor and communication is lacking. They were quick to tell me I'd lost my deposit but very slow at responding to my emails. Had this company been reasonable and refunded the deposit I'd have been happy to use then again. However, their poor service and lack or response to emails means I wouldn't trust them again. I wouldn't recommend them to my friends and family.

Have booked multiple holidays over the years with Helpful Holidays and did so again for a break at the start of May 2020. Until the coronavirus pandemic, I didn’t know that HH had at some point in the past joined / been taken over by the Sykes group. They have gone from having knowledgeable people at the end of the phone, who were local to properties and knew each cottage on their books, to a call centre.
Sykes have refunded the home owner’s share of my holiday cost (so homeowners have lost every penny), but have locked their commission (20%) and admin charges as an online credit on my account, lasting 24 months, then disappearing. At a time when everyone is struggling financially and can’t afford to lose their money.
Holiday insurance and credit card cover will not pay out as I have an online credit. I have no intention of ever booking with the Sykes group again so have lost £150. AVOID AVOID AVOID 😡

Do not book with this company. We paid in full for the holiday we should be on right now and obviously could not take and have lost the lot as they will not refund. We could not re-book for next year as the cottage owner is one of many leaving due to the company’s appalling treatment of customers and owners during the current situation. We were not even offered a credit. We will never book through them or any of the other companies owned by Sykes again and will spread the word. No morals whatsoever.

Sadly no longer Helpful. The takeover by Sykes Holiday Cottages has changed this amazing company we have used many times because of their customer service and knowledge of their properties and the West Country. It is now part of a rapidly growing company based in Chester with call centre style customer service. Our forthcoming Easter booking has been cancelled by them (a problem at the property) but finding an alternative for 8 people is being dealt with poorly.

When the property we stayed in was found to be very damp smelling, Helpful Holidays simply sided with the owner who, indeed, agreed there was "a musty smell" (such high standards for their customers!) but provided an excuse this was down to a new mattress at the property, a smell which according to the manufacturers should dissipate within one week. We were the at least one month, if not longer, after the new mattress was installed.

Don't expect any respect, understanding or value of your custom from Helpful Holidays.

It was a while ago but I'm only now able to leave a review. We had booked a week in Cornwall with Helpful Holidays, having used them before. Not long before our holiday was scheduled our son was diagnosed with leukaemia. I contacted the firm to let them know. They replied saying that it was too late for them to repay our payment. I hadn't even asked for it back, it was the least of my concerns. But their lack of compassion in the respect of the situation we found ourselves in had quite an impact. Not even a shred of understanding. It was all about money for them. I would never use this company, nor recommend them to anyone.