Parents are demanding their money back from a Christmas event that they say is not what was promised.
Families who bought tickets to Winter Funland at Trafford’s BEC Arena (Bowlers Exhibition Center) feel betrayed after being promised a “winter wonderland” with “a fabulous indoor fair” with “the best rides in Britain”.
But instead of offering something for the whole family in the “festive extravaganza”, parents say that most of the rides were for children under six. And one of the only things older kids could get on was the trampolines which cost £ 5 each when they were told all rides were included in the ticket price.
One mother said she saw missing parts on a few rides, the ferris wheel stopped working with her kids in it, and they stayed strapped on a roller coaster for almost 10 minutes while the operator went to get a drink.
Read more: Winter Funland issues warning after visitors are scammed into paying high parking fees
However, Winter Funland bosses say that all rides are “of the highest standard and regularly carry out strict controls by our health and safety officers” and that “at no time has a ride been left without an operator during a live session”.
It wasn’t just the rides that families were dissatisfied with – they said the Santa Claus who walked around sometimes had no beard, the circus was “shocking” and the food and drink choices were limited and “extortionate”.
They say their complaints have been ignored by the organizers, claiming that comments with negative feedback about the event have been removed from Winter Funland’s official Facebook page to avoid potential customers from seeing them.
Anna’s children on one of the rides. A wheel was missing from a car (bottom left)
(Image: Manchester Evening News)
But Winter Funland says its social media team “regularly turns off comments when we feel like we’re being unfairly trolled by a very small minority of people who have a complaint,” and has suggested that “that’s the right thing to do.” best practice is to email us direct where “we will try to sort it out”.
You have already faced complaints about people being tricked into spending £ 10 on off-street parking, despite the fact that there is free parking at the Trafford venue.
Anna Fray took her children, seven-year-old Oscar McGovern and three-year-old Caitlyn Ridgley over the weekend and said it was “a huge disappointment” – they had missed an hour and 40 minutes of their session due to parking problems and cloakroom queues.
“Where do I even start,” she said. “What wasn’t shown was it. The whole event from start to finish was a joke, I’m so annoyed.
“The Ferris wheel stopped with my children and the man who was driving it didn’t seem to know how to operate it. Some of the rides were missing parts. There were no wheels on the cars.
Continue reading
Related articles
Continue reading
Related articles
“My kids got on a little roller coaster, the man didn’t start it after buckling them up, but went to have a drink and let them sit on the ride for almost 10 minutes.
“On another ride, the jumping jack, my kids were on it and the man stopped the ride and left. One of the other kids on the ride was very upset and cried to get out, but the man operating it was nowhere closed Find.
“The circus was shocking, I’ve seen better street acts. They didn’t have a microphone so we couldn’t hear anything from them.
“There was one minor thing in the carnival game where water gushes, it drips all over the floor. My kids asked me a million questions when they saw Santa put his beard back on. Honestly, the list is endless, that The whole thing was a shame. I’m upset and left very disappointed. “
A previous Winter Funland event in EventCity in 2018
(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Anna said she booked tickets to the event after previously attending Winter Funland in EventCity in 2019, but “this time it was a disappointment”.
This Christmas, the original Silcock’s Winter Wonderland is returning to EventCity instead, with Winter Funland moving to the BEC and downsizing its Manchester attraction – minus the usual grotto and ice rink – but also hosting a major event in Birmingham.
Fran Neylon spent £ 91.50 on tickets for herself, her partner and three children ages six, 12 and 14, but says they left after 25 minutes as there was very little to do for the elders.
“The children had more fun sitting in the car than the actual ‘huge indoor fair’,” she said.
“As we were going in a family came out and stopped their car and said we would be very disappointed as they took 10 minutes and went out.
“Aside from the Dodgems, the only rides there were only for kids under six. We expected what it was like in EventCity as it didn’t explain that there would be fewer rides and rides for smaller age groups.
“We were just shocked at how small the event was compared to what we were used to. Honestly, it felt like it was such a disorganized event without even thinking about it.”
Continue reading
Related articles
Continue reading
Related articles
Hayley Gilman took her eight-year-old daughter, ten-year-old son and his boyfriend of the same age with her and says they left after complaining and yelling at a security guard.
“We asked to speak to the manager and were met by a security guard who yelled at us without a mask,” she said.
“None of the employees inside wore masks. We wondered why we had to pay extra for rides when their website has everything included.
“The five-pound trampoline was the only attraction every child over the age of five wanted to experience.”
Families say that this year’s event is not comparable to previous years, with the Winter Funland 2018 pictured here
(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Becky Howcroft took her boys aged six and three and said, “The whole event was crap compared to previous years”.
“Winter Funland has now stopped me from commenting on their posts, but it was honestly a shame compared to previous years when they were held in EventCity,” she said.
“The first ride the kids took was the Ferris wheel, which had an unsafe and damaged cabin. There were very few rides and it was advertised free of charge for all rides except the price booths, but this was not the case as you 5 Had to pay £ for trampolines.
“It was promoting an inflatable park when in reality there were only two inflatable vehicles, one of which looked like a flat tire. They only offered one place to eat, a burger van, and it cost me £ 49 for four hot dogs and fries and four bottles of water.
Continue reading
Related articles
Continue reading
Related articles
“I’m angry and disappointed for my two boys and also annoyed that I recommended this hotel to friends who have booked and have yet to experience what can only be described as a ** t show.”
Event Director Glen Ramsden said, “Winter Funland is taking place in the BEC Arena, not EventCity where it was previously.
“Due to the change of location and a smaller venue, we had to reduce the size of Winter Funland. This is clearly stated on our website and we have made it clear that there is no Christmas grotto or ice rink this year The price has been lowered by £ 20 per family to reflect this.
“We went to great lengths to make the event feel really Christmassy, with more decorations, more walking tours and our resident elves doing mischief, and we know this has been a lot of fun for families.
Earlier Winter Funland events (pictured here in 2018) were a great success
(Image: Manchester Evening News)
“Thousands of families are having a great festive time, so we regret that some did not enjoy the event as they did in previous years.
“Customer safety is always the top priority and Covid-19 checks at the entrance will mean a short waiting time.”
He added: “‘All rides in Winter Funland are of the highest standard and are subject to regular and strict controls by our health and safety officers. At no time has a ride been left without an operator during a live session.”
He urged anyone with a complaint to email them directly at enquiries@winterfunland.com where we will try to clear the matter up, adding, “We saw thousands of happy faces in Winter Funland what proof of the hard work of. is our employee against the difficult background of Covid-19. We hope that many more will come to visit. “
