[Windy]

I think we have been here before.

There is a web site in The Lakes that currently has 5 lodges claiming VB 4 star ratings and 1 claiming a 5 star rating that I cannot find on the VB site. (The logo they show clearly uses the Visit England White Rose so it must be the VE/VB scheme that they are claiming to be graded by)

It is pretty clear I think that VB do not actively police misuse of their star ratings.

As somebody who pays a significant sum to have a rating for my lodge, its value is significantly undermined if so many operators can get away with misuse like this.

Can somebody from VB please clarify current policy towards policing misuse and the actions that they will take if made aware of it.

[Windy]

OK - so no reply from VB/QIT yet - it would be nice to be able to assume that they do read and will contribute to this (their own) forum from time to time.

So, time to name and shame.

There is a site called www.lakedistrict-stay.co.uk/ which is a very successful listing site that carries a lot of adverts for my competitors.

On this site there would appear to be at least 7 lodges (direct competitors of mine) which are laying claim to VB star ratings but which I can't find on the Visit Britain web site. I can provide full details to EE/QIT on request

There may well be other examples as well.

I have made the web site owner aware of this on at least 4 occasions over the last 4 weeks. His contention is that as the parks they are on are 4 and 5 star, and as this is mentioned in the text there is no offence being committed as the star ratings "clearly" refer to the park. Given that by that logic all of the 150 lodges at Limefitt Park could claim on his site to be VB 5 star rated I hope it is safe to assume that VB will not condone that, especially as the rating is shown in a box with details about the lodge and not the park.

So my question, again, is what will VB do to preserve the integrity of the Quality Assessment scheme when presented with evidence of flagrant abuse like this. I did rejoin the scheme this year although my decision was on a knife edge. The only reason why I did so was because in these tough times maybe the distinction provided by a VB rating may pay dividends. Obviously this will NOT be the case if VB condone listing sites "innocently" abetting people to claim false ratings in this way.

I don't believe that is is MY job as a paying customer to police VB's rating scheme or to take up this matter myself with trading standards. That is CLEARLY VB / QIT's job and I would like to see some evidence that they are doing it. Please would someone from VB / EE / QIT respond to this posting.

[Windy]

I did post here naming the web site concerned but it seems the censors blue pencil is alive and well (or the moderators are asleep).

In that post I asked that someone from VB should do something to protect the value of the star ratings.

Pam Foden - if you are reading this or if someone you know is would you please contact me - details on www.lakedistrictholidaylodges.co.uk. Please don't ignore this.

[greenbarncottages]

I share Windy's concerns regarding abuse of the VB rating system and businesses that make fraudulent claims with impunity. IIRC previously we had a highly unsatisfactory response from VB to the effect that the only option available was for an individual guest to report the fraud to the local TSO, an extremely unlikely event.

For those of us in the business of providing self-catering accommodation there is only one significant benefit to membership of VB, and that is the star rating. It's a very important benefit; it's widely and internationally recognised, it instils a valuable sense of confidence and expectation of quality into the minds of potential visitors, it differentiates our properties and level of service from the also-rans. It is a hard-earned and expensive membership of an exclusive organisation.

Membership of this exclusive organisation gives us the right to display and trumpet our rating in our advertising material for the purpose of attracting guests, particularly those guests who are looking for the reassurance of knowing that the property they are considering for their holiday dream has been inspected by a Government backed organisation, and declared to be of a certain standard. The presence of the White Rose and stars symbols on the property's advertising material tells these potential guests all they need to know; they are not going to cross check with the VB website, indeed it's unlikely that they will know of its existence or hit it during their Google searches for places to stay.

If a VB rating is displayed by a business that is not a member of this exclusive organisation, a business which hasn't been inspected or officially assessed, and the organisation chooses simply to ignore the evidence, then that organisation is demonstrating a lamentable failure in its duties and a cynical disregard for its members, those choosing to stay in the UK, and hence the UK tourist industry.

Of course VB cannot police abuse of its rating system by actively checking the claims of every holiday rental in the UK, but it can choose to act when such abuse is highlighted. Or it can choose not to act, and render the system worthless.

As a simple parallel example, if a company fraudulently claimed BSI certification to the ISO 9001 Quality Standard, and displayed the relevant BSI logo, BSI would light a fire under them in order to protect its members, the consumer, and its own reputation. So what's the difference?

To repeat the question in the OP: What will VB do about false claims to star ratings?

As a final point, the OP is a direct appeal to VB for a response to a very important question. It is very disappointing that no response has been forthcoming after several days. This is a closed forum, and the obvious place to raise issues of such major importance, to receive meaningful responses from VB, and to further the discussion. I hope that is going to happen, rather than the possible alternative of the discussion moving to a public forum.

[Windy]

How very bizarre that you sit on my follow-up posts for so long (not at the weekend btw but during normal working hours) and then post them both at once without explanation.

The moderation on this forum and its usability in general is truly of the clod-hopping variety. It is all so unnecessarily slow and pointless. This has to be one of the least easy to use forums that I frequent, and given that there are so many effective and user friendly versions of open source forum software out there - smf , php bb etc etc, that is pretty inexcusable.

GB - I think you assume that the contents of the forum are only available to logged-in subscribers. Try logging out :-). These comments are in the public domain anyway. IMHO it SHOULD be a private forum but it isn't. Maybe they think it is? Mind you if it were we wouldn't need the pointless moderation delay that no other forum I use imposes?

As regards VB I have contacted Pam Foden directly having found her email address. She is on holiday but will address this as soon as she can. I am interested that VB do not respond to direct requests on this forum though - maybe they would like to explain why not.

[VisitEngland_Feedback_]

VisitEngland is looking into this report of misleading rating claims. The confusion arises when a lodge is on a five-star holiday park, but the lodge may not have five stars or even have a star rating at all.

We have contacted the website mentioned and are in discussions with the operators of the site and will report back directly to the participant who has reported this problem

[Longinthetooth]

False star rating is also happening where I am. I just rang the Quality in Tourism Office and as luck would have it the said miscreant was being inspected that very next week! This reminds me to check it out they are displaying their correct star grading!!!!

[Windy]

"The confusion arises when a lodge is on a five-star holiday park, but the lodge may not have five stars or even have a star rating at all."

"confusion"???? I think you mean "misrepresentation" - Oh my lord you sound as though you are excusing it!! Come on - show some mettle for once!

[greenbarncottages]

I've looked at the listing site in question.
It covers a wide area, not just properties on parks.
For each property, there is a space to show a rating for the property. Most of the properties on the 4 and 5 star parks don't show a rating. Some show a 4 or 5 star rating. That rating can only be interpreted as applying to the individual property. It doesn't.
There is no "confusion" taking place, just fraudulent misrepresentation.

[Windy]

Thank you Greenbarn - it seems perfectly cut and dried to me - no "confusion". The false ratings are still being shown though in spite of the fact that "We have contacted the website mentioned and are in discussions with the operators of the site". What are we supposed to make of that?