Complaints & Dispute Resolution

1. Contact us about a concern

If something is wrong with your booking or stay, please let us know so we can understand the concern and try to resolve it.

Email [email protected], call 07346 006156, or use the messaging channel for your reservation. Please use the subject “Complaint” for a formal email complaint.

This process is operated by Muddy Boots Escapes Ltd, company number 14702173. Registered office and formal correspondence address: Unit 27, Cumberland House, Business Park, St Lukes Road, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria, CA17 4HT.

2. During your stay

Please report a problem promptly, particularly if it affects access, safety, heating, cleanliness or an advertised facility. This gives us a reasonable opportunity to investigate and put matters right while you are still at the property.

Explain the issue, which property you are staying in and how we can contact you. Include photographs where useful and safe to obtain. Do not attempt unsafe repairs or interfere with safety equipment.

For an emergency requiring emergency services, call 999. Reporting a concern to us is not a substitute for obtaining urgent help.

3. After departure

We also consider complaints raised after departure. A complaint is not automatically rejected because it was not reported during the stay.

Tell us about the concern as soon as reasonably possible while records and evidence are available. If it could have been resolved during the stay, we may consider the opportunity we had to investigate or remedy it when assessing the facts and an appropriate outcome. This does not remove your statutory rights.

4. What to include

• Your name, booking reference and contact details.
• The property and dates of your booking or stay.
• A clear description of what happened and when.
• Any steps already taken or previous correspondence.
• Relevant photographs or other evidence, where available.
• The outcome you would like us to consider.

Please provide only relevant information. Do not send full payment-card details, access codes or unnecessary sensitive personal information.

5. How we handle a complaint

We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days of receipt. We will clarify any missing details and review the relevant booking information, communications and evidence. We may need to inspect the property or obtain information from a booking or payment provider.

We aim to provide a substantive written response within 10 working days of receipt, explaining our findings and proposed outcome. If more time is needed, we will explain the delay and next steps. These are response targets, not guarantees that every complaint will be fully resolved within those periods.

Possible outcomes depend on the circumstances and your legal rights. They may include an explanation, corrective action or an appropriate financial remedy. A refund or compensation is not guaranteed merely because a complaint has been submitted, and this process does not restrict remedies you are legally entitled to.

6. If you disagree with our response

Reply to our written response explaining which points you disagree with and providing any additional evidence. Ask for the complaint to be reconsidered.

We will review the points raised and explain whether the outcome changes. If we consider that our internal process has reached a final position, we will tell you and explain any applicable next steps.

7. Bookings through an agency or platform

If you booked through Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, Sykes, Lakelovers, Visit Lake District or another agent, you may also need to follow that channel’s complaints process and any relevant deadlines. Contact the channel promptly where a platform-managed payment or refund is involved.

You can still contact us about the accommodation or our own handling of the booking. The channel’s procedures do not automatically replace our responsibilities or your statutory rights.

Provider references are available on our Third-Party Providers page and in our Privacy & Data Protection notice. Your booking confirmation identifies the channel and the applicable booking arrangements.

8. Dispute resolution and independent advice

Muddy Boots Escapes is not directly a member of an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme. If you booked through a platform or agent, we will check any dispute-resolution arrangements applicable to that reservation. We do not assume that every booking channel has the same arrangements.

If a complaint cannot be resolved internally, we will provide information about any applicable ADR arrangement and any information we are legally required to supply, including whether we are obliged or willing to participate where relevant. Where applicable, we will provide this with our final written response in a form you can retain, such as email.

You may seek independent consumer advice or pursue available legal remedies. Nothing in this process requires you to surrender those rights or wait beyond an applicable legal deadline.

9. Privacy complaints and reviews

If your concern is about personal information, see our Privacy & Data Protection notice. You may complain directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office where appropriate.

A genuine critical review is not itself grounds for removal. A complaint and a review concern may be considered separately or together, without making a remedy conditional on removing or changing a review. See our Consumer Review Policy.

10. Records and policy updates

Complaint records are handled in accordance with our Privacy Notice. Relevant information may be retained while needed to investigate, resolve or defend the matter and meet applicable legal requirements.

We will review this policy when our arrangements change. It does not retrospectively remove rights or agreed booking terms.

Return to Policies & Legal · General Booking Terms & Conditions

11. Common complaints questions

How quickly will you respond?

We aim to acknowledge complaints within 3 working days and provide a substantive written response within 10 working days of receipt. If we need longer, we will explain why and what happens next.

Can I complain after I have checked out?

Yes. We consider complaints after departure. Prompt reporting during a stay can help us investigate and put matters right, but failing to report then does not automatically invalidate a complaint.

What if I booked through Airbnb, Booking.com or another agent?

You can contact us about the accommodation. You may also need to follow the booking channel’s process and deadlines, especially for a platform-managed payment or refund.

What if I disagree with your response?

Reply with the points you dispute and any additional evidence, and ask us to reconsider. We will explain our final position and any applicable dispute-resolution arrangements.

Must I change my review to receive a remedy?

No. We do not make a remedy conditional on removing or changing genuine feedback.