Caravan Sitefinder reviews policy for users (August 2009)

All visitors to Caravan Sitefinder should note that the opinions expressed in the reviews posted are those of the individual and not of Haymarket Consumer Media. We do not endorse any of these reviews, either from the user or by the park in reply. Caravan Sitefinder is not linked to any of the parks listed or reviewed on the site. Caravan Sitefinder reserves the right to remove a review or response for any reason.

All traveller reviews must conform to Caravan Sitefinder's guidelines, and will be removed from the site if this is not the case.

Family friendly

No profanity, threats, prejudiced comments, hate speech or other non-family-friendly content. No reports of deaths, violent criminal activity or participation in drug-related activity.

Original

No quoted material from other sources, no hearsay, and no material published elsewhere. This includes correspondence from a guest or other third party.

Relevant

Reviews may not threaten or attempt to suppress the views of others; no personal insults; no speculation as to the identity of other reviewers; and no comments of a personal nature. Also, no responses directed to Caravan Sitefinder staff or commenting about Caravan Sitefinder policies.

Respectful of personal privacy

Reviews may not contain the personal information of any person, including names, addresses, phone numbers or other information that may be used to identify an individual.

Non-commercial

No promotional material of any kind.

Standard email etiquette

No ALL CAPS, HTML tags or excessive typographic symbols.

Independent and Fair

Only one review per user can be posted for each caravan site. No discussion or debate is allowed using the review function, and instead users are asked to use the forums if they wish to converse. If you'd like to edit your review, you can do so on the site.

Any individuals found to have multiple user indentities on the site will be suspended. If it is found that more than one review is posted by the same individual but under a different log in name, then action will be taken. All reviews should be constructive, and all positive and negative comments should be substantiated with fact.

Written from a holidaymaker’s perspective

Reviews must be written by somebody who has stayed at the site they are reviewing. Any reviews written by park owners or management (past or present) posing as genuine guests will have their review deleted immediately and may have their access to the website suspended. No reviews should be based on second hand stories or hear-say, and under no circumstances will rumour mongering or personal vendettas be tolerated. Reviews should be the genuine experience of that user staying at that individual park. Users should not be given incentives to write reviews for a park.

Relevant to all

No personal insults or descriptions, no smear campaigns and only information that is relevant to people planning future holidays is to be included. Reviews should only be submitted if the holiday occurred within the past 3 years.

Not for profit

Reviews should not include business, web or e-mail addresses, and under no circumstances personal contact information. Reviews are to only be submitted by genuine holidaymakers who have stayed at the park in question.

Frequently asked questions

How are reviews processed before they are published on the website?

Every Caravan Sitefinder review is moderated by a member of our team before it appears on the site. Most of the reviews we receive are very positive, and require few, if any, changes before they are posted. Reviews which include critical remarks are handled with additional care (see over).

Are negative reviews handled differently to positive reviews?

Yes. Any review which scores two stars or less is automatically considered a ‘negative review’. This means that it will not be posted for at least seven days after submission. During that period, the park manager will have an opportunity to write a reply to the review, which will be added to the website at the same time as the review.

What specifically is permissible or prohibited in Caravan Sitefinder reviews?

We have clear rules which we ask reviewers to abide by. Any reviews found to be outside of this criteria will be refused, edited or investigated prior to publication.

WHAT IS ACCEPTABLE?

Comments which relate to:

• Cleanliness/standard of facilities
• Quality and position of pitches
• Welcome/helpfulness/flexibility of on-site staff
• Immediate surroundings of the park
• Management of noise issues
• Security of the park
• Problem solving/dispute resolution
• Opinion-based remarks on the site’s attributes

WHAT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE?

Comments which we agree to be:

• Malicious reviews (e.g. by competitors)
• Made by reviewers who have not stayed at the park
• Insults, threats and harassment
• Personal attacks
• Racist
• Sexist
• Contain profanities
• Defamation of individuals or organisations
• Untruths

What happens if I disagree with Caravan Sitefinder’s assessment of my review?

If you are convinced that your review should be posted in its original form, we are here to listen and investigate your case. As you might imagine this can be a difficult task, but our priority is to publish truthful reviews based upon on the balance of probability.

Can I ask the park manager to remove his response comments?

No. Any issues with regards to a review can only be addressed by the management at Caravan Sitefinder.

How does Caravan Sitefinder’s policy compare with other travel websites which allow reviews to be placed?

We believe that our processes are amongst the most rigorous in the travel industry. As long-time publishers of Practical Caravan and Practical Motorhome magazines, we know this industry very well and understand our responsibilities very clearly.

The larger travel sites are not as demanding as we are to ensure ‘fair play’, and other specialist sites do not offer an even playing field to park and reviewer. Haymarket has always worked hard to maintain editorial independence throughout all of its products and Caravan Sitefinder lives by those same principles.

To contact the Caravan Sitefinder team please contact us at: