A very strange experience and difficult to categorise. On the one hand there is no doubt that Les Ranchisses is one of the best campsites in the Ardeche - really beautiful and almost idyllic in its location. However the owners/managers of the site seem rather to luxuriate in this fact and appear content in the knowledge that their site is over-subscribed and probably always will be no matter how they treat people.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the owners of a site being proud of their service and facilities but when you are treated like a line in a profit and loss statement no amount of beautiful scenery can compensate - or so it was for myself and family.
On arrival in 35 degree heat and after two days of travelling we (myself, my wife, two teenage children and a labrador) were given our pitch - in full blazing sun (despite our numerous requests for a shady pitch) . The fact that the site is covered in trees makes it really hard to find a pitch in full sun - but Les Ranchisses managed this. We also expressed our disappointment over the lack of river despite booking a riverside pitch - much to our surprise we were told that we had one! This was akin to being told that a hotel in Birmingham has a sea view.
So when we politely complained about these two factors we were told (impolitely) that if we didn't like it we could leave! So things kind of started out bad and then proceeded to get a whole lot worse. Later, having spoken to a receptionist we were told another pitch was available up and until the last evening when we would have to vacate - this was totally acceptable to us but not it seems to the owners when they learned that one of their employees had attempted to use a modicum of common sense and compassion. I had by this stage moved the caravan and started unpacking the awning and all the gear. The owners appeared and asked us to move the van - I declined this offer. We were then offered a (much smaller) riverside pitch that had miraculously become available as well as first choice of any pitch we wished to book for next year! This came as somewhat of a surprise as we had previously been told that guaranteeing a particular pitch was impossible. So, I declined this offer on the basis that my wife informed me that it would be a cold day in hell if we ever came back to Les Ranchisses.
The next day there were tantrums and ultimatums on the part of Mr and Mrs Ranchisses. At one point Mr Ranchisse threatened to tow the van off the pitch and his lovely wife stated that "You do not understand - you are only here for two weeks - this is just your holiday, we have to live here!". I suppose with attitudes like this who needs customer service? Just when things seemed to be calming down we were confronted by a camera wielding Mrs Ranchisses intent on taking photos of me and the family. The purpose? So she could inform all her staff to refuse to serve us. Thankfully all the staff ignored her request. So......a bientot? Non.
BigJimB
Reviewed on 07/11/2017 08:44
