Slocomo

Nina, For the sake of clarity the original (printed) fact sheet says "opening in the autumn of 2010"; later (in November 2010) the company wrote to those who had paid deposits with a letter headed "delay in opening till late February (2011)". At some point which is clearly shown earlier in this thread, all advertising and public statements were changed to show "Now fully open" - as they still do. At no point has there been any public admission that only limited facilities are available, conversely there has not been any further communication that I am aware of, to those who like me have paid a deposit - either to say it is open, or that opening has been delayed - just silence. My own history of contact with the site and owners is also as shown earlier. I cannot imagine that there are any circumstances in which the company is not in default of its obligations to its "customers"; my own conclusion has been wrongly or rightly, that pursuing my deposit would be to throw good money after bad.

Carl's pictures clearly show that not one thing has changed since I visited in August and was told the pontoons were coming in September - clearly I should have asked "which year?".

Thinking back, I should have smelt a rat when I was told that the "pontoons will be arriving in July / August / September" and that they will be "floated into place on three plastic barrels which will then be filled with water so that the pontoons sink slowly into place on the steel / pads already in place...". Only a lunatic would add the pontoons AFTER the marina was full of water. I should probably have realised that the money had already run out by then. Of the few people who have actually got money back, has anyone got their non-refundable deposit back? I can't see that there is any chance of this, and so expending effort or solicitors fees would seem to be just be pouring good money after bad. For those actually wanting to moor at this location, the best hope now is that, following inevitable bankruptcy, someone takes it over and finishes the job properly.

Unfortunately I am another of those who has paid my £400 deposit to Barby Moorings and do not now expect to see it again. We signed up at Crick in May 2010, at which time Barby was due to open in "Autumn 2010". We really liked the concept and what was being offered, as well as the location - and we still do, but it is increasingly clear that it is not going to happen under current ownership. As we live fairy nearby, we visited regularly but by July 2011 we were starting to hear the same stories but with dates extended every time "the pontoons are arriving in June / July / August etc". The problem with telling untruths is that they catch up on you. Finally, in early July we had seen that the website now said "Now Open" and so as we were cruising past, we moored up to take a look; we were amazed to find about a dozen boats all lashed together on the future, but as yet unsurfaced service dock; they were without electricity which was promised daily and had only a makeshift set of hoses to provide water. The marina was unfenced, there were no pontoons, no diesel, no pump-out, nor was there any sign of a start being made to foundations for the service building which would be essential to providing most of the services then and still now being advertised. We spoke to several of those moored there, and all were unhappy that they had been asked to pay full rate fees despite the lack of services; clearly they must have had reasons for wanting to be there, but I am afraid that in no circumstances could we have been persuaded to do so. We decided that we would now simply wait to be told that the marina had been completed before visiting again or contemplating moving - perhaps in the faint hope that the value from our deposit would eventually be delivered! What is clear is that almost nothing has changed in the last 3 months, and I share the concerns of all who have posted here that the continued advertising breaches both Trading & Advertising Standards. I will certainly now add my complaint to those of others by contacting those bodies, but I have no expectation whatever that we will now see our deposit again.