So don't take our word for it, see what thousands of our customers are saying about us!
For all the reasons given in the following section
05 Jun 2024
Our boat was just right for us - two adults with two dogs. We have everything we needed. The boat is clearly well cared for, it was wa salso very clean and we had everything we needed. As first timer's it was the right length for us to get used to controlling a narrow boat.
05 Jun 2024
The Boat was clean and ready to go. The only thing I would do differently is hire a slightly bigger boat
05 Jun 2024
Great trip, boat and staff.
05 Jun 2024
From arrival to departure we had a great experience. The boat yard staff were extremely friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. The boat was very clean and well equipped. We had a lovely few days cruising. Thank you!
05 Jun 2024
Every thing was simplistic, that coupled with helpful, freindly staff. Perfect
05 Jun 2024
Great service from ABC and hand over was very efficient. Barge was well equipped and very clean.
05 Jun 2024
We enjoyed every aspect of our holiday from the booking through to the end. ABC Boat Hire website was easy to navigate, accurate in its descriptions and information and all booking information was relevant and helpful. Talking with staff on the phone was always helpful and staff were always polite. Collecting our boat was equally wonderful. There was a warm welcome from the moment we stepped into the marina office. The boat was VERY clean and everything had be carefully checked before we got onboard. All the guidance regading safety and handling of the boat was shared clearly and carefully and we felt we had all we needed to know to have a safe and enjoyable holiday. Having phone numbers to call for assistance, if needed, was also much appreciated. On the one occasion we did call our question was answered clearly and helped us enormously. Returning our boat was equally enjoyable because of the way the staff comminicated with us. We found every member of staff to be exceptional in their care and willingness to ensure we had a great holiday and experience of a boating holiday. This was our first canal boat holiday and we thoroughly enjoyed every single minute. We are hooked! And we consider ourselves to be people who will be returning regularly to ABC Boat Hire. Thank you to everyone at ABC, you really are exceptional and you made our much needed holiday extra special.
05 Jun 2024
Local staff fabulous ABC staff not so!
05 Jun 2024
Thankyou for your feedback. I have forwarded your comments onto our Customer Service department and they will be in touch shortly.
07 Jun 2024
Thank you for your feedback regarding your Canal Boat hire out of Falkirk Marina. We advertise Edinburgh to Glasgow within a 7-night break on our website and all of our customers travelling for 7 nights complete this route. We would always advise you to travel to Edinburgh first as the Marina would check our guests into the Falkirk Wheel as this runs at specific times of the day. The locks on the Scottish canals are also manned during your day hours. In relation to the points raised above, we have completed a full investigation and have addressed all boat operational issues through our complaint process directly with yourself. Our customer service department discussed all issues you raised with the Marina Manager and Director. You have mentioned that the boat only reached a speed of 3.4mph, the legal limit on the canals is 4mph, this doesn’t mean our boats travel at this speed. Regarding your refund, due to Government Fraud Legislation any payments or refunds must be returned to the original card, this was dealt with by our Booking Office Manager she explained that if the original card was now inactive you would receive a cheque from the Card Company for the amount, this was confirmed by our Accounts Team as the correct process for a refund in these circumstances. Our offer to resolve the complaint was received well by yourself and you thanked our Customer Service Coordinator for how the complaint was dealt with.
12 Jun 2024
First of all if your are booking 7nts Edinburgh & Glasgow - there is no way you can do this even with the recommended sailing times, adhering to the rules of the water way that’s if you want to leave the boat & sight see! Even the Scottish canal staff say so. The Scottish canal staff at Falkirk are fantastic and couldn’t do enough to help. This review in no way reflects them. We had a great time at the Falkirk Wheel, Linlithgow and Harrison park Edinburgh. HOWEVER As all year around motorhomers for at least 15 years we rarely plug in & know how to shower efficiently to conserve water & power etc. On arrival at Falkirk we were advised that our boat the desert lark had broken down & the engineer had had to go to a&e, we were sorry to hear of this & didn’t make a fuss. However the technicians were trying to fix it. We were allowed to board with our luggage including fridge items. The only items that were working were the toilets and the gas cooker. One of the other passengers is an engineer in the RAF & my husband a qualified electrician so they were talking to the technician but he was unable to locate the problem. In the morning thankfully the engineer was better & returned to fix the boat we sailed 24 hours later. We were advised by the local staff to choose which city to visit - we chose Edinburgh. The leisure batteries on our boat were clearly faulty as even after 7 hours sailing they did not hold their charge & keep the fridge cold never mind charge the phones etc. Bear in mind it’s mid May, light nights & there was a heatwave bar one day. They were failing after 8 hours never mind 2 days! We were also having to shower when the engine was running. In addition to this the mattresses are appalling, you can feel every spring, you can hear every movement & the bed sheets / protector do not fit / elastic gone. They are certainly not memory foam as claimed! Two passengers have severe back issues & none of us got a full nights sleep the whole holiday. On the final night returning to Falkirk we handed the keys back early as we needed a full nights sleep before departing for a 5 hour drive home. Once again the staff in Falkirk were brilliant & even refunded the fuel without request. In Heindsight we should have called them to get them fixed but did we want to be waiting around & loosing more time? No! We made the best of it. The dessert lark though a little dated was internally well appointed & you wanted for nothing except a quiet comfy mattress. The cleanliness was superb. I might add that the dessert lark achieved 3.4mph top speed and not the 4mph as the speed limit is. Doesn’t sound much but makes a vast difference! This boat is not fit for purpose & all matters considered has ruined what should have been a relaxing enjoyable week. On writing to ABC on our return, they picked holes in our letter, insulted our intelligence which we corrected them on. We requested a substantial refund to which we were minimally satisfied with. We requested debit card refund as our credit card has been cloned on holiday - they said it had to be the card we paid on. When we re explained this we were advised we would only receive a cheque which we were happy with. A week later nothing. Only to find the refund on our credit card. So now to refund members of our party we will incur more charges! Had they have handled things better at head office this review would have been much different or wouldn’t exist. In summary - the local staff were brilliant. The boat in that state is not fit for purpose. ABC are overselling their itinerary’s. They have some serious customer service issues to address internally. You shouldn’t come back early from a weeks holiday needing another holiday! In fact we wish we just cancelled it there and then when we were told it had broken down. Choose another company to book your barge with!
05 Jun 2024
Thankyou for your feedback. I have forwarded your comments onto our Customer Service department and they will be in touch shortly.
07 Jun 2024
Thank you for your feedback regarding your Canal Boat hire out of Falkirk Marina. We advertise Edinburgh to Glasgow within a 7-night break on our website and all of our customers travelling for 7 nights complete this route. We would always advise you to travel to Edinburgh first as the Marina would check our guests into the Falkirk Wheel as this runs at specific times of the day. The locks on the Scottish canals are also manned during your day hours. In relation to the points raised above, we have completed a full investigation and have addressed all boat operational issues through our complaint process directly with yourself. Our customer service department discussed all issues you raised with the Marina Manager and Director. You have mentioned that the boat only reached a speed of 3.4mph, the legal limit on the canals is 4mph, this doesn’t mean our boats travel at this speed. Regarding your refund, due to Government Fraud Legislation any payments or refunds must be returned to the original card, this was dealt with by our Booking Office Manager she explained that if the original card was now inactive you would receive a cheque from the Card Company for the amount, this was confirmed by our Accounts Team as the correct process for a refund in these circumstances. Our offer to resolve the complaint was received well by yourself and you thanked our Customer Service Coordinator for how the complaint was dealt with.
12 Jun 2024
Nice comfortable boat and a beautiful canal to travel on.
04 Jun 2024
Nice comfortable clean boat, everything worked well. Very thorough handover.
04 Jun 2024
Although not ABC's fault and there is nothing they can do about it; the trip was curtailed due to problems with the maintenance of the canals by CRT. This was the fourth year we have tried to do the Cheshire ring. The alternative extended Four Counties ring was not possible due to the "planned" repairs at Tyrley Locks. Therefore it ended up as a trip to Birmingham and back along the Trent and Mersey.
04 Jun 2024
The holiday boat provided by ABC is fine. It was clean, well maintained and there were no major problems. The boat is a bit dated, the inverter was unable to hold a charge in the evening and tick over was set high leading to a annoying vibration. The inventory is good and the towels and bedding plentiful. We are aware of the minor kitchen issues as we use ABC regularly; so we brought things like a decent frying pan with us. The staff at Anderton are very good, they are professional, efficient and helpful.
04 Jun 2024
Very friendly staff, great boat, ready on time and lots of local knowledge and advice with routes and moorings. Very helpful and quick to communicate when necessary. Personal touches much appreciated especially anniversary celebration card! Also dealt with locks and strong stream advice on our behalf, for which we were very grateful.
03 Jun 2024
