Doncaster Halloween scare park hits back over queue complaint

Bosses at a Doncaster scare park have hit back after being blasted in a complaint about queues, with one guest claiming they were forced to miss many attractions during their visit.

Doncaster Fear Factory guest Shaun Chambers said the visit had left his party “feeling disappointed, frustrated and out of pocket for an experience we were unable to enjoy fully,” blaming excessive queues and waitig times at the Thornhurst Manor based attraction.

In an email to bosses he wrote: “Unfortunately, what should have been an enjoyable and exciting experience turned into a very disappointing evening due to excessive waiting times, overcrowding and our inability to experience the attractions we had paid for.

“We arrived 30 minutes before our allocated time slot, despite being advised to arrive just 15 minutes early.

“Even with this extra time, we were left queuing for over an hour just to get through the entrance gate.

“Once inside, we headed to the first maze, only to face another wait of over an hour.

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“Staff then informed us that the second maze had a waiting time of approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.

“When we raised our concerns about the situation, we were effectively told that if we did not like it, we should purchase Fast Track tickets.

“As we had travelled as a group of five and wanted to experience as much of the event as possible, we felt we had little choice but to purchase Fast Track for one maze simply to have a reasonable chance of enjoying some of what we had paid for.

“Despite this additional expense, we were subsequently turned away from the remaining three mazes due to the excessive waiting times.

“I paid £69 for three tickets at £23 each, while the other two members of our group paid £46 for their two tickets, bringing the total admission cost to £115.

“I appreciate that popular events can be busy, but the level of waiting times and the fact that we were unable to access three of the five mazes raise serious questions about the organisation, ticket sales and management of the event.”

Fear Factory managing director Laurie Murray responded: “We are disappointed to hear that these guests felt their experience did not meet their expectations.

“Unfortunately, the evening in question was significantly affected by a broken-down vehicle on the surrounding road network, which caused considerable traffic congestion and delays for guests travelling to the event.

“This disruption resulted in visitors arriving outside their allocated time slots, creating unexpected peaks in demand at admissions and subsequently across our attractions.

“We would like to clarify that the event was not oversold. Our ticket allocations are carefully managed, and the delays experienced were largely a result of the disruption to guest arrivals caused by circumstances outside our control.

“We would also like to make it clear that no guests were turned away from our mazes due to waiting times. Our operational team continued to manage queues throughout the evening to ensure guests could experience the attractions.

“Fast Track is an entirely optional upgrade, and no guest is required to purchase it to enjoy our attractions. We would be disappointed if any member of our team suggested otherwise, and this is something we would be happy to investigate.

“Doncaster Fear Factory involves hundreds of cast and crew, and we invest significantly each year in our attractions, sets, costumes, performers and infrastructure to deliver a high-quality experience for our visitors.

“While queue times naturally fluctuate throughout the evening, we fully appreciate that extended waiting times can be frustrating. We are sorry that the disruption impacted these guests’ experience.

“We take customer feedback seriously and will continue to review our operations to ensure the best possible experience for everyone attending.”