Stop the press !!! read the following facts …
1. NZ Laborities in Hamilton conduct monthly water checks – all report Negative for E.Coli – Q – Sunday News says SGS contracted to conduct the analysis, but who did the collection of water – possible contamination at time of collection is a possiblilty if it was not collected by a Scientist.
2. These Pools are ACC Poolsafe Accredited – Certificate in Shop/Office – expiry – Feb 2009
3. MANZ – have visited – has the reporter contacted them for their response.
We had a group function of 60 stay in all the accomodation in November – not one single complaint, about cleanliness of rooms, or linen, or service.
We then stayed in Motel 2, on another occasion, after this, (the same room referred to in the article). By chance a huhu bug flew in the door to our bedroom, it landed on the sheets that I had folded back, and disappeared under the sheets, I pulled back the covers, to retreved the bug, I stripped it enough for hubby and I to remake the bed, first hand I know the sheets, and the electric blanket had no stains on them. The photo showing stains on the electric blanket just happens to be of the same bed – funny this.
We have now moved a 25 foot caravan that sits above the complex, with a wide view.
I have just finished a 9 day stay in the caravan.
All I saw was a couple who, worked damn hard, from 6 in the morning till they returned home, at 11 at night.
The pools are open from 9am – 9.30pm 7 days. Mr Chood Singh, dosed pools, emptied bins, helped with hanging out washing – Sheets and towels, worked in the shop/office area, Mrs Amros Singh, is the pulse of the place, her team, always on the go, doing lawns, weedeating, gardening, sweeping up leaves, painting timber railings, the complex is old, she does her best to have it looking it’s best, with what she has to work with. As people book out from accomodation, the cleaning staff, go in and wip the sheets from the beds, replacing with clean, sheets, washed/vacum cleaned floors – I watched this happen.
Inside the swimming pool complex the undercovered eating area, the lidded green wheelie bins are emptied, they are relined with plastic liners. The area is hosed out, the toodlers pool emptied, the changing rooms, washed clean and hosed out, as they work around the complex to the spa pool areas the same sort of routine, removing rubbish from bins, cleaning, mops and buckets in hand, Amros is there cleaning and supervising her team.
Now to the photo’s in the Sunday Times:
1. The photo of the blue rubbish bins. Every commercial site needs to have a place to store rubbish – this storage area is no where near the swimming complex, it sits beside the complex’s workshop area, a flat area required for access for the rubbish removal truck. (look at the photo rubbish is in tied up bags) – and is on a platform above the ground.
2. Photo of child slide, with rubbish in the background, if you didn’t know differently, you would think that this is the childrens play area, it is not. The childrens play area is very well kept and secure, with swings and slides, with bark on the ground for safety.
3. The photo of the water – if I saw swimming water like this I would run a mile – this is where the bumper boats are, but don’t panic – obviously, they are not operating, and have not been for a while – when we booked our function, we requested the bumper boats be operating, (at the time of booking our function – this water was like this) at the time of our function it was perfectly fine, no one had any problems splashig each other.
I have been to Rainbow’s End and found the bumper boats operating – I suggest if bumper boats are what you are going to Waingaro for go over Christmas or School holidays.
4. The toenail – no one likes to come accross toenails – yuk – however in this case, only finding one, not the other nine would indicate to me, that the person cutting them, thought all had been collected, or this one has managed, some how to find its way to where the Reporter/Photographer found it. Some people cut their nails in the privacy of a bathroom, others outside, did the Reporter/Photographer bring it back inside with them maybe on their shoes, just maybe, it was one of their carried all the way from their homes to motel 2, attached to their clothing.
5. The stain on the electric blanket, I covered this above, yes their is a stain, when it got their, or how, this is on a double bed, it looks like urine to me, a stain of this size, for all those mothers out their that has had a child wet the bed, you don’t just make a bed, this electric blanket would be binned, in fear of an electrical short. My question to the reporter, why did you not bring this to the attention of the owners, when you were their on the 28th April, why only show a photo on the 11th May. I have seen the miles of sheets on the lines, and the accomodation cleaned, I doubt that pubic hair was found.
6. The photo of the sink. Take a good look at the cloth, now an indication of cleanliness is the cloth, this is a chucks cloth, one would expect a gubby cloth, to be sitting their, since the article is about hygiene and cleaning standards. A few things to note when, apart from the clean cloth, is the depth of the water, obviously, as this is a communical kitchen the last person, didn’t have many dishes, as their is not enough water in the sink, to do a load of dishes, and they were not very dirty, their is no bits in the water. Clearly a small amount of water is in the sink and a plastic bag, the person who last used this area, had rinsed out the chunks cloth, and wiped down the sink surrounds.
This could have happened at any time of the day – this room is cleaned daily, and on a needs be during the day.
A lot of people have written that this complex needs to be bulldozed – I would love to see nothing more, but lets get real, Mr and Mrs Singh are least holders, does anyone out their think that the Waikato Council are going to pull it down and rebuild it.
I bring to the attention of the visitors to the complex – the water is tested regualarly, any upgrades that have been done by the Singhs are their to see. New Canopy at the entrance, New Cabins, new wheelie green lidded bins, – soap dispensers in the toilets, with hand dry blowers, large TV screen to watch your sports from the pool.
Old is not necessarily dirty, I have not read one article that says, their was rotting smelling rubbish, or saying that around the pools is green slime, or the water smells of an odor, indicating old water, or cockrochers. Some have written in this feed back on this web site that have not visited in years, some not even in this country, reading only what was written in the Sunday News.
Their are ‘Guest Groans’ written in the Sunday News, second one – Van Lit – Taupo, This person stayed on the 28th April, in what is refered to as the ‘Flat’ – I have read, the reason why this customer has written such scathing information. The writer expected 5 people (3 Adults 2 children) is stay in fully functional accomodation for $42.00 (including entry to the pool). Copies of their emails confirming this have been forwarded to the Sunday News Reporter. The ‘Flat’ sleeps up to 10, it has a dining suite, full stove, full size fridge, near new microwave, beds are all made with fresh linen, clean and tidy. This writer, read what is written, then ask yourselves would you have stayed the night.
Now those of us who have meet the Singhs, Mr Singh is a quite gentlmen, Amros on the other hand, is full of life, loud and has a manner that could be taken as rudeness, she is very no nosense lady, she calls things as she see it, speaks her mind, ‘matron like’ – she and her husband are in a no nosense business, if she sees something happening, children jumping into the pool for example, do people expect her to stand their, whilst these children are focus on one thing, and may hurt themselves or someone else, to politely try and get their attention, or give them a blast on that loud speaker, which I have seen has immediate affect. She is loud, a soft spoken person, with not authority in their voice, how many children would listen, how long would someone like that last running a complex like this.
Finally am I a friend of the Singhs no I am a client who read an article, which set alarm bells ringing, myself and grandchildren use the pools, and toilets, I went directly to the Singhs who provided me with confirmation their water is E Coli free, according to NZ Lab, and have given me a copy of the ACC PoolSafe certificate –
The Waikato Times has written a response to the Sunday News article, down load it and read it.
A lot of business have signs that say, if you are happy with our business tell others, if you are not, tell us !!!
Finally, I won’t be moving my Caravan, or staying out of the pools, I look forward to parking up my vehicle, relaxing in an awsome attmosphere whether it be in the swimming complex or the adjoining Waingaro Hotel, where Lloyd and Mary, welcome visitors, to stay for a meal or ale, and enjoy the entertainment on a Saturday Night, out in the wopwop, no one knows you, sing to keroke, one weekend, or dance to a live band the next weekend in their garden bar. This Hotel also has accomodation, like the swimming complex if you don’t like old, don’t come, if you want clean, good old fashion hospitality, both couples Chood and Amros, Lloyd and Mary, make you feel welcome.
P>S – 4 years ago, I ended up in hospital extremely ill with Camphylobactor – food poison, can come from water or under cooked white meats – meats I am pretty fussy with, making sure they are well cooked, water I never thought twice about, now I check water out pretty carefully – and in a pool where getting water in your mouth is going to happen, I walked around inside the pool found the hot inlet water coming in, to hot to stand in front of, confident, clean water was coming in. I had already check the complex was on Bore water, from a young child, Bore water was always boiled, so I take my own, this is my choice, nothing to do with the complex.
I hope in this very long email, I have opened some peoples eyes.