Starline Narrowboats Reviews 

I had not seen the previous reviews as we booked this holiday via Waterways Holidays, and to be honest they would have scared me away somewhat.

However, I think it is fair to point out that our experience on Eastern Star was very different and very positive. I went there with my wife and 2 dogs and we had a really great week.

The boat was clean and roomy and had everything we needed. Whilst the check in was a bit long, it was thorough, as was the boat briefing. Not being experienced canal boaters I called with a couple of questions during the week and these were easily resolved and my questions were answered.

The only minor observation was that the boat would benefit from a paper map/canal guide to help customers. We ended up using the free OpenCanalMap app which was very good.

Would we recommend them? Yes we would. A great holiday on a boat that was entirely suited to our needs.

Great company . Very good customer service from start to finish. Excellent briefing support and assistance. The Eastern Star boat was first class and was well equipped. It was ultra reliable and easy to handle . It even had a TV . Heating and hot water first class .

We have had an issue with our boat and have tried various solutions. Eventually she ended up in Stourport. She was picked up from her home based for us. Terry and the team gave her a complete check and made various recommendations. We were consulted every step of the way. Now a year on, we still have a fully functioning, dry boat and are very please with the service. Terry and his team were very helpful, friendly and thorough.

We collected a narrow boat for a long weekend- then the problems started. The water only worked intermittently and eventually failed completely. We had been told there was a leak in a seal as we boarded but the pump wasn’t working. We arranged for an Engineer to fix it and he turned up with two different pumps. He hadn’t however brought all of the correct parts and had to ring for some electrical connectors to be brought to the boat. He then didn’t have all the necessary tools. 2 hours wasted. Then the 12V plugs didn’t work. It seemed he had turned a switch off in replacing the pump but then not turned it on again(which we didn’t know). Oh and the blinds were mouldy and there were cobwebs. We brought the boat back early. Our complaint was met with resistance and disbelief. I felt as though they were blaming us for the problems. If you do book, desperately hope nothing goes wrong as they won’t be efficient in fixing the problem or in offering a suitable redress.

Starline narrowboats are bad enough as it is for making profit from electric which is illegal, for their unsafe boats and Terry's money schemes and theft. But nothing compares to this. He charged me nearly £50 for a single CO alarm, he told me there wasn't one better. 2 months later, I'm fighting for my life due to carbon monoxide poisoning. One hour away from death. I went in to prewarn him and he threw my (luckily cold) coffee at me and slammed me in the door. Id only just got out of hospital. Please for your own safety and your life, STAY AWAY FROM THIS MAN! Just ask the locals, they'll all tell you the same about him.

Very bad experience don’t use this company it’s very bad everything

My mum enjoyed many a holiday meandering on the canals on a boat that she had designed and had built with her late husband. When he passed she did not want to go on anymore adventures on it without her soulmate.
My mum contacted Terry at Starline to ask him about selling the boat! “No problem he said I will get someone to pick it up and bring it to the dock in Stourport , the boat is in perfect condition I am sure we can sell it to someone who will look after it.”
A year later, the boat is still sat in their dock and he has now asked for the price to be dropped considerably if it is to sell.
Then a buyer wanted the boat at the reduced price, but then Terry asks for thousands of pounds in repairs to be deducted so that this buyer can get the boat, even though the boat was in perfect condition when he collected it!!
It caused my Mum a lot of distress and anxiety, as Terry and his wife would not answer the phone to her, or return her calls.
I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND STARLINE.

Hired Bright star for a day. Had an unforgettable brilliant fun day with my family over from Australia. Given great tuition before setting off and a few small bumps later we were ready for the day. Cruised from Stourport to Wolverley stopping off by the Lock pub for a boat picnic and a drink. Wonderful wonderful day. Plenty of room on the boat for the grandkids to enjoy, they enjoyed opening and closing the locks seeing the wildlife and learning a bit about the engineering history and wildlife. All staff very helpful and interested in giving us an absolutely great experience. Thanks to you all. Will definitely have a boating holiday in the future so much FUN

After watching the TV series Great Cannel Journeys we decided to book a mini break with Starline. This was our first experience narrow-boating and it did not disappoint. We cruised the river Severn and stopped in many places along the route on our 4 day trip. Although the boat
was a little dated it was perfect for what we needed and required and comfortably slept 6. Highly recommended for a budget friendly holiday and to support small local businesses.

I booked a family holiday while travelling in the UK from South Africa during December 2022 . Our trip was cancelled the night before our departure , the reason given was that the river was frozen . I then requested a refund and was told to look at Terms and conditions and I would see no refunds are no no matter what the reason is ! I was issued with a refund which I tried to explain was of no use as I dont live in the UK , "Carol"from Starline was my contact person and at this stage she stopped communicating with me ! So basically I was ripped off to the sum of 700 Pounds , this company has no ethics and should be barred from operating , do not go anywhere near them to avoid becoming the next victim !

AVOID: awful customer service and dishonest.

We had an ok weekend. Unfortunately the bedding was soaking wet when we got on as the door had been left open and staff advised us not to attach a rope to the boat which resulted in it being lost over board (and us charged)

My biggest issue was the company charged us for 2 other things. One was a blocked toilet (allegedly blocked by a face wipe). My husband works in the water industry and as a result we don't use wipes, I don't own any (even when our children were babies we used washable wipes) AND the toilet was definitely working when we left.

They also stated our dog had left too much hair (not particularly hairy or moulting dog) and we were charged extra cleansing despite the fact that we had alread paid the extra for taking the dog. I would not in anyway have said the dog or we left excessive mess.

Unfortunately the management have totally refuse to even return my call to discuss these issues.

I disputed these issues especially the toilet. The staff told me I needed to speak to a manager and they'd ring me back. The manager has never rung me back, despite daily calling from me. I've been told he has emailed me (no email arrived including checking junk-recieved emails prior to trip), his tech wasn't working (I suggested a phone call should occur) and that he's working away for 2 weeks with noone covering. (This inconsistent answers make it appear to be untrue). It has become blatantly obvious that the manager simply does not want to address the issue or discuss it. I feel this is probably a regular occurrence (people being unfairly charged on their deposit) and this is his standard way of dealing with it (ignoring the customer).

There are other better companies out there, that value customers. If however you end up with these guys,insist on the boat inspection occuring in your presence, rather than after you leave (as they want) as you will be charged inappropriately and there will be no discussion.

I've warned the company that as I've contacted them everyday for a week I will tak other actions. The first is reviews and I will continue to pursue the issue.

Truly disgusted . AVOID

The boat was dirty.
The route has an enormous amount of industry and is unattractive.
The canals gave not been dredged and the boat got stuck on the mud on several occasions, we have never had this problem before.
I am surprised by the charge for fuel, I took a photo of the petrol gauge and cannot see how we were charged as much as we were. I have seen similar feedback before.
We complained that the boat was dirty and the TV didn’t work and it took a number of calls to get a response. On one occasions Carol deliberately cut me off.
When we did eventually get a (unsatisfactory) response we were sent a copy of County Homecare’s insurance documents that included current and projected turnover! When I asked Terry what I should do with this he ignored my email.
We were offered a 22.5% discount off of our next booking, we won’t be using it, even if the discount was 100%
USE THIS COMPANY AT YOUR PERIL!!

Booked a week this month for the river Severn due to it having manned locks. I emailed to confirm this with Starline as was told that was the case. We are not novices with boats, but struggle with locks due to age. When we arrived the service was poor. The boat was tatty and dirty on the outside and grubby inside, later finding the bathroom was mouldy. The shower head did not stay in place. The water hose was filthy and kinked. The ropes were too short, one having a dangerous knot which we could not undo. The clock didn't work.
Once aboard we were faced with an unmanned lock ladder! We were given some help on the way down. We had a great cruise the river is lovely but decided to come home a day early. I phoned the company to say we would be returning the boat on Saturday not Monday morning and could they arrange for some help to come back through the lock ladder. I was told they did not work at the weekends. I worried about this the whole day which spoilt the journey. Luckily we got some help from another boat owner. When we got back there was someone in the office who could easily have helped us.
This is the worst company we have hired a boat from. Be warned!

So here we go with this one........we hired Kentish Star for 11 nights over Xmas / New year 19/20. First thoughts where great, staff where great they did call me 2 weeks prior to say I food arrive at 09:00 to leave early, which was great for us. After loading up and the mandatory this is what to do at a lock......we left, now we are regular cruisers so we’re not novices. We crushed on most of the day mooring up around 15:00 near Kidderminster, following morning I completed usual engine checks etc etc, along with the fuel level, now the gauge stated under 3/4 of a tank, so I dipped it, the gauge was accurate. I mentioned to my wife either we’ve used over 1/4 of a tank coming from Stourport on Severn to Kidderminster or the tank was not full when we left, we both surmised the latter. Anyway we didn’t worry to much about this and went on our way. Basically we where heading for Bourneville, ye the chocolate factory. On this journey the diesel heating Device stopped working twice, again we didn’t worry to much about this and didn’t want to cause a fuss, as you do. We eventually arrived at Bourneville on the 27th December, when the heating packed up completely. I called the office and explained the issue, to be advised that it was the batteries not being charged enough.... I thought this weird especially after cruising more than 4 hours each day, but we listened. After 2/3 more nights without heating I called again to this now was New Year’s Eve, this was when I checked the fuel level again, which read under half. I told them we’re not happy and heading back to the base and leaving the boat early. I received a call about 2 hours later to be advised that the on call mechanic was going to meet us at a pre arranged town. We met up and the heater was exchanged and wet hey we had heating....I mentioned the fuel level to the mechanic to be advised to pay any attention to the gauge. Any how we did infect arrive back at the base 1 1/2 dates early, wed had enough. I then checked the gauge which now read under 1/4. We thought nothing of it. Mid January i received a the invoice from Starline for the excess fuel used, this was for £141.21, not forgetting we had already paid a £75 fuel deposit. After sending a detailed email of the complete issues we had with no heating and the fuel tank not being full when we left, they didn’t budge on the excess fuel charge and simply stated the T&C’s. I thought well **** you lot.....up to the time of receiving the invoice we where going to book another holiday with them but on their newer boat. This is the first time we’ve ever been charged excess fuel, and we’ve used many different companies. SO people please be aware Of this shower of **** company, and please if you are using CHECK the fuel level.

i had a great time. They gave a great tour ,had great customer service and i loved the boat. The boat was easy to run. The dock crew definitely knew what they where talking about gave me a lovely direction's mean i got some lovely views while boating. was a shame i had to return it had a great time great crew and great boat. will happily come again.
toby the manager was lovely had a good laugh and looked like he loved these boats like they were his own children.

Great comms when I wanted to book.

Poor comms when it come to me questioning why they were charging / quoting me more via email than that of the price set on the website. Following on from that, I then asked for the 15% discount to be applied of which was advertised on another part of the website, they failed to answer, I chased them again and still, no response.

Ended up going with a competitor, I should have read the reviews first. Glad that I didn't spend my money with them.