There is simply no pleasing some people.
Dundee’s top attractions have been subjected to some baffling criticism on TripAdvisor, where visitors have bemoaned everything from a lack of free wi-fi at the polar exploration ship RRS Discovery to a dearth of snacks at the city’s homage to its jute heritage.
Barnhill Rock Garden even got it in the neck for being “just a garden”.
A visitor from Aberdeenshire left a bizarre review of Discovery Point this month in which she suggested it was not worth going to because you can look at pictures on the internet and read books about it for free instead.
Pleading with people not to waste their money, she even posted pictures of the ship, which carried Captain Scott and Ernest Shackleton on their 1901 expedition to Antarctica, so others could be spared the £9 adult entry charge.
She said: “The exhibition at the start is very informative, and interesting, but nothing you couldn’t learn by reading books or doing online searches.”
She also complained of a lack of free wi-fi in the cafe.
A reviewer of Verdant Works, the jute museum which charts how the industry became woven into Dundee life and the impact of its decline, may also have missed the point when dedicating his review almost entirely to the lack of suitable snacks for him and his son.
He said: “We went there at 15.45 with the notion of having a snack. The menu was painfully inadequate. Soup and toasties were the only warm fare that was on offer.”
Barnhill Rock Garden impressed Britain in Bloom judges this week when they crowned Dundee the best in the land but one Dundee reviewer was not so taken with it.
Giving the attraction two out of five stars, she said: “It is genuinely just a garden. I had high expectations and in all honestly it is just a garden. Not for me and was disappointed.”
Mark Munsie, operations director at Dundee Heritage Trust, said while you could simply look at pictures of the Discovery it does not compare with the experience of setting foot onboard and getting the waft of the Stockholm tar from the rigging.
He said: “There are some people who do have views which might be considered strange or bizarre. I think some people like to swim against the tide, but it’s important that we do not dismiss them just because they come from a different viewpoint.”
A spokesman for Dundee One City, Many Discoveries campaign said: “Dundee enjoys a high percentage of positive reviews on the TripAdvisor site for things to do in the city, which is great to see.
“We encourage our businesses and attractions to respond quickly and positively to online questions and comments on sites such as TripAdvisor, as we recognise how important social media is for visitors seeking out new experiences in and around the city.”