Problems With Dealer

[Sheila]

Hubby and I are not big complainers and like a quiet life but are getting a bit fed up. We bought a new 2008 Challenger 540 from a dealer in Darlington which we took possession of in July last year. The first problem came to light shortly afterwards being water leaking in through the underbed locker, noticed through wet carpet!!!! Because we were sited till October near Kendal and did not want to be going backwards and forwards to dealer hubby stuck mastic around it which did not work, so we put a towel (regularly replaced cos it was a very rainy season) inside the locker which stopped the water leaking all over the van. The tap in the vanity basin also leaked - so we put kitchen roll round it.

 

As we had booked a seasonal pitch in Carnforth for the season this year and we live in Bradford we decided to book an early service at the end of February at the York branch of the dealer and then take the caravan straight from there to site. We told them about the leaky locker and leaky tap and some missing screw covers. When we went to collect it a week later we were told the tap did not leak (it still does) and they had ordered a new locker door and screw covers and would let us know when they arrived. When we got to site and looked at the service report the damp report showed three little xxx in the middle of the middle front window with an annotation of water ingress which no-one told us about when we collected and paid for the service. At this time we noticed the bird wing mark on the front middle window which we now know from here is a manufacturing fault.

 

As none of these problems stopped us enjoying our weekends away we carried on waiting but still heard nothing from the dealer. Then on Good Friday the battery charger failed. We rang the original dealer in Darlington to be basically told there was nothing they could do. As we had a spare battery and a Halfords charger which maintains charge we did a 120 mile round trip journey back home to collect these and have been using the Halford charger ever since. Also since the battery charger failed the fridge has frozen food even at the lowest setting, I now keep turning it off for periods to prevent this. We also have the hartal door problem where the lever does not return to the neutral position and has to be manually put back there in order to close the door after opening it!

 

Anyway after returning home from the Easter break hubby kept trying to get hold of the service dept at York to find out about the locker door and to inform them of the other warranty issues (battery charger, front middle window, hartal door, freezing fridge, leaking tap), despite ringing several times but not being able to speak to anyone from service and being told someone would ring him back it took two weeks before he got through to anyone. When he eventually spoke to someone from service and informed them of the other issues as well as asking about the progress on the original problems, he was told they would get back to him. That was three weeks ago and still nothing has happened and no one has got back to us.

 

We are nothing if not patient and as we can live with all of the problems with the exception of the fridge and would really like everything repairing at the same time to avoid having to take the van backwards and forwards from the seasonal pitch (which we decided on to make the most use of the van) to the dealer involving both time and expense in diesel we have perhaps not been quite as forthright with the dealer as we should have been. However, it is now getting on for three months and we are no further forward and we are worried that if things aren't sorted out soon the fridge will be out of its warranty and, as hubby is now out of work, we can do without having to pay for something which failed within 8 months of delivery and use of only a few weekends over 3 months.

 

I hate moaning but as stated at the beginning of this rant I'm getting really rather fed up.

[Steven]

Hi Sheila,

 

Swift are very pro-active on the forum, I am sure someone from the Swift factory will pick this up for you.

 

GPS

[SwiftGroup]

Sheila

I am sorry to hear about the problems you are having.

 

If you want us to get involved please email me at aspacey@swiftleisure. co. uk with your details and your van details and we will try and help to get these sorted,

 

Thanks

Andy

[Steven]

Sheila

I am sorry to hear about the problems you are having.

 

If you want us to get involved please email me at aspacey@swiftleisure. co. uk with your details and your van details and we will try and help to get these sorted,

 

Thanks

Andy

What can I say, as if by magic

 

thanks Andy

 

GPS

[Sheila]

Thanks for the quick response, I'll email details.

 

Sheila

[Hobbynut]

Well we all know who the dealer is and thats about right. .Andy at Swift knows my feelings about these people and has bent over backwards to help and has succeeded. .Funny you should mention about the battery charger and the dealer could do nothing on Easter Friday, well I make no excuse for bumping my gums again about being contacted by phone on Easter Sunday by Swifts Technical Director, Andy Spacey. .If anyone is sick of hearing about this, unlucky, as it is bound to crop up again and again and again. .We shall definitely get some mileage out of this one, it's even been commented on in the Bailey section on here. .Don't get disheartened as I see help has already arrived for you

Cheers

Hobbynut

Edited May 15, 2009 by Hobbynut

[ian dunning]

Hi,

I'll ask the question once again. ....When are Dealers going to realise that without customers they will be ex dealers and stop treating us with contempt, as though we are just nuisances to be tolerated?

As Hobbynut says we all know who the Dealer is and there appears to be a lot of inconsistency when dealing with their various branches. I have had nothing but good service from their Darlington branch though I'm sure there are people who have complaints,

Regards,

Ian.

[Hobbynut]

The whole thing is beyond a joke. .Why is it happening at all, I just don't understand it. .The dealers are getting the manufacturers a bad name when in actual fact it isn't the manufacturers fault. We all keep discussing problems on here but we are only a SMALL handful of people. .We are the lucky ones as Swift keep helping us. .What about all the other owners throughout the country that are getting a bad deal and are left to slog it with dealer by themselves because they don't come on here. .There must be more of " them " than there are of " us ". So I believe that the industry is in total chaos but nobody has quite realised yet just how bad it is. ..If I win the lottery this week I will open up a dealership the likes of which nobdy will have seen before and offering a service that you could only dream of. .And I am not joking. .There is a fortune to be made out there if only somebody had the forsight to see it and the capital to carry it out

Cheers

Hobbynut

[MFP]

The whole thing is beyond a joke. .Why is it happening at all, I just don't understand it. .The dealers are getting the manufacturers a bad name when in actual fact it isn't the manufacturers fault. We all keep discussing problems on here but we are only a SMALL handful of people. .We are the lucky ones as Swift keep helping us. .What about all the other owners throughout the country that are getting a bad deal and are left to slog it with dealer by themselves because they don't come on here. .There must be more of " them " than there are of " us ". So I believe that the industry is in total chaos but nobody has quite realised yet just how bad it is. ..If I win the lottery this week I will open up a dealership the likes of which nobdy will have seen before and offering a service that you could only dream of. .And I am not joking. .There is a fortune to be made out there if only somebody had the forsight to see it and the capital to carry it out

Cheers

Hobbynut

 

I totally agree with you Hobbynut. I'm in sales and I spend a lot of time keeping my accounts happy (non selling). Although the office is only open during the week, my work phone stays on all week and if I can help on a weekend with some information I will call them. I just don't understand some peoples business ethics.

 

How about a Caravan Talk awards for those dealers who do make the effort and perhaps some for those who do not!

 

We have been very happy with our dealer for the secondhand van we purchased exactly a year ago today. We would have gone to them with no hesitation for our new van, even if they had been a little more expensive but unfortunately they don't sell the van we want. We will now make a 125 mile round trip to our new dealer because, as far as we can tell, they offer excellent service.

[SuperMike]

The whole thing is beyond a joke. .Why is it happening at all, I just don't understand it. .The dealers are getting the manufacturers a bad name when in actual fact it isn't the manufacturers fault. We all keep discussing problems on here but we are only a SMALL handful of people. .We are the lucky ones as Swift keep helping us. .What about all the other owners throughout the country that are getting a bad deal and are left to slog it with dealer by themselves because they don't come on here. .There must be more of " them " than there are of " us ". So I believe that the industry is in total chaos but nobody has quite realised yet just how bad it is. ..If I win the lottery this week I will open up a dealership the likes of which nobdy will have seen before and offering a service that you could only dream of. .And I am not joking. .There is a fortune to be made out there if only somebody had the forsight to see it and the capital to carry it out

Cheers

Hobbynut

 

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Excellent Post ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

 

Toooooooooooooo late Hobby nut, our Dealer is fantastic. SuperMikes SuperConqueror is now 3 years old and has had one problem that the dealer sorted quickly and efficiently. They van is serviced on the day booked, in at 8am and collected in the same afternoon. They are polite and helpful on the phone. This is the third van purchased from them and when the time comes we will buy again.

[ian dunning]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Excellent Post ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

 

Toooooooooooooo late Hobby nut, our Dealer is fantastic. SuperMikes SuperConqueror is now 3 years old and has had one problem that the dealer sorted quickly and efficiently. They van is serviced on the day booked, in at 8am and collected in the same afternoon. They are polite and helpful on the phone. This is the third van purchased from them and when the time comes we will buy again.

 

Hi mike,

Why not name them? We should be telling everybody about the good dealers, actually the bad ones as well so long as the truth is told,

Regards,

Ian.

[SuperMike]

Hi mike,

Why not name them? We should be telling everybody about the good dealers, actually the bad ones as well so long as the truth is told,

Regards,

Ian.

 

Ok . ................................. Luton Caravans

[Hobbynut]

The one I dealt with couldn't tell the difference between a water pump that worked and one that didn't. .Swift sent an engineer from the factory to sort it out. .Bet the dealer is that daft they are expecting me to take there for it's first service. .How wrong could they be. .They won't be seeing me again ever !!!!..Service like that I can do without

Cheers

Hobbynut

[Guest Taid]

The whole thing is beyond a joke. .Why is it happening at all, I just don't understand it. .The dealers are getting the manufacturers a bad name when in actual fact it isn't the manufacturers fault.

 

 

Can't totally agree . . if the manufacturers did their job properly, the dealers wouldn't be left to pick up the pieces . .

[lexuscol]

The one I dealt with couldn't tell the difference between a water pump that worked and one that didn't. .Swift sent an engineer from the factory to sort it out. .Bet the dealer is that daft they are expecting me to take there for it's first service. .How wrong could they be. .They won't be seeing me again ever !!!!..Service like that I can do without

Cheers

Hobbynut

 

 

Wasn't Discover at York by any chance???

Regards

Col

[Hobbynut]

So Lexuscol, you have telepathic powers and they work well

Cheers

Hobbynut

[Hobbynut]

I take the point made by Taid maybe tightening up quality control at the factory may be the answer but of course the dealers are not putting things right free of charge, they are getting paid for what they do so shouldn't they be keen to earn money and react quickly. . I don't mind having a few problems as long as somebody will fix them for me not give me the runaround for weeks on end

Cheers

Hobbynut

[scotsman25]

'Bout time these Dealers were named and shamed!

is there a 'code' on the forums preventing doing so? i. e potential litigation?

It is surely a forum for people to voice their opinions and experiences. Here to help each other ?

[spawn of the devil]

of course the dealers are not putting things right free of charge, they are getting paid for what they do

 

Unfortunately not always true.

 

Regards

 

David

[Sheila]

Just to update. Thanks to the intervention of Swift, Thetford are posting to our site the required part and step by step instructions on fitting to repair the fridge, so with a bit of luck that should be working properly, hopefully, in time for our holiday Spring Bank holiday week.

[Sheila]

Thanks to Andy and Carol at Swift and Paul at Thetford, the part was awaiting us when we arrived at site, it took literally seconds to fit and fridge is now working perfectly.

 

Just the other liveable with but necessary stuff to be sorted now.

Edited June 10, 2009 by Sheila

[scoobybug]

hi all

we have just brought a 1998 swift accord 520 from ebay. but i rang the guy to ask about the caravan and we struck up a deal so he removed it from ebay. i went down to south wales last saturday and collected the van as i was over the moon with it, but i did notice a little damp around the sink and ask the chap about this but he said it was only a bit and that was reflected in the price.

anyway i was happy and on my way with the new caravan of my dreams. ..... so i thought!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

when i finally got home after a full day of driving, i tucked her away for the night, in the morning i went into our new caravan to start cleaning it as we all do with our new toys lol once we started cleaning my wife smelt the dreaded smell of damp which due to my bad sense of smell i didn't.

to cut a long story short we started to pull out draws and removing seat cushions and the awning that was left for us we found the whole side of the caravan was soaking wet!!!!!

after ringing the chap back and informing him of this he told us i had seen the damp and it was sold as seen ( which i have been told means nothing!!!!! by trading standards)

This guy actually said he was selling it for a friend that had relocated to jersey but after asking for a contact number i was abruptly refused this information. after digging around on ebay i found out this guy actually is a dealer of demountable campers and at a guess this is a trade in he got stuck with until the mug turned up( being me) and was all excited at getting a new caravan and didn't totally inspect it properly, to my cost!!!!!

we have actually asked for a refund which was refused, so now it looks like i'm stuck with a rather large soppy wet caravan, which we may call soaky swift lol.

we have a few options,

• ONE . ..... scrap
  
• TWO . .....strip and sell.
  
• THREE. ...Repair, and ive been told this job is not for the faint hearted by the engineer that inspected it.
  

Not sure how this will end because all i wanted is a caravan i could use for the next ten years happily with my wife and two boys, but looks like the money i borrowed of my mother was wasted and my summer holiday has now looking like it's cancelled because i will be doing one of the above with my soaky swift.

 

any help on this matter would be helpful and much appreciated.

best regards

Phil and nicki and scooby and bug( thats the boys nicknames lol)

[Sheila]

If the guy who sold it to you is a dealer you could have some recourse, particularly as he was fraudulently posing as a private seller. Try trading standards or citizen's advice bureau, you never know you could get your money back. Good luck