Back in October I posted about a problem with the alloy wheels on our 2 year old caravan,the dealer claimed that they were not covered under warranty after first year and offered to exchange them at a cost. I am pleased to say we have now resolved the problem and in the hope that our experience may be of use to other forum users I am detailing our experience. In November we wrote to the MD of the supplying dealer pointing out that our contract was with them and that we thought it reasonable for the finish on the alloy wheels to last longer than 2 years,we asked that the dealer replace the wheels.We heard nothing from them, not even an aknowledgement of our letter.
We sent a copy of our letter to the Finance Company,and 2 days later we were contacted by them and given the name of our 'personal complaint handler' who told us that they were jointly liable with the dealer and that they were keen to ensure that our complaint was fairly handled.From then on they contacted the dealer and our personal complaint handler contacted us each week to update us on progress.
As Christmas came and went we were contacted by our complaint handler who told us the dealer had agreed to replace the wheels and tyres, and gave us the choice of taking the van back to the dealer, or the dealer sending the wheels to us to arrange fitment, we opted for the latter. The complaint handler then offered us some monetary compensation together with an extra £10 to cover the loss of use of the caravan for the day the wheels were being changed over.We accepted their offer and the money was paid into our bank account within 3 days.The dealer then contacted us and told us the wheels had been ordered and would take about 3 weeks to arrive,and the next thing was a telephone call to say the wheels would be deilivered and could we let them know when the old ones could be collected. All good so far and the wheels did arrive complete with new tyres. The next issue was changing over the Tyron Bands, and a call to Kwik Fit mobile soon had the van booked in for changeover on our drive,this was done, and the cost reimbursed to us by the Finance Company. The next day the dealer collected the old wheels and tyres from us.The Finance Company acted in our interest throughout, and accepted their liability from the start,the dealer eventually came up with the goods,but we have a feeling that without the pressure from the Finance Company we may have struggled to reach a conclusion that would satisfy us so easily. When buying new caravans we have normally financed 25% of the cost to give us protection, and this is the first time we have felt the benefit.Hopefully some other forum users may find this tale useful when attempting to rectify faults with their caravans.
We sent a copy of our letter to the Finance Company,and 2 days later we were contacted by them and given the name of our 'personal complaint handler' who told us that they were jointly liable with the dealer and that they were keen to ensure that our complaint was fairly handled.From then on they contacted the dealer and our personal complaint handler contacted us each week to update us on progress.
As Christmas came and went we were contacted by our complaint handler who told us the dealer had agreed to replace the wheels and tyres, and gave us the choice of taking the van back to the dealer, or the dealer sending the wheels to us to arrange fitment, we opted for the latter. The complaint handler then offered us some monetary compensation together with an extra £10 to cover the loss of use of the caravan for the day the wheels were being changed over.We accepted their offer and the money was paid into our bank account within 3 days.The dealer then contacted us and told us the wheels had been ordered and would take about 3 weeks to arrive,and the next thing was a telephone call to say the wheels would be deilivered and could we let them know when the old ones could be collected. All good so far and the wheels did arrive complete with new tyres. The next issue was changing over the Tyron Bands, and a call to Kwik Fit mobile soon had the van booked in for changeover on our drive,this was done, and the cost reimbursed to us by the Finance Company. The next day the dealer collected the old wheels and tyres from us.The Finance Company acted in our interest throughout, and accepted their liability from the start,the dealer eventually came up with the goods,but we have a feeling that without the pressure from the Finance Company we may have struggled to reach a conclusion that would satisfy us so easily. When buying new caravans we have normally financed 25% of the cost to give us protection, and this is the first time we have felt the benefit.Hopefully some other forum users may find this tale useful when attempting to rectify faults with their caravans.
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