Dealer Cravans/Explorer Group

[Nigel_374245463]

This basically is a notice to ALL you potential customers intending to purchase a Caravan in the near Future

First- BEWARE of purchasing from the NEC, as you do not know who you are purchasing the caravan from.

We were caught completely when we purchased an Elddis Crusader Aurora, from the Elddis stand.

Not knowing that we were actually purchasing it from Dealer Caravans of Manchester.

When we finally received it in the July 06, we had to drive from South Wales to Manchester, that was one hell of a journey.

On receiving the caravan we found damage to the front gas cover and informed them. They stated it would be fixed on the first service???????

On our first outing,we found a number(a lot) of problems, it was in the hottest week of the year.

We attempted to contact Dealer on a number of occasions,to remedy/ seek advice, but they never replied to any of my telephone calls or letters even though one was recorded.(It was a lot)

Explorer was just as unhelpful, and redirected me to a local dealer who would not touch it, and advised me to return to Dealer, due to the number and type of faults.

After further enquiries Dealer finally spoke to me in September 06, to arrange for it to be taken up, which was finally accomplished on the 6th December 2006.

We had to stay overnight, which they never paid for, but previously volunteered money for petrol, however when we asked for the money, conditions arose.

On returning home I found the caravan covered in white residue from the body repair, and they had fitted an old/new gas cover to the front, but had not re-fitted the hydraulic? struts.(STANDARD)

I attempted to re-contact Dealer from the 16th December on numerous occasions to inform them. But to this day March 07, they still will not talk to me.(verbally or written)

I have attempted to involve Explorer in this dispute stating that I only want my original equipment replaced as was sold to me , but they continually became frustratingly evasive , never giving a straight answer,(Politician's would have been proud in the way they replied) finally stating that this caravan is not fitted with Hydraulic struts, and the cover well I'm sure they do not know what should be fitted. Basically they do not want to know, and are making no attempt to replace which was illegally removed.

Stating they have the right to modify the caravan if they decide to do so.

What I am left with, is a product which has been devalued by the dealer, with the backing of the manufacturer.

BEWARE all you potential buyers in your own interest PLEASE take this information on board .

BEFORE you purchase investigate your Caravan dealer, because it is just as important as purchasing the right caravan.

With regards to the Manufacturer make your own mind up, because at the end of the day they are only interested in your MONEY

Happy Caravanning

 

[AnnM1]

Hello Nigel

A tiimely warning indeed!

Sorry to hear you are having such problems with the supplier/manufacturer of your caravan. Yes, you are quite right that ALL caravans sold at 'shows' do have several representatives from different dealerships on the stand.

However, a little homework goes a long way. We know exactly what we are looking for before going to a show. We check out our local dealership(s) before attending show(s) to find out if their reps will be available on set day(s), etc. Most of them do attend and you will recognise their faces on the stand.

Your argument is with the dealership who supplied your caravan, not with the manufacturer. If you feel you are getting a raw deal you could write to them, putting down all the facts and grievances, and tell tham that you will give them a set amount of time (14 days) to get it sorted out. Otherwise you will be seeking advice your solicitor over the Sale of Goods act. Usually this will get a response.

I, persaonally, wouldn't have taken the van off the forecourt if there was sign of damage on any part of it. Being told to wait for the first service (presumabely 1 year on) is totally unacceptable.

Hope you get everything sorted out quickly.

 

[VIP2006]

POST REMOVED AT THE REQUEST OF THE ORIGINATOR

 

[V70man]

Nigel,

If you bought via a HP agreement (ie dealer finance) you could also contact the Finance Company as they are jointly liable for the supply of the goods and will investigate your claim with the dealer.

Good luck.

 

[WilliamTups]

Nigel,

Check out the following link:

www.dti.gov.uk/files/file25486.pdf

This DTI booklet is designed for traders informing them of their obilgations - but if you read this you will know as a customer what the dealer / HP Co. etc are required to do

Hope it helps...

 

[john_5040735]

Hi Nigel - does this sound a little familiar with this particular dealer. Say no more!

John

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Nigel,

Sadly you have found out one of the pitfalls of finding the cheapest deal without full regard for the other consequences if some thing goes wrong.

I must correct a small point that VIP 2006 made with regard to the liability for repairs. Your contract was made with the seller not the manufacturer, and unless you purchased direct from the manufacture the manufacture has no obligation or need to be involved in your claim against the seller.

You will not I use the phrase seller, because as V70man points out, that if you have used a finance house to purchase the caravan, then technically they are the seller.

Based on your report in the forum I certainly believe that you have a claim against the seller, and I strongly advise that you seek professional advice from a solicitor and trading standards.

Often a solicitors letter will produce the necessary action, it is a real shame that some dealers do not proactively work to keep customers happy, it does pay dividends in the long run.

 

[Nigel_374245463]

Many Thanks to all your replies

I did not get into it,in too much detail, but I have threatened Dealer with Solicitors, Trading standards and the like with similar response.(None)

I have recently contacted trading standards, and I have again sent another recorded delivery letter where I am sure they will not reply.(10 days)

They will undoubtedly continue with this farce

Hopefully this nightmare will help many of us who have been placed in this position previously and to those who may in the future be prevented from falling into the same trap because these outfits are not cheap, and we expect a little bit of service.

I will let you know the outcome

With regards to the manufacturer, Yes it may be nothing to do with them but they appoint the dealers who sell/promote their product, I am more than sure that I would not like Dealer to promote my product , What a turnoff.

Oh yes, if you have had any problems with Dealer could you let me know, because I think something needs to be done.

Many Thanks to you ALL for your support(Again)

 

[Jayne Simpson]

Hello Nigel

Looks as though Dealer have been taking part in a few Explorer 'dealer training sessions' Don't give in make sure you are given the satisfaction you deserve.

Hope things turn out ok.

Peter, very disgruntled ex Elddis owner (18 mths) but very happy Coachman owner 3 1/2yrs)

 

[ThePlotter]

The comment above is correct that if you funded the purchase of the van with a finance agreement arranged by the dealer (not elasewhere)then you are protected by the Consumer Credit Act 1983 as it will be alinked agreement and you should contact the finance company and insist that they sort the problem(do not under any circumstances stop making the payments)Finally if you paid some or all of the deposit by credit card (so long as the payment on the card was over

 

[VIP2006]

Many Thanks to all your replies

I did not get into it,in too much detail, but I have threatened Dealer with Solicitors, Trading standards and the like with similar response.(None)

I have recently contacted trading standards, and I have again sent another recorded delivery letter where I am sure they will not reply.(10 days)

They will undoubtedly continue with this farce

Hopefully this nightmare will help many of us who have been placed in this position previously and to those who may in the future be prevented from falling into the same trap because these outfits are not cheap, and we expect a little bit of service.

I will let you know the outcome

With regards to the manufacturer, Yes it may be nothing to do with them but they appoint the dealers who sell/promote their product, I am more than sure that I would not like Dealer to promote my product , What a turnoff.

Oh yes, if you have had any problems with Dealer could you let me know, because I think something needs to be done.

Many Thanks to you ALL for your support(Again)

POST REMOVED AT THE REQUEST OF THE ORIGINATOR

 

[Tony_374245959]

Sorry to hear about all your problems Nigel. Don't accept anything but a full resolution of your issues. I've used the small claims process at my local county court recently for a matter unrelated to caravanning, but I found the court staff very helpful and the whole process was remarkably simple. If the dealer won't play ball don't just theaten them with court, actually do it.

Your post raises another good point though, why on earth do we persist in wasting our time buying caravans in such a busy, noisy, and generally unpleasant atmosphere as an exhibition stand at a major caravan show?

 

[KenWashington]

Could we remind forum members of our Etiquette rule:

"You may not transmit complaints about named companies or caravan parks. Such individual issues should be taken up with the company direct."

 

[Nigel_374245463]

Could we remind forum members of our Etiquette rule:

"You may not transmit complaints about named companies or caravan parks. Such individual issues should be taken up with the company direct."

How are we supposed to know about these people if we don't know them

Sorry

 

[Mikey1]

Im sure everyone has a story to tell about dealers and bad customer service received from them.Some people are very happy with certain dealers others wouldnt touch them with a barge poll.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello VIP 2006,

The seller is who you pay your money to. Whilst I would hope that the sponsor of the stand would take an interest in any difficulty arrising from a sale from one of thier affiliated dealers, they are not obliged to.

 

[VIP2006]

Hi John L . I appreciate that the manufacturer seems to be able to produce rubbish, and get away stock free in any situation, unless the dealer passes on the costs of his loss of income due cancellations due to faulty goods damaging his reputation.

Is it the same with a car maker who is the customer when sourcing parts. does he not take the parts maker to task, even to to the courts when faulty goods are received. Regards.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello again VIP,

I sense that you write from experience of the Automotive industry. Historically the car industry has been at the fore front of pushing liability down to the source through the supply chain, and that has undoubtedly caused some suppliers difficulties. In practice that is how the system should work, the buck should drill down and stop at the cause of the problem.

It really is unbelievable that a modern caravan can leak. The present production methods for walls and ceiling panels have been around for over 20 years and they still can't join them properly. Water systems use specially made components when very effective domestic parts already exist. Waste pipes of small diameter made of corrugated plastic that trap waste matter. Door locks that can be defeated in seconds, Corner handles that are not strong enough for pulling when manhandling the caravan. None of these are rocket science yet consistently caravans have faults with these and other simple parts.

Compared to a car, a caravan is relatively simple, yet the far more complex car is consistently better made and more reliable. I often wonder what would happen to caravan design, quality and cost, if an automotive manufacture were to start making caravans.

 

[VIP2006]

POST REMOVED AT THE REQUEST OF THE ORIGINATOR

 

[ProfJohnL]

POST REMOVED AT THE REQUEST OF THE ORIGINATOR

Hi VIP...

You make an intersting point about the lack of forigen competition, in the UK caravan market.

I think there are two main reasons for this. Firstly, is the UK preference to drive of the left, which puts most forigen doors on the wrong side, and the second is the maximum width issue which is being debated elswhere on this forum.

The forign manufactureres find it hard to justify making changes to their designs to meet UK specs. It is also likley that the UK manufactures will lobby against relaxing either issue as currently it insulates them from real competition.