Dealer Reviews

[obyone]

Where is the best place to look for dealer reviews?

Having read the many threads on buying a new caravan it has often been suggested to a) buy as local as you can and b) ensure that the dealer in question has good feedback

 

[otherclive]

Try Trust Pilot or Review Center, and CCC link below.. But in all things use your judgement such as have they been in business a good while, are they franchised to a brand(s), what’s their approach when you visit. There’s no failsafe approach but just gather your information and visit a number to compare their offerings.

https://www.campingandcaravanningcl...ent-survey/caravan-owner-satisfaction-awards/

 

[ProfJohnL]

The advice to use a local dealer stems from the difficulties that can arise when warranty work on new caravans needs to be done and teh dealer is a long distance away. There are some warranty jobs where other dealers for the brand may refuse to do it.

It's even more pertinent for second hand caravans where the manufacturer's warranty has expired, and only the selling dealer can do the statutory rights warranty work.

 

[obyone]

Thank you for the comments. I was able to find reviews for the local dealer on both the sites you mentioned.

I'm planning on buying new and now the decision is do I buy from the very local dealer who offer the standard 2 year warranty or travel a bit further (50 miles) and buy from a dealer who offers an extended 5 year warranty.

Again thanks for your comments

 

[Buckman]

Thank you for the comments. I was able to find reviews for the local dealer on both the sites you mentioned.

I'm planning on buying new and now the decision is do I buy from the very local dealer who offer the standard 2 year warranty or travel a bit further (50 miles) and buy from a dealer who offers an extended 5 year warranty.

Again thanks for your comments

Either way you have the Consumer Rights Act 2015 that is on the side of the consumer. If the unit is under £30k, pay the deposit using a credit card to have protection of S75 of the CCA. Lastly as further protection have some of the finance on HP. If anything goes wrong the finance company have to fight your corner.
A warranty is actually between the manufacturer and the supplier and not between the manufacturer and the consumer.The supplier may offer a 5 year warranty, but after the warranty with the manufacturer still stays the same. The extra 3 years is normally done with an insurance company and is then between the supplier and the consumer. A warranty is in addition to your rights under CRA 2015.

 

[Mel]

When you read the reviews, skip through all the ones that say how great the Sales team are. Of course they are; they are Selling.
Look for the ones that tell you about after sales. The dealer you want needs to be good when problems arise; not just when they are trying to part you from your money 😀
Mel

 

[Raywood]

The simple answer is that a local dealer is a safer bet than a remote one in case things go wrong. By the time you factor in the cost of along journey and a possible overnight stay when buying from a remote dealer any saving will be greatly reduced and the dealer will not have the same incentive to keep you happy as a local one who is looking at more business from you.
Having bought from remote dealers twice I have not had a seriously problematic caravan but know the pitfalls. In the first instance I had some problem with the internal lights and it was cheaper just to replace these myself rather than do a 450 mile round trip to the dealer. In the second instance I did get them to produce details of a local firm who would sort any problems for me but luckily none arose.
I know the legal position, probably as well as anyone on here, but this has to be used as a last resort and involves a lot of form filling, hassle and is best avoided if possible. Having dealt with my credit card company on another issue, I can say they were very difficult to deal with, and possibly if I did not know the law, might have failed to get them to deal with my claim.

 

[Buckman]

At present the majority of dealerships are not taking on work for caravans that were not bought from them even if you are paying for the service!

 

[Thingy]

There is a lot of chatter at the moment about false reviews, i.e. companies asking their employees to leave good reviews. I wouldnt put too much faith in the actual number of good reviews but there are telltale signs to look for.

Very often, when a dealer isnt up to scratch, there will be a theme to the reviews. If one person says the service department is poor, I would ignore it. If 10 people are saying the same thing, thats the sort of stuff to look out for.

One thing that has become apparent of late is the issue with service departments, not always their fault. There has been a mad rush to buy caravans during the staycation boom, and the service departements are overwhelmed by the increase in workload. Add that to the pressure they have been under to recoup losses during Covid, that they are being pushed all the time by the bosses to increase their income. As we all know, the caravan dealers make a large percentage of their income via the aftersales, and thats where most of the troubles lie. That and the fact that the manufacturers dont give a rats **** about quality control.

None of this helps the end user as I have very recently found to my cost and been the victim of an overbooked and overwhelmed service department.

We arent allowed to criticise companies in the forum but if you drop a hint as to which part of the country you are in, perhaps one of us could send you a message with a recommendation or an avoid.