It’s a good job Swift don`t make airplanes!

[Craigyoung]

I think we were lucky when we bought ours as the one we actually bought was on the forecourt so when we decided to buy it there & then he put the sold sign straight on within 20 minutes , we told him of a few things we had noticed , he then gave us a bit of paper because we had told him that there was some faults on the van and he said go down and write down any faults and snag the van to which we did , we picked up quite a few faults obviously with people jumping in and out of the van looking at it to , pulling on the cupboard doors, the blinds and the door blind that separates our part of the sitting area to the kids rear dinette, we pulled on all the doors checked the cupboards and wrote everything down that needed to be fixed so when it came to The handover we knew pretty much what we were looking for and still spent about an hour looking around it checking everything out but it's not until you start pulling it about and towing it that things may move and adjust & may need readjusting , yes we've had our problems with the door catches , the electrical system went on the kids lights flickering with the gas ignition which has all been resolved and I am happy with my van the way it is now obviously if the person in the video had checked his van before taking it away and seen some of these things that were occurring , i for one would not have accepted the caravan .

Craig .

 

[Damian]

Rose coloured glasses! just like everyone else it seems.

Just who is that comment aimed at? It is totally inappropriate to any of the responses you have had, despite the fact that your initial posting was in contravention of the Forum Rules and was only saved by my colleague redirecting the link you provided.
Many of the Forum contributers are long time caravanners who are far from wearing rose coloured glasses and quite a lot of contributers have had a long association with the testing and repair of caravan items.

Whilst I have sympathy with genuine faults, most of the thing you point out are not actually faults.

Yes the wiring may look untidy but it is safe and not presenting any problems, the heater ducting may not be to your perception of what is acceptable, that is your view, the question is does it do its job , yes.

All but two of the "faults" (the shower door and loose control panel) were present when you looked at the van, examined the van and agreed to buy it, they were not put in by gremlins after you agreed to purchase. And you STILL bought it !!!!!

As far as the 300 mile trip to the dealer, that is purely your fault for buying so far away, and you would have been made aware that your contract is with the supplying dealer so don't complain if you have to return the van to them.
As for your email to Swift, that is so childish that it is not worth saying any more about.

 

[emmerson]

Spot on Damien! Well said.

 

[Buckman]

Many faults on caravans are not apparent on hand over and only come to light with usage. I however am surprised that some people on this thread are happy to accept goods of poor quality after handing over +£20k plus of their hard earned money.
Amongst many other issues we had the back and front panels changed with the front being changed twice and within less than a month the new front panel cracked again. Mattress went faulty after a few months followed by the seats. Eventually we had no choice except to reject the caravan. BTW we also had a water ipe come off and flood the caravan causing a lot of damage.

 

[Gafferbill]

What is the point of one forum poster airing their views on the perceived shortfalls of another forum poster?

Both moderators have contributed to this thread so the thread must be deemed to be appropriate.
I personally learn from hearing of others experiences and deciding that I am never going down that road.

trebby12 is new to the forum.............if he had been a member of the forum for longer he would have been better prepared on how to go about buying new

 

[paws]

I agree with Damian's comments ...

The only thing I thought worthwhile or of merit in the whole of the originator's post and the video was the topic titIe.

It’s a good job Swift don`t make airplanes!

One is temped to say
" It's a good job that caravans don't cost the same to buy (or service/maintain) as aeroplanes!"
otherwise we all might all be in trouble.....
As always,
Happy Caravanning and regards to all
paws

 

[Thingy]

I think some of the comments have been a little harsh towards a new member. I dont believe he came here to be contentious, rather i feel we have someone less experienced than many of us who is genuinely aggrieved at his purchase, and who here hasnt been at some point.

I hope we havent scared him off as its a great place to learn and hopefully he goes better equiped for his next deal.

 

[Parksy]

What is the point of one forum poster airing there views on the perceived shortfalls of another forum poster?

Both moderators have contributed to this thread so the thread must be deemed to be appropriate.
I personally learn from hearing of others experiences and deciding that I am never going down that road.

trebby12 is new to the forum.............if he had been a member of the forum for longer he would have been better prepared on how to go about buying new

I originally intervened because of a breach of forum etiquette (naming the dealership involved) but I viewed the video and apart from the inadvertent rule break I am of the opinion that the video was made in good faith because the caravan is unsatisfactory to the buyer as he sees it.
The thread has divided forum opinion, but whatever ones personal viewpoint the footage is appropriate and valid because it encourages potential buyers to spend some time looking for what might be examples of poor design before any rash decisions are made and money changes hands.
The pitfalls of buying from a dealer a long way from home are clearly shown, and although the disgruntled buyer might not have a wealth of technical knowledge, neither have many new buyers who might benefit from viewing the video.
Personally speaking, I'm not alone in thinking that all caravan manufacturers need to significantly raise the bar with design and build quality, and as buyers we should really spend some considerable time checking every item on handover to ensure that the pre-delivery inspection that is included in the purchase price has actually been done correctly and diligently. That's the only way to force overall standards to improve.
I shudder to think about the things that I knew nothing at all about when I first bought a touring caravan, so let's all be a bit more understanding and tolerant of others who for whatever reason regret buying a caravan.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Unless I have missed something, I'm not sure Trebby is the maker of the video. I think he may just have come across it and decided to share it with us.

I'll ask the plain question Trebby is this your caravan and video? If it isn't yours then I'll appologise for the vitriole that has been directed your way.

There should always be space for healthy debate about the condition of new caravans until the manufacturers really understand that Customer is king, and that won't change until customers start acting like Kings and only accept properly finished products, and REJECT the rest.

Buckman made the point that when spending £20K or so on a caravan you should expect it to be correct, and yes I agree but it applies to all products at all costs, spending more should not change the fitness for purpose of a product, only the size or the features it offers.

 

[Craigyoung]

....Unless I have missed something, I'm not sure Trebby is the maker of the video. I think he may just have come across it and decided to share it with us.

I'll ask the plain question Trebby is this your caravan and video? If it isn't yours then I'll appologise for the vitriole that has been directed your way.....

Me to ! :huh:

 

[CustardAvenger]

...I shudder to think about the things that I knew nothing at all about when I first bought a touring caravan, so let's all be a bit more understanding and tolerant of others who for whatever reason regret buying a caravan.

I did not initially realise that trebby12 was the creator of the video (Which I watched in its entirety and agreed with some points). There are many pitfalls to new caravan ownership; the dealer network being one. And as alluded to in my post I have made contact with Swift for discussion of some major issues of which quality/workmanship is one; specifically the oven retaining screws. (This has also been reported to the dealer and is scheduled for investigation)

What I would be interested to know if trebby12 was new to caravanning with his 2018 Sprite (Major 4 EB I believe - a layout I wanted but had to reject due to the cramped kitchen area & being too tall for the bed). Was this seemingly brief experience enough to make you give up the hobby? I know Swift offered to resolve the issues, but were the dealer given an opportunity to rectify?

I love caravanning and have gone full 'nerd' on the subject; researching as much as I could before towing for the first time, then getting fully immersed in the intervening years prior to getting a new van. Sadly, I don't think I would be able to just call it quits after one bad experience. However, I do feel that there are some issues/gripes with caravans that can only be fully realised after time spent actually living in the van.

 

[Craigyoung]

that's exactly it ! the caravans need runn in for some things to be noticed that they are not right but don't let that experience put you off ! We were in france when the charger went and I lost power ! It couldn't just be round the corner but france !
I didn't join this forum till 2 weeks after I bought my 1st caravan and I knew nothing even though I've towed most of the last 20 years so I was ok with doing that but the knowledge and people on here is unbelievable so if you're just starting out everything you need to know is on here - somwhere .

 

[Dustydog]

....Unless I have missed something, I'm not sure Trebby is the maker of the video. I think he may just have come across it and decided to share it with us.

I'll ask the plain question Trebby is this your caravan and video? If it isn't yours then I'll appologise for the vitriole that has been directed your way.....

Me to ! :huh:

It seems to me the guy in the video is probably Brian Chapman. The video is amateurish. The exchange of emails are probably genuine. The signatory from Swift is genuine if you research further.
Looking at independent consumer websites the Dealer allegedly involved gets pretty good feedback. The worst complaint was about second hand px prices!
Has anyone checked Swift Talk?
The one mystery for me is why Swift offered to carry out “remedial works” rather than ask the Dealer. Maybe they were going to redesign some of the quoted issues??
No matter what , I firmly believe all the posts here have been fairly posted. I don’t think anyone meant to be disparaging of the OP .But his comments post order and collection do seem to indicate a degree of uncertainty on basic caravan matters. No insult or criticism intended.

 

[RayS]

This thread has prompted me to check anew manufacturers websites for details of their Quality Assurance qualifications but so far have not found any claiming registration under the ISO 9000 series or similar QA systems. One mentions each van is inspected independently by NCC but this does not seem particularly independent.
Some years ago some makers did claim approval under the then British Standard 5750 . which was a good start if not perfect (I say this a a minor contributor to it) .
Given the other claims, it is surprising that such registration is not featured prominently or perhaps they don't have it these days ?

 

[otherclive]

This thread has prompted me to check anew manufacturers websites for details of their Quality Assurance qualifications but so far have not found any claiming registration under the ISO 9000 series or similar QA systems. One mentions each van is inspected independently by NCC but this does not seem particularly independent.
Some years ago some makers did claim approval under the then British Standard 5750 . which was a good start if not perfect (I say this a a minor contributor to it) .
Given the other claims, it is surprising that such registration is not featured prominently or perhaps they don't have it these days ?

I said the very same thing under my Relaxed Axle thread.

 

[Icaru5]

This thread has prompted me to check anew manufacturers websites for details of their Quality Assurance qualifications but so far have not found any claiming registration under the ISO 9000 series or similar QA systems. One mentions each van is inspected independently by NCC but this does not seem particularly independent.
Some years ago some makers did claim approval under the then British Standard 5750 . which was a good start if not perfect (I say this a a minor contributor to it) .
Given the other claims, it is surprising that such registration is not featured prominently or perhaps they don't have it these days ?

Whilst this may come as a surprise to many, and even a shock to some, unfortunately, as most people who regularly visit a number of different manufacturing facilities in the UK very well know, whilst being essential in many industries, ISO 900X accreditation is meaningless. I know of many companies who temporarily make significant changes to their manufacturing processes and materials used during the week the BSI auditors grace them with their presence, and even make sure certain individuals aren’t on the premises during the visits. No different from Offsted inspection time at the schools really ...

 

[Craigyoung]

Away with mine at the minute , I was checking under my front seats & i have noticed that all my blown air pipes are situated at the back of the seats unlike the newer models .



Craig .

 

[Dustydog]

But yours wasn’t a Friday afternoon job :evil:
Mine is the same as yours Craig. Makes you wonder what the heck is going on , on the factory floor :woohoo:

 

[DaveA1]

Mines the same, tucked nicely along the back.

 

[otherclive]

Clearly the operatives were told at school that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points.
My pipes are tucked away too.

 

[Icaru5]

Away with mine at the minute , I was checking under my front seats & i have noticed that all my blown air pipes are situated at the back of the seats unlike the newer models .



Craig .

Just checked mine, and they’re at the front ! hmy:

Not at all an issue though as that’s where we store the duvets, pillows and mattress topper.

Not digging your Home Bargains carpet mats though Craig ! :evil:

I’m going outside to look at mine again !

 

[Icaru5]

 

[Dustydog]

Does yours also have a side entry?

 

[CustardAvenger]

Away with mine at the minute , I was checking under my front seats & i have noticed that all my blown air pipes are situated at the back of the seats unlike the newer models .



Craig .

Identical front seats in mine, but they run down the front. However, this makes sense in my layout as where yours goes goes into the floor, mine exits into a vent by the door.

 

[Hutch]

Sargent Alarm unit different place as well.