We own a 2004 Avondale 556-6 which we bought new, 6 weeks ago we had it serviced (£165) as it's a requirement of the warranty, I had noticed that the lift up bed frame under the seat cushion was starting to split at the joints, I pointed this out to the dealer and he said it's a warranty claim give it 6weeks and we will be in touch to book it in for replacement. Friday they rang and informed me Avondale would not cover it because it was out of warranty, I said that could not be correct as its got a 3year warranty and its just 2years old, after getting advice she tells me that the seat frame is only covered for one year, apparently some bits are covered for 1year some 2 and I suspect very little 3years, there is nothing we can do she said. So I rang Avondale and spoke with a very abrupt woman who informed me that the bed frame is only covered for 1 year as if it does not break in that time it must be misused, as she said how do we know that a large fat person has not dumped down on it, I said how do you know that we didn't only use it for 1 weekend a year to which she accused me of being silly. The thing is when the salesman sells you the van all he says is it's got a 3year warranty so you have no worries. What a Joke
Joke of a Warranty
- Thread starter DMT
- Start date
Does it say some items are only covered for a limited time in the warranty you recived with the van? If it does does it specify what is not covered for the full 3 year period ?
If you find they have put it in the information then you have to sort it out yourself.... SORRY!
BUT........................
If it does not say what is covered and for how long then threaten them with legal action and you will post all corespondance with them on the camping and caravanning forums in the UK. You will request the item was not fit for purpose and make a claim for the damage and inconvenience caused. If they do not repair the problem within a set amount of time, say 14 days or 28 days. You will try and claim for a full refund fro the cost of the van.
But make sure you tell them you will be very vocal and public with all correspondance they send to you and allow all the people on the forums to see how a supposedly reputable company behave.
It usually works quite well and can possibly get the repair done in a few days.
But make sure the warranty does not tell you what is not covered and you are very clear that your problem is not excluded in the warranty.
GOOD LUCK !!!
If you find they have put it in the information then you have to sort it out yourself.... SORRY!
BUT........................
If it does not say what is covered and for how long then threaten them with legal action and you will post all corespondance with them on the camping and caravanning forums in the UK. You will request the item was not fit for purpose and make a claim for the damage and inconvenience caused. If they do not repair the problem within a set amount of time, say 14 days or 28 days. You will try and claim for a full refund fro the cost of the van.
But make sure you tell them you will be very vocal and public with all correspondance they send to you and allow all the people on the forums to see how a supposedly reputable company behave.
It usually works quite well and can possibly get the repair done in a few days.
But make sure the warranty does not tell you what is not covered and you are very clear that your problem is not excluded in the warranty.
GOOD LUCK !!!
Hello David
This is copy of my reply to another Avondale customer.
In law Avondale do not have to offer you (the end user) any warranty at all. Under the Supply of goods and services Act (Formally known as the sale of Goods act), it is the seller/trader/retailer that has a legal obligation to you, and it is not restricted to a simple 12 months.
The seller is obliged to supply goods fit for purpose, and if they are not fit for purpose, you have recourse under the act. The definition of fit for purpose is not entirely clear as you have to allow for reasonable wear and tear, though a fridge falling out, and soggy cusins after only 18 months does not sound right. The front and rear panels were clearly defective.
The seller must deal with these issues, and if necessary must counter claim against Avondale. You should not have to have any contact with Avondale in these matters, and the outcome of your claim against the dealer should not be affected in any way by the outcome of the dealers claim against Avondale.
Check out the Department of Trade and Industries web site, which outlines the act, and how it affects you.
http://www.dti.gov.uk/consumers/fact-sheets/page24702.html
If you used a finance house, then they are technically the seller, and you may have some success tackling them over the issue of sub-standard goods.
This is copy of my reply to another Avondale customer.
In law Avondale do not have to offer you (the end user) any warranty at all. Under the Supply of goods and services Act (Formally known as the sale of Goods act), it is the seller/trader/retailer that has a legal obligation to you, and it is not restricted to a simple 12 months.
The seller is obliged to supply goods fit for purpose, and if they are not fit for purpose, you have recourse under the act. The definition of fit for purpose is not entirely clear as you have to allow for reasonable wear and tear, though a fridge falling out, and soggy cusins after only 18 months does not sound right. The front and rear panels were clearly defective.
The seller must deal with these issues, and if necessary must counter claim against Avondale. You should not have to have any contact with Avondale in these matters, and the outcome of your claim against the dealer should not be affected in any way by the outcome of the dealers claim against Avondale.
Check out the Department of Trade and Industries web site, which outlines the act, and how it affects you.
http://www.dti.gov.uk/consumers/fact-sheets/page24702.html
If you used a finance house, then they are technically the seller, and you may have some success tackling them over the issue of sub-standard goods.
Thoroughly endorse what John L says.
In addition, the seller has recognised that there is a problem with the bed frame so needs to sort it at their expense.
Any problems do not hesitate to use the Small Claims Court. This is set up for Joe Public - no lawyer required, conducted around a table with both sides putting across their arguments and the judge deciding the outcome.
I am sure that the seller will not wish to have a judgement against them but if they dig their heels in the costs of taking them to court are low.
Alternatively, reject the van is being unfit for purpose.
In addition, the seller has recognised that there is a problem with the bed frame so needs to sort it at their expense.
Any problems do not hesitate to use the Small Claims Court. This is set up for Joe Public - no lawyer required, conducted around a table with both sides putting across their arguments and the judge deciding the outcome.
I am sure that the seller will not wish to have a judgement against them but if they dig their heels in the costs of taking them to court are low.
Alternatively, reject the van is being unfit for purpose.
Hello Paul,
In this instance I did not jump stright to the small claims court, because whilst what you write is broadly true, in reality it can be mine field especially where the product is clearly not new and it becomes more difficult to differentiate clearly between a faulty product, and the effect of wear and tear.
Even though you are not required to use a soliciter in the SCC, in a situation like this I think it would be a wise move to engage one or at least to seek some profesional advice.
You mention 'rejection'. This is usually only an option when the product is very new, in some case only hours old, and in some rare cases only a few weeks at most. At 18 months rejection is not a likely option.
In this instance I did not jump stright to the small claims court, because whilst what you write is broadly true, in reality it can be mine field especially where the product is clearly not new and it becomes more difficult to differentiate clearly between a faulty product, and the effect of wear and tear.
Even though you are not required to use a soliciter in the SCC, in a situation like this I think it would be a wise move to engage one or at least to seek some profesional advice.
You mention 'rejection'. This is usually only an option when the product is very new, in some case only hours old, and in some rare cases only a few weeks at most. At 18 months rejection is not a likely option.
I think you are spot on, you by the van having been told that you have a 3 year warranty, but you don't see the warranty until you've paid for the van. If your car seat broke after 2 years the seat would be replaced. Avondale seem to be masters in avoiding liablity, but none of the magazines seem interested in tackling them. If the motoring magazines got hold of an issue about a car they will persue it in a normal journalistic manner, advertising revenue seems to be the be all and end all of caravan magazines.
John L is of course absolutely correct in his posts. Your claim is against the dealers who supplied the caravan to you and not the manufacturer themselves.
However, manufacturers do not like bad publicity, and it appears reading some of the threads here and on other forums that Avondale do have quality problems.
Therefore, it is worth considering contacting BBC Watchdog http://www.bbc.co.uk/consumer/tv_and_radio/watchdog/ and putting messages on all the Bulleting Boards asking other Avondale Owners with similar problems to do the same. It is the type of story they could be well interested in pursuing.
I am sure there are other similar consumer related programs you could approach as well.
At the same time I would consider taking advice and initiating a claim through the Small Claims Court.
Good luck. and I will be interested to hear how you and others get on.It would certainly make me think twice before considering Avondale for my next van.
However, manufacturers do not like bad publicity, and it appears reading some of the threads here and on other forums that Avondale do have quality problems.
Therefore, it is worth considering contacting BBC Watchdog http://www.bbc.co.uk/consumer/tv_and_radio/watchdog/ and putting messages on all the Bulleting Boards asking other Avondale Owners with similar problems to do the same. It is the type of story they could be well interested in pursuing.
I am sure there are other similar consumer related programs you could approach as well.
At the same time I would consider taking advice and initiating a claim through the Small Claims Court.
Good luck. and I will be interested to hear how you and others get on.It would certainly make me think twice before considering Avondale for my next van.
Somebody must have some idea of how many people read this site and how many members there are. Try the mods.
Cut and paste many of the posts re Avondale here into a letter or email and have them land on the sales director of Avondales desk.
I have nothing against Avondale,but I would never advise friends or family to buy one though.
Cut and paste many of the posts re Avondale here into a letter or email and have them land on the sales director of Avondales desk.
I have nothing against Avondale,but I would never advise friends or family to buy one though.
purchased a new avondale argente in march this year up till now it has had new psu unit, 2new windows, new heating sensor, side dinner seat fell apart waiting repair of stress fractures on back panel waiting for a part to fix fridge thats not working at at all and screws are showing though the vynal flooring on the bathroom floor. has this van taken some stick? no just my husband and i who like to take pride in our vans. the word avondale is taboo.
Avondale have contacted me and said after speaking with their quality control department they in this instance are prepared to replace the bed frame but not the cost of fitting, they advised me to contact the dealer and negotiate a fitting price or fit it myself. A small victory maybe but they need to change their policy so it benifit all not just the few who complain.
I used to work for a company that manufactured many items that were fitted to caravans, and a few years ago. It was part of our procedures to regularly assess our customers, and one of the criteria was how many of our products were rejected before or during the build of our customers products.
We knew that our products were thoroughly tested before they were despatched, and we used heavy duty recyclable containers to protect the products during transit and storage, so customer assembly line side rejections were a very worrying concern.
Across the whole industry there the typical rejection notes we received suggested that key components on the products were missing. If this were so then product could not have been tested, so the most likely cause for much of the rejections was either miss-handling by the customer or deliberate removal of these items.
My reason for mentioning this is that Avondale used to have one of the lowest reject rates of all the our customers, and their Quality control systems feedback useful information on genuine rejects.
In contrast there was one manufacture who will remain nameless that consistently rejected goods which had been damaged by forklift trucks puncturing the heavy duty packaging and the goods inside, product exposed to rain and other chemicals, screws/nails/staples through vital components, footprints on decorative panels and parts removed. Their quality control system often either didn't record any fault, or was often an offensive remark written in indelible pen. Having seen the way they assembled (throw together would be a better description) their caravans I vowed I would never even dream of purchasing one.
I am very disappointed to read of so much current dissatisfaction with Avondale caravans, It would seem that the intervening years since my employment in the industry has seen what was once regarded as an industry leader fall from grace.
We knew that our products were thoroughly tested before they were despatched, and we used heavy duty recyclable containers to protect the products during transit and storage, so customer assembly line side rejections were a very worrying concern.
Across the whole industry there the typical rejection notes we received suggested that key components on the products were missing. If this were so then product could not have been tested, so the most likely cause for much of the rejections was either miss-handling by the customer or deliberate removal of these items.
My reason for mentioning this is that Avondale used to have one of the lowest reject rates of all the our customers, and their Quality control systems feedback useful information on genuine rejects.
In contrast there was one manufacture who will remain nameless that consistently rejected goods which had been damaged by forklift trucks puncturing the heavy duty packaging and the goods inside, product exposed to rain and other chemicals, screws/nails/staples through vital components, footprints on decorative panels and parts removed. Their quality control system often either didn't record any fault, or was often an offensive remark written in indelible pen. Having seen the way they assembled (throw together would be a better description) their caravans I vowed I would never even dream of purchasing one.
I am very disappointed to read of so much current dissatisfaction with Avondale caravans, It would seem that the intervening years since my employment in the industry has seen what was once regarded as an industry leader fall from grace.
this is a very intresting topic, i too have had the pull out bed of our van collapse (Ace) i never thought to make a warranty claim, i just pulled the cushions off and realised that the framework is crap to be honest, i just grabbed my drill and put some decent wood screw through instead of the stupid stables provided.
i am however 18 stone and 6 and a half foot, a bit of an ogre really, i just thought, "oh well, lets just fix it".
i wonder if i should have done the same and tried to claim of the manufacter, but weighing it all up it would have taken longer to push the warranty than it would to fix it myself.
good luck to you buddy.
i am however 18 stone and 6 and a half foot, a bit of an ogre really, i just thought, "oh well, lets just fix it".
i wonder if i should have done the same and tried to claim of the manufacter, but weighing it all up it would have taken longer to push the warranty than it would to fix it myself.
good luck to you buddy.
Spoke with avondale today as the bed frame has not been delivered and its been a few weeks since they rang, now they know nothing about replacing it and say i will have to order it myself at my cost, I had a rather heated conversation with the lady and she told me they are not a large organisation but just a small family run firm, the warranty does not cover it and thats that, then put the phone down on me. What a way to talk to its customers, as I said to her they were quick to take 13 grand off me but now theres a problem they dont want to know.
Needless to say I will not buy another Avondale.
Needless to say I will not buy another Avondale.
Unlucky Dave, why the caravan industry can't be more like the car industry where it comes to warranty claims, is beyond me.
I had a problem with my mattress which I pointed out to the dealer before the first year ended. He noted it and told me it should be replaced. Unfortunately I was going to be using the caravan shortly after the service and he couldn't guarantee the mattress would be repaired/exchanged in time for me going away. "Bring it back after Xmas", he said, "We are aware of it now, so no problem". Admittedly I have left it very late (it was only a minor fault) but mentioned it when I booked the van in for its next service, only to be told it wasn't covered anymore.
That was when I found out that my "3 year warranty" doesn't last 3 years! In fact little of the caravan is covered for three years.
So, what did I do? I went mobile. Instead of paying inflated main dealer prices I have just had the van serviced by a mobile workshop, half the money, and much more convenient. The mattress we can live with, and the caravan is still under warranty if anything else should crop up (touching wood) in the future.
We don't mind paying for good service, but without it, my hard (lol) earned cash will go elsewhere.
I had a problem with my mattress which I pointed out to the dealer before the first year ended. He noted it and told me it should be replaced. Unfortunately I was going to be using the caravan shortly after the service and he couldn't guarantee the mattress would be repaired/exchanged in time for me going away. "Bring it back after Xmas", he said, "We are aware of it now, so no problem". Admittedly I have left it very late (it was only a minor fault) but mentioned it when I booked the van in for its next service, only to be told it wasn't covered anymore.
That was when I found out that my "3 year warranty" doesn't last 3 years! In fact little of the caravan is covered for three years.
So, what did I do? I went mobile. Instead of paying inflated main dealer prices I have just had the van serviced by a mobile workshop, half the money, and much more convenient. The mattress we can live with, and the caravan is still under warranty if anything else should crop up (touching wood) in the future.
We don't mind paying for good service, but without it, my hard (lol) earned cash will go elsewhere.
My 2004 Avondale is at the dealers now, they have had it for two weeks trying to sort an electrical fault, when in Cornwall with no mains electric the water heater failed and then another circuit started blowing fuses.
My cushions are sagging [23 months old] and these are not covered by Avondales warranty and I have had to replace the tyres at 22 months old as they were cheap 'budget tyres' and the front and rear panels had to be replaced at 12 months old.
I have also e-mailed Avondale and they show no interest in problems with their inferior products, I dont think they have a clue about customer services and it is the attitude that will make me never buy an Avondale again, the faults on the van are a shame because we like the van and have not yet seen a van of a similar layout that we would change it for, it will be changed in the next 6 months for a twin axle fixed bed, at the moment a Fleetwood Heritage 640ES is our choice but we want to see all the 2007 models first, I did mention that we are upgrading to a twin axle soon to Avondale but they are not bothered, so that is their loss.
If you want a quality caravan that you can enjoy, stay well clear of the 'small family run firm' that obviously doesnt have the resorces to fully warrant or build a quality caravan or even look after its own customers and look at 'the larger organisations' who may not be perfect but at least they can afford to put your van right and speak to you in a civil manor.
Simon.
My cushions are sagging [23 months old] and these are not covered by Avondales warranty and I have had to replace the tyres at 22 months old as they were cheap 'budget tyres' and the front and rear panels had to be replaced at 12 months old.
I have also e-mailed Avondale and they show no interest in problems with their inferior products, I dont think they have a clue about customer services and it is the attitude that will make me never buy an Avondale again, the faults on the van are a shame because we like the van and have not yet seen a van of a similar layout that we would change it for, it will be changed in the next 6 months for a twin axle fixed bed, at the moment a Fleetwood Heritage 640ES is our choice but we want to see all the 2007 models first, I did mention that we are upgrading to a twin axle soon to Avondale but they are not bothered, so that is their loss.
If you want a quality caravan that you can enjoy, stay well clear of the 'small family run firm' that obviously doesnt have the resorces to fully warrant or build a quality caravan or even look after its own customers and look at 'the larger organisations' who may not be perfect but at least they can afford to put your van right and speak to you in a civil manor.
Simon.
Hello Shiba
That depends entirely on the terms or the manufactrues additional wararnty. As they are not legaly requierd to supply you with this, it is a gift, and can be tied up with all sorts of requirements, including services to be carried out by franchised dealer.
Similar restrictions made by the car trade were challenegd but it is unclear whether the same freedoms are transfered to caravans and other products.
Thanks for the reply,we have always had our serviced at the dealership because of the warranty, but this year we are using a mobile firm,(recommened to us)and it is half the price.as you all have mentioned after the first year, it sounds like a rip off, and Bailey are now giving a 6 year warranty,which means owners will be paying dealer service prices for 3 more years than previous.
We have had two avondales and had both of them rejected due to avondale,s quailty issues. The abrupt lady at avondale is called Christine Thompson, she is the customer care manager, but she would be better of in other employment certainly not in customer services.
Bought a Lunar and have had no problem,s a tall.
By the way the two avondales we had were in the workshop and factory more than we owened them.
Bought a Lunar and have had no problem,s a tall.
By the way the two avondales we had were in the workshop and factory more than we owened them.
We went to The Lawns show last weekend and looked but only out of interest at the 2007 Avondales, the build seems as bad as ever, one Land Rangers model badges were no where near straight, if they cant get a little thing right like put a badge on correctly for an exibition then what would a customers van be like? All the 2007 vans there also had the same make 'budget tyres' which I had to replace at my own cost on my 22 month old Avondale when they were perished and cracking.
Needless to say we did not buy another Avondale but felt the need to get rid of ours before it falls to pieces completely and so we ordered a Fleetwood Heritage 640ES from Clwyd caravans, we dealt with the Managing Director who was very helpfull, has anyone dealt with Clwyd caravans? and what are they like?
Avondale have now lost another customer for life and maybe Christine Thompson would be more suited to working in Burger King where customer care has a lower expectancy and the products are assembled better.
Simon
Needless to say we did not buy another Avondale but felt the need to get rid of ours before it falls to pieces completely and so we ordered a Fleetwood Heritage 640ES from Clwyd caravans, we dealt with the Managing Director who was very helpfull, has anyone dealt with Clwyd caravans? and what are they like?
Avondale have now lost another customer for life and maybe Christine Thompson would be more suited to working in Burger King where customer care has a lower expectancy and the products are assembled better.
Simon
Having seen my parents' Avondale problems we were anxious about buying a new van and despite surveys ended up buying a Fleetwood Heritage. What a breath of fresh air! You can speak to the people at the top, they recommend local service agents too. So far no issues with the van at all, top marks.
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