Owner Satisfaction Awards 2013

[NigelDonnelly]

Dear All

We've just published the results of our Owner Satisfaction Awards in the March issue of the mag and I've pasted the news story from the front page of the website here for you to look at. The findings are pretty interesting - I appreciate that not everyone will agree but these are based on customer responses. There is a lot more analysis in mag and we'll be adding more information and analysis over the coming weeks but the headlines are below. Enjoy!

BAILEY AND ADRIA have emerged as the big winners in Practical Caravan's inaugural Owner Satisfaction Awards.

The survey, conducted in partnership with leisure insurance specialist Coast is the UK's most in-depth look at how happy owners are with their caravans.

Bailey and Adria stood out from the results of the survey, which gathered data from nearly 1800 caravanners during 2012. Owners of Bailey caravans posted the highest satisfaction ratings with their caravans, with an 88% satisfaction rating when bought new. In second place was Sprite with 86% approval.

For used caravan buyers, Adria was the top brand among those who shopped for used tourers with a hugely impressive satisfaction score of 93%, pushing Coachman into second place with 90%.
New caravans
Gold Award winners (86% -100% satisfaction)
Bailey
Sprite
/sites/practicalcaravan.com/files/images/Nick%20Howard%20%26%20Nigel.jpgBailey MD Nick Howard collects his trophy from Nigel Donnelly

Silver Award winners (70% - 85% satisfaction)
Adria
Bessacarr
Compass
Vanmaster
Sterling
Coachman
Lunar/Venus
Swift
Abbey
Elddis
Pre-owned caravans
Gold Award winners (86% -100% satisfaction)
Adria
Coachman
Abbey
Ace
Bailey
Sterling
Avondale
Compass
/sites/practicalcaravan.com/files/images/Nigel%20D%20%26%20Adria.jpgAdria's Andrew Taczynski collects his award from our Nigel Donnelly

Silver Award winner (70% - 85% satisfaction)
Lunar
Elddis
Swift
Sprite
Bessacarr

A full breakdown of the awards is printed in the March issue of Practical Caravan magazine, which is on sale from 31st January 2013.
Tweet //

 

[Surfer]

Do these surveys really mean anything? If 20 Bailey owners do the survey and only 1 Coachman owner completes the survey negatively surely the results would be skewed in favour of the Baileys even though 5 bailey owners had complaints? Can you tell us how people were contacted to complete the survey? Thanks.

 

[otherclive]

I submitted my input via the PC website form. It was widely 'advertised' via PC and this forum.

 

[Raywood]

Water ingress at over 20% appears to be a disgrace but not clear if this includes a few minor drips rather than serious problems.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Water ingress of any percentage is a disgrace.

Manufacturers have the knowledge and the means to manufacture dry caravans, they just don't belive the its worth while investing in the systems to ensure it. Now that is a disgrace.

 

[Parksy]

Do these surveys really mean anything? ...........
............... Can you tell us how people were contacted to complete the survey? Thanks.

The survey, which was available via this website, means that the results show that incidence of water ingress on new caravans has not significantly improved over the past 30 years which, given the much trumpeted supposed advances in materials technology and modern construction methods, is staggering

Even more staggering is that reference is made to a 'school of thought which says that 'leaks' are down to us, the end users.
Our relentless drive for ever-lighter vans with ever more equipment is incompatible with current construction methods, which by and large haven't changed in decades'. (Practical Caravan Magazine, March 2013 page 90).

This is completely at odds with what buyers are being told via advertising by caravan manufacturers and it begs the question of where this school of thought which seeks to blame customers, who have paid large sums to buy a new caravan which is free from leaks and defects, has originated.
If the theory originated within the caravan manufacturing or sales and servicing industries this should tell prospective buyers all that they need to know when considering spending thousands of pounds on a new caravan, regardless of claims made in glossy adverts.
I concur with earlier comments - a disgaceful state of affairs and it's high time that the consumer laws were tightened up to prevent manufacturers of shoddy expensive goods hiding behind dealer networks and taking months to rectify faults that shouldn't happen in the first place.