I AM GETTING SO MANY NEGATIVE FEEDBACKS ON SWIFT, i am now so worried.....good product or bad seriously!!! 13K going into this , all advice welcome , regards Terr & Maureen
please please help.
- Thread starter Terrence
- Start date
we have a Charisma, no problems, little niggly things when it was new, couple small bits needed fixing, all done at the service.
Well laid out van, good storage space, like all vans, a lack of 13amp sockets.
Overall 100 times better than lunar.
Well laid out van, good storage space, like all vans, a lack of 13amp sockets.
Overall 100 times better than lunar.
Terrence, my opinion is good product. Ive had 2 new Abbey caravans (swift group) and been well pleased with both. Bits have had to be done under warenty, the worst being a small crack in front panel by the grab handle.
Some will say crap Jo-anne had a bad do with swift.
Every manufacture has bad vans unfortunatly and I think its a you pays your money you takes yor chance.
Kevin
Some will say crap Jo-anne had a bad do with swift.
Every manufacture has bad vans unfortunatly and I think its a you pays your money you takes yor chance.
Kevin
Parksy
Moderator
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Hi Terrence
Caravan forums by their very nature carry complaints of one sort and another about all makes of caravans and related services.
At the moment on this forum some posters have issues with their Swift produced caravans and so they are letting us all know what the problems with their caravans are.
Another time there might be more posts complaining about faults with caravans manufactured by someone else other than Swift.
Swift Leisure produce Abbeys, Ace,Sterling, and Bessacar before the latter were discontinued earlier this year and I think that they are the largest caravan manufacturer in the UK. They are certainly in the top two.
If more Swift products are sold than those made by anybody else then perhaps we hear more complaints simply because there are more of their caravans sold.
Very few people start a topic on this or other forums to say that they are extremely pleased with their caravan and that they can find nothing at all wrong with it. Forums can give a slightly distorted view about any product so don't despair.
If it's any help to you we have an Abbey 620 which we bought new last October.
We had a couple of very minor faults which were actually sorted out by Swift through a caravan forum ( not this one) and the 620 is a pleasure to own and use.
Swift and Bailey both monitor and take part in this forum amongst others and they have stepped in to try and help where those with problem caravans couldn't resolve their issues through the dealers for various reasons.
Hope that this helps and good luck with the new caravan
Caravan forums by their very nature carry complaints of one sort and another about all makes of caravans and related services.
At the moment on this forum some posters have issues with their Swift produced caravans and so they are letting us all know what the problems with their caravans are.
Another time there might be more posts complaining about faults with caravans manufactured by someone else other than Swift.
Swift Leisure produce Abbeys, Ace,Sterling, and Bessacar before the latter were discontinued earlier this year and I think that they are the largest caravan manufacturer in the UK. They are certainly in the top two.
If more Swift products are sold than those made by anybody else then perhaps we hear more complaints simply because there are more of their caravans sold.
Very few people start a topic on this or other forums to say that they are extremely pleased with their caravan and that they can find nothing at all wrong with it. Forums can give a slightly distorted view about any product so don't despair.
If it's any help to you we have an Abbey 620 which we bought new last October.
We had a couple of very minor faults which were actually sorted out by Swift through a caravan forum ( not this one) and the 620 is a pleasure to own and use.
Swift and Bailey both monitor and take part in this forum amongst others and they have stepped in to try and help where those with problem caravans couldn't resolve their issues through the dealers for various reasons.
Hope that this helps and good luck with the new caravan
Been caravaning for 15 years, had my first new van 3 months ago, a Swift product and we are well pleased with it, got it from Lowdams, very good service.
I think that generally more people moan about their stuff than praise it. Most people will get an odd niggle, but for some it's the end of the world. It's the way that you perceive and deal with the problem that colours your attitude.
These forums are a great way for people to air their grievances, so proportionately you'll get more negative info than positive.
I'm on my second Bailey, one was 10 years old (and it's still going strong) and the other we bought new and both have been virtually fault free (a dodgy switch in a light fitting isn't a major catastrophe, nor Bailey's fault, but they changed it under warranty). But to read some of the stuff about Bailey's you'd think they wouldn't get out of the showroom before bits started falling off. Most problems with any van can be easily sorted, either by you or the dealer.That's not to say that an odd rogue van (or dealer come to that) doesn't crop up.
Be careful that you don't end up having negative thoughts about the van before you've even got it, otherwise you could end joining the ranks of the moaners.
These forums are a great way for people to air their grievances, so proportionately you'll get more negative info than positive.
I'm on my second Bailey, one was 10 years old (and it's still going strong) and the other we bought new and both have been virtually fault free (a dodgy switch in a light fitting isn't a major catastrophe, nor Bailey's fault, but they changed it under warranty). But to read some of the stuff about Bailey's you'd think they wouldn't get out of the showroom before bits started falling off. Most problems with any van can be easily sorted, either by you or the dealer.That's not to say that an odd rogue van (or dealer come to that) doesn't crop up.
Be careful that you don't end up having negative thoughts about the van before you've even got it, otherwise you could end joining the ranks of the moaners.
Hi Terr
Got new Ace Award in Feb now had 8weeks away in it no problems other than door lock sticking soon sorted by Kath at Swift who is a first rate lady
I have had 2 Baileys and 2 Eldiss over the years and the Ace has performed as well as the Baileys and better than the Eldiss over the first 6 months. Hope this thread helps.
Got new Ace Award in Feb now had 8weeks away in it no problems other than door lock sticking soon sorted by Kath at Swift who is a first rate lady
I have had 2 Baileys and 2 Eldiss over the years and the Ace has performed as well as the Baileys and better than the Eldiss over the first 6 months. Hope this thread helps.
We have owned our current van (Abbey) about nine months and apart from a couple of small faults initially we have had no major problems with the van and are really pleased with it. Over the years we have owned three Swift Group vans and one Bailey and had no real problems with any of them
Unfortunatly though a small percentage of problem vans do seem to come from all manufacturers not just Swift. Two threads have been running on this forum recently regarding serious water ingress on two relatively new Baileys.
Unfortunatly though a small percentage of problem vans do seem to come from all manufacturers not just Swift. Two threads have been running on this forum recently regarding serious water ingress on two relatively new Baileys.
Hi Terr & Maureen,
Now on our 3rd Swift. (1 Abbey & 2 Sterlings- currently an Elite Searcher.) All without any major faults & we're more than happy with the quality. Yes we could be picky and identify various problems, but as Dave rightly said it's the way you deal with any problem and how big you perceive it that counts.
I personally think that Swift do care and as PCV Dave has stated Kath at Swift seems to be on top of her game where problems are concerned. My advice would be not to worry unduly, Swift are as good, if not better than any of the others so GO FOR IT & good luck. Regards Gooner
Now on our 3rd Swift. (1 Abbey & 2 Sterlings- currently an Elite Searcher.) All without any major faults & we're more than happy with the quality. Yes we could be picky and identify various problems, but as Dave rightly said it's the way you deal with any problem and how big you perceive it that counts.
I personally think that Swift do care and as PCV Dave has stated Kath at Swift seems to be on top of her game where problems are concerned. My advice would be not to worry unduly, Swift are as good, if not better than any of the others so GO FOR IT & good luck. Regards Gooner
I've bought (new) 2 motorhomes (ACE and Hymer) and 2 caravans (Lunar and Elddis) in the last few years and never experienced the so called major problems some have.
Each of my purchases were forecourt models and despite this I've only had 3 very very minor issues (a slightly bent aluminium trim , a pot rivet not sunk properly , and a broken buckle on a gas bottle strap) that I wanted sorted and none were show stoppers
In fact the only one not to have had a 'issue' was the ACE (which is a swift brand).
People are very quick to complain but slow to praise.
If you are concearned about your new van make it a condition of sale that you inspect the van and any items you want sorting are done before the deal is completed.
Each of my purchases were forecourt models and despite this I've only had 3 very very minor issues (a slightly bent aluminium trim , a pot rivet not sunk properly , and a broken buckle on a gas bottle strap) that I wanted sorted and none were show stoppers
In fact the only one not to have had a 'issue' was the ACE (which is a swift brand).
People are very quick to complain but slow to praise.
If you are concearned about your new van make it a condition of sale that you inspect the van and any items you want sorting are done before the deal is completed.
We bought our first caravan earlier this year after 3 trailer tents over about 20 years. Got a second hand but almost new 2008 model Sterling Topaz that had been used for flood relief work in Hull. Obviously been lived in (probably just for making tea and watching TV) but not beeen 'on the road' Couple of minor niggles that I must email Kath about now she is back from holiday but if the same opportunity came up again we would do the same.
As others have said it is only a minority of caravan users who read the forum and of those it is only a minority who have a complaint - but to that individual it is the most important thing for them to deal with which is why you read about it here. I guess that part of the problem is deciding where the responsibility is - the dealer or Swift Group and some of the complaints you have seen are down to poor service from the dealer rather than the manufacturer.
Mike
As others have said it is only a minority of caravan users who read the forum and of those it is only a minority who have a complaint - but to that individual it is the most important thing for them to deal with which is why you read about it here. I guess that part of the problem is deciding where the responsibility is - the dealer or Swift Group and some of the complaints you have seen are down to poor service from the dealer rather than the manufacturer.
Mike
Hi Terrence,
I'd like to suggest that the negative and positive feedback about Swift on this forum is, basically, meaningless.
You've had around 10 replies so far - from an annual production of 10,000+ caravans? So the 10 very welcome positive responses are still less than 0.1%, even if they all bought Swift caravans in the same year and not 10 responses out of three or four years production...
If you look at the caravan club web-site you'll see the latest reliability and quality reviews for caravans sold in the UK - but even here the data collected was from only 4000 caravan owners - so you need to exercise a bit of care reviewing their recommendations:
In particular the CC final ranking system where they place one company ahead of another for scoring 80.1% compared to 80.0% - and that's just meaningless.
The outcome of the survey was that UK caravan manufacturers are improving year on year, and all of the UK volume manufacturers (with one exception) scored similar marks. In summary, between 8/10 and 9/10 of the people were very happy.
Aside from the dealer PDI and handover - both of which are probably equally important to your happiness - you could still be unlucky enough to be offered a caravan with a serious fault.
But you should be able to spot such a glaring fault during the handover, and anyway a good dealer should have found that fault during the PDI. But if you do see such a fault, then reject the caravan....
So I'd say don't worry, be alert, and take some care in picking a good dealer.
Robert
I'd like to suggest that the negative and positive feedback about Swift on this forum is, basically, meaningless.
You've had around 10 replies so far - from an annual production of 10,000+ caravans? So the 10 very welcome positive responses are still less than 0.1%, even if they all bought Swift caravans in the same year and not 10 responses out of three or four years production...
If you look at the caravan club web-site you'll see the latest reliability and quality reviews for caravans sold in the UK - but even here the data collected was from only 4000 caravan owners - so you need to exercise a bit of care reviewing their recommendations:
In particular the CC final ranking system where they place one company ahead of another for scoring 80.1% compared to 80.0% - and that's just meaningless.
The outcome of the survey was that UK caravan manufacturers are improving year on year, and all of the UK volume manufacturers (with one exception) scored similar marks. In summary, between 8/10 and 9/10 of the people were very happy.
Aside from the dealer PDI and handover - both of which are probably equally important to your happiness - you could still be unlucky enough to be offered a caravan with a serious fault.
But you should be able to spot such a glaring fault during the handover, and anyway a good dealer should have found that fault during the PDI. But if you do see such a fault, then reject the caravan....
So I'd say don't worry, be alert, and take some care in picking a good dealer.
Robert
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Robert
I agree. This is why I have been asking Nigel Donnelly at PC to do an article on QA/QC so we all get a better feel for what really is going on out there.
Now if all the manufacturers were willing to tell us how much they spend a year on warranty work and the number of caravans affected we would soon know the truth. Don't hold your breath.
Cheers
Alan
I agree. This is why I have been asking Nigel Donnelly at PC to do an article on QA/QC so we all get a better feel for what really is going on out there.
Now if all the manufacturers were willing to tell us how much they spend a year on warranty work and the number of caravans affected we would soon know the truth. Don't hold your breath.
Cheers
Alan
Hi Alan,
Warranty costs should be itemised in the companies annual accounts, as should the total sales volume. Might be worth a trip to companies house or an on-line visit...
Robert
Warranty costs should be itemised in the companies annual accounts, as should the total sales volume. Might be worth a trip to companies house or an on-line visit...
Robert
Perhaps I have been seen as a bit of a "moaner" because I have highlighted minor QA/QC issues with my new(ish) Bailey. I have sorted them all myself to save a 40 mile tow to my dealers. To set the record straight, I would definitly buy another one if ever I decided to change 'vans. I realise that no caravan is going to be perfect. However, that does not mean I don't believe most, if not all, caravan manufacturers need to take a long hard look at their QA/QC proceedures.
Thankyou all so much, you have now put our minds at rest, we will continue with our purchase and hopefully look forward to many years caravanning, going to join Caravan camping club, and use there insurance, in our favour we have had sound honest advice here, hey lets hope we meet some of you in the future, Regards Terry & Maureen, Nottingham
My current van, a Sterling,( Swift) has served me very well since new in 2002. The only problems that I had were in respect of the fridge which is a supplied item not a Swift product, and very noisy brakes supplied by Alko. One locker door fell off, but that was relatively easy to fix - and strengthen. We have spent 437 nights away in it, and we always use on board shower etc., so it has had a fair bashing. I have found Swift to be a good product - although I am sure that there must be some exceptions.
Hi Alan, not as yet but i will look at this item, thankyou for your advice here, very nervous as maybe all can understand , just dont want to mess up, regards Terry & Maureen
Hi
I think you forgot to say which British manufacturer has come out top of the surveys for many years, COACHMAN, you dont here enough about them, but they are the most reliable British manufacturer. And the nearest to handbuilt you can buy and they have the highest number of quality inspection people in the trade.
Best Regards
Alan
Hi Terrence,
We've got an Abbey. Although we've had issues with it, they have, mostly, been sorted (one still in the pipeline).
For me, the important factors are these -
1. The Dealer: Ask around - who has had good experience of the dealer you're thinking of using? Who hasn't? If you're getting overwhelmingly positive feedback about a certain dealer, then that speaks for itself. Remember, anyone will do a good job SELLING you the caravan, but the proof of the pudding comes in the quality of the after sales service. They're not all the same;
2. Looking at this forum, Swift do actually monitor what's going on, whereas Bailey, Lunar, Coachman et al, do not. That also shows that they are, at least, trying.
Buying the most expensive doesn't always mean the best. A friend bought an Aston Martin Vanquish - nothing but trouble. He bought a Range Rover Sports - again, nothing but trouble. Buys a Toyota pickup - no problems.
There are always going to be faults/issues with anything that you buy. For me, the main point is how do you get it put right with the minimum of fuss?
Mac
We've got an Abbey. Although we've had issues with it, they have, mostly, been sorted (one still in the pipeline).
For me, the important factors are these -
1. The Dealer: Ask around - who has had good experience of the dealer you're thinking of using? Who hasn't? If you're getting overwhelmingly positive feedback about a certain dealer, then that speaks for itself. Remember, anyone will do a good job SELLING you the caravan, but the proof of the pudding comes in the quality of the after sales service. They're not all the same;
2. Looking at this forum, Swift do actually monitor what's going on, whereas Bailey, Lunar, Coachman et al, do not. That also shows that they are, at least, trying.
Buying the most expensive doesn't always mean the best. A friend bought an Aston Martin Vanquish - nothing but trouble. He bought a Range Rover Sports - again, nothing but trouble. Buys a Toyota pickup - no problems.
There are always going to be faults/issues with anything that you buy. For me, the main point is how do you get it put right with the minimum of fuss?
Mac
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