you did the right thing rejecting a factory repair jo-anne we had a Sterling Jewel(same group) with a bumpy vinyl floor and accepted a factory repairit was never the same,creaks groans draughts,had we realised what a major job replacing the floor was we would have rejected van or lived with it.We were glad to see the back of that van although we loved it when we had it,our first new van.If everybody knew their rights and stuck to them manufacturers would have to get it right first time.
Deli dave, i agree not everybody knows there rights. Im like a dog with a bone if im right which i knew i was and had the law on my side i would have gone all the way. But it meant taking the dealer to court and calling the manu as a witness but i would have it.
i hope you dont mind me asking but what va have you got now?.
jo-anne
i hope you dont mind me asking but what va have you got now?.
jo-anne
Hello Alan and all,
Yes I can appreciate that it seems unfair that the dealer is pursued if a caravan is found to be faulty, But who took your money? Was it the dealer or the manufacturer?
Now look at the mark up (the difference between purchase price and the price you sell something for). It is not uncommon for traders to have between a 30 and 60% mark up. I do not know what the dealers exact mark up on caravans is but it will probably fall within these figures.
Out of the mark up they have to meet the overheads, part exchange and staffing costs, and basically what is left is profit.
Having established that the dealer has a responsibility to ensure the goods they sell are of merchantable quality, if they fail to achieve this (regardless of who caused the fault) surely they should expect some penalty such as a hit on profits.
If there were no penalty, there would be no incentive for them to seek to improve their products or service. A problem like the one that started this thread is a wake up call to the dealer to be more critical of their suppliers.
It should also be a wake up call to all the suppliers and manufacturers.
As Deli dave has posted, the manufacturers should be aiming to get it right first time, and that same spirit should be the goal of every company involved in the supply of caravans (and in fact all types of product).
Importantly, if all parties were of the same intent, then a problem such as Jo-annes, would be much rarer, but if it does happen the response from dealer and all stages back to the manufacture should be to resolve the problem with the minimum of fuss, but then to use the experience as feedback to reduce the possibility of it happening again.
I agree with Deli Dave, if more people understood their rights and used them, it will eventually bring the message home to every one in the supply chain that shoddy design, materials or workmanship is a costly choice, and it increases a products carbon footprint!
Brendan's original point about having pride in a job is very relevant.
Yes I can appreciate that it seems unfair that the dealer is pursued if a caravan is found to be faulty, But who took your money? Was it the dealer or the manufacturer?
Now look at the mark up (the difference between purchase price and the price you sell something for). It is not uncommon for traders to have between a 30 and 60% mark up. I do not know what the dealers exact mark up on caravans is but it will probably fall within these figures.
Out of the mark up they have to meet the overheads, part exchange and staffing costs, and basically what is left is profit.
Having established that the dealer has a responsibility to ensure the goods they sell are of merchantable quality, if they fail to achieve this (regardless of who caused the fault) surely they should expect some penalty such as a hit on profits.
If there were no penalty, there would be no incentive for them to seek to improve their products or service. A problem like the one that started this thread is a wake up call to the dealer to be more critical of their suppliers.
It should also be a wake up call to all the suppliers and manufacturers.
As Deli dave has posted, the manufacturers should be aiming to get it right first time, and that same spirit should be the goal of every company involved in the supply of caravans (and in fact all types of product).
Importantly, if all parties were of the same intent, then a problem such as Jo-annes, would be much rarer, but if it does happen the response from dealer and all stages back to the manufacture should be to resolve the problem with the minimum of fuss, but then to use the experience as feedback to reduce the possibility of it happening again.
I agree with Deli Dave, if more people understood their rights and used them, it will eventually bring the message home to every one in the supply chain that shoddy design, materials or workmanship is a costly choice, and it increases a products carbon footprint!
Brendan's original point about having pride in a job is very relevant.
Returning to Brendan's original post about pride in the job: There may be a technical reason for the inconsistency in the position of the reflectors, though like Brendan I suspect it is complacency either by the designers or the workforce.
I had cause to show how such lack of care could affect the sale of a product: A company I was called into had a production lines which from had a different work force depending on the shift. It was common for the product from both shifts would appear on the same sales shelf in the retailers. I obtained two samples from a shop and returned them to the company to demonstrate the differences.
The designers had made an indentation in a plastic moulding to accept a self adhesive data label. On one product the data label was correctly aligned and positioned fully within the indent. The other product had its label incorrectly positioned, It was slightly twisted and not sat fully within the space provided.
When these two products were put in front of the companies MD, and he was asked which would he choose, he selected the neat one, as did virtually every other employee, including the shift workers.
Hall testing of the issue revealed that where there is choice of the same product, appearance is one of the most important differentiators and a well turned out product has as much as a 85% chance of being selected over a less tidy product.
I also had to point out to the company, that in this particular case, the standard to which this product had to comply actually requires the data plate to resist removal by abrasion, so the incorrectly placed label was not actually compliant as the one edge of the label could easily be picked and start to peel.
The same effort was needed to apply the label, it was just carelessness by one shift operator, plus the fact that they did not know why it was so important from both the aesthetic view but also the legal implications. It took just a moment to advise the worker, and the problem was resolved.
I will often criticise the caravan manufacturers for using piece work contracts for their production operatives, Sadly this was the type of employment used by much of the British car industry and look where that ended up. Now look at the remaining car makers, where the employment has moved to quality circles. Piece work employment places more emphasis on quantity rather than quality
I have no doubt that a workforce kept informed of WHY a particular feature is important, is better motivated because they feel more involved and responsible and thus valued. There are plenty of companies who employ by the hour that can match the effective output of pieceworkers, though the numbers rolling of the production lines may be down slightly, there are less faults that require product returns.
I had cause to show how such lack of care could affect the sale of a product: A company I was called into had a production lines which from had a different work force depending on the shift. It was common for the product from both shifts would appear on the same sales shelf in the retailers. I obtained two samples from a shop and returned them to the company to demonstrate the differences.
The designers had made an indentation in a plastic moulding to accept a self adhesive data label. On one product the data label was correctly aligned and positioned fully within the indent. The other product had its label incorrectly positioned, It was slightly twisted and not sat fully within the space provided.
When these two products were put in front of the companies MD, and he was asked which would he choose, he selected the neat one, as did virtually every other employee, including the shift workers.
Hall testing of the issue revealed that where there is choice of the same product, appearance is one of the most important differentiators and a well turned out product has as much as a 85% chance of being selected over a less tidy product.
I also had to point out to the company, that in this particular case, the standard to which this product had to comply actually requires the data plate to resist removal by abrasion, so the incorrectly placed label was not actually compliant as the one edge of the label could easily be picked and start to peel.
The same effort was needed to apply the label, it was just carelessness by one shift operator, plus the fact that they did not know why it was so important from both the aesthetic view but also the legal implications. It took just a moment to advise the worker, and the problem was resolved.
I will often criticise the caravan manufacturers for using piece work contracts for their production operatives, Sadly this was the type of employment used by much of the British car industry and look where that ended up. Now look at the remaining car makers, where the employment has moved to quality circles. Piece work employment places more emphasis on quantity rather than quality
I have no doubt that a workforce kept informed of WHY a particular feature is important, is better motivated because they feel more involved and responsible and thus valued. There are plenty of companies who employ by the hour that can match the effective output of pieceworkers, though the numbers rolling of the production lines may be down slightly, there are less faults that require product returns.
hi,we are in daventry its easy run to Jacksons.we have not found a better equipment shop and the spares dept is amazing.You also get a bit of with c&cc card (i think it is,we are in both)
we have a series 6 Indiana there are only the two of us usually although we have taken grandchildren,4 and 2.It suits us well but we did look at the new Jewel which is a similar layout,if we had not had the previous trouble with Swift we would have probably gone for one but once bitten,twice shy.
My 07 Ace Jubilee Courier leaked at the door and in the bathroom the first summer we had it. The leak at the door was fixed some months later but in the mean time water had continued to leak in so I am left with a caravan that I have no confidence in. Swift have offered me
Facebook
Twitter