That is, or was, a feature of most of the caravan industry for decades - forcing customers to go back to the selling dealer for warranty, servicing and other repairs - unlike the car industry where you can use any dealer for the brand.
For warranty work I took the vans to the purchasing dealer except for my last caravan which was bought in Devon but a new rear panel was fitted under warranty by Tilshead Caravans. Servicing would be carried out by local independent workshops. But for the last van Tilshead also did the servicing until it came out of warranty, then I used an AWS mobile technician.
I think the surge in ownership post Covid has put the system under stress.
They did take mine on - the suspected damp - and would have worked on it had the floor shown damp anywhere a month after drying out in Spain. Timescale beyond that I can't really comment upon.
I do think you're right in saying warranty work is prioritized for vans purchased from themselves but clearly they at least take note of people such as myself who are/were existing customers.
I have bought vans from Robinsons in the past and present van had its third service there.
Reading the above I must say there were no signs I noticed suggesting a closure.
The main office has been doubled in size and plenty of stock in the yard. They always seem busy and I can vouch for the fact they do answer phone calls - not just mine originally but whilst I was waiting in the office the phone was answered.
I really hope they remain trading. As others had said they do a good job when needed - at a price of course - and provide local employment.
That’s spot on! I tried them and our friends at Chipping Sodbury last year after my crunch. Told nothing available for bodywork until early summer. Not interested in even looking at it.
That’s not good news for the staff made redundant. Hopefully they will be successful in finding new jobs without undue delay.
White Arches issued a statement yesterday saying they were unaffected by the MBH administration as they were only investors not owners.
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If only investors that may still have a severe impact on their finances as money down the drain?
The fact that White Arches is looking for a buyer is worrying - a profitable company doesn't normally go seeking new owners.
A very contradictory post. If you are an investor it is unlikely you would be seeking funds. I would think that if a large shareholder pulls the plug and the funds are not replaced then there is a big hole somewhere. I was not aware that White Arches were a listed company?
A lot will depend on how the investment was made as to what happens next. If they shareholders the shares would have moved into the administration, in which case they would be able to sell them for whatever they are worth and White Arch could have new investors. If they loaned the money and can demand it back, White Arch would need to find this from elsewhere.
If they are able to sell the shares, they would probably be worthless. Sadly my grandfather lost just about everything when he invested in company that went bust. However that was many years ago so I guess there are different safeholds in place these days to protect people investing?
Unfortunately, there are no guarantees for shareholders, if a company goes bust then its shareholders can stand to loose the entire value of the shares they hold.
You do not have to be a "listed" company to have external shareholders, however unlike listed companies, shares in private businesses cannot be traded on the stock exchange.
It's not uncommon to find some private companies to allow some types of shares to be issued to external investors. The investment does not have to be financial it could just be knowledge, services or opportunities.
Without detailed knowledge of the size and type of of shareholding MBH had in White Arches, it should not automatically be assumed the failure of MBH will cause White Arches to become unviable.
You do not have to be a "listed" company to have external shareholders, however unlike listed companies, shares in private businesses cannot be traded on the stock exchange.
It's not uncommon to find some private companies to allow some types of shares to be issued to external investors. The investment does not have to be financial it could just be knowledge, services or opportunities.
Without detailed knowledge of the size and type of of shareholding MBH had in White Arches, it should not automatically be assumed the failure of MBH will cause White Arches to become unviable.
No - if a company goes bust the shareholders are likely to get nothing - on balance stock market investments in shares will give a much better return than cash savings but only by accepting the risk of failure - savvy investors have shares in many companies accepting that one or two may fail but still give a positive return overall.
However you dress it up MBH purchased the entire White Arches business assets last May. See Companies House.
The previous WA owners would have banked a tidy sum!
And why shouldn’t they?
If I was a gambling man I see someone following in the footsteps of Robinson ‘s Chesterfield.
The previous WA owners would have banked a tidy sum!
And why shouldn’t they?
If I was a gambling man I see someone following in the footsteps of Robinson ‘s Chesterfield.
Another way of looking at it is that opportunities become available to purchase assets from the administrator, often at knock down values, one of our suppliers recently went in to administration and we were offered a large discount to settle our outstanding invoices, also the assets were bought by 2 other suppliers at the knock down values I spoke of. So I suspect there will be potential buyers from within the caravan industry that could be interested in Robinsons remaining assets,
At the moment with no idea as to the profitability of the two businesses it is difficult to say where they will go. We may just have to wait and see.
According to another forum Robinsons closed their Chesterfield branch yesterday and the police had to be called as people wanted their caravans back. See https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/n...caravan-dealer-as-customers-locked-in-4556991
Apparently Golden Castle caravans in Gloucestershire have also been caught up with the failure of the holding company> Not sure if they are also closed?
The June edition of PCv has issued this item bringing us all upto date. Whilst we have known for some time of this issue it is still a great shame for all the loyal customers and members of staff involved.
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