Swift Charisma 650 Charger

[DavidArmstrong]

I bought a new Swift Charisma 650 in October 2008, the van was due it's first service in October 2009 and as I was made redundant and money was tight I didn't service the van within the terms of the warranty agreement.I have had some small issues with the van in the past such as drawers falling apart but instead of returning to the dealer I resolved myself.

I brought the van out at the weekend to clean it and noticed that the battery charger was not working, the unit is a Nordelettronica NE 143 RM and is a battery charger and RCD, MCB's and switches for water heater etc all combined. I spoke to the dealer who advised that Swift will not repair the unit free as the van has not been serviced but if I stripped it out and took it to him then he would send it on to Swift for a chargeable repair.

I have seen these units for sale for £225 online for a replacement, does anyone know how much Swift charges to repair this unit or anywhere that repairs them? or is it best to buy a new unit?(I stay in Glasgow)

 

[James_374408700]

David,

This is a well known fault and well documented at that.

I would try Swift and see if they will repair it FOC as this is such a known problem.

I would think it will not cost Swift anything as it is down to Nord for a subcontractor fitting an inferior part.

Having the van serviced would not have stopped this unit from failing!

Jim

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello David,

There are important differences between a warranty and a guarantee;

A warranty is a statement (written or implied) of conformance relating to the condition of the goods at the time of sale. It has no clauses to be maintained in the future. A warranty is a legal requirement and automatically comes into force whenever a new product is retailed. These are your statutory rights under the Sale of Goods Act. (SoGA) they are not limited to a fixed time period, instead they remain applicable for the life expectancy of the product but not usually beyond 6 years.

A Guarantee is statement of intent, that sets out what will happen if certain conditions occur, and as such it is a forward looking document and may have clauses to be kept in the future. Traditionally these are issued by the manufacturer, and they are not a legal requirement, so they can have many clauses that must be adhered to if the guarantee is to remain in force These are usually time limited.

I have laboured these differences because I believe that you may have case that should be settled under SoGA. SoGA requires the seller to only supply goods that are fit for purpose, of merchantable quality, free from material design and workmanship defects - At the point of sale.

Whilst your charger may have only just demonstrated a fault (17 months from point of sale) The reported fact that other examples of the same charger have demonstrated similar faults points to the probability that there is either a design or material fault that predisposes the product to an early life failure. If so then the seller has fallen foul of SoGA, and should take action to replace or repair the product.

Most power systems in caravans will last tens of years, so the product has failed well within its normal life expectancy.

James's points out the lack of service on the caravan should not diminish the case, firstly as warranty has no service requirement, and because the charger is not normally subject to service intervention.

I suggest you seek professional legal advice before proceeding.

I think a letter to the seller pointing out that the product has failed and was probably faulty from new, and consequently that the dealer has a responsibility under the SoGA to repair, may sharpen their response.

 

[DavidArmstrong]

Firstly thank you for your helpful advice. I contacted Swift technical team today and a very knowledgeable and helpful lady agreed that this was a common fault and asked me to return it to them and they would repair the unit free of charge. It should take about a week to repair and hopefully I should have it back in time for the easter holidays.

Thanks again

David

 

[DALEKSHolidays]

Hi David

I am having the same problem as you had. Could you let us know the contact details at Swift please?

Thanks

 

[Douglas_374404558]

Hi David

I am having the same problem as you had. Could you let us know the contact details at Swift please?

Thanks

Andrew. try www.Swiftcaravans.co.uk i have had two chargers in 3 years in my last Charisma 555 2007 so it is a very well known fault on these and other makes of vans not just Swift,s if you have any problems get on to the Swift forum you can contact the Swift technical team .

cheers Duggie

 

[stewart_374560223]

Hi David

I am having the same problem as you had. Could you let us know the contact details at Swift please?

Thanks

I had a problem with my charger a few weeks ago on my 2008 Abbey Vogue. Contacted Swift and found them next to useless. I emailed nordelectronica in Italy direct and had a reply within hours from their sales manager "franco" who was brilliant he sent me their TNT account details and the following morning TNT arrived to collect the faulty charger (removed by 4 screws in 30 seconds and pulling out two wire plugs) The following day I received a new charger. Two days from Italy with a quick e-mail and no problems now thats what I call service something Swift could learn from

My advice just e-mail Nordelectronica yourself with the charger part number and the fault problem, Swift are a wast of time I spent two days on the phone to swift trying to sort it and got nowhere I e-mailed Swift customers services and it took them a week to respond with a list of their dealers and having phoned several of the dealers non of them wanted to do warranty work for Swift. So much for the Swift warranty

 

[stewart_374560223]

I had a problem with my charger a few weeks ago on my 2008 Abbey Vogue. Contacted Swift and found them next to useless. I emailed nordelectronica in Italy direct and had a reply within hours from their sales manager "franco" who was brilliant he sent me their TNT account details and the following morning TNT arrived to collect the faulty charger (removed by 4 screws in 30 seconds and pulling out two wire plugs) The following day I received a new charger. Two days from Italy with a quick e-mail and no problems now thats what I call service something Swift could learn from

My advice just e-mail Nordelectronica yourself with the charger part number and the fault problem, Swift are a wast of time I spent two days on the phone to swift trying to sort it and got nowhere I e-mailed Swift customers services and it took them a week to respond with a list of their dealers and having phoned several of the dealers non of them wanted to do warranty work for Swift. So much for the Swift warranty

Just to add to the last there was no charge by Nordelectronica for the replacement charger and all postage costs were on their account

 

[Andrew_374585051]

Just to add to the last there was no charge by Nordelectronica for the replacement charger and all postage costs were on their account

Hya Stewart

that sounds great, I am having the samae problem with My 2008 Abbey freestyler 560 which I bought second hand privately, the guy lead me to beleive I had 2 more years warrenty, but he never got it services, so Im told its void!!

when you got yours repaired, are you the original owner of the van ? , does that make any difference? and the other problem with mine, the charger is intigrated in the consumer unit, so not as easy to remove and re-fit

 

[Andrew_374585051]

Hya Stewart

that sounds great, I am having the samae problem with My 2008 Abbey freestyler 560 which I bought second hand privately, the guy lead me to beleive I had 2 more years warrenty, but he never got it services, so Im told its void!!

when you got yours repaired, are you the original owner of the van ? , does that make any difference? and the other problem with mine, the charger is intigrated in the consumer unit, so not as easy to remove and re-fit

Stewart, just to add to that, do you have the email address you sent it to?

thanks