What Excuses Dealers Give You For Not Delivering On Time.

[rh010a2370]

Hi.

I am wondering if anyone who has ordered a New Caravan at any time, Or had trouble with the dealer delivering when they said it would be delivered, And what was the sort of excuses from the dealer for your caravan not being delivered on time.

The reason I ask this question is, I am new to caravanning, And I ordered a new caravan from a Hobby dealer in Scotland back at the start of December 2006, And paid a deposit of £650, For which he said I would get the caravan for sometime in February 2007.

I thought to my self at the time that's great I will get it in time for the caravan season starting.

Then just after Christmas, I got bad new regarding my work, The company I work for was going to be paying off 650 workers for which I could be one of them, So I phoned the caravan dealer to tell him there was a possibility that I might have to cancel the caravan due to the fact that I could be one of the one's who maybe getting made redundant.

And asked " Where I would stand regarding my deposit", And he said " I would lose all the deposit ".

And then he said " Give your self a couple of weeks to think about it, To see what is happening with your work ".

So after a lot of thinking I decided too buy the Caravan regardless of what happens with my job.

So I phoned the caravan dealer up at the start of February and asked him when will the Caravan be here, Then he said " It's will be here next week ",.

So the following week I gave him a phone just to make sure, Then he said " You can pick it up the following week as he will be at the SEC in Glasgow for the caravan show ",

So the following week I gave him a phone again and now this time he said " Your caravan isn't here yet, you'll defiantly have it next week ",

So I gave him a phone again a week later I was told by him the caravan is in Zeebrugge in Belgium and just waiting to be shipped over, So I asked him if I can get the serial number of the caravan for the insurance, Where he said " I phone you back ", For which he never did,

So the next day I gave him a phone again and he inform me that he had been on the phone to Hobby and the caravan was just leaving the factory and it would defiantly be here for the weekend, So I gave him a phone yesterday to find out if the caravan was here and was I told, You guest it, " It will be here next week "

The thing that is annoying me, I have been paying for insurance for the last two weeks, Plus I have been paying for storage as well.

So if anyone has had a similar experience with dealers, Can you share it with me or give me some advice please.

Thanks.

Robert.

 

[BeemerMal]

TreborDee....Seems like you are being given the run around. Unfortunately everything you have said to the dealer is by telephone and it is always difficult to prove what he said, she said. It is also difficult to prove the dealer was not genuine in his comments and it may be the manufacturer who is giving you both the run around.

I ordered my new Caravan in September 2004 for February 2005 delivery. The manufacturer cannot be named due to website rules but they were far from Swift in meeting the delivery dates they first quoted. Our problem was made worse because our old van was sold in November so we did'nt start touring in 2005 until the end of May.

Both myself and my dealer kept up constant pressure on the manufacturer, but this had no effect on them at all. It seems they can make the caravan to suit their own priorities and they decided to delay the production run of our model, without explanation or thought for the customer.

Whatever we did we could not get a firm date from them. I had decided to cancel my order but by this time I could'nt find another van, which suited our needs, that could be delivered in less than 3 months. So we just had to wait. Finally, we took delivery in May, nearly 9 months after we placed our order.

Purely on their poor, sorry non existant, customer service, I will not buy another one from them, just as a matter of principle.

In future I will always get a confirmed, written "window of delivery dates" before I place an order for another new caravan. If the dealer cannot give me this then I'll walk away.

 

[rh010a2370]

Hi BeemerMal.

Thanks for that.

Can I say I am not complaining about the Caravan Manufacture, I have no problem with them, It's the caravan dealer I have the problem with.

Plus I didn't realise by mentioning the Caravan Manufacturer name I could be breaking the rules of the website, For which I am really SORRY.

The Manufacturer of make of Caravan I am going for, Is one of the main reason I am being patient with the Dealer, The build quality and the standard of equipment, And what you get for your money compared to a British built Caravan, But that is only my opinion.

Otherwise I would have told the dealer to " go where the sun don't shine ",

Plus he was the only dealer in Scotland that would order the Model of Caravan I wanted, The rest of the Dealers where hell bent on trying to sell me the old models of Caravan they had in the showroom.

Thanks

Robert.

 

[MrsMothy]

We ordered our second new caravan at the Feb NEC show two years ago. They said delivery in June which was fine. Round about 20th May they said it had been delivered and wanted our part exchange in. This was OK as we were going away on the Thurs for the late bankholiday weekend...my huband had entered a 100 mile walk starting on the Saturday morning which he hoped to complete between 9 o10 on Sunday evening so picking the new van up early the previous week would have been quite nice. We took thte old (15 month old) van in on the Friday before as we were walking locally in the peak that weekend and didn't need it. We were extremely upset when on the following monday we found that (a)the new van which had been delivered wasn't ours and (b) they had sold our part exchange over the weekend. We spent loads of time on the phone and the dealers nagged the manufacturers. We ended up collecting our new van on the Friday at 10 am and then towing to the site near the start of the walk that day instead of a couple of days earlier and having an afternoon, whilst my husband was supposed to be taking it easy, to get used to the new 'van. I suppose we should have told them to hang on to the new 'van until the arranged dat but we had really be looking forward to the new one but it doesn't bear thinking about what would have happened if it hadn't turned up!

 

[rh010a2370]

Beemer Mal.

To keep you up dated on the situation regarding the delivery of my Caravan.

As of yet I have still not received delivery of my Caravan from the dealer who is full of the " Next week excuses ".

My patients has finally run out.

So I contacted the Trading Standards Office and they have given me some good advice on how to go about to get my deposit back, They basically said the same as you, What was said on the phone is " He said - She Said " And can't be proved.

So now I have got write a letter and send it by registered mail requesting a confirmed delivery date in writing, And if I don't get a confirmed delivery date within ten day of receipt of the letter, Then I have no choice but to cancel the Caravan and all the other Accessories I ordered and ask for my deposit back in full.

For which I am in the process of writing at the moment.

There is one I have to agree with you on is the next time I order a new Caravan from a dealer I will be asking for a confirmed delivery date as this will cover you to get your deposit back if they fail to deliver on time no matter what the excuses are.

After all at the end of the day it's the dealers responsibility to ensure that your caravan is delivered on time, As it was the dealer you placed the order with not the manufacture.

I will keep you posted how I get on.

Thanks again.

Robert.

 

[mcghee]

Without naming any names would this be the dealer in Stonehouse? If so its not the first time I've heard this story. There is another man in Scotland who could possibly get you what you want, he's actually a Tabbert dealer but supplies Hobbys as well. He's just north of Laurencekirk (Aberdeenshire). The last phone number I have for him is 07803 888 111.

 

[rh010a2370]

Hi McGhee.

Yes your absolutely right about who I am referring to.

If you can please share the story's about what you have heard about this dealer and what the people ended up doing about it.

It will be much appreciated, Plus it will might help me with my case.

As to the other dealer you are referring to we went to him first, But he was not interested in ordering the model of Hobby caravan that wee wanted, That was one of the main reason's that wee travelled over a hundred miles from our house to order the caravan from this dealer, As he was willing to order the model that wee wanted, Or I would have as he is only thirty five miles up the road from me, Plus the " Next Week Dealer Was Five Hundred Pounds Cheaper ".

But wee all learn from the mistake we make, So hopefully we don't do it again.

A Big Thanks For That, You Have Made My Day, As I thought I was the only one he has done this too.

Thanks Again.

Robert.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Hi McGhee.

Yes your absolutely right about who I am referring to.

If you can please share the story's about what you have heard about this dealer and what the people ended up doing about it.

It will be much appreciated, Plus it will might help me with my case.

As to the other dealer you are referring to we went to him first, But he was not interested in ordering the model of Hobby caravan that wee wanted, That was one of the main reason's that wee travelled over a hundred miles from our house to order the caravan from this dealer, As he was willing to order the model that wee wanted, Or I would have as he is only thirty five miles up the road from me, Plus the " Next Week Dealer Was Five Hundred Pounds Cheaper ".

But wee all learn from the mistake we make, So hopefully we don't do it again.

A Big Thanks For That, You Have Made My Day, As I thought I was the only one he has done this too.

Thanks Again.

Robert.

Hope you get in sorted soon Robert and in your favour.

 

[mcghee]

I don't think there's a lot you can do other than sending a registered letter making "time of the essence". All that will do is force your dealer to either give you a realistic delivery date, which likely won't be what you want to hear, or most probably return your deposit. This would be a result of sorts but still doesn't get you the 'van you want. Although I personally know your dealer to be a born liar, I'm willing to guess that Hobby won't be breaking their backs on his behalf, and ultimately, if he can't get the 'van he can't supply you. That said, he could at least level with you. In reality if you want this particular 'van you'll either have to wait until he can get one or source one yourself.

 

[Oldfogey]

Unfortunately you can't unilaterally make "time of the essence" at this stage, as that is attempting to impose a new condition post-contract.

When making the contract, you can offer the seller two options;

1. "Time is of the essence". If delivery is not achieved on time, the contract is automatically void, as it has failed in a manner deemed to be essential. No extension are possible, otherwise you have accepted that it was not an essential condition.

2. A contract cannot, in law, have penalty clauses for non-performance. It can, however, contain provisions for the payment of damages suffered by non-performance, and such damages can be pre-estimated at the contract stage. The estimates must be reasonable, but could include such things as your time and costs in chasing delayed delivery, or alternative accomodation hired for a holiday that would have been taken in the new van.

Of course, getting a dealer to sign up to this is another issue, though you are at liberty to wonder aloud why they appear to have no confidence in a delivery date they said they were absolutely sure about!

 

[rh010a2370]

Hi McGhee.

This is just a little update on the subject of my overdue caravan.

I sent the caravan dealer a letter two weeks ago requesting a confirmed deliver date, For which he had ten days to reply in writing to confirm a deliver date.

Then out of the blue last Wednesday night at 9 o'clock we got a phone call from the dealer that the caravan has arrived and will be ready for to collect at the weekend and just to give him phone to tell him when we be able to pick it up and they will have it ready for us to take away, So we phoned Friday and told him we will be there on Saturday in the afternoon sometime to pick it up.

So I went through yesterday, for which I got held up in two traffic jams due to road works, I didn't get there until just after four o'clock, to find the dealer was not there and to be told by his wife that they closed at four on a Saturday and that her husband had waited till quarter past four for us, but he had to go to a racing competition with one of their children in Newcastle, And when I told her that I just travelled over 90 miles and could not come back until next week she went away and give him a phone on his mobile, She came back and said if you pay me I will let you have the caravan, but it had to be cash or cheque as she could not work the chip "n" pin card machine ( Lucky for me that she could not work the chip "n" pin, ).

Then she took me to see our caravan, O was I in for a surprise, The outside of the caravan was really dirty and grubby, the door handle was worn and damaged ( it was like had been used as a demonstration model with worn marks from people opening and closing the door after viewing ), their were scratch marks all over the chrome trims and awning rails, their where gaps in the silicone sealant that went around outside of the caravan wall ( opposite side of the door ) and green mildew on the sealant as well ( for which suggest to me that the caravan has been sitting out side for a long time ), the galvanised chassis was all dull ( another indication to me that it had been sitting for a while ) I never went in side as the corner steadies where not down.

There must have been over twenty new caravans sitting around his yard all washed and in emasculate conditions and ready to be towed away except ours.

In my opinion the dealer has through the dummy tit out of the pram, and was going to give us any old tat that he could find lying in someone else yard and pass it off as being new, Thankfully I didn't not take it, as after a lot of thought when I got home, I've decided I am going cancel the caravan and try and get my deposit back some how.

 

[mcghee]

That doesn't surprise me either. About 2 years ago (at his old yard) I counted 14 'vans which had been used in Germany for upto a year and were being passed off as new.

 

[rh010a2370]

Hi McGhee.

The final update on this subject.

I have had to cancel the caravan all together from this dealer, As he left me with no choice but to do so, If I had to go through with buying this caravan I would have found it very difficult to have any thing sorted, If anything should have went wrong with this caravan.

The relationship between my self and the dealer soured, when I finally told him over the phone that I was cancelling the caravan, that when he accused me of trying to pay his wife for the caravan, with a stolen credit card, ( remembering his wife could not operate the chip "n" pin machine,plus I never took my card out of my pocket at all. )

Their is one thing I have to agree with you on, is this dealer is defiantly a born face liar, he doe's not know how to tell the truth, and wonder how he is still in business the way he treats people, after this bad experience with this particular dealer, I have been put off of buying a another new Hobby caravan, ( but this maybe explains why a lot of people buy their Hobby caravans direct from Germany).

Now I have ended up buying a new Adria caravan from a local dealer, who is just ten mile from me, it like night and day dealing with this guy, he was recommended by so many people to go and deal with, even when I was waiting to see this guy, their were people there back to buy their second and third time caravans, he doe's not try and sell you something you don't need, plus he will make sure that the car you have is capable of towing the caravan you want to buy, and when it comes time to pick the caravan up from this guy, it will take an hour and half to two hours for the hand over, as he will take through everything, how to set the caravan up,plus he show you how to put awning together, his aftercare service is to second to none according to the people i spoke to.

It's not the caravan wee wanted, as I still think Hobby a far better quality and value money, but the Adria are at the same level of quality of some new caravans and a fraction of the cost, but it's better than being rip off from the " Next week dealer. "

 

[CarolineSimon]

What a shame you had that experience.

The main Hobby importer/dealership for the UK is near me & seems pretty reasonable, not heard any bad things & plus they will not sell you an oversized van without you realising the legal implications on towing them.

They are called Ambergate Caravans & are in Ambergate,Derbyshire.

Telephone (01773) 853900 Fax (01773) 857060 ...

wwwhobbycaravansuk.co.uk

 

[yvonne6]

Mcghee, I live in the village of Stonehouse, South Lanarkshire and i know who you are referring to, and to be honest i would NEVER do business with them not even loo roll from them, they are from the travelling fraternity, i'm sure not all of them are dodgey, but those ones i would give a wide berth.

Yvonne

 

[rh010a2370]

Hi mcghee.

Just a wee update on the situation regarding the " next week " - ( Stonehouse Cowboy Dealer ).

After having to cancel the new Hobby caravan i ordered from a dealer in Scotland, because of a number reason that were the dealers fault, at the end of the day the dealer is refusing to give me my

 

[clubadria]

Hi McGhee.

The final update on this subject.

I have had to cancel the caravan all together from this dealer, As he left me with no choice but to do so, If I had to go through with buying this caravan I would have found it very difficult to have any thing sorted, If anything should have went wrong with this caravan.

The relationship between my self and the dealer soured, when I finally told him over the phone that I was cancelling the caravan, that when he accused me of trying to pay his wife for the caravan, with a stolen credit card, ( remembering his wife could not operate the chip "n" pin machine,plus I never took my card out of my pocket at all. )

Their is one thing I have to agree with you on, is this dealer is defiantly a born face liar, he doe's not know how to tell the truth, and wonder how he is still in business the way he treats people, after this bad experience with this particular dealer, I have been put off of buying a another new Hobby caravan, ( but this maybe explains why a lot of people buy their Hobby caravans direct from Germany).

Now I have ended up buying a new Adria caravan from a local dealer, who is just ten mile from me, it like night and day dealing with this guy, he was recommended by so many people to go and deal with, even when I was waiting to see this guy, their were people there back to buy their second and third time caravans, he doe's not try and sell you something you don't need, plus he will make sure that the car you have is capable of towing the caravan you want to buy, and when it comes time to pick the caravan up from this guy, it will take an hour and half to two hours for the hand over, as he will take through everything, how to set the caravan up,plus he show you how to put awning together, his aftercare service is to second to none according to the people i spoke to.

It's not the caravan wee wanted, as I still think Hobby a far better quality and value money, but the Adria are at the same level of quality of some new caravans and a fraction of the cost, but it's better than being rip off from the " Next week dealer. "

Hello There i'm sure your not alone in dealers promising the earth and then cann't deliver on time, had you thought about a Fendt caravan i wish that hobby and fendt make them 7.6 wide as i like there layouts better than british ones.It was a hard choice for us not to a fendt because of the width, so instead we set up a Adria owners club because thats what we owned at the time.Did you buy your adria in scotland or the north.

Clubadria