I take my van for a service and they want it for between 5 and 8 days!!!!!! I take my car at 09:00hrs and I have it back serviced and valeted by 12:30 the same day. Perhaps we as caravan owners have become so complacent we accept the unacceptable?
Why is the Caravan Industry Slow and Ineficient?
- Thread starter Bri2
- Start date
Mel
Moderator
I am not disagreeing with the idea; but we have our van serviced by the dealer that supplied it (Kimberley Caravans) We drop it off in the morning and pick it up in the afternoon.
mel
mel
Never had the need to accept the unacceptable. The workshop we use turns the van around the same day unless there is an issue that will take longer to deal with or they find an unexpected glitch. If this is the case we are kept fully informed of progress and can always book in at a later date. We are very pleased with the service we've had from Coachman over the past week. Ok we shouldn't of had a damp issue, but these things happen, the van was booked in at the factory entirely at our convenience as was collection and it has come back in showroom condition so no complaints there either.
Parksy
Moderator
I would say that it's just your dealer who is slow and inefficient rather than the caravan industry as a whole Bri.
When we had our caravan serviced at the supplying dealer it was booked in for the morning and we could collect the caravan, fully serviced, just after lunch time. We use an approved mobile service engineer these days and he services our caravan on our driveway, a mornings work.
I would consider it to be unacceptable for servicing to take anything more than about four hours, there would be no chance of me leaving my caravan for between 5 and 8 days for servicing
When we had our caravan serviced at the supplying dealer it was booked in for the morning and we could collect the caravan, fully serviced, just after lunch time. We use an approved mobile service engineer these days and he services our caravan on our driveway, a mornings work.
I would consider it to be unacceptable for servicing to take anything more than about four hours, there would be no chance of me leaving my caravan for between 5 and 8 days for servicing
Our dealer is prepared to accept caravans on a Sunday to collect up to the next Saturday but you can also book in for a specific date. The Weekend drop off and collect helps those who would otherwise need to take time off work and probably helps the dealer fit the work in through the week. Demanding it for a week is wrong and if you are unhappy vote with your feet and go elsewhere. Certainly round here there are several dealers anxious for your custom.
The last dealer we used gave you a date for the work and charged you storage if it was left there more than three days after work was completed.
The last dealer we used gave you a date for the work and charged you storage if it was left there more than three days after work was completed.
Just as well I didn't need the van this week but I shall ask why it takes so long compared to others, now I have had some comments. Having said that, my previous dealers, Barrons then Discover, now defunct, where no better and had the van 5 days or more. Is anyone else in the North West getting slow service? I use the dealer because the van is 2011 with 10 year warranty, Bailey Orion so Im not sure if I could use anyone not approved by Bailey?
Like others have said, your experience is not necessarily typical.
In these times of belt tightening, dealers should be looking to improver their efficiency, but also to offer additional services to make their offering more attractive.
For example the garage that services/repairs my car, will actually collect it leave a courtesy car. Take my car away and do the work on it and return it to me and exchange it for the courtesy car. This is not a new car, and what I pay for the service I judge is worth it to me.
How about dealers collecting caravans from their customers, and enhanced offer which i am sure some would find very attractive.
Unless there is other work to be carried out such as repairs, then there is no need for a dealer to have your caravan for more than a day. The service work is neither complex nor especially time consuming for trained personnel, and the parts are items any good dealer should carry in stock.
Its not in their interests to have a customers caravan at the centre for longer than is necessary, it takes up space which could be put to more productive use, it takes time and man power to shunt the vans around the storage yard so they can get at the next one, having the van on site for so long increases the chance it will be damaged whilst in the dealers care, and worst of all it slows cash turnover.
Tell your service centre you are unhappy with the turnaround time, and that as a result you are considering alternative arrangements, it might spur them onto better performance.
I suggest you look for an alternative dealer or even consider using a mobile engineer - quicker and more convenient, and often cheaper.
In these times of belt tightening, dealers should be looking to improver their efficiency, but also to offer additional services to make their offering more attractive.
For example the garage that services/repairs my car, will actually collect it leave a courtesy car. Take my car away and do the work on it and return it to me and exchange it for the courtesy car. This is not a new car, and what I pay for the service I judge is worth it to me.
How about dealers collecting caravans from their customers, and enhanced offer which i am sure some would find very attractive.
Unless there is other work to be carried out such as repairs, then there is no need for a dealer to have your caravan for more than a day. The service work is neither complex nor especially time consuming for trained personnel, and the parts are items any good dealer should carry in stock.
Its not in their interests to have a customers caravan at the centre for longer than is necessary, it takes up space which could be put to more productive use, it takes time and man power to shunt the vans around the storage yard so they can get at the next one, having the van on site for so long increases the chance it will be damaged whilst in the dealers care, and worst of all it slows cash turnover.
Tell your service centre you are unhappy with the turnaround time, and that as a result you are considering alternative arrangements, it might spur them onto better performance.
I suggest you look for an alternative dealer or even consider using a mobile engineer - quicker and more convenient, and often cheaper.
Hi Bri
My experiences are similar to the others.
Chipping Sodbury caravans usually take the Wyoming in the afternoon before , my choice, and it's ready by next day's lunch time.
Are you sure someone at your dealer isn't using your caravan for a free weeks hol
My experiences are similar to the others.
Chipping Sodbury caravans usually take the Wyoming in the afternoon before , my choice, and it's ready by next day's lunch time.
Are you sure someone at your dealer isn't using your caravan for a free weeks hol
I agree with Dusty, Chipping Sodbury used to have our caravan in at 8.30 in the morning, and it was usually ready for collection after lunch,unless there was any extra work,and even then it was always ready the same day. I do think it helps if you book in well in advance. We have since changed to mobile engineer purely because we no longer have a Bailey.
Hello Bri
We use Reads in Blackburn as that's where we bought the van, however now it's out of warranty we still use them. It's a bit of a trek for us as we live on Wirral, but we can drop the van off on a Saturday and collect the following Saturday. They have a secure storage area at the service building. Although the first year we did drop off one afternoon and collected the next.
We tend to use the drop off Saturday as a day out which makes it.
Cheers
John
We use Reads in Blackburn as that's where we bought the van, however now it's out of warranty we still use them. It's a bit of a trek for us as we live on Wirral, but we can drop the van off on a Saturday and collect the following Saturday. They have a secure storage area at the service building. Although the first year we did drop off one afternoon and collected the next.
We tend to use the drop off Saturday as a day out which makes it.
Cheers
John
Well, my vans still at Campbells Preston / Leyland which is where I purchased the van. Its a secure compound which had loads of vans on to be serviced, so I'm certainley not on my own re time. As I said, I'm not in a hurry for the van, good job, but was wondering if anyone else took so long to get their service done. I used Barrons then Discover ar Chorly before they went bust and I must say, they where no better re time. Can't say anything about the quality of work as it's the first service for this van at Campbells..
Before having work done try this site. It lists approved dealers with a customer rating so should give you a good idea as to service levels. http://www.approvedworkshops.co.uk
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