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RDH Motorhomes, Nottingham have gone bust.


Guest Richard Cope

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Guest Richard Cope
Unfortunately RDH motorhomes went bust on Friday (13th May). Apparently those who had ordered new 'vans have had their deposits returned. A sad day. I feel very sorry for all concerned both staff and customers alike. BCS in Herne Bay, Kent, will probably be the main importers from now on. Paul Glicksman has vowed to do what he can to keep Benimar alive and thriving in the UK. Good Luck.
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Guest Mike C
Hello Richard, A sad day for the disabled motor caravanner too as RDH were one of the most knowledgeable dealers for the Benimar Eurable, one of the few motor caravans specially built for the disabled. Hopefully BCS will also take on the disabled services provided by RDH especially the hired Eurable "try it and see" unit.
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Benimar are part of the Trigano Group that also owns Autotrail. Autotrail do also have a reputation for specials for disabled users. Benimar are considered to be the "budget" end of the market within the Trigano family.
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Guest Derek Uzzell
Tom: What's the basis for your comment that the Trigano Group considers Benimar as a budget brand, please? UK and European Benimar prices certainly don't support this view - in fact, when I was considering buying a Chausson motorhome from RDH, they said they had taken on that agency because Benimar products had become too expensive for many UK buyers. At the last count, the motorhome element of the Trigano empire comprised brands Arca, Autostar, Auto-Trail, Benimar, CI, Challenger/Chausson, Eura Mobil, Font-Vendome, Karmann, Roller Team and Trigano (producing just Tribute/Eurocamp models). Considering only the coachbuilt motorhome manufacturers (Font-Vendome and Trigano make panel-van conversions only), I'd rank these in 3 sub-groups of descending order of 'poshness'/pricing: 1. Arca, Autostar, Eura Mobil, Karmann. 2. Auto-Trail, Benimar. 3. CI, Challenger/Chausson, Roller Team. I've based this listing primarily on overall price-spread. So the brands in sub-groups 2 or 3 may market top-of-the-range designs that overlap the price-bands of brands in higher sub-groups, but the former brands' prices for their low- and mid-range models will be much cheaper comparatively. It should be noted that the brands are left in alphabetical order within sub-group - I'm not suggesting that Arca is somehow 'better' than Karmann, nor that Auto-Trail is superior to Benimar.
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It was a comment from a senior man at Autotrail a few years back soon after Trigano became their owners. This was borne out by a dissatisfied Benimar customer we met in the south of France - together with his motorhome. He had a list as long as your arm of faults and pointed each out to us. Several bits had "fallen off" examples being items like the table wall fittings did not have any solid timber behind the veneer to ensure that the screws did not pull out. Similarly with the fixings for cupboard doors with hinge and catch screws falling out. It was difficult to get away from him! He was obsessed with this 3 month old vehicle that was going straight back for a full refund. Put alongside our own 5 year old (at the time)Autotrail on the same site it was without doubt not of the same quality of build or attention to detail. Price isn,t everything. Just look at a modern Hymer to prove that! I don,t fully agree with your pecking order but who would? Tom
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Guest Mike C
Hello Tom, When you say Autotrail specials for disabled are these one off special builds or a standard disabled model like the Eurable? The problem with one off's is that they are normally very expensive when compared to the standard unit they are based on. Even the Eurable is close to £40,000 out of the reach of many disabled persons even with the no VAT advantage. Regards, Mike C
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I suffer the results of childhood Polio. We had several special bits on our scout. The Merc chassis was extended before the body went on, the inside of the roof was constructed differently so was a special, and special electrics installed. Cost only a few hundred. But that was nearly 8 years back with Autotrail via Brownhills. We also visited the chassis specialist and Autotrail during the various stages of build to see progress. We have no complaints with either for our experience, they were both very accomodating and helpfull. Ring up Autotrail and ask. Its the surest route to getting a straight answer. A UK converter is better placed to be able to satisfy special individual needs as they are both local and speak our language! I don,t know the Eurable. Good luck
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Guest Mike C
Hello Tom, Thanks for the info. My wife suffers from osteo and rheumatoid athritis and at present we can manage without a specially wheelchair adapted van but this may become an essential some time in the future. We have a Sundance with special grab/stability handles inside and the Fiamma handle outside and use a caravan double step for access. Regards, Mike C
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It astounds me that in a rapidly growing market like that for motorhomes with such a high profit margin that anyone can go belly up unless they are not capable of running a business or they gambled and were too greedy? What reason do RDH give for their demise?
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Guest Derek Uzzell
www.ukmotorhomes.net carries the following: "RDH Motorhomes, the sole importers of Benimar motorhomes, ceased trading on Friday 14th May. Their premises in Nottingham are closed and a spokesman told us that 'the motorhome side of things is finished'. He quoted 'issues with Benimar in Spain' as one of the reasons." (Yeah, yeah - I know the 14th was a Saturday, but that's what the quote says!) Next Wednesday I shall be visiting a Benimar agency who dealt with RDH. If I hear anything useful about the background to the company's demise (and provided that the information is publishable) I'll post it to the forum.
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