kelly58 Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Our motorhome has gone to-day cheque's in the BS pick up new VW Golf Plus " Dune " 1.9 tdi special edition , pick up new caravan next week Lunar Stella awning and all the extras done a cracking deal on MH / Car / Caravan so off to new type of adventures no more touring Europe after the debackle with Fiat Camper Could'nt Care and the Rac alledged breakdown non service its like having an umbrella but when it rains you find it full of holes so of no use at all . Just got to get rid of Taylormade screen cover / Headlight Protectors / France / German maps and travellers guides and hopefully never set foot on French soil again. __________________ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertandjean Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Hi Kelly, Wish you well in your new motorhome and France free lifestyle. Soon you will be able to enjoy sitting on U.K. camp sites, having booked months ahead, paying high site fees, listening to the rain beat down on your roof whilst wondering how you will get out of the mud. We, on the other hand ,will in a couple of weeks be back in La belle France meandering from aire to aire, relaxing in glorious sunshine and enjoying a glass or two of vin rouge. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly58 Posted June 9, 2010 Author Share Posted June 9, 2010 robertandjean - 2010-06-09 7:17 PM Hi Kelly, Wish you well in your new motorhome and France free lifestyle. Soon you will be able to enjoy sitting on U.K. camp sites, having booked months ahead, paying high site fees, listening to the rain beat down on your roof whilst wondering how you will get out of the mud. We, on the other hand ,will in a couple of weeks be back in La belle France meandering from aire to aire, relaxing in glorious sunshine and enjoying a glass or two of vin rouge. Enjoy! Good for you and I hope you do not break down and have to rely on Fiat and RAC to help you out and leave you high and dry for 4 days stuck on a garage forecourt as they did with us stuck in southern Brittany even if we were still under warranty and with full beakdown cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 You poor things.....But a bit drastic! while breakdown insurance in your experience turned out to be unrelaible, we always have 12 month worldwide travel insurance to call on as well. I cant think of anything worse then holidaying in the UK year on year *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 i wish you well on your travels hope nowt else goes wrong or you will be on a push bike and tent next (lol) jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art338 Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Nothing wrong with the UK, just depends what your interests are. Mine used to be gallivanting all over Europe and doing all the things one does. I'm also now not interested in doing all the booking, planning, driving, eating unusual food and attempting to converse with the natives. Cos all that happens is that you have to come back, but, having filled your diary with all the exotic place names you're at least able boast to your friends where and what it was all about. The sky is blue, the grass is green, the wine is red or white and rain falls from the sky and I see no reason now to try and prove its different elsewhere. It was fun of course but I can see it all on TV now in the comfort of an armchair and all it costs is a TV licence, well that's a lie cos now I watch it for free, so how smart is that. Keep posting the memories of where you go so's I can say "yes we've been there too" And don't forget farmer fred from down Penpillick way, he needs to know what lives outside Cornwall, dont e fred? art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly58 Posted June 10, 2010 Author Share Posted June 10, 2010 We absolutely love France this being our 4th year and done 12 trips but the last trip was beyond a nightmare hassle and stress I do not need caused mainly by FIAT "WE DO NOT " camper care and the RAC after breakdown on the Sunday morning and waiting over 2 hours 1st they sent the wrong size vehicle to lift the motorhome after I had given them the full details of the MH size weight etc so another almost 2 hr wait for a larger vehicle only to be taken and dumped in a yard full of broken and crasshed vehicles miles from anywhere overnight , then next morning moved to a Fiat Dealers in Vannes. After more than 6 hrs they decided to take a look only to say it will take 2 weeks to fix ( the gearbox was leaking oil 700 miles after having had the " gearbox Judder fix " by local Fiat Dealer in UK) MH just over 18 months old . After spending a fortune and god knows how many phone calls to try and get sorted and back to the UK . We were not offered any of the benefits as stated in the Camper Care Policy we were not offered as much as a glass of water, after a lot of getting annoyed and frustrated they eventually decided to make a "Temporary Repair " to get us on our way and just to get rid of us I think having just hung around the showroom for 3 days we got our "fix " then the best bit although we were still under warranty we were presented with a bill for the time and materials which I refused to pay so they siezed my vehicle until I paid them , by this time we had had enough and just wanted to get home so it was pay up good bye and cut short the holiday . Now we are trying to get our money back and also some compo for the loss of holiday and trouble we have encuontered at the hands of Fiat and the RAC/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 why did you not move to a hotel and send them the bill *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertandjean Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Kelly, Yes a bad experience but really bad enough to give up motorhoming and stay in UK for ever? Over the years in going to France and beyond it has not always been straight forward but we have never considered giving up on either the motorhome lifestyle or our visits to France. On our last trip, April/May this year, I was rushed into hospital, by ambulance, at 1.00 am with heart problems. At the time we were staying on the aire at Nozay and I was taken to hospital in Chateaubriant 25km away where I stayed for 4 days. To cut a long story short the result was that Jean had then to find her own way back to Nozay, drive the van back to Chateaubriant and stay overnight on her own on the hospital car park. (The care in the hospital was excellant and the staff could not have been more freindly; now on medication and heart problem under control) What to take from this? First ensure you have the right type of cover for different events. Like Eddie we have full health insurance, but this was needed this time as all was covered on the EU health card. Second the ability to speak some French, even just a few words and phrases really does help. Third things are bound to go wrong sometimes but try to put into context; I feel much better now and we have no hesitations about going back to France in a couple of weeks time. Kelly, shame you let the one incident stop you enjoying motohoming but wish you well for the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 try staying at a UK hospital car park in a camper van *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petra Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 We did stay at a hospital car park in the UK for 3 days whilst I had to have 3 consecutive days of treatment. The fees were £2.50 for up to 3 hours and £3.00 for up to 24 hours so we paid our £3.00 and stayed there. The security guard was not too happy but the staff were brilliant. Better than paying £25 to park on a bit of grass at a campsite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 kelly i am with you on this. travelled all over and missed out on so much in uk. now decided not to go abroad again and concentrate on visiting all the places in uk i have never been to. christmas and new year in morton was brilliant. by the way where did you get that picture of me on my 3 wheel bike :-> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly58 Posted September 6, 2010 Author Share Posted September 6, 2010 kelly58 - 2010-06-09 6:51 PM Our motorhome has gone to-day cheque's in the BS pick up new VW Golf Plus " Dune " 1.9 tdi special edition , pick up new caravan next week Lunar Stella awning and all the extras done a cracking deal on MH / Car / Caravan so off to new type of adventures no more touring Europe after the debackle with Fiat Camper Could'nt Care and the Rac alledged breakdown non service its like having an umbrella but when it rains you find it full of holes so of no use at all . And hopefully never set foot on French soil again. __________________ I eat my words caravanning is no way as good as motorhoming and not for us sold the caravan and we pick up our new Auto-Sleeper Nuevo II EK motorhome hopefully on Thursday 23rd September when we get back from our cottage holiday in Normandy "yes we are going back to France " then with a bit of luck we will be trying it out yes you've guessed it on a short break to France the following week like they say " never say never " !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mondo Posted September 6, 2010 Share Posted September 6, 2010 Welcome back to the fold..as you say Never Say Never Again..We sold up this year in January..and it helped finance a move to Tenerife which we had been planning for a couple of years..we've been here 8 months now but a couple of weeks ago we were discussing our travels in our motorhome(s) and decided that probably in a couple of years we would be back to the UK and fulltime again We never thought that we would miss it but there are an awful lot of motorhomes roaming about in Tenerife and every time we see one we go Aww!! do you remember so and so and such a place etc: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vindiboy Posted September 6, 2010 Share Posted September 6, 2010 kelly58 - 2010-06-09 8:03 PMrobertandjean - 2010-06-09 7:17 PM Hi Kelly, Wish you well in your new motorhome and France free lifestyle. Soon you will be able to enjoy sitting on U.K. camp sites, having booked months ahead, paying high site fees, listening to the rain beat down on your roof whilst wondering how you will get out of the mud. We, on the other hand ,will in a couple of weeks be back in La belle France meandering from aire to aire, relaxing in glorious sunshine and enjoying a glass or two of vin rouge. Enjoy! Good for you and I hope you do not break down and have to rely on Fiat and RAC to help you out and leave you high and dry for 4 days stuck on a garage forecourt as they did with us stuck in southern Brittany even if we were still under warranty and with full beakdown cover. I broke down in Portugal this year and had to have a new clutch fitted, I got myself to a Fiat Garage for the work to be done, I contacted my breakdown people who were part of my Comfort Insurance deal, they were brilliant, they arranged Hotel acommodation for us for three nights and contacted us daily to check we were OK, I would love to have been stuck on the Garage Forecourt because although the Hotel was great I would have prefered to have resided in my van whilst the work was carried out but this was not allowed, it seems drastic to sell your van because of this instance but you know your reasons better than I , how can you be so sure you won't get similar problems in England with a car and caravan ??? and why blame France ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MandyAndy Posted September 6, 2010 Share Posted September 6, 2010 Vindi I think you missed the bit where she said she had sold the caravan and gone back to motorhoming :-D :-D :-D Well done Kelly and hope it all goes well for you. Mandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred22 Posted September 6, 2010 Share Posted September 6, 2010 We stayed for 4 days in a hospital car park on Skye The Staff were absolutely brilliant. My wife and grandchildren were allowed to use the toilets at the hospital and fresh water was made available Total cost NIL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted September 6, 2010 Share Posted September 6, 2010 kelly58 - 2010-06-09 6:51 PMOur motorhome has gone to-day cheque's in the BS pick up new VW Golf Plus " Dune " 1.9 tdi special edition , pick up new caravan next week Lunar Stella awning and all the extras done a cracking deal on MH / Car / Caravan so off to new type of adventures no more touring Europe after the debackle with Fiat Camper Could'nt Care and the Rac alledged breakdown non service its like having an umbrella but when it rains you find it full of holes so of no use at all .Just got to get rid of Taylormade screen cover / Headlight Protectors / France / German maps and travellers guides and hopefully never set foot on French soil again. __________________Well in a way I make you right FIAT is s**te you are right they dont give a pukka service our van was less than a year old and whilst driving on route in the vendee to Lac Appremont I noticed the temp dial was sky high.We immediately stopped checked everything and realised it was almost certainly not the temp assumed it was a sensor .Better safe than sorry we went back to the campsite a mobile engineer came out and reasured us it wasnt serious amd told us to go to a garage . The garage had been closed for 5 years this was down to Safegard . The garage that was there directed us another 50 miles accross country . When we finally arrived at the FIx It Again Tomorrow garage they couldnt even mend a simple temperature sensor we had to loose the night sleep at a near by lake and do it upon return ,, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted September 6, 2010 Share Posted September 6, 2010 Mandy&Andy - 2010-09-06 4:32 PM Vindi I think you missed the bit where she said she had sold the caravan and gone back to motorhoming :-D :-D :-D Well done Kelly and hope it all goes well for you. Mandy Keep up Mandy ... Kelly's a BOY!!!! (aka Kelvyn) ... at least he was last time I met him at a show!!! 8-) :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MandyAndy Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 Lol, that's really funny as I have never known whether either Mels are male or female either. Maybe along with Michelles rant on having our van names on our threads we should also have our gender. :-> :-> :-> Who knows I could be Andy, maybe not he's far to sensible. Mandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly58 Posted September 7, 2010 Author Share Posted September 7, 2010 Spot on Mel yes the last time I looked I am still a man its a long time since I was a "boy" although I still act like one whats the point of growing up when acting silly comes natural ( I hope you are still enjoying your new motorhome ) hope to see you again soon we might make the Lincoln Show but have a wedding on the Saturday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 kelly58 - 2010-06-10 9:08 AM After spending a fortune and god knows how many phone calls to try and get sorted...... And THAT was your big mistake......phone calls. Some years ago I had a similar problem with a breakdown service and on eventual return to the UK a friend told me to start banging off letters to the breakdown company, keeping copy of every single one sent. But NEVER EVER contact them by phone. The replies followed the usual format of clause 2 sub section 53 says this or that etc etc and we aren't paying. But I just kept on writing back. It got to the point where I almost dreaded their letters coming through, but then one day I opened one which contained a cheque in settlement for the full amount. It took a few months but I persisted and never gave up. I was so relieved it was all over I actually photocopied the cheque and framed it! It's all about keeping written record as if ever you have to go to Court over a claim issue it's that they will be interested in, not who said what during a phone conversation. Anyway, good to see you had a very quick 'conversion' (lol) and hopefully you won't have another bad experience, but if you do it's worth bearing in mind to follow exactly what I did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tof Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 Hi there Kelly, Not long back from Europe and just picked up your thread (I am Tof's wifey) I would like to ask one question; was the UK garage that caused this problem, after supposedly fixing the judder issue, based in Maidstone Kent? We had the same problem this summer in Germany, but fortunately were able to continue with our holiday after superb German service, however, the bill had to be paid by us due to the warranty being invalidated by the garage that did the second judder fix. The garage we used in Maidstone were Fiat Assistance approved. We have yet to go through the system of claiming the money back and obviously our story is long but as I previously stated we were able to continue our holiday doing about another 2000 miles. I have to say that we used Fiat Camper Assistance to recover us and they were fine, apart from not telling us that we were ringing a premium number! Maria. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly58 Posted September 8, 2010 Author Share Posted September 8, 2010 No the garage was not near Maidstone having numourous letters back and forth with Fiat Customer Services their last letter stated as I no longer owned a Fiat vehicle they were NOT in a position to offer any form of compensation for the breakdown / loss of holiday and for all the hassle and agrivation we were caused by the French Fiat garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhorsf Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 kelly58 - 2010-09-06 1:50 PMkelly58 - 2010-06-09 6:51 PM Our motorhome has gone to-day cheque's in the BS pick up new VW Golf Plus " Dune " 1.9 tdi special edition , pick up new caravan next week Lunar Stella awning and all the extras done a cracking deal on MH / Car / Caravan so off to new type of adventures no more touring Europe after the debackle with Fiat Camper Could'nt Care and the Rac alledged breakdown non service its like having an umbrella but when it rains you find it full of holes so of no use at all .And hopefully never set foot on French soil again. __________________ I eat my words caravanning is no way as good as motorhoming and not for us sold the caravan and we pick up our new Auto-Sleeper Nuevo II EK motorhome hopefully on Thursday 23rd September when we get back from our cottage holiday in Normandy "yes we are going back to France " then with a bit of luck we will be trying it out yes you've guessed it on a short break to France the following week like they say " never say never " !!!StalwartPosts: 977500100100100100252525Location: South Lincs We had the judder fix and 700 miles into France we lost all the gearbox oil due to bad workmanship by the Fiat Dealer lost 5 days holiday and lots of agro with no help from Fiat Camper "WE DO NOT "Care and the RAC did we get any compensation from Fiat NOT A CHANCE happily we have got rid of the Fiat . Would we buy another Fiat NO WAY I would sooner set fire to myself 1st.Kelly will you be selling tickets to watch you set fire to yourself?is this not a Fiat with another name? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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