Guest fiona bullock Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 Two weeks ago and with great excitement we travelled by coach over 180 miles to collect our new motorhome. On arrival we found that there was no fly screen fitted as stated, no ariel fitted as stated and the gas bottle compartment didn't lock. We were reasonable about this and said we would go back later and have these fitted. On driving home we found that the cab heating didn't work. The company said it was a Fiat problem and we would have to go to them. Waiting for over a week for an appointment we were then told by Fiat it a fault on the living unit side not their's. The company have agreed to come and pick up the van next week which was fine, and return when sorted. However since then we have double checked everything this weekend (we haven't been able to use the van since buying because of the lack of heat!!) We have found that the gas fire doesn't work, the bed doesn't fit properly when making up, there is no light in cupboard as stated in brochure, no TV unit as stated, three door handles not working, 2 blinds not working and the bin in cupboard doesn't fit onto the door. Has anyone else had these so called PDI problems, we are sure that this has not been completed because all these faults would have shown up. Do we get stroppy, will this help or do we remain calm and quietly insist on having some form of compensation, and is so what?? WE have had to change our plans because we can't us the van and now it has to go back which we aren't sure when we will get it back. Please advise. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Geoff Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 What a disappointment for you at what should have been an exiting and enjoyable time.There is no excuse for this poor standard of service as both Fiat and the Dealer should have discovered and corrected all these faults with a properly completed PDI inspection.In fact the vehicle should not have left the manufacturer in this state but unfortunately we hear of this kind of problem all too often. I believe that the supplier should be given an opportunity to correct all the faults but if the problems persist you probably will be able to reject the vehicle as not being of merchantable quality. Qualified legal advice would be a good idea and if you are a member of the Caravan Club it is available free of charge. Is it not time that sub-standard dealers and manufacturers are named and shamed ? They do take large lumps of our hard earned cash and should have a duty of care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 Please name and shame the motorhome dealer in question. We can all guess but it would be good to have our suspicions confirmed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PWI Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 As someone who hopes to buy a motorhome shortly I would be interested to find out what the model was and whether the dealer is in my area - North west. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PHILIP SMITH (smudge) Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 please name and shame this should not be allowed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PeteC Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 As we are looking for a new MH Please pass on the name of the dealer so that we can avoid them We have already been to Teesdale where we saw what appeared to be the exact (new) model that we wanted but the dealer wouldnt open the door because someone was going to pick it up in 4 weeks time and we may steal something out of it. We were told to order one the we could look in that one when ot arrived There is only one dealer in Teesdale We woont return there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest phil Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 we bought our used motorhome from barron's northwest.service was excellent.we will buy again from them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Molly Blackhall Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 We had a similar problem and eventually recieved an awning, swivel passenger seat Travelling expenses both ways on 2 trips from Scotland Lunch a car for the time we were there for repairs etc. Go to it and take them for as much as you can....It is time these dealers were hit where it hurts....IN THE POCKET unfortunaely they don@t have to depend on return custom anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest molly Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 Sorry for the spelling in the last reply....Anger gives you dislexic fingers !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MikeT Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 As in previous replys to this item please name and shame this dealer it should not be allowed to go on . I also think the mmm should not censor items that are for very poor service to the public. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Will Redfearn Wirral Motorhome Club Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 Your contract is with the dealer NOT fiat. All issues are THEIR responsibility alone, if you have any further problems threaten them with local trading standards. I agree with all the above name them, come to think of it that may be a better threat than trading standards, name them on ALL motorcaravn related sites. I can almost hear the cheeks clenching now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Docted Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 Fiona Sorry to hear about your dissappointment when picking up your new van you must have been gutted. As Will says your contract is withe dealer NOT Fiat The important thing to do now is write to the dealer, listing all the problems that you have come across and telling them that you are rejecting the vehicle under the Trades Description Act as the vehicle is "not fit for purpose" and you want all your monies refunded You are also seeking compensation for the costs incurred in dealing with the problems. If you have used finance to assist in the purchase write also to the finance company telling the the same as they are jointly liable with the trader. I would agree with the requests to name and shame purely to force the motorhome dealers be aware that this information is available to prospective purchasers. We like to pass positive comments when we get good service so the opposite must also apply when service is poor. good luck Docted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nick Posted February 8, 2005 Share Posted February 8, 2005 perhaps we could have a name an shame site/ column. opposite to praise for service. to keep dealers on their toes a bit.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
le canichot depang Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 We collected our van, which we bought as an ex-demo at a good price, however, when we returned to have its first habitational service some 8 months later (due to us being on holiday in England- we live in Jersey), we asked for the van's engine service book, which we had sent back for completion in December! - we were then told that the engine hadn't actually had its PDI and we had to take it to the Peugeot dealer and sit for an hour while they carried it out and filled out the book - so it's Pre-delivery inspection was done at 2800miles! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapido-lass Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 What a disappointment to find your new motorhome in that condition. I know exactly what you are going through as I had a similar experience when we collected our new motorhome. They should be named and shamed, and it is their responsibility not Fiat's as they are the agent selling the motorhome- your sontract is with them who ever they be. A point to remember is that is they sell you a motorhome not fit for the purpose you bought it for and they sold it to you for, then you are within your rights to return the vehicle and get a full refund. Not necessarily what you want to do, but tell them they are in breach of contract as they have sold you something unfit for the purpose and watch them panic incase you get Trading Standards in. It would be as well to inform Trading Standards as if they get enough complaints about a company they will investigate. It seems that a growing number of dealers feel that it is unnecessary to do pdi checks. It is there responsibilty to do so, so unless more of us kick up a fuss, they are getting away with it. I would ask for a refund for the work as it's not been done and you've paid for it in the price of your new motorhome. In my eyes that is fraud - taking money under false pretenses. Good luck, I hope you get it all resolved to your satisfaction. It is a nasty way to start life of with your new motorhome, been there and shat on by dealer, but try and not let in spoil your years of happy traveling ahead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 If you are thinking of rejecting it would be worth getting some professional advice, some useful information & links here:- http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/x-ray/x_guides/cars/car1-1.shtml I assume it was a British built Motorhome? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RupertGS Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 As this complaint about the poor PDI was posted four years ago I think that it's safe to say that it may well have been sorted out by now. How does someone come to unearth a thread going back so long? The dealer in question may no longer exist, may have been taken over, or could have changed its ways and be a shining example of customer service? Edited to say: A search reveals that this is the one and only post ever made by Fiona Bullock, which is very odd considering what she claims is the scale of her problems. This is why it is very dangerous to start criticising dealers on the strength of one anonymous post. There is always the chance that the poster is a rival, or someone with an unreasonable grudge. This is also why Warners has to exercise great care when people start making claims about traders. There are serious legal implications for a website that allows unproven libel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 Doh! I'm as blind as the rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapido-lass Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 [QUOTE]lennyhb - 2009-08-07 9:50 AM Doh! I'm as blind as the rest.[/QUOTE] I obviously should have gone to specksavers!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Usinmyknaus Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 Although four and a half years have passed between the first post and the most recent, through boom time and bust, everything in the first and subsequent 2005 posts rings true and topical today because much of the Motorhome industry is just as bad for customers now as it was then. I don't expect it will change anytime soon. Bob :-| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RupertGS Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 [QUOTE]Usinmyknaus - 2009-08-08 11:35 AM Although four and a half years have passed between the first post and the most recent, through boom time and bust, everything in the first and subsequent 2005 posts rings true and topical today because much of the Motorhome industry is just as bad for customers now as it was then. I don't expect it will change anytime soon. Bob :-|[/QUOTE] What evidence do you have for the statement that 'much of the motorhome industry is bad for customers' apart of course from the anti-business bias prevalent amongst many members of this forum?My own experiences of independent motorhome dealers is that they are no different from any other industry. They try to please customers because they know that, if they don't, they will go out of business. They may not always succeed because, like you and like me, they are not perfect but I measure a company not by the fact that it may have made a mistake, but how it puts it right.My positive experiences, which, as I said, were with independent dealers, seem to be shared by thousands of others. It is a fact that most people are happy to complain but can't be bothered to praise, so we tend to hear the minority who aren't satisfied rather than the majority who are.I think that this original thread is very dodgy. One post, and no follow ups suggests that, if she's genuine, she was sorted out quickly to her satisfaction or I'm sure we'd have heard more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porky Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 When I saw this I thought it was a wind up. I may have been right. My own experience of buying (for the first time) from Chelston Motorhomes is that they have been thoroughly professional throughout, attended to all the initial minor problems efficiently and even replated and fixed air ride suspension at their expense when it transpired that the unladen weight had increase between order and delivery without the manufacturer advising anyone. Chelstons attitude was your contract is with us, we will take this up with Autotrail. Roy Fuller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonB Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 From past excruciating experience we consider Chelston as The Dealer From Hell. Funny old world isn't it. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 Presumably the 2005 thread was resurrected merely because its title seemed appropriate. Odd, in this instance, that a demonstration motorhome's 'chassis' apparently hadn't been PDId before it began to be used. Such things happen though, and it just proves how important it is to ensure, when purchasing a motorhome (new or second-hand), that the buyer goes through the vehicle's documentation with a fine-tooth comb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Usinmyknaus Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Rupert. I speak as I have found from personal experience over two years of ownerhsip of a M/H and a little over one year's extensive research before that - others will have different experiences of course. Like you I have concluded that independents are a worthwhile choice. (In my case for accessorising, servicing and maintenance and whom I frequently recommend.) I have also placed positive e-mails on this forum where praise was due. For example. I praised the quality of the PDI and hand-over I experienced at Lowdhams of Nottingham. I have also, where appropriate, referred to negative experiences of the industry but I am sure you know that any specific, negative references on this forum can lead to a thread being pulled - I am always very carefull not to jeopardise another member's thread. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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