SMC Newark, great service again (3 Viewers)

[philk]

I bought my Pilote from SMC having had three new Hymer from Hymer UK. The quality of service at SMC has without fail been superb from the top down, no member of staff or indeed owners has ever been anything other than superb. Neil in parts , Carol and Jenna in service are all superb and the Warren adn Steve who run the workshop are all people I would gladly employ, thanks guys.

Phil

 

[Chockswahay]

Nice :thumb: I'm getting my Globecar from them in 2 weeks time

 

[Philiphall]

I bought my new CI from them in December last year - whilst sales was great service is less then satisfactory, been back three times with faulty rear lights and other faults (last time Tuesday after Newark rally) now working OK.

However internal habitation light still faulty - I was told on Tuesday it was a faulty connection and sorted - Wednesday faulty again! I assume the connection is still faulty and after driving the vibration has set the problem off again.

Same with the fridge (a dometic) would not operate on gas - told it was a simple thing and I was not operating it properly as it would not switch automatically, I had to change the system mains, gas, 12 volt manually - so working OK for 2 days and now wont work on gas again!

I now happen to be 100 miles from them!

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[billkce]

I bought my Pilote from SMC having had three new Hymer from Hymer UK. The quality of service at SMC has without fail been superb from the top down, no member of staff or indeed owners has ever been anything other than superb. Neil in parts , Carol and Jenna in service are all superb and the Warren adn Steve who run the workshop are all people I would gladly employ, thanks guys.

Phil

Not my experience. They started off OK the first year & then slowly but surely became unsatisfactory. I wouldn't go back there.

 

[philk]

SMC

Phil, you surprise me. Steve is a very experienced electrician and has never let me down. What we do is leave the van with them for one or two weeks so they have time to fix and test.
i could give you other examples of how they have gone beyond the expected but its not necessary. I advise trading standard registered garages subscribed to the fair play charter as my own garage is number one in the UK. I know what it takes to give service and make everyone happy all the time, in truth its impossible because motorhomes are complex and make liars out of dealers.

Phil

 

[DeuceBG]

We went to SMC a couple of weeks back looking for a unit up to £25k.
We'd been there about 45 minutes looking around a couple of different ones and had decided that either the Pilote or the Bessacar would fit the bill so (not having been approached by one yet) we went in to find a Salesman.
There was one guy sat in the corner of the foyer doing something on his computer so we approached him for some help.
I have to say that I have not met a less helpful, more condescending and generally arrogant Salesman for a very long time.
He barely even bothered to look up from whatever it was that was keeping him entertained on his computer screen and when he did, every question we asked (bearing in mind that this was to be our first Motorhome) was met with a sneering response as if we ought to know the answer anyway. When I asked about a cash discount I was told that "The screen price was THE price" and that they didn't have to discount them as they flew out of the door.
In fact he'd already sold three that morning!
When I asked about Air-Con he just laughed at me and said that there was no point looking for a unit with it installed as it never worked and that they always removed it on their units and replaced it with a Roof Light.
This just went on for about 10 minutes until I got p###ed off and we walked out.
My wife is not given to swearing (unlike me) but she turned to me and said, "What a Pr##k!!"
We will not be going back to SMC at Newark and rest assured our money won't be going there either.
But then, I'm sure they won't miss someone with such a poor knowledge of Motorhomes as I have will they, especially with all theirs routinely "Flying out of the door" the way they do?? :Angry:

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[philk]

SMC

We went to SMC a couple of weeks back looking for a unit up to £25k.
We'd been there about 45 minutes looking around a couple of different ones and had decided that either the Pilote or the Bessacar would fit the bill so (not having been approached by one yet) we went in to find a Salesman.
There was one guy sat in the corner of the foyer doing something on his computer so we approached him for some help.
I have to say that I have not met a less helpful, more condescending and generally arrogant Salesman for a very long time.
He barely even bothered to look up from whatever it was that was keeping him entertained on his computer screen and when he did, every question we asked (bearing in mind that this was to be our first Motorhome) was met with a sneering response as if we ought to know the answer anyway. When I asked about a cash discount I was told that "The screen price was THE price" and that they didn't have to discount them as they flew out of the door.
In fact he'd already sold three that morning!
When I asked about Air-Con he just laughed at me and said that there was no point looking for a unit with it installed as it never worked and that they always removed it on their units and replaced it with a Roof Light.
This just went on for about 10 minutes until I got p###ed off and we walked out.
My wife is not given to swearing (unlike me) but she turned to me and said, "What a Pr##k!!"
We will not be going back to SMC at Newark and rest assured our money won't be going there either.
But then, I'm sure they won't miss someone with such a poor knowledge of Motorhomes as I have will they, especially with all theirs routinely "Flying out of the door" the way they do?? :Angry:

Hi Deuce

I have also been let down on occaision by my salesteam, but given the opportunity and speaking to a customer I have resolved the situation. Dont judge a company by one member of staff on a given day, but that said you were nicer than i would have been.
I have experience only great service over three years and our next motorhome will come from them. If you forward your contact details to me I will pass them to the business owner.
Given where you live you are lucky to have such a good dealer on your doorstep.
Phil

 

[DeuceBG]

Hi Phil

Thanks for your reply.
We are quite lucky here as we have a number of local dealers, both large and not so large withing fairly easy reach.
We spent our whole week off work traveling between them looking for the right unit and came across a number of Sales Staff as you might expect.
I've found that the small family firms tend to be the most helpful but I guess you'd expect that too given that they have a vested interest in keeping Customers happy.
As for not judging a business by one member of staff, I'm afraid I'm very "Old School" in my believe that "You never get a second chance to make a first impression".
To be honest I'm sick to the back teeth of "Service Providers" placating me with their "Sorrys" these days.
It just seems to be used as an alternative to providing top notch service in the first place and I for one am not prepared to accept it from any of them.
As far as I'm concerned SMC have had their chance with me.
There may be plenty of other customers out there for them but there are also plenty of other dealers and units out there for me.

Regards,
Deuce

 

[Philiphall]

SMC

Phil, you surprise me. Steve is a very experienced electrician and has never let me down. What we do is leave the van with them for one or two weeks so they have time to fix and test.
i could give you other examples of how they have gone beyond the expected but its not necessary. I advise trading standard registered garages subscribed to the fair play charter as my own garage is number one in the UK. I know what it takes to give service and make everyone happy all the time, in truth its impossible because motorhomes are complex and make liars out of dealers.

Phil

I should not have to leave a brand new van with them for two weeks to get the vehicle to the standard it should have been at when I first bought it

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[Chipster]

I should not have to leave a brand new van with them for two weeks to get the vehicle to the standard it should have been at when I first bought it

Oooh. Please tell us more!! Although this is a 3 year old thread!

 

[dulvil]

My sat. Packed up last week on my new van, Can you bring it in tomorrow and we will have a look. Took it in,two hours later sat box found to be faulty,they sent me a new one next day , so great service warren and Steve

 

[Philiphall]

Oooh. Please tell us more!! Although this is a 3 year old thread!

Had a new van several years ago from them many snagging problems. the best was the handle to the bathroom door broke to buy a replacement £10 plus fitting. However they insisted they could not order one until they had £150 worth of goods to order from the manufacturer as there system did not allow it. many other problems some were never sorted by SMC I ended up taking the van to another dealership to sort.

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[Blue Knight]

We took delivery of our new Pilote from SMC on the 31st Jul 2017 and I have to say that the SMC staff have helped me reinstate my faith in dealers; everything went like clockwork while the van was beautifully prepared.

I'm a real picky little sod so for me to say this is a real compliment. It is deserved!

Cheers,

Andrew

 

[krclink]

I agree entirely with Andrew. we picked up our new one on the 14th July, and after a week of using it had to get the table replaced which they did whilst we waited. Cannot say anything bad about them.

 

[Neckender]

I also have had great service from SMC, after picking our new Globecar Campscout up in April this year the faulty compressor fridge was replaced very quickly, and recently damaged graphic replaced and our Blaupunkt New York media system had DAB module fitted which had been forgotten on my original order.

John.

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[mikebeaches]

A little over two years ago I was interested in purchasing a new Globecar van conversion. Like many on here, I was impressed by the design and quality. And there was a local stockist less than 10 miles from us - Family Travel Centre in Bristol.

But when I went in to see them, this is what I was told. They apologised because they were just in the process of cancelling their franchise and would not be retailing Globecars in future. They were disappointed, because they said the vans were very good and they sold extremely well. However, they apparently were not allowed to deal directly with the German company, but had to work through the UK's lead franchisee for the brand - SMC.

It was further explained that they placed very high priority on customer service and after sales support. And the problem for them was the difficulties they experienced trying to work through SMC. I won't go into too much more detail on the points described but - if true - I could understand where they were coming from.

I can't vouch for the accuracy of the above, but only relate what I was told. I have no idea if the same arrangements still operate, and other dealers still have to work through SMC, but at the time they apparently controlled the UK supply chain for vehicles and, importantly, spares parts.

And as far as the Family Travel Centre in Bristol is concerned, they have focused their subsequent successful development with the Adria brand, and have won many customer service awards.

 

[Blue Knight]

Funster Friends

If you have had a solar panel fitted by these guys in the last umpteen months then take a moment to check your Solar Regulator to see if they have wired it up correctly.

My Solar Reg was incorrectly installed (see pic below) and subsequently short circuited the system.

My photo shows the 3 main wires from the regulator to the EBL (from bottom to top) of red - Brown and black but this is wrong as it should be red-black-brown. (The brown wire should go to the minus port).

If yours is like the pic below then it was incorrectly installed and you'll have no working solar unit.

Cheers all

 

[Neckender]

Sorry to here that @Blue Knight, but I fitted my solar and LRM1218 regulator myself and I knew about the German wiring colours, my 200 watt of solar is working just great in Benidorm.

John.

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[Bailey58]

I'm still waiting for SMC to phone me back after visiting them 5 years ago asking about a Pilote.

 

[Blue Knight]

Sorry to here that @Blue Knight, but I fitted my solar and LRM1218 regulator myself and I knew about the German wiring colours, my 200 watt of solar is working just great in Benidorm.

John.

That Reg of yours is better than mine John in terms of floating charge. The problem with my LR1218 is that its float charge is 14.2v which as you know can fry batteries in fairly short order. I received some fantastic advice the other day from Allan of A&N Caravans who IMO is the subject matter expert on all things solar/battery/electrical.

We may change our van again and if we do then I'll do the same as you and fit my own gear.

All the best,

Andrew

 

[Blue Knight]

I'm still waiting for SMC to phone me back after visiting them 5 years ago asking about a Pilote.

They are working through an unprecedented number of calls and will be with you soon

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[Minxy]

I'm still waiting for SMC to phone me back after visiting them 5 years ago asking about a Pilote.

You should be thankful!!!

 

[Neckender]

That Reg of yours is better than mine John in terms of floating charge. The problem with my LR1218 is that its float charge is 14.2v which as you know can fry batteries in fairly short order. I received some fantastic advice the other day from Allan of A&N Caravans who IMO is the subject matter expert on all things solar/battery/electrical.

We may change our van again and if we do then I'll do the same as you and fit my own gear.

All the best,

Andrew

Yes I saw your post and the answers but I didn’t realise at the time that it was you.

John.

 

[Blue Knight]

Yes I saw your post and the answers but I didn’t realise at the time that it was you.

John.

That was my twin. He's a really good looking guy too John

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[Dave K]

Funster Friends

If you have had a solar panel fitted by these guys in the last umpteen months then take a moment to check your Solar Regulator to see if they have wired it up correctly.

My Solar Reg was incorrectly installed (see pic below) and subsequently short circuited the system.

My photo shows the 3 main wires from the regulator to the EBL (from bottom to top) of red - Brown and black but this is wrong as it should be red-black-brown. (The brown wire should go to the minus port).

If yours is like the pic below then it was incorrectly installed and you'll have no working solar unit.

Cheers all

View attachment 221658

After seeing this I checked mine whist I had to change a fuse, my solar is working as it keeps my vehicle battery and leisure batteries topped up whilst it’s in storage but can anyone confirm if this is wired incorrectly, this was also installed by SMC

 

[Gina M]

Only had one issue with a leisure battery after 4 months and they just replaced it under warranty .We have had good service on our new Frankia which is due for its first hab check Wednesday.

 

[Blue Knight]

After seeing this I checked mine whist I had to change a fuse, my solar is working as it keeps my vehicle battery and leisure batteries topped up whilst it’s in storage but can anyone confirm if this is wired incorrectly, this was also installed by SMC
View attachment 222720

Hi Dave,

I can confirm that your Solar inputs are correct but your wiring harness (2 reds and 1 black) is different to the usual one supplied with the LR1218 kit which is red-black-brown.

That said, it will make no difference as long as the wire outputs from the LR1218 Reg correspond to the correct wiring inputs on 'Block-2' of your EBL, assuming that you've got an EBL 271 fitted.

Not to worry though, we can quickly correspond the wires for you now:

You have 2 reds and 1 black wire from your LR1218. If you look at my picture (below) as a referece guide then your red 'starter' wire on your Reg should trace back to the red wire in my picture (for Block-2 which you can see on the right).

Your red wire on your Reg entitled 'Wohnraum' should trace back to the black wire position in my EBL picture.

Your black wire on your Reg entitled 'Minus' should trace back to the brown wire position in my pic below.

If these match up then you are OK.

Have a check and get back to me.

All the best,

Andrew

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[Blue Knight]

Only had one issue with a leisure battery after 4 months and they just replaced it under warranty .We have had good service on our new Frankia which is due for its first hab check Wednesday.

Can you confirm if your Solar Regulator is an LR1218 like mine. If so then it is likely to be the culprit for your first battery failure. Be warned that you will probably have to change your new leisure battery again in a few months once the LR1218 Reg has fried the arse off your new battery.

The huge problem with the LR1218 is that it maintains a float charge of 14.2v which eventually fries the battery, rendering the leisure battery useless.

If I keep my van then I will be getting rid of the LR1218 as it renders the leisure batteries useless after only a few months.

Regards,

Andrew

 

[Minxy]

Just to write in defence of the LR1218 ... I installed one in our current camper in summer 2015 and our batteries are performing as well now as they were then (2 x Banner 95ah AGMs) ... they have NOT been fried! When away for 2 x 7 weeks trips a year we rely totally on the batteries so it is important they work okay, which they do.

 

[Dave K]

Just to write in defence of the LR1218 ... I installed one in our current camper in summer 2015 and our batteries are performing as well now as they were then (2 x Banner 95ah AGMs) ... they have NOT been fried! When away for 2 x 7 weeks trips a year we rely totally on the batteries so it is important they work okay, which they do.

Must admit when I had the solar fitted I did ask about which controller they would use and they said they have never had an issue with the LR1218 and I haven’t had any problems in the time I’ve had it either, I would think it would be unfit for purpose if it fried the batteries?

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