Campbells Motorhomes - shocked! (1 Viewer)

Dereckerick

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Jul 14, 2009
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After a nice weekend away with the kids I decided to pop into Campbell's near Preston to have a quick look at some MH's.

Every van I went into was a disgrace.

The tag axle Cheyenne was like the floor of a tractor, filthy and the door handles were broken so you couldn't look in the bathroom. For a 2007 van it was abused and Campbell's didn't seem in a rush to sell it from what I saw.

The next van smelt like a smoking room, gave me a headache it was so bad. The next few vans also didn't look like they were prepared to make people part with cash.

The numerous sales guys were just standing around, watched me pull up in a MH and look in a few MH's not one asked me a single question. They all looked a little bored to be honest.

It went on from there, I'm not one for slating business' but in this financial climate how can a business be ran so badly. We are planning on a van change in the next 18 months and this place will not be visited again!
 

Peter JohnsCross MH

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Jan 5, 2008
9,617
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Come down South and see how it should be done (although in wet weather it is hard keeping floors pristine)

I have a nice tag axle Cheyenne with a French bed

Peter
 
Last edited:
Feb 16, 2013
19,505
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Can't understand how dealers work, all the ones I have been to have never got any ready to go , always "awaiting valeting" unless they are brand new and about 50 grand, the money they have standing out you would think the vans would all be ready to go as soon as a wallet full of cash was flashed. Can't beat private in my experience .

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Peter JohnsCross MH

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All my vans on display are fully valetted but not ready to go as they will need servicing both mechanical and habitaion to make sure everything works as it should.

No point in servicing a van that could sit for two or three months before going out, thats a recipe for disaster.

Peter
 
Feb 16, 2013
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So, Peter , why don't they all, is the markup so big they only need to sell the odd one a month
 

RogeTeri

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Apr 8, 2012
367
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I totally agree that to display vans in a poor state is madness. If nothing else it leaves the impression that if you part with your hard earned money what sort of after sales would you get. If you were selling your house you would want to make it presentable to prospective buyers. I would just drive off if I saw such low standards. Agree with Peter that the mechanical and habitation checks should be done prior to collection and that will give the buyer greater confidence. I felt so sorry for the dealers at Peterborough last year. The conditions were awful and it was a shame to see beautiful vans getting filthy as a result, must have been a nightmare!

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Last edited:

Peter JohnsCross MH

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So, Peter , why don't they all, is the markup so big they only need to sell the odd one a month


I don't know, with us it is pride in the job and my lot never know when I will come down to the dealership and inspect the vans and site, a new pair of eyes always spots what others are used to seeing and thats not because they don't care.

Peter
 

lesleyjean

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Jun 21, 2008
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Well...........

When we were catching the Portsmouth to Santander ferry, we decided to kill some time looking at Motorhomes, to see what was available.

We went to Southdowns and I have never been so disappointed.:cry:

There was virtually no parking for visitors.

All vans were locked up, so if you wanted to view one you had to find a member of staff and ask for that particular vehicle to be opened:Doh:

Needless to say I viewed one and just couldn't be ar**d

I would never buy from a dealer that treated customers like that.

I was appalled to say the least.


I think a private sale is the best deal and seller goes out of their way to impress you.::bigsmile:

I would buy from a dealer if they treated prospective customers better, but only if they do.:Smile:
 

scotjimland

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Jul 25, 2007
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All vans were locked up, so if you wanted to view one you had to find a member of staff and ask for that particular vehicle to be opened:Doh:

Needless to say I viewed one and just couldn't be ar**d

I know what you mean but if they aren't locked up they lose parts.. cooker knobs, handles, parts from taps, bathrooms etc will all get nicked.. so while it's bad for business I have very sympathy with the dealers.. :Sad:

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Peter JohnsCross MH

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Jan 5, 2008
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All my vans on main forecourt are unlocked and available to view during opening hours, only the vans on bottom forecourt are locked as the sales staff cannot see them easily.

Peter
 
D

DM14742

Deleted User
I don't know, with us it is pride in the job and my lot never know when I will come down to the dealership and inspect the vans and site, a new pair of eyes always spots what others are used to seeing and thats not because they don't care.

Peter
Some friends of ours have recently bought a City Van from you & I have to say it is in pristine condition both inside & out, I can certainly vouch for your standards - top notch :thumb:

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Oct 5, 2009
348
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anglesey
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since 1999
When we traded in our Autotrail at Brownhills recently[sorry Peter but we wanted a Rapido] they imediatley removed the drop down tv monitor, said they had loads stolen.:Eeek:
 
Dec 23, 2007
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I this Campbells who have taken over Brownhills old site in Kirkham if so perhaps thaey have got some of the staff as well.
 

hilldweller

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Dec 5, 2008
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All vans were locked up, so if you wanted to view one you had to find a member of staff and ask for that particular vehicle to be opened:Doh:

What's wrong with that ?

Leave them open and you risk vandalism and theft. They would be a good source of spares to the light fingered.

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Fermenter

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Sep 6, 2012
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After looking around at many vans we bought ours from Ryedales in Leicestershire. They were very good and helpful. The vans were clean and the salesmen were pleasant without being pushy. So I guess it depends on where you go. Note we are from Preston!
 

Carol

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Oct 2, 2007
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What's wrong with that ?

Leave them open and you risk vandalism and theft. They would be a good source of spares to the light fingered.

I think the thing that is missing here is good old fashioned customer service, the vans may need to be locked, but that doesn't mean that they should not be clean, well presented, and the salesman be well informed helpful but not pushy, why is that so difficult when customers are looking to spend a fair amount of money.
 

albeano

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May 13, 2012
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I this Campbells who have taken over Brownhills old site in Kirkham if so perhaps thaey have got some of the staff as well.

Hmm Ive got mixed feelings about Campbells now when i bought my van
3 years ago from the old site, i was really imppressed i felt i had negotiated a good price, the 2 or three sales staff all knowledgeable, and attentive, the van presented in pristine condition with a thorough handover and induction, all in all a good all round experience.

Then l2 months ago took it back for habitation service and replacement truma boiler element together with a couple of other bits and bobs to their new place on the Blackpool road. (none of this under warranty)

I can but wont go into all the details but needless to say the quality such as unfinished work ie loose external flue heater not fixed fully, mastic "slapped "around ehu fitting which apparently needed replacing :whatthe: the new fitting was non manufacturer equipment or colour matching. Electric indicated reverse polarity. Dirty fingerprints electric cable cuttings etc. Took van back and left it for another day to seal flue and sort electrics as i had cleaned and finished other items.
Picked van up checked this time and was told they couldnt find a problem with the electric polarity "it must be something with the supply at home or with my hook up cable". Got home and guess what polarity ok!

I realise my experiences with campbells service are not major but sufficient for me not to trust them again,the person i dealt with on the servicing issue is different to the original team and maybe its a personell thing or maybe standards have dropped.

In conclusion i would not rule out buying from Campbells in the future but i no longer have the feel good factor about them.

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Jim

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Jul 19, 2007
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To all those in this thread that have dealings with this company, please do leave a review on the Funsters Favourite Dealers Pages. No one has reviewed the company yet. :thumb: The more reviews we get there the better and more useful the resource becomes - Thanks Broken Link Removed
 
Mar 22, 2011
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I've visited Campbells twice. Initially a small site some 18 months ago, it was raining heavily the sales guy came out to me and had a nice chat, he then told me to have a look in the vans, if i needed help, just to shout....Thats what I like. I can't be doing with locked doors and predatory sales people.

Visited again 2 months ago, the site location had changed, a huge place, one salesman on the ground, struggled to gain his attention actually. Some of the used PVC vans looked a bit ropey, although the new Adria with two singles was very impressive.

I hope they don't end up like "Discover".....remember them! Especially when Todd's are a short spit away with their indoor sales ground and discreet sales staff.
 
Last edited:
Apr 29, 2009
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All my vans on main forecourt are unlocked and available to view during opening hours, only the vans on bottom forecourt are locked as the sales staff cannot see them easily.

Peter

Have I been missing a trick Peter - I have been to JCM many a time but never seen the bottom forecourt?

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talaris

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Aug 17, 2012
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We noticed the same at Southdowns - very disappointed having made a trip to look at a second hand Concorde which we quire liked the look of. The salesmen saw us looking but did not come over and as all the vans were locked we could not see much. No parking issues as we went in the Smart but maybe that's why they didn't come over!!

To be fair we could have gone over and asked but as we are not really thinking of changing this year didn't but that said a persuasive salesman and the offer of a deal may have done the job on SWMBO.

Having looked at a few dealers before we bought ours the standards were generally poor in most cases with disinterested salesmen and dirty vans.

We bought from Alan Kerr and the standard of vans displayed was excellent.
 
Jan 11, 2010
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Well that`s our 13th year & still loving it.
tacky presentation

Have to say we drove up to Cambells last month to view 2 motorhomes spoke to the salesman and arranged a time, we couldn`t believe the filthy state of the motorhomes on display.
Damaged interiors, dirty upholstery some reeking of smoke, there had clearly been no attempt to present the moptorhomes in any way at all and all priced at the top end, ok the vans were open to inspect but we got the impression this was more so the salesman didn`t have to leave his warm office.

For certain looking around at them made our minds up that if they couldn`t be bothered to clean them up before selling them any after sales service might well follow the same pattern.
It certainly cost them a sale on that day and we won`t be going back until they change their policy on how they present the motorhomes and attitude to customers.
 

teddybard

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Aug 21, 2012
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Simple Answer as in Most things in life


IF IN DOUBT __DO NOWT
:winky::winky::winky:

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Jun 30, 2010
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[HI]We bought from Alan Kerr and the standard of vans displayed was excellent[/HI].


We did too, could not fault them, Van was presented in an excellent Condition. The Tyres on the front were the wrong ones for that Vehicle, we told them and they had no hesitation in allowing us to change them at a local tyre dealer instaed of driving all the way up there
 

Deckard

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After a nice weekend away with the kids I decided to pop into Campbell's near Preston to have a quick look at some MH's.

Every van I went into was a disgrace.

The tag axle Cheyenne was like the floor of a tractor, filthy and the door handles were broken so you couldn't look in the bathroom. For a 2007 van it was abused and Campbell's didn't seem in a rush to sell it from what I saw.

The next van smelt like a smoking room, gave me a headache it was so bad. The next few vans also didn't look like they were prepared to make people part with cash.

The numerous sales guys were just standing around, watched me pull up in a MH and look in a few MH's not one asked me a single question. They all looked a little bored to be honest.

It went on from there, I'm not one for slating business' but in this financial climate how can a business be ran so badly. We are planning on a van change in the next 18 months and this place will not be visited again!


Bloody 'ell - I was there too and thought the same!

There was food all over the floor of one, another smelt real bad - the burstner had a busted drop down bed so you couldnt get in properly....I did look at some nice Baileys - but out of my range...

...there is another place round the corner that a I looked at several sub 20k vans....some were in a messy state....the Hobby 750 they had was a total dog, a much abused machine....

..i was pretty fed up after visiting several vendors to find apathy and indifference and filthy busted up vans....am i gonna find me a nice van ?? :Sad:
 

Daveo2006

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Jan 25, 2013
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I don't know, with us it is pride in the job and my lot never know when I will come down to the dealership and inspect the vans and site, a new pair of eyes always spots what others are used to seeing and thats not because they don't care.

Peter

I will say that when we popped in (the weekend Treacle woke us up early):winky: every body at John cross were very helpful,site looked good and a well stocked shop.
 

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