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We took delivery of our Autosleeper Kingham today from SMC of Newark. The purchase has been forced on us by me being hospitalised since 1st June and diagnosed with a neurological disorder, CIDP. Where the immune system attacks nervous system causing weakness and loss of use of arms and legs. This meant I could no longer drive our Auto Trail Dakota. Also my wife was not confident driving it as it was too big and had a manual gearbox.
We settled on the Kingham as it had the layout we liked, French bed and end shower, with comfy sofa. As well as having an automatic option.
We did the deal at the start of August, from my hospital bed. Apart from a large national chain SMC appeared to have the only auto version left in the country. From the start I found them excellent to deal with. SMC came up with a very fair trade in offer straight away and had taken £3k off the list price of theKingham. We ended up even money.
The salesman we dealt with was Rob Glynn. He has been excellent throughout. When I explained our situation and that I was still in hospital with no discharge date, he said fine, we’ll keep it until you are ready. At this point I was hoping to be out by September. September came and went and my discharge was no nearer. The reaction from SMC was, fine, we will work around you. They said we could wait until end of September to see how things were. The hope was I would be fit enough by then to go and pick it up with a full handover, stay overnight on a nearby site to check for any snags then get them fixed.
By mid September following a relapse in my condition it was clear a late September handover was not an option. It was going to be nearer November that I would be fit enough to come home. Rob then suggested that they did a full video handover and delivered our van to Norfolk, and that when I was home we went up to have the overnight and any snags sorted.
Today Rob and a colleague drove down from Newark to North East Norfolk to deliver our Kingham. They did it on a day and time to suit Mrs Norfolk, brought us a lovely hamper and wine, did a full handover, which I was able to attend virtually via FaceTime.
Initial impressions of the van are we have done the right thing. It looks everything we thought it would be. Right layout, comfy, big enough for us yet small enough for Mrs Norfolk to be able to drive which means we will be able to carry on motor-homing.
Our experience of SMC throughout has been of excellent service. From all we have dealt, but particularly Rob Glynn who has been fair, understanding and helpful. It has made the parting with of a small fortune a strangely easy and pleasant experience.
Would I recommend them to others. Absolutely, without hesitation.

If you want to increase the payload of your van use these guys.
Fantastic service from Dee @ VWE.
The process is made really simple by Dee.
A short form to fill in about the existing setup and a few photos from around the van - all done by email.
We have gone from 5300kg to 5700kg with no changes to the van.
Paperwork returned by Dee within 48 hours.
I have sent the paperwork to DVLA today.

The cost of the work by Dee was £160 - great value and so simple.

Great advice on the requirements to go from 3500kg to 4000kg
all without any problem. When the work was done I had a query over braking from my insurance .

SVtech jumped in and handled it no problem, and all was resolved, definitely my go-to company for weight issues and advice.

Had intermittent lpg fault show up for several weeks (fridge shutting down unexpectedly)
Contacted DMS on stand at Malvern show, new parts fitted within 24 hours
Mobile service and all parts in stock
First class service, pleasant and knowledgeable fitters

Our Dometic 8505 stopped working on EHU and 12v but was fine on gas. Took a little while to get booked in but the service today was exemplary. Burnt out 'brick', as I expected but the 240v heater element was also b*gg*r*d. Also diagnosed and fixed my fridge catch beep problem, which had defeated me. Fitted new latch on the door side, which I had not anticipated. Thought it was condensation or the little spring lever on the microswitch. Kept me informed during the day of progress and inspected the gas flue for me, too. Great service, with a trip coming up and the bonus is that they are only 4 miles from home. Thanks guys, great service. Can't blame you for crap Dometic components or price of parts.

Had solar panel fitted at Vanbitz and once again fantastic service and hand over

Having picked up our new Burstner on 21st August we travelled the 200+ miles down to Taunton last Wednesday.

Ash at Vanbitz had booked us on to the attached Cornish Farm camping site for a couple of nights and we were warmly welcomed by the wardens Steve & Louise. The site is lovely and meticulously maintained.

On dropping our motorhome off at Vanbitz at 8.30am the following morning we were given a full run through of what would be done and where. Had a leisurely walk into Taunton centre and spent a lovely afternoon in Vivary Park. Received a phone call at 4.45pm to say everything was completed.

The whole process was superb from start to finish. The quality of fitting is first class. We had the Growler system, Shadow tracker, non starter, battery master, 2 lithium batteries and inverter fitted. Everything was explained in a full and patient manner as there was a lot to take in.

We can't fault Ash and the team. The whole process from first contact through to completion was fantastic.

Steve & Louise also get a big pat on the back for helping us out on a few occasions with our newbie questions/mistakes.

Background: I PM'd Simon a couple of weeks ago to ask whether or not he would be interested in buying our van and within a few minutes he accepted the offer; the various administrative points were nailed down a few hours later. He even offered to have it picked up from our home to save us any inconvenience buy in the end we delivered it ourselves.

I've got to say now that I've never held much trust for motorhome dealers (or the industry as a whole), but Simon and his fabulous team at Alan Kerr Motorhomes in Devon has really shown me that great dealers do exist.

Simon was a real pleasure to befriend and he even took considerable time out of his day to host us personally when my wife and I visited his very busy offices.

The administrative side of the transaction was precise and rapid while the safe financial transfer of funds happened within only a few minutes.

Ive got a whole load of time for Simon himself and I do respect anyone in his capacity who is prepared to put his name and his reputation on such a huge forum as MotrohomeFun.

Alan Kerr Motorhomes Ltd, specifically Simon and his team, are a real credit to the industry.

Very happy indeed - a huge thanks from us.

Andrew and Nicky

Travelled from Aberdeen to have the Growler, Non starter and Battery master fitted.
Service provided by Ian and the team was first class.
Spent two nights on Cornish farm, great set up.
Extremely happy and will highly recommend to others.

We picked up our new Wildax Elara in March and our first upgrade was to install lithium batteries rather than the Banner lead acid supplied. Roadpro are the suppliers of electronics/batteries to Wildax so we used them for their knowledge and hopefully backup if any warranty issues.
We chose

2x100amp NDS lithium with 150amp bms
2000w inverter wired to all sockets
2x30amp Votronic b2b
Votronic Bluetooth monitor

our NDS solar controller already had lithium setting and we decided not to change our mains charger which is a cube 516,

The installation was first class, neat, tidy and looks like factory install. Damian, the fitter was excellent, very helpful.

Have been running them now for 3 months, they are fabulous, solar and b2b keep them charged, don’t use mains charger at all, might change in the winter.

Would highly recommend them.

Wanted to enquire about servicing of my motorhome. On enquiring, promised call back which never materialised. Called again but no one available (or interested) to discuss the matter. Called into the showroom and service dept when passing and again made enquiries. Made to wait 20 mins for the chap who took the enquiry and when he returned very off hand and uninterested. Gave the impression of couldn't be bothered. Will not bother again. Far better dealers around.

Excellent service. Booked in for the 18th but managed to fit me in on the 6th.
First class service from leaving the van to running through how things worked.
The standard of workmanship is excellent. Would highly recommend them.
The reception at Cornish farm was equally welcoming and what a lovely well kept site.

Used him on Last three vans, guess where the dealers go to get the towbars fitted and charge you the earth? Contact Mick direct via his website or phone him, you can overnight on the Fylde and make a few days out of travelling . Very professional 5 stars

As with a lot of companies, they are okay while everything is going along smoothly, but the test is when the sh*t hits the fan.

I had a not at fault claim for which Adrian Flux increased my premium as I though at the time the claim was still being processed and not settled, but in fact the case was closed before my renewal was due.
They also increased my wife's premium on her car as she was a named driver on my policy.
After a few months of phone calls and not having the case file to hand, with the usual ring back and the person who is dealing with it is not in the office today, I was finally informed that the case was agreed as a no fault claim before my renewal was due, so I wanted a refund for the increased amount we had been charged on both policies.
To cut a long story short, it took neatly a year of being fobbed off with excuses and they only paid up when I threatens them with the ombudsman.

Wifey had insurance with Flux some years ago as the kids were learning to drive and regular broker (Chris Knott) don't touch the young uns.
Car park crash in Tescos, 3rd parties fault. AF claims department were utter sh!te. Dragged on so long I gave up in the end and we got it fixed and paid for it. Would never use them ever again even if they were a zillion quid cheaper.
Sadly we only know how good they are when we need them.

• #24

Another for AF been useless. Getting a quote online then they up it over £400, dont ring when they said they would and asking the same questions over and over. Also dont bother if you were lucky to retire early as there computer doesn't like it and throws a spanner in the works !

They also advertise as motorsport vehicle specialists, called them up & wasted 20 minutes trying to explain what the car I wanted to insure was, they had no idea! Hopeless.

What superlatives can I write that hasn’t already been written about this first class business ?
I can only concur what an efficient and truly professional team work for this organisation.
Arranged to have the Growler Alarm, Non-Starter, Battery Master and the GASLOW System fitted to my motorhome.
After spending the previous night at their wonderful campsite, Cornish Farm, run by very friendly and helpful wardens, I was greeted the next morning by a VanBitz and given a full rundown of the work to be carried out.
This work was duly completed in the day and a full explanation and demonstration of all the systems were given. As others have stated, all of the work completed in a very neat and tidy way.
I now have peace of mind knowing my motorhome is well protected from would-be villains.
My sincere thanks to every member of the team at VanBitz and Cornish Farm.

How the reason for Alan Kerr’s came to supply me with my Bailey Motorhome is a long one, especially as their dealership is such a long way from my home. But supply me they did with all the efficiency and professionalism of a first class dealership.
My thanks especially go to their Manager, Mr. Simon Jones for his major involvement in arranging the sale.
Salesman Mr. Josh Moore who picked me up from the Hotel, then gave a first class handover of the Bailey, followed by making a video of the handover, something I really appreciated.
And not forgetting the girls on reception who kept me supplied with hot drinks during my visit.
So far the Bailey has proved a very enjoyable vehicle, and one I am more than happy with.
I highly recommend this dealership.