Nick Whale Motorhomes

Being a firm believer in giving credit where its due, you will see from my previous review of Nick Whale MH's, that I have been very complimentary of their salesman. I won't repeat the content of that review, and I stand by it's content.

However.......in the interest of honesty and balance I feel obliged to update you with the current situation which is extremely disappointing.

We viewed 'our' Burstner at Nick Whale last July and put down a deposit. Being a French registered LHD we were led to believe that registering it onto UK plates with the DVLA would be a mere technicality and a procedure that they frequently engaged in.

The reality has been, and continues to be quite the opposite, in fact the lamentable purchasing experience is dragging on into its third month, and we still haven't got the MH.

We were obliged to pay the full balance of the purchase before NWMH would release the van to be fitted with a Growler at Vanbitz on 12th September. (Detailed in previous review)

Once the alarm had been fitted it was driven back to NWMH facility at Evesham by one of their drivers on their trade plates because it was still unregistered.
It was fascinating (but very frustrating) to watch the van's route and speed on my smart phone tracker app whilst I was sitting at home.

The guy who runs the workshop at NW told us that he had liaised directly with the DVLA and that the documentation was sorted, so within a couple of weeks the van would be registered and then MOT'd ready for delivery.

We actually arranged a second handover date to take delivery of the van Monday 11th September. We learned on the previous Friday that there were more delays with registration, but we were assured that it was in hand.
Several more fruitless weeks of us checking the mail everyday have passed, until I finally lost patience this week and telephoned NWMH again.

We are now this week informed that actually the application has been referred again by the DVLA pending the outcome of the van being sent for an Independent Vehicle Approval. Apparently, this test is required because the vehicle's headlamps and speedometer have been changed.

We are extremely fed up and annoyed with the lack of updated communication from NWMH about the delays and I have given appropriate feedback to the person concerned.
The van is still at NWMH, its going somewhere in Birmingham on 10th October for the IVA test, then if it passes that we can reapply again for a UK registration, then when we get that it can be MOT'd, and then we might be able to take delivery........as its looking at the moment.....four months after we decided to buy it.
So, I'm not able to provide much positive feedback about the back office/workshop type management at NWMH at this time. Our late summer touring plans have been wrecked, and the way its going it could be a winter at home. Not able to use a van we've paid for.

Bought our IH van from them last year. Excellent service and a very pleasant company to deal with. They seem to deal largely with up market cars, but have a decent stock of very well presented motorhomes. The sales man was very helpful, and although we didn't get a bargain deal, we did get some very useful extras included in the sale. The after sales service is superb. We did have to take the van back ( under warranty) due to a leaking roof light. It had been fixed at a local garage, but...They made a real pigs ear of it. Nick whale took it in, fixed the problem doing a really good job, and identified a couple of,other issues thatntheymdealt with as well. Atilla the after sales guy is very good. I highly recommend this company. They are professional, helpful and give top class service.

A Bit of background.
In anticipation of the collection of our recently purchased LHD Burstner from Nick Whale's MotorHomes near Evesham, Worcestershire; we had booked the van into Vanbitz to have a 'Growler' & 'MetaTrac' fitted.
We had intended to drive down (a couple of hours) on the same day we collected the van, then stay overnight at the Vanbitz site and get the van into the workshop next morning. Anyone who has used Vanbitz will be familiar with the procedure, and will appreciate how full their diary gets.

The tiresome bit.
A few days before the collection date, our beloved DVLA at Cardiff rejected the application for a UK Vehicle Registration Mark that had been made by the dealer, 'Nick Whale's Motorhomes', who are of course, well versed in the procedure.
The rejection letter stated that a further original document relating to the French registered van was required, and they sent the whole application back.
Quite apart from our disappointment at not being able to collect the van as arranged, this meant that the van would not be road legal for us to be able to keep our appointment at Vanbitz, and with the prospect of having to go to the back of the queue and have to wait several more weeks for the alarm fit, which also upset the insurance companies I was trying to get quotes with, a regular pain in the butt......and I'm not well disposed to putting up with un-professionalism or inefficiency or jobs worth's at the best of times.

The Bummer....
The application was in fact correct, and the required document was in deed in the package of documents originally sent to the DVLA. As you can imagine, quite a few phone calls were made, and the same application package was subsequently sent back to the DVLA, with a covering letter, and an assurance from a DVLA spokesperson that all would be well this time.

The Extra mile.....
Being thoroughly p.....d off and on the verge of having to cancel our booking for the alarm fit, the salesman at Nick Whale's MH, a Mr Paul Sadler, came to the rescue by arranging for our van to be delivered down to Vanbitz by two of his (Nick Whale's) drivers using their company trade plates.

The nearly happy ending....
Having now been able to keep the alarm fit appointment, my wife and I drove down to Vanbitz in our car to have the one to one handover and extensive explanation about the alarm operation from Geoff at Vanbitz.
The van will now be collected by the drivers and taken back to the Evesham showroom whilst we wait for the DVLA to hopefully get their act together this week (Sep '17)

And Finally....
Nick Whale Motorhome's is a medium size dealership with a varied stock including Left Hand Drive's. (New vans are displayed undercover)
They conduct habitation services and can fit accessories/Gas-Low systems etc, but mechanical services/MOT's/alarms etc are outsourced locally.
Our experience of purchasing from them is a very positive one. All the staff are helpful without being pushy, pleasant and acknowledge your presence.

The saleman - Mr Paul Sadler, is worthy of individual recognition for his customer facing skills, which I measure by his ability and endeavor to respond efficiently and effectively when things don't go to plan. He is a reliable and effective communicator.