Anyone else waiting on a van (1 Viewer)

[BikerDJ]

We currently have a new van on order since October. Delivery date into the dealer is April 10th. The dealer booked us in for a handover slot around mid May (to make sure we had a slot). I booked the van in elsewhere 2 days later to have an alarm fitted. I haven't heard from our salesman in some time so I rang around March end to check on progress. Our salesman was not available but a very helpful lady checked the supplier's website and said 'it's still showing as April 10th so hopefully all is good'. She contacted me on April 10th to say that the van hasn't arrived but the supplier web site is still showing April 10th so hopefully it's en-route and will be arriving in the next few days.

This is our first van purchase. My wife hasn't even seen an example of the van (other than video) as there were none available anywhere and is therefore keen to view and start to think about accessories and all the things that one might want to buy for a van. We had planned to visit this week. There has been little or no time available to discuss the fitment of accessories by the dealership (due to the pandemic) so I also planned to visit this weekend with a friend who has had a van for a few years now to try to bottom out what we should have and finalise that with our salesman in plenty of time for them to fit prior to handover.

I hadn't had any further feedback from the dealer so I called yesterday for an update. I was told that my salesman was not in (as if that was the end of the matter). I persisted and a message was taken to be passed to the sales team. Someone called me back but was very reluctant to help saying that my salesman should be keeping me informed as he was doing with his own customers. He advised that he had just contacted the same supplier via email for one of his own customers so would email them again about our order and would expect a fairly prompt response as he had received. I didn't receive any further feedback.

I left it until later this afternoon and, having heard nothing, I called again. Calls are being taken by a receptionist who is unable to assist with anything other than taking messages. No response today.

I appreciate that having only opened for business again this week, it is likely to be fairly manic. I appreciate that there are a lot of orders being delayed due to part supply delays, Fiat cab/chassis supply etc (although I was assured months ago that our order was unaffected). I also appreciate that with our handover being set for mid May, there would be a tendency to only prioritise customers whose handover had been delayed or is due this week.

Nevertheless, I don't think it unreasonable to expect there to have been some communication between the dealer and the supplier shortly before delivery date to confirm the status of the order and whether it was likely to be delivered as per the stated delivery date. As far as I am aware, both dealer and supplier had staff working. I am now starting to feel very frustrated.

I'm just wondering how many others are in a similar position with vans on order and what their customer experience has been like.

 

[fat haggis]

Phone them up and cancel the deal and ask for your deposit back. That will awaken them from their slumber

 

[Charlie9038]

Cancel it & buy second hand, mines for sale

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[Casper46]

We currently have a new van on order since October. Delivery date into the dealer is April 10th. The dealer booked us in for a handover slot around mid May (to make sure we had a slot). I booked the van in elsewhere 2 days later to have an alarm fitted. I haven't heard from our salesman in some time so I rang around March end to check on progress. Our salesman was not available but a very helpful lady checked the supplier's website and said 'it's still showing as April 10th so hopefully all is good'. She contacted me on April 10th to say that the van hasn't arrived but the supplier web site is still showing April 10th so hopefully it's en-route and will be arriving in the next few days.

This is our first van purchase. My wife hasn't even seen an example of the van (other than video) as there were none available anywhere and is therefore keen to view and start to think about accessories and all the things that one might want to buy for a van. We had planned to visit this week. There has been little or no time available to discuss the fitment of accessories by the dealership (due to the pandemic) so I also planned to visit this weekend with a friend who has had a van for a few years now to try to bottom out what we should have and finalise that with our salesman in plenty of time for them to fit prior to handover.

I hadn't had any further feedback from the dealer so I called yesterday for an update. I was told that my salesman was not in (as if that was the end of the matter). I persisted and a message was taken to be passed to the sales team. Someone called me back but was very reluctant to help saying that my salesman should be keeping me informed as he was doing with his own customers. He advised that he had just contacted the same supplier via email for one of his own customers so would email them again about our order and would expect a fairly prompt response as he had received. I didn't receive any further feedback.

I left it until later this afternoon and, having heard nothing, I called again. Calls are being taken by a receptionist who is unable to assist with anything other than taking messages. No response today.

I appreciate that having only opened for business again this week, it is likely to be fairly manic. I appreciate that there are a lot of orders being delayed due to part supply delays, Fiat cab/chassis supply etc (although I was assured months ago that our order was unaffected). I also appreciate that with our handover being set for mid May, there would be a tendency to only prioritise customers whose handover had been delayed or is due this week.

Nevertheless, I don't think it unreasonable to expect there to have been some communication between the dealer and the supplier shortly before delivery date to confirm the status of the order and whether it was likely to be delivered as per the stated delivery date. As far as I am aware, both dealer and supplier had staff working. I am now starting to feel very frustrated.

I'm just wondering how many others are in a similar position with vans on order and what their customer experience has been like.

I hate to say it, but it sounds about standard for a lot of salesman nowadays . They don't seem to understand that their occupation is not just selling vehicles but also involves actually caring about anything once they have an order signed and deposit paid. There are many people in the business who look after their clients, but unfortunately we haven’t found them yet. It seems very much that out of sight is out of mind.

 

[Jenka]

I ordered my new van last June the dealer kept me informed on progress regularly unfortunately due to lockdowns etc couldnt take delivery went to view yesterday pick up on Tuesday .

 

[Derbyshire wanderer]

We ordered a new build last September with a heavy chassis Ducato automatic and several options. For some unknown reason the manufacturer has managed to order 6 manual gearbox models on the heavy chassis even though the standard Peugeot manual is on the heavy chassis as standard at that length.
So far we have agreed a buy back deal when they get the correct automatic one built except the manual one is still no closer to having a delivery date.
As each week passes I have less confidence that we will be able to complete the deal.

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[Lazyboy]

It would see that someone does not want to tell you the truth! Dealers have not been shut, just closed to the public walking in. My dealer has been "open" and has sold a number of both new and used vehicles during lockdown. I have been able to keep in touch and check on progress. The vehicle was ordered October and scheduled for delivery 1st quarter 2021. It actually arrived at the dealer 12th April. Typical salesman probably, got the order so "my job is done". Call again and ask for the owner/sales manager. Ask if you can have your deposit back after checking to see if any one else has in stock the vehicle you want.. They need a rocket up their arse. As Casper 46 says standard level of service from some salesmen/women now days. They could never earn a living if they actually had to "sell"!

 

[BikerDJ]

It would see that someone does not want to tell you the truth! Dealers have not been shut, just closed to the public walking in. My dealer has been "open" and has sold a number of both new and used vehicles during lockdown. I have been able to keep in touch and check on progress. The vehicle was ordered October and scheduled for delivery 1st quarter 2021. It actually arrived at the dealer 12th April. Typical salesman probably, got the order so "my job is done". Call again and ask for the owner/sales manager. Ask if you can have your deposit back after checking to see if any one else has in stock the vehicle you want.. They need a rocket up their arse. As Casper 46 says standard level of service from some salesmen/women now days. They could never earn a living if they actually had to "sell"!

It is tempting to cancel and ask for the deposit back but I think that would be cutting off one's nose to spite the face in the current climate. I spent a very long time going through many different models of van (via YouTube) with my wife and I never thought I would actually find anything that she said she liked the look of until we viewed this one. I went for a heavy chassis for the extra payload so that probably makes this even more of a niche choice for us. It seems that the dealer holds all the cards right now and might even be pleased to cancel our order. Demand is such that they could probably sell it for even more than we're paying and the price was already increased a fair way on the previous year. I worry as much now about the availability of sites etc. Another frustrating aspect is that I have refrained from planning/booking anywhere until I know for sure that the van is going to materialise.

 

[gradyp]

Viewed ours today , pick up next Thursday not all extras fitted

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[mikebeaches]

Sympathy to the OP. I feel your pain and frustration.

When our Rapido was new, ordered October for March delivery.

Actually arrived end of June.

And no pandemic to contend with...

 

[BikerDJ]

Sympathy to the OP. I feel your pain and frustration.

When our Rapido was new, ordered October for March delivery.

Actually arrived end of June.

And no pandemic to contend with...

Thanks. I didn't realise until late on that the Rapido V68 is virtually the same van as the Dreamer D68. I guess they created the subsidiary company to offer a wider choice of accessories / models. I've never seen a physical example of the D68. Whilst I was on site at the dealership trying to make up my mind to order/place a deposit, a low loader arrived with a couple of vans and one was a V68 in the same colour as we were considering. A very nice van and made up my mind to do the deal.

Has it lived up to all your expectations?

 

[mikebeaches]

Thanks. I didn't realise until late on that the Rapido V68 is virtually the same van as the Dreamer D68. I guess they created the subsidiary company to offer a wider choice of accessories / models. I've never seen a physical example of the D68. Whilst I was on site at the dealership trying to make up my mind to order/place a deposit, a low loader arrived with a couple of vans and one was a V68 in the same colour as we were considering. A very nice van and made up my mind to do the deal.

Has it lived up to all your expectations?

Yes, we're very happy with the van - coming up to its fifth birthday this summer. Travelled all over Europe in it, and the UK too. It's got a standard 130hp engine and comfortmatic auto gearbox. The layout is identical to the current model, but there have been a few minor tweaks to some of the interior finishes.

But the funny thing is... we originally placed a factory order for a Dreamer van. However, when it finally arrived in early June with all - but one - of the specified extras, the automatic gearbox was in fact a manual!! A deal-breaker for us. It was the main reason we'd traded in our previous van.

They'd got the Rapido V68 in stock and we settled on that, because it was going to be 6 - 9 months wait for a replacement Dreamer, and no guarantee of the new price because it would be the following model-year. Doh. Added to which, we were without a van, because we let the dealer have our old when when we ordered the new one - we thought no need to keep it sitting unused through the winter etc. And of course they sold it in less than a fortnight.

The Dreamers and Rapidos go down the same assembly line, as I understand. And the interior designs are structurally very similar - we were impressed by the finish and value of the Dreamer. Of course we negotiated some additional discount off the Rapido, as compensation for being messed about.

Hope you enjoy your dreamer when it arrives.

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[BikerDJ]

That's really good to know. I've always been impressed by the quality of Rapido. I originally planned to have an A class at retirement but the larger motorhomes now seem to be somewhat out of favour with sites and do present more of a challenge for accessing some areas. I was really pleased that what we both liked in a smaller van was still Rapido although I personally liked a number of other manufacturers. There are some very nice vans available.

I have also ordered an auto box and an engine upgrade to 160BHP for the extra weight and I plan to tow a bike trailer if/when I can find something suitable. I'm a little concerned now that you could have suffered an incorrect spec like that - I wouldn't be very happy with a manual. There was another post I read earlier about chassis being supplied with manual rather than auto. With such large sums of money involved and long lead times, I would have expected a high degree of attention to detail to make sure that the order was correct but my personal experience thus far has shown anything but that.

Thanks for the feedback. Fingers crossed for a good outcome.

 

[mikebeaches]

I'm sure you'll have the auto gearbox - which will be the new torque converter one, rather than semi-automatic. Envious of that and the more powerful 160hp engine.

But we manage fine with ours.

Anyway, enjoy the van when it arrives.

 

[mikebeaches]

Duplicate post deleted.

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[BikerDJ]

I'm sure you'll have the auto gearbox - which will be the new torque converter one, rather than semi-automatic. Envious of that and the more powerful 160hp engine.

But we manage fine with ours.

Anyway, enjoy the van when it arrives.

Thanks. After much chasing, I received a brief email to say it's now due in at the end of April.

 

[bobnick]

Not the least bit surprised. Good luck for the end of April. Of course you will keep us informed please.

 

[Minxy]

Pleased it looks like you should get your PVC when you expect it in May however don't rush to put on extras, especially those fitted by the dealer as they will often hike the price up a lot more than you'd pay elsewhere and not always as good either. You don't have to have them fit stuff to protect your warranty, so long as stuff is done properly it shouldn't make any difference.

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[Jamesh]

Thanks. After much chasing, I received a brief email to say it's now due in at the end of April.

I saw it in the docks when going over the Avon mouth bridge a sea of white vans with the yellow ambulance vans sticking out!!!

Cheers James

 

[Alfie159]

Ordered 7th jab expected June ... dealer suggests unfair at this point to set out a specific date as if it’s not met they then look cruddy. Bürstner he tells me are pretty good on prewarning them when vans ready for collection. In fact they want paying fast and efficient. He has his own guys who collect from Germany and then he likes a week his end for full checks and preparing for customers and ensuring everything is as it should be. He prefers customers to respect this so they do t feel pressured to take short cuts in their pepping which is fair.

he noted they tend to register the vehicle then swap to retained plates as in their experience DVLA often cause delays with muddles in his experience.

he plans to start mailing mid May to chase collection date for us and couple other customers as he likes to get accurate information and keep customers up to date and with transparency too.

we factored in delays and first trip booked July as this isn’t our first van coming from overseas.

can’t deny getting excited now as we can almost say “vans arriving next month”

 

[BikerDJ]

I saw it in the docks when going over the Avon mouth bridge a sea of white vans with the yellow ambulance vans sticking out!!!

Cheers James

Incredible eyesight you have Ironically, it could well be there. There were two vans due in from Dreamer on April 10th (ours was one of them). The other one was delivered to the dealer on Sunday morning. Coincidentally I dropped in there for a chat and met a very nice couple from Cornwall who had driven up that day to view after being informed that their Dreamer had arrived.

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[BikerDJ]

Pleased it looks like you should get your PVC when you expect it in May however don't rush to put on extras, especially those fitted by the dealer as they will often hike the price up a lot more than you'd pay elsewhere and not always as good either. You don't have to have them fit stuff to protect your warranty, so long as stuff is done properly it shouldn't make any difference.

Thanks for the advice. I had in fact ordered a number of extras on the basis that I thought they would be needed and that the dealer was the right one stop shop for these things. Getting face time (or any other kind of time) with my salesperson has been very challenging and the responses to questions that I've had about the extras have been weak, very brief and overall, to be frank, very disappointing.

From conversations that I have had, knowledge gleaned from this forum and from conversations with third parties, I've concluded that my salesman's knowledge is inadequate to support the supply of many of the extras that I was interested in. As a result, I have been progressively removing extras from my order. I feel a little guilty in doing so but the level of before sales service has been poor in terms of what I would have expected from such a large investment.

I realise that I'm painting a rather negative picture of my salesman here but, on the contrary, I think he's been as accommodating as he could have been, very patient and very friendly and sociable. The van purchase process itself has been very pleasant. I just need it to materialise now

 

[Minxy]

We've concluded that my salesman's knowledge is inadequate to support the supply of many of the extras that I was interested in. As a result, I have been progressively removing extras from my order.

Unfortunately that's nothing new, many are just sales people, with little knowledge about any accessories, many don't even know the spec of the vehicles they are selling. Unless the extras are vital I'd be tempted to cancel them all and get them done elsewhere where you are likely to get them cheaper and will have confidence that they have been fitted correctly as you wish.

 

[GirlyVanGirly]

I agree with Minxy Girl our dealer quoted £85 for Milenco mirror guards (including fitting ) and £899 for a 120w solar panel with no mention of what controls would be fitted. Err, No thank you!

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[BikerDJ]

I agree with Minxy Girl our dealer quoted £85 for Milenco mirror guards (including fitting ) and £899 for a 120w solar panel with no mention of what controls would be fitted. Err, No thank you!

Wow. My dealer quote for a 120W solar panel was £575 which I think is competitive. However, there was no mention of the implications of it being a flex panel or, like yourself, the type of controls it would come with versus what you might choose if you were better informed. I only have a basic understanding of this now because a third party supplier was kind and enthusiastic enough to spend a few minutes explaining it to me.

I think that Minxy Girl's point about the lack of knowledge of vehicle spec is also well made and certainly true in my case. After going through the brochure and spec several times, I got the impression that I knew more about it than my salesman. In their defence, there are so many different brands and models out there that it would be impossible for them to maintain a detailed level of knowledge of everything that they sell unless they are a dealership specialising in a smaller number of brands. Add to that the fact that specs change a lot from year to year and you can imagine the challenge.

I have also realised that I will need to go through the van and what has been fitted with a fine tooth comb in order to make sure that everything that I expected to be fitted according to the brochure and requested as an extra has in fact been fitted. I don't have much confidence that I can rely on the dealership to check everything on my behalf. I haven't been provided with any detailed specification sheet as one might experience with the purchase of a new car as an example, just an email confirmation of the extras ordered. I think I will have to create my own from the model specs in the back of the brochure and use it as a check sheet.

I will also be reading the Motorhome Buyers Guide (available on this site) now that I'm aware of it and looking out for any useful videos on what to check when collecting a new van. If there are any recommendations for viewing, I'd be grateful...

 

[Minxy]

I have also realised that I will need to go through the van and what has been fitted with a fine tooth comb in order to make sure that everything that I expected to be fitted according to the brochure and requested as an extra has in fact been fitted. I don't have much confidence that I can rely on the dealership to check everything on my behalf. I haven't been provided with any detailed specification sheet as one might experience with the purchase of a new car as an example, just an email confirmation of the extras ordered. I think I will have to create my own from the model specs in the back of the brochure and use it as a check sheet.

Just a word of caution, just because it is mentioned in the brochure doesn't necessarily mean your MH will have the bits and bobs as they always include a caveat that they have the right to change specification/equipment, or wording to that effect, so you need to ask them if your actual MH will definitely have stuff that you expect it to when it left the factory. Some on this forum have already fallen foul of this when their new MH arrived and were told it wasn't part of the revised spec.

 

[bobnick]

Going to look at a new van this afternoon. All the above info is invaluable.

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[BikerDJ]

Just a word of caution, just because it is mentioned in the brochure doesn't necessarily mean your MH will have the bits and bobs as they always include a caveat that they have the right to change specification/equipment, or wording to that effect, so you need to ask them if your actual MH will definitely have stuff that you expect it to when it left the factory. Some on this forum have already fallen foul of this when their new MH arrived and were told it wasn't part of the revised spec.

Another great point (thanks) and even more of a reason to carry out a full check imho. If I know before I pay the balance of the van then I at least have a chance to decide if the change / omission is a deal breaker or whether we can come to some arrangement.

This reminds me that you need to be very careful about individual options that have other dependencies. I ordered one option that required something else so the price for both was added to the order. It was only when reading the specs in depth that I realised that the dependency was in fact included as standard because of something else that I'd ordered so I would, in effect, have been paying for this twice. The salesman wasn't aware.

 

[ORRC]

Interesting reading. I wanted a certain model of Rapido with our specifications ( left hand drive for Europe touring, auto gearbox, sat TV, bike rack, awning, etc. ) and could not find one in a UK dealership or a dealership willing to supply one which would not take an age to source. Started looking around France for one and found what I was looking for and it was on the dealers floor ! Made contact , paid deposit to secure and started arrangements to collect. As I am importing into UK the dealership did not charge the 20% VAT , I simply sent my Invoice to HMRC and paid the UK VAT. Six weeks later I am now off to France to drive the Rapido back to the UK. The dealer is providing temp plates to Calais, the motorhome is fully insured and will be driven straight to my garage for its VCA check ( headlights, speedo and rear fog light ) . Once VCA check done , papers off to DVLA for number plate. This whole process was painless and getting my preferred specked motorhome within 2 months and saved around £10000.

 

[Minxy]

Interesting reading. I wanted a certain model of Rapido with our specifications ( left hand drive for Europe touring, auto gearbox, sat TV, bike rack, awning, etc. ) and could not find one in a UK dealership or a dealership willing to supply one which would not take an age to source. Started looking around France for one and found what I was looking for and it was on the dealers floor ! Made contact , paid deposit to secure and started arrangements to collect. As I am importing into UK the dealership did not charge the 20% VAT , I simply sent my Invoice to HMRC and paid the UK VAT. Six weeks later I am now off to France to drive the Rapido back to the UK. The dealer is providing temp plates to Calais, the motorhome is fully insured and will be driven straight to my garage for its VCA check ( headlights, speedo and rear fog light ) . Once VCA check done , papers off to DVLA for number plate. This whole process was painless and getting my preferred specked motorhome within 2 months and saved around £10000.

What insurance coverage will you have for driving from the dealer to the UK?

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