buying a van ,a cautionary tale (1 Viewer)

[cookie]

Trouble is - the warning is useless without knowing who the OP has a problem with.

Without that pertinent piece of information, the whole story becomes a yarn told over a pint...

One question does intrigue me... and I'm not trying to be confrontational...
...but if these faults were so obvious when you went to pick up the van, how come you didn't spot any of them when you first viewed it, and paid a deposit?

We rushed down on a Sunday 45 minuted before they were closing . Just as we arrived an almighty storm started so didn't see much of the outside of the van. But we sat inside and chatted being told how we couldn't have a drive as all the cats were taken off the van.
But we were assured all the vans were thoroughly checked for damp and they only sold vans in an imaculate condition.
We believed the guy .wrongly now we know.
When a dealer who you are supposed to trust tells you it's got full history and no damp you would tend to believe it .
But we made it clear the balance was not being paid without a drive and seeing all the paperwork.
The guy even rang the service centre to find out why the hab check had a 2014 date and spoke to the service manager
30 minutes later when shite hit fan supposedly service manager was on holiday and not available.
As said by someone we put our trust in these people instead of buying private I think I'm buying private now and save someoney

 

[Langtoftlad]

Wot I said

Can't more than one say the same thing...
or have similar thoughts?
Hell, it's almost as if I'm agreeing with you
Perish the thought - two funsters in concord, never happen
At least @chaser - you didn't try to start a separate eBay thread...

 

[GeriatricWanderer]

paid deposit on autotrail Savannah 2 weeks ago, at what we thought was a reputable dealer,agreed a price and gaslow to be fitted and cambelt done.

was assured service history was all up to date including hab checks and service records.



arrived to collect today , the salesman was oh so eager to pay first but i insisted on seeing all paperwork and checking van including a test drive.

looked at fiat book, 3 service stamps in 5 years.
autotrail warranty book no stamps.

hab check they had done looked ok but said rear doors resealed and has i have read about this problem on autotrails, went out to check work done , rear doors were both completely rotten on the bottom , finger through wood rotten, all around the frames was well over 25 readings some of it read 39.

decided to check inside van readings under seat at front were over 25. all other readings were well over what they had written, total b locks all of what they had written , no garage receipts for service / cambelt either.

they couldn't get us off the premises quickly enough even paying us taxi home £100

thank god for what I've learnt on forums and my Chinese damp tester.

totally disappointed but so glad we didn't get bittten.

now we are vanless and scared to buy another

I bet you never thought you'd get 60+ replies to your post (so far) today.

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[Langtoftlad]

When a dealer who you are supposed to trust tells you it's got full history and no damp you would tend to believe it

"Trust" a dealer

As said by someone we put our trust in these people instead of buying private I think I'm buying private now and save someoney

And still - no name
Another pint for me please .

 

[Jim]

Typical........gleans all the information from this forum prior to buying then posts about been cautious but refuses to name the dealer so basically is happy for some unsuspecting individual to fall foul to which he managed to avoid!! How selfish!

This is not the place to name and or shame dealers. There are plenty of places where you can do this. Trustpilot for instance. You might then even link to that review from here. However we don't allow it. When we have in the past, mixed with genuine stories about poor service we've discovered outright lies and grudges, over the years we've seen them all. No way can I filter what is true and what is a competitor lie, or a disgruntled customer enlarging a story, so its best not to have any naming or shaming. I don't need the hassle.

 

[Just smiffy]

its ok naming but they have more money than me to take me to court , i just want everyone to be aware even reputable companies can have lemons they want to ditch

PM me and I'll go and have a look at it ..... Then if it's a lemon I'll put it on a web site for letting people know....

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[cookie]

They openly said when initially looked at it that any vehicles they thought were not up to scratch when part exchanged went to another dealer they were friendly with .

Who this is I dont know. but this van will definately turn up again somewhere else probably slightly repaired but still damp and no service history. It's probably on its way now. Check any savannahs carefully

 

[Fellraven]

As bad as a reputable motorhome mag giving me advice to beware of some vans as "they are prone to leaking" and then not telling me what they are.
Pointless advice really.

 

[cookie]

Might be pointless to you but probably not to someone on here who says they've bought the pile of crap and wishes someone had warned them.

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[pyro]

The absolute defence against defamation is that only the truth has been told. And, yes, I have defended and brought defamation proceedings on behalf of others.

There is absolutely no point to this thread if the dealer cannot be identified and exposed for their (alleged) dishonesty and other potential victims alerted. And as Jim has pointed out very succinctly, this is t'internet, and it is hardly unknown for owners of a business to write disparaging reports in a forum about their competitors, or people with grudges stirring up problems with exaggerated accounts of events.

One only has to look at Trip Advisor to see such things in action. Competitors flood their listings with fake positive reviews, and their competitors with equally fake negative reviews to the extent that it is no better than a trade directory. As for the Trip Advisor "recommended establishment" stickers in windows, I generally walk away from such places in the knowledge that they simply bought the stickers from Trip Advisor to justify higher prices.

If the OP was misled, then Trading Standards in the area concerned would doubtless wish to hear from him. An officer (TSO) will investigate and take appropriate action, and the outcome will then be put in the public domain where it can be linked to without fear of repercussions.

The thought that they push poor quality vehicles onto another "friendly" dealer for sale suggests that they most probably thoroughly deserve the attention of the local TSO

I look forward to seeing the link to the outcome of the TSO investigation. Until then, this really is a pointless thread

 

[Anthea M]

The absolute defence against defamation is that only the truth has been told. And, yes, I have defended and brought defamation proceedings on behalf of others.

There is absolutely no point to this thread if the dealer cannot be identified and exposed for their (alleged) dishonesty and other potential victims alerted. And as Jim has pointed out very succinctly, this is t'internet, and it is hardly unknown for owners of a business to write disparaging reports in a forum about their competitors, or people with grudges stirring up problems with exaggerated accounts of events.

One only has to look at Trip Advisor to see such things in action. Competitors flood their listings with fake positive reviews, and their competitors with equally fake negative reviews to the extent that it is no better than a trade directory. As for the Trip Advisor "recommended establishment" stickers in windows, I generally walk away from such places in the knowledge that they simply bought the stickers from Trip Advisor to justify higher prices.

If the OP was misled, then Trading Standards in the area concerned would doubtless wish to hear from him. An officer (TSO) will investigate and take appropriate action, and the outcome will then be put in the public domain where it can be linked to without fear of repercussions.

The thought that they push poor quality vehicles onto another "friendly" dealer for sale suggests that they most probably thoroughly deserve the attention of the local TSO

I look forward to seeing the link to the outcome of the TSO investigation. Until then, this really is a pointless thread

@pyro I like your post but I think the OP was trying to tell other future buyers to beware of damp , false docs and other issues when buying through a dealer or privately.
@cookie well done for taking heed of all the advice from the forum and being able to stop being fleeced . Good luck with your van when you do eventually get one.

 

[pyro]

@pyro buying through a dealer or privately.

The Trading Standards Officer would only involve himself in a dealer sale (such as in this case), unless you could show that any supposedly private sale involved a trader masquerading as a private individual. All trader sales are covered, new and used.

I understand the frustration experienced by the original poster, and would personally have preferred that they named and shamed the dealer concerned, but it is Jim's call and the appropriate thing to do is to pass on a complaint of this nature to the statutory body to properly investigate and allow them to pursue any misleading advertisements/statements

I have several friends who are TSOs, they take their work very seriously and are extremely effective. A few high profile prosecutions would help deter cowboys

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[Cilfan]

Might be pointless to you but probably not to someone on here who says they've bought the pile of crap and wishes someone had warned them.

I have to agree with webby1. The only thing you've told us cookie is that you've managed to avoid being "tucked up" by a less than scrupulous dealer who tried to flog you a colander masquerading as an Auto-trail Savannah. I'm really pleased that you managed to avoid the untimely demise of your hard earned cash thanks largely to applying advise gleaned from this forum and I (for one), will take that part of your post as a salutary lesson.

However, as nowhere in your post did you mention even the year - let alone reg no - of the offending sieve, or the area it's likely to be found in. Short of treating every Savannah with equal suspicion, I fail to see how it's going to help anyone avoid buying this particular pup. It's also a great shame that the shyster who tried to sell you it can't be named, but I understand the reasons for this.

Good luck in your hunt and thanks for the lesson in how to filter the good from the bad and the ugly.

 

[Jim]

Not a pointless thread at all. Rather an excellent reminder for us purchasers to take nothing for granted and check things before parting with the cash.

 

[Chris]

I would like to think the dealer will now put these things right before offering it for sale again.

Perhaps this is just a case of a rogue salesman rather than a rogue dealer?

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[cookie]

Might be pointless to you but probably not to someone on here who says they've bought the pile of crap and wishes someone had warned them.

 

[mitzimad]

its not pointless its probably killed the sales of that model countrywide lol

 

[chaser]

Might be pointless to you but probably not to someone on here who says they've bought the pile of crap and wishes someone had warned them.

But that's the point, you haven't warned anyone, no one knows what it is or who is selling it.

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[cookie]

In my opinion that van had every fault that has been mentioned in the forums previously .
You could say this forum has saved me from paying 44k for a lemon.

For that I am grateful to anyone who has posted regarding buying a motor home.

Thank you

 

[Rob and Val]

Sorry to say, as this is a forum, by posting anything you are leaving yourself open to either acclaim or criticism. People have such diverse views. My view is that you were trying to say thank you for the advice that you have been given on the forum and that you didn't expect to be shot down in flames. Hope this hasn't put you off MHF.

 

[cookie]

Rob val. So true . And no its not put me off.

It's been money well spent.

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[pyro]

Not a pointless thread at all. Rather an excellent reminder for us purchasers to take nothing for granted and check things before parting with the cash.

True, but hopefully obvious to most

And equally hopefully the references to the availability of Trading Standards legislation will be taken up and serve as an excellent reminder to traders that they cannot expect to pull the wool over anyone's eyes without paying the price for any deception

@cookie It will only cost you the price of a phone call and 10 minutes of your time, and your other half will be purring instead of spitting blood. Start here https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/get-more-help/report-to-trading-standards/

 

[Jim]

True, but hopefully obvious

It should be obvious but people still get caught. A thread reminding people to be cautious, especially with the use of the anecdote like the OP's to drive the advice home; is certainly not pointless as some have suggested, rather it is most welcome

 

[pyro]

And how more relevant than today's news: http://www.worcestershirets.gov.uk/news/appeal-dismissed-for-fraudulent-used-motorhome-dealer.aspx

Cost the dealer concerned £20,798.87 plus a 6 month suspended prison sentence. They are identified in the link above provided by Trading Standards

The original prosecution brought by Worcestershire County Council followed an investigation by the Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS) Trading Standards team into the sale of a motorhome by the company that had previously been subject to a category C insurance write-off. The investigation revealed that not only had the company failed to declare that the motorhome had previously been a category C insurance write-off, but that Mr Cooper had subsequently supplied a forged document to cover up the initial offence.

Worthy of a separate thread?

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[Cilfan]

In my opinion that van had every fault that has been mentioned in the forums previously .
You could say this forum has saved me from paying 44k for a lemon.

For that I am grateful to anyone who has posted regarding buying a motor home.

Thank you

They wanted how much for it??? FORTY FOUR GRAND!!!!!!! How old (or rather new) was this van? From what you described I thought we were talking a 20 odd year old sh1tter! See how that one little bit of extra info puts a whole new perspective on matters cookie? Now we know to be wary of all Savannahs - possibly even Auto-trails per ce - if what you found is indicative of their build quality and longevity.

If that van is still on their lot - though if they've any sense it won't be - you owe it to yourself and (less cautious) prospective buyers to report them. I don't care if they (inadvertently) got taken in on a PX deal, by trying to sell it on as something it clearly wasn't they are crooks, pure and simple. Some poor sod could sink their whole life savings into that!

 

[Cliffdale]

I read it as fairly recent, " three service stamps in five years", I thought around 2011? But this is purely a speculative figure!

 

[Deleted member 29692]

I read it as fairly recent, " three service stamps in five years", I thought around 2011? But this is purely a speculative figure!

New ones start from £61k so £44k for a 5year old one would be there or thereabouts. Possibly a little older allowing for higher dealer prices.

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[cookie]

Been to another local dealer today and every auto trail in his yard . 5 or 6 .has damp around the back doors . And not just on one model. It's disgusting dealers can get away with it.

And no I'm not naming I'm wiser now.

Only van we've found with dry readings is at lowdhams looks likely but Mrs c is paranoid now

 

[GeriatricWanderer]

Looks like it'll have to be a monocoque for you then!