Dometic - Rant!! (1 Viewer)

[2spritelyislanders]

Since March this year we've been trying to get a fault on our fridge sorted under warranty. Despite Dometic's claim to provide good customer service and their aim to have an engineer within easy distance (at home and abroad) to help you promptly, we are still waiting!!!!!!!! Our local engineer is about 20 mins away and he has jumped through all the hoops required by Dometic and is still waiting for the go ahead. Apparently they need more info!!!! There is no more info!!!! Unless of course they want the names, birth dates and addresses of the people who built the flipping fridge!!!!

In an effort to sort this I emailed Dometic in March and was reassured the warranty work would go ahead and further assured that as we were off to France they've got engineers there if we had any more problems. Well the work wasn't done before we set off for two months and luckily the fridge worked even with the intermittent faulty flashing blue light. Once home we enquired of the engineer when he would do the work and he said "sorry but Dometic still haven't ok'd it".

Getting the picture??? Sooooo I phoned Dometic and surprise, surprise you can't speak to anyone in authority, they are given a message and they phone you back, which of course no-one did!!! Sooooooo I sent an email giving all the info we've already provided and said I was very frustrated and in despair (yes I'm being dramatic) and basically pleaded with Dometic to sort this out. Well, would you flipping believe it .....!!!!!!! This morning I got a reply and ......
they confirmed they have the enginer's report, even giving me the report number but saying they want me to confirm that the engineer has been to see the fridge and (unflipping believable) would I give them details of the fault!!!!!

No sorry, no we can understand your frustration, no we'll get it sorted asap, nothing but straight back to square flipping one

Thanks fellow Funsters who may read this rant, I feel a bit better now and ready to continue to battle with Dometic. I might not be able to get a phone number for anyone but I did look them up on Google and know where their Head Office is It might just be worth the ferry fare to turn up and ask to speak to Mike Smith, the MD and see how that turns out

 

[PJGWiltshire]

Since March this year we've been trying to get a fault on our fridge sorted under warranty. Despite Dometic's claim to provide good customer service and their aim to have an engineer within easy distance (at home and abroad) to help you promptly, we are still waiting!!!!!!!! Our local engineer is about 20 mins away and he has jumped through all the hoops required by Dometic and is still waiting for the go ahead. Apparently they need more info!!!! There is no more info!!!! Unless of course they want the names, birth dates and addresses of the people who built the flipping fridge!!!!

In an effort to sort this I emailed Dometic in March and was reassured the warranty work would go ahead and further assured that as we were off to France they've got engineers there if we had any more problems. Well the work wasn't done before we set off for two months and luckily the fridge worked even with the intermittent faulty flashing blue light. Once home we enquired of the engineer when he would do the work and he said "sorry but Dometic still haven't ok'd it".

Getting the picture??? Sooooo I phoned Dometic and surprise, surprise you can't speak to anyone in authority, they are given a message and they phone you back, which of course no-one did!!! Sooooooo I sent an email giving all the info we've already provided and said I was very frustrated and in despair (yes I'm being dramatic) and basically pleaded with Dometic to sort this out. Well, would you flipping believe it .....!!!!!!! This morning I got a reply and ......
they confirmed they have the enginer's report, even giving me the report number but saying they want me to confirm that the engineer has been to see the fridge and (unflipping believable) would I give them details of the fault!!!!!

No sorry, no we can understand your frustration, no we'll get it sorted asap, nothing but straight back to square flipping one

Thanks fellow Funsters who may read this rant, I feel a bit better now and ready to continue to battle with Dometic. I might not be able to get a phone number for anyone but I did look them up on Google and know where their Head Office is It might just be worth the ferry fare to turn up and ask to speak to Mike Smith, the MD and see how that turns out

Have a look at the consumer rights act 2015. See if it fits. In most cases it will and you can be in the driving seat especially if you bought from a dealer as the problem is theirs and not Dometic

 

[Riverbankannie]

Don't like what's happening to you but I put a like it to show you I have read your post and feel your pain!
It's just not good enough but sadly customer service seems to be like this these days.

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[CWH]

they confirmed they have the enginer's report, even giving me the report number but saying they want me to confirm that the engineer has been to see the fridge and (unflipping believable) would I give them details of the fault!!!!!

I think I'd be tempted to email this bit right back to them, ask them if they realise how utterly stupid it sounds, and tell them it'll be posted all over t'interwebbything to give everybody a good larfffff - oh and can they please get their right hand and left hand to talk to each other

 

[Madcaravanner]

Hmmm usual problem it's the dealer that sold it to you that SHOULD sort it but the manufacturer has stepped in so Trading Standards might be able to help or even the Don't get done get Dom programme or similar programme the possibility of being shamed on TV should have an effect

 

[Riverbankannie]

Don't like what's happening to you but I put a like it to show you I have read your post and feel your pain!
It's just not good enough but sadly customer service seems to be like this these days.

Kate's report on Skye Skins customer service shows how it should be.

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[Camdoon]

I have taken to completing the Small Claims Court form and sending it to companies asking which address they wish to use but they should note the case would be held locally. Claim for a new fridge and 5 hours @ £75 to fit http://hmctsformfinder.justice.gov.uk/HMCTS/GetForm.do?court_forms_id=338

 

[woodstock]

We have a 2012 Autotrail Apache 5 years old and the dometic fridge packed up. Got in touch with the dealer we bought it from new. They put a claim in with Dometic no chance of anything. New fridge £869.00.

 

[2spritelyislanders]

Kate's report on Skye Skins customer service shows how it should be.

Well I've just spoken to the person who sent the email and she was not a happy bunny!! I think she didn't like the fact I actually got through the switchboard and then kept phoning every hour, ha, ha. First time she wasn't at her desk, second time she was at lunch, third time she wasn't at her desk (surprise, surprise). So I asked to speak to a supervisor but was told I had to leave my phone number and they would phone back!! I very nicely but firmly said I had been trying to speak to someone since yesterday and no-one phoned back and was then put on hold listening to 'horrible music. After what seemed like ages a voice said "yes, can I help you" and I said are you a supervisor and she no I'm Carole. This is the lady who emailed me!!!! She was very abrupt and obviously put out that I'd got through!! She wasn't very helpful initially, she even asked me what part the engineer had ordered, whether it was a front or back control panel!!!! Determined that she would have no excuse to cut me off I very firmly and politely pointed out I'm the customer, not the engineer!!! Unflipping believable!!!!! She's the Customer and Field Support person!!!!!

Anyway she's promised to phone the engineer and sort it out and begrudgingly also agreed to put all this in writing to me. Her whole attitude was bordering on rude, she just about avoided that.

How can something so simple turn into such a farce!!!

Thanks for listening, I'm off for a little rest

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[2spritelyislanders]

We have a 2012 Autotrail Apache 5 years old and the dometic fridge packed up. Got in touch with the dealer we bought it from new. They put a claim in with Dometic no chance of anything. New fridge £869.00.

We have a 2015 Rapido and the fridge was under warranty when all this started and the frustrating thing is Dometic agreed the work and letting the local engineer do it but then it all went pear shaped and we're going round in circles.

 

[Littlewheels]

I went through something very similar that I won't go into because as with you it was a Saga and went on forever, however, Carole actually came to my rescue after I had gone through the process of almost begging Dometic Engineers to take a look ( So few work on Tectowers).
I hope you finally get the outcome you need and feel that this lady is probably under such daily pressure that she's drowning from it, however, I'm sure she'll come through based on my experience.

 

[2spritelyislanders]

I went through something very similar that I won't go into because as with you it was a Saga and went on forever, however, Carole actually came to my rescue after I had gone through the process of almost begging Dometic Engineers to take a look ( So few work on Tectowers).
I hope you finally get the outcome you need and feel that this lady is probably under such daily pressure that she's drowning from it, however, I'm sure she'll come through based on my experience.

RESULT!!!!

Carole did indeed come through!!!

The part is ordered and should come through in 2-3 days

Will phone and thank her (if they put me through ) and email if not when the work is done of course

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[Neckender]

Our new 2017 van has a Thetford compressor fridge fitted and from day one it was faulty as it kept defrosting. Thetford came up trumps and gave the go ahead for a new fridge to be fitted by our dealers SMC 2 days before we went on the Bagwell farm rally.
First class service by both parties.

John.

 

[Ninovan]

@woodstock, I would be interested to know how dealer, etc. would get a new fridge into the van, unless it comes in bits & is built in situ. There is no way a pre-built fridge would fit through our door! I think the vans are built round all the appliances!

 

[woodstock]

We got the new fridge into ours no problem.

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[Brightspark]

We also got a new Dometic fridge freezer into our Autotrail through the door.

 

[PeteH]

Probably same way as we used to put beds into Back to Back Terraced Houses. Take the window out!!! I put a Full sized Frig/Freezer into a Static caravan when I was doing the self build that way.

 

[stewartwebr]

A Tech Tower failed in one of my vans about 6 years ago. It was 1 month out of the 24 month warranty. Camper UK the supplying dealer contacted Dometic who were not very helpful. However, the time of failure was the same time as the NEC Show. I approached the Customer Service Manager at the NEC Show on the Dometic Stand. After explaining the issue he assured me he would have the unit repaired.
After the show when I contacted him he back tracked completely, a completely different approach and was not happy to help. A bit of legal pressure and they agreed to replace the condenser at their cost. Well, that's what I thought. Just by chance by chatting to Camper UK the deal was Dometic would supply the condenser and CamperUK would pick up the cost of the replacement. Very noble of CamperUK and very underhanded of Dometic who gave the impression THEY were footing the cost completely. I would not allow CamperUK to foot the install and eventually the work was done at Dometics' expense. Not a good impression of a company and one I would be very wary of dealing with in the future.

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[Larby]

@woodstock, I would be interested to know how dealer, etc. would get a new fridge into the van, unless it comes in bits & is built in situ. There is no way a pre-built fridge would fit through our door! I think the vans are built round all the appliances!

I had a new fridge, fitted myself, same problem, habitation door too narrow.
Solution, use the passenger's door with seat laid back, bags of room