How bad are Motorhome Dealers really?

[Jim]

People say that on the internet people are quick to complain but I just took a quick look at our dealer reviews page the last 20 reviews are crammed with 5 star glowing recommendations. Maybe we focus too much on the bad reviews and gloss over the good ones!


Have you been to a dealer recently? Please leave a review it only takes a couple of clicks and helps us build a valuable resource. Thanks.

If your dealer isn't there, shout up here . Cheers.

 

[rosalan]

It is certainly worth checking reviews of dealers and I am sure there are rogues about but in order to keep in business, they do need to have a stream of buyers. A bad reputation soon spreads and over the years several have cropped up here so it is worth checking carefully who you are dealing with.
One man I know went to a dealer with a poor reputation and bought a top of the range Hymer and gave them some conditions. He wanted the lowest possible price for the van on condition that he would never return to them after leaving their forecourt. He got what he wanted and never returned. He got a bargain price and of course Hymer warranty was still available if he needed it; he didn't.
Personally I feel very fortunate that all the dealers I have used, more than honoured their guarantees with never a quibble.

 

[Conal]

Yes, I have alway assumed that bad experiences would drive people to post a review more than good experiences; afterall, why should you have to praise someone for simply doing their job. I now think good reviews are written because we have all grown to expect poor service.
When we decided to buy from Brownhills we read terrible reviews ( we didn’t know about their multiple branch history) and were very worried. However we have had great service, especially from the Dave who sold us the Motorhome, the service admin staff and Shaun who has really looked after us in relation to warranty issues,
As a newbie, I did not think to post a review and, after reading others’ horror stories, just felt we were lucky
I am now of the opinion that there a a number of good dealers out there.

 

[Jim]

Yes, I have alway assumed that bad experiences would drive people to post a review more than good experiences; afterall, why should you have to praise someone for simply doing their job. I now think good reviews are written because we have all grown to expect poor service.
When we decided to buy from Brownhills we read terrible reviews ( we didn’t know about their multiple branch history) and were very worried. However we have had great service, especially from the Dave who sold us the Motorhome, the service admin staff and Shaun who has really looked after us in relation to warranty issues,
As a newbie, I did not think to post a review and, after reading others’ horror stories, just felt we were lucky
I am now of the opinion that there a a number of good dealers out there.

Please leave them a review . Brownhills . it'll only take you a moment. Cheers

 

[Huw s]

Just had a not so good experience with a large dealer in the south west.
Myself and the wife are looking to replace ou yr2000 knaus 2 berth with a 4 or 6 berth with rear belts for 4 at least.
The Swift escape seemed to fit the bill. The dealer had a yr 2012 model that looked perfect. Untill I read the post about leaking Swifts in the british MH section!
Anyway forwarned and forarmed, I turned up at the dealer in disposable overalls with a crawler board and moisture meter - i had told the dealer I would be looking very closely for signs of damp.
The van looked well presented, and seemed to have no issues. Underneath the chassis was good also, but alas the floor had two areas of repair, one under the shower, another at the rear wall - both very recent, like it had not been out on the road recent. My moisure meter showed readings between 10 (middle of the floor) and 25 near the repaired areas.
Inside, the areas under the side windows were over 20%.

Without being too pushy I asked the salesman what readings were acceptable - he said "anything over 50 were of concern, otherwise it was Ok". While looking at the service history I told him I was looking for some evidence of the damp readings and repair - this brought no response. I also showed him one of the fully ticked hab check sheets where it plainly explained what the readings should be. No response again!
Finally, I told the guy that I wasn't making a decision at the time, primarily over my fears about the damp readings and lack of history - this brought "rest assured we will be carrying out a full check and fixing any issues".
Yeh sure I thought....

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[138go]

We have found Southdown Motorhomes to be very good and deserve the 5* review. They have even got the factory to sort out a small problem out of warrantee. Buying a MH is not just a case of trawling the Internet for the cheapest deal or going to the shows looking for a good deal its all about the right Dealer as well. Your contract is with them not with the manufacturer and if you want something doing you need to have a good relationship with them. No point in picking one that offers a good deal with crappy reviews because the service you will get will be just that. Ok people are more likely to put a bad review when they are not happy with the service they have had but that after all is what you need to know about.

 

[MichaelT]

We bought form Lowdhams and the sales and admin side were great (apart from later delivery) and even the first small warranty issues were booked in at a time that suited us both a couple of months later. We did need another small part and had to chase them, however I think they like a lot of dealers are great on sales side but when it comes to after care they seem to be fully booked for months in advance and cannot cope and that is where many complaints come from.

 

[Jim]

We bought form Lowdhams and the sales and admin side were great

How about leaving them a review, it will only take a moment. Cheers

 

[Candapack]

Bought our first van from a dealer with an impeccable reputation, great customer reviews etc. Got it home to discover at some stage, diesel had been put into the fresh water tank, and pumped through the whole system.
Phoned the salesman as soon as I could, and it was like he was expecting the call. His immediate response was, "have you lent the van to anyone?". We'd had it for 3 days. My very strong impression was that they knew all along, and hoped either we wouldn't notice, or not make a fuss, maybe just try to clean it out ourselves, especially as we lived over 200 miles away.
Well, we did make a fuss, next call was to MD who immediately, with no other checking with anyone, agreed to replace the entire water system. Good result, but reinforced my view that they had tried to pull a fast one and failed.
And we were not compensated in any way for the cost and inconvenience.
Would I buy from them again, maybe. Because I don't think they are any different from any other dealer, and now of course I know a lot more about what to ask, and what to check.

 

[138go]

We bought form Lowdhams and the sales and admin side were great (apart from later delivery) and even the first small warranty issues were booked in at a time that suited us both a couple of months later. We did need another small part and had to chase them, however I think they like a lot of dealers are great on sales side but when it comes to after care they seem to be fully booked for months in advance and cannot cope and that is where many complaints come from.

When we had a Swift and tried to get them to repair it we were faced with taking it back for a PHOTO SHOOT. Once that had been done and we had spent a couple of hours at the Dealership we were told that they then had to wait for Swift to approve the repairs under warranty. It could not be booked in for repair until the parts arrived and of course once the parts arrived they were talking 8 - 10 weeks before they could do the work.

It not surprising that customers get fed up and you finish up with the blame game. Not our fault sir. Waiting for parts but the factory is closed for the annual summer holiday. Wrong parts sent. Lucky we noticed it before you bought the MH in so we will have to re-book that for you but we are very very busy.

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[Conal]

QFour
Yes I agree that length of time for appointments is crazy. We booked the last Brownhills visit four months before, as it was the earliest available.
They have explained to me that they are very busy and really need to double their bays. They have plans for developing the adjacent field.
I don’t know if their popularity is due to excessive warranty issues, lack of alternative choices, their club facilities (I had a swim last time I was there), or because they are good at what they do.
I haven’t had to pay for any repairs yet, for which I am grateful, as their advertised tariffs at Reception are scary.

 

[138go]

Its all these un-necessary Habitation Checks where they charge you to see if they can find anything they can charge you extra for like servicing the fridge and checking the gas installation. Majority of MHs from the Continent are just a once a year Damp Check but some of their Dealers still try to convince their customers that you must have everything done.