Our Regret in buying from the NEC (1 Viewer)

[RogCar]

Our big mistake on going to the NEC last October2017, After looking around many of the motorhomes there, We decided to swap our van, It was only 18 months old then !. We thought we needed a extra bed as our daughter said she would not mind coming with us now and again, So we traded our nice Adria, in for a Burstner which was also nice, and a nice price!!!, We were told it will be ready Next April or May, So off we go to Spain for a few months, In April I phoned up to ask if any news on the new van, I was told week 26 and the phone wen't down, ( nothing else was said ) Week 26 is the end of June, and we had heard nothing, So we waited until the end of July, we heard nothing, So I wrote them a letter asking for my £5000 deposit back as there had been no contact and I did not want the van, also giving them 14 days to reply, On the following Monday My wife gets a call on her mobile, But we were in the hospital reception area, and lots of noise she could not hear who was calling, So the person on the phone said they would ring back in the afternoon, No call !! Two weeks go by, no contact, So on the 9th September I sent another letter giving them 7 days to reply, The next day we get a phone call saying the van is there waiting our collection, So we go of to the Malvern Show, and decided when it was over, to take a trip to Chesterfield unannounced, Arrived 9am one of sales staff was in but did not no anything about it ,The Director who was dealing with us was not in until 10am, but someone rang him to say we were there, At 10.15am I ask the salesman who was showing a couple around a van outside how much longer will he be, We were told he has been sitting at his desk for the last 10 minutes, Still no contact ! So we go into the showroom, and was told he will be with us in a few minutes, He finally comes across with the keys and we go and look at the new van, not much conversation, Oven Door was hanging off! light over the table would not stay fixed ! No awning, ( should have had a 5.5m with LED lights,) WE paid for a 120 watt Solar panel, Only fitted a 100watt, and so on and so on, Any way he said he would sort it all out and contact us when it would be ready, 17th September, A phone call saying the Van is ready for collection, Collected the van on the 18th, WE STILL DID NOT GET WHAT WE ORDERED, THE FIRM WHICH SOLD US THE VAN IS 3 HOURS DRIVE AWAY, SO IF YOU ARE GOING TO THE NEC, I HOPE IT DOES NOT TURN OUT TO BE A NIGHTMARE LIKE US !!!!!!

 

[Jim]

The OP was sent to me by way of private message. I think it was meant for the forum, so reposted it in the authors name.

 

[Puddleduck]

Think you can reject it but others with legal qualifications will correct me if I am incorrect.

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[Northernraider]

That's outrageous ...do you have to accept it?
I think when I'd written asking for my deposit refunded if have stuck to that and not gone to collect it

 

[WESTY66]

Chesterfield???? Timberland????
Oh dear! When we was looking for a used van we went there and all the used vans was very tatty and scruffy looking (maybe the valeter was on holiday??) it didn’t inspire us with confidence, we bought elsewhere (lowdhams Nottingham) and up
To now we’ve been treated brilliantly!!

 

[Southdowners]

Why did you continue with the purchase after writing to the dealer stating that you didn't want the vehicle? You asked for your deposit back and gave 14 days for the dealer to respond. After 14 days you should have gone to a solicitor not write another letter giving them more time.

You need now to decide whether you want to keep the vehicle or not and act quickly. Get some legal advice as to how to proceed.

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[Just smiffy]

Take it back and get your money... I would camp outside with the heap of crap and tell everyone going in about it.....

Another great British stealer.....

Name and shame them.....

 

[Northernraider]

Take it back and get your money... I would camp outside with the heap of crap and tell everyone going in about it.....

Another great British stealer.....

Name and shame them.....

Me too

 

[andy63]

From memory the delivery date they quote has a certain ammount of leaway... a few weeks if i remember correctly in my case... its in writing in the contract you sign...or was in mine...
I like yourself was not happy with the way my dealer delt with it..if i hadnt contacted them they seemed quite happy to just let it run...
I pointed out if it wasnt available by the last available date as per the contract i would cancel the order...
Needless to say they managed to have it there just in time to meet their deadline... but if they had kept me informed with a few phone calls i most probably would have been happy and not adopted the attitude i ended up taking.
Andy.

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[Northernraider]

From memory the delivery date they quote has a certain ammount of leaway... a few weeks if i remember correctly in my case... its in writing in the contract you sign...or was in mine...
I like yourself was not happy with the way my dealer delt with it..if i hadnt contacted them they seemed quite happy to just let it run...
I pointed out if it wasnt available by the last available date as per the contract i would cancel the order...
Needless to say they managed to have it there just in time to meet their deadline... but if they had kept me informed with a few phone calls i most probably would have been happy and not adopted the attitude i ended up taking.
Andy.

I'm wondering how that would work though now that he's accepted and taken delivery of the van. Maybe now a court etc would only take in to consideration the things that are wrong etc and not the late delivery

I don't know though I've never bought a new van so dint know the legalities.

But going from the various threads I've seen on here with folk having issues with brand new vans I doubt I would ever buy a new one
With second hand you expect the odd niggle here and there but with something new the only reason I'd buy it was to have it perfect

 

[DuxDeluxe]

There was a dealer who may or may not be based there who won a legal case about deposits etc. Can’t remember the details but extreme caution coupled with professional legal advice is needed for anything like this

 

[olley]

If the deposit was kept in an Escrow account that would solve a lot of these problems.

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[Debs]

There was a dealer who may or may not be based there who won a legal case about deposits etc. Can’t remember the details but extreme caution coupled with professional legal advice is needed for anything like this

I remember that one, it was when I 1st joined the forum, terrible story wasn't it. I'd proceed with lots of caution if it's the same dealer. Local to me

 

[RogCar]

I was told when we sent the second letter , if they sold the van for a cheaper price, I would have to pay for the extra's they had fitted. the van has a 5 metre awning, and not a 5.5metre, there are No LED lights on the awning, 2 lights on the overhead bed Do not work, and it just go's on, We have waited so long for the van, we cannot go up to Chesterfield to keep sorting things out, 6 hours driving there and back, We have lost all faith in buying a motorhome from them, and people should be aware, if you want a cup of tea, or a bunch of flowers for spending 70k then don't go to this firm, YOU GET NOTHING, WE DID NOT EVEN GET A THANK YOU!!!

 

[RogCar]

Chesterfield???? Timberland????
Oh dear! When we was looking for a used van we went there and all the used vans was very tatty and scruffy looking (maybe the valeter was on holiday??) it didn’t inspire us with confidence, we bought elsewhere (lowdhams Nottingham) and up
To now we’ve been treated brilliantly!!

YOU Have it in ONE

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[DavidG58]

I was told when we sent the second letter , if they sold the van for a cheaper price, I would have to pay for the extra's they had fitted. the van has a 5 metre awning, and not a 5.5metre, there are No LED lights on the awning, 2 lights on the overhead bed Do not work, and it just go's on, We have waited so long for the van, we cannot go up to Chesterfield to keep sorting things out, 6 hours driving there and back, We have lost all faith in buying a motorhome from them, and people should be aware, if you want a cup of tea, or a bunch of flowers for spending 70k then don't go to this firm, YOU GET NOTHING, WE DID NOT EVEN GET A THANK YOU!!!

If as I suspect and suggested above this is the same dealer that is located on the A617 dual carriageway off the M1 J29, be very wary, I still don't know how they got away with it, but they appeared to treat someone far worse than you have been and won their day in court costing who seemed to all of us to be the aggrieved party the price of a house in legal fees

 

[DuxDeluxe]

If as I suspect and suggested above this is the same dealer that is located on the A617 dual carriageway off the M1 J29, be very wary, I still don't know how they got away with it, but they appeared to treat someone far worse than you have been and won their day in court costing who seemed to all of us to be the aggrieved party the price of a house in legal fees

There is a thread about it somewhere.

 

[Silver-Fox]

I was told when we sent the second letter , if they sold the van for a cheaper price, I would have to pay for the extra's they had fitted. the van has a 5 metre awning, and not a 5.5metre, there are No LED lights on the awning, 2 lights on the overhead bed Do not work, and it just go's on, We have waited so long for the van, we cannot go up to Chesterfield to keep sorting things out, 6 hours driving there and back, We have lost all faith in buying a motorhome from them, and people should be aware, if you want a cup of tea, or a bunch of flowers for spending 70k then don't go to this firm, YOU GET NOTHING, WE DID NOT EVEN GET A THANK YOU!!!

I’m struggling to understand how you would have to compensate them if they sold the van cheaper.
They have broken the contract by not fitting what was specified and presume in the original agreement.
Surely they don’t have a leg to stand on.
Or am I missing something here?

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[DavidG58]

https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/still-waiting-for-our-new-van.82247/page-7#post-1036799

read and take note, although I still cant believe the OP on this thread lost the case

 

[Ber090]

The Dealer is a consistent nightmare and lost both the Fiat Professional accreditation And Approved Workshop Accreditation within a few months of each other. In my own case I wouldn’t take my wheelbarrow to them now, having learned the hard way. How they keep Buerstner dealership and Swift beggars belief!

 

[jdk62]

Under the a Consumer Act, you can reject any item within 30 day’s and get a full refund. If outside of this period the supplying dealer is entitled to one attempt to remedy all faults. If they fail to remedy all the faults, then you still have the right to reject the item and demand a refund.

I suggest take some legal advice. I had problems with our new Motorhome ( not bought at NEC) and our dealer was absolutely awful... I got to the point of rejecting the new van after 6 months due to numerous faults and lack of interest by the dealer. In rectifying them. I sent them a formal notice of rejection after they had one attempt at rectifying the numerous faults ( they sorted 3 out of 14), When they ignored my letter ( and e-mails and phone calls..), I again wrote rejecting the van and no response. I then gave them 14 day’s notice of going legal but I also co-joined the manufacturer into the notice. The manufacturer responded immediately saying my contract was with the dealer etc etc and not their problem, however, I persevered and 2 day’s before legal action was to start, the manufacturer contacted me and accepted responsibility. They collected the van took it back to the factory and returned it 6 weeks later, along with a financial settlement. To this day the dealer has not responded or contacted me....

We love our van.

So my advice would be to use the Consumer Act as the basis of your action

Good luck

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[jdk62]

Oh and on personal experience..... avoid 3A’s in Carmarthen and Cross Hands like the plague.

Useless!

 

[Jim]

Chesterfield???? Timberland????
Oh dear! When we was looking for a used van we went there and all the used vans was very tatty and scruffy looking (maybe the valeter was on holiday??) it didn’t inspire us with confidence, we bought elsewhere (lowdhams Nottingham) and up
To now we’ve been treated brilliantly!!

Any chance you could review your service from Lowdhams, looks like they could do with a good review! it only takes a couple of clicks Many thanks

Our big mistake on going to the NEC last October2017, After looking around many of the motorhomes there, We decided to swap our van, It was only 18 months old then !. We thought we needed a extra bed as our daughter said she would not mind coming with us now and again, So we traded our nice Adria, in for a Burstner which was also nice, and a nice price!!!, We were told it will be ready Next April or May, So off we go to Spain for a few months, In April I phoned up to ask if any news on the new van, I was told week 26 and the phone wen't down, ( nothing else was said ) Week 26 is the end of June, and we had heard nothing, So we waited until the end of July, we heard nothing, So I wrote them a letter asking for my £5000 deposit back as there had been no contact and I did not want the van, also giving them 14 days to reply, On the following Monday My wife gets a call on her mobile, But we were in the hospital reception area, and lots of noise she could not hear who was calling, So the person on the phone said they would ring back in the afternoon, No call !! Two weeks go by, no contact, So on the 9th September I sent another letter giving them 7 days to reply, The next day we get a phone call saying the van is there waiting our collection, So we go of to the Malvern Show, and decided when it was over, to take a trip to Chesterfield unannounced, Arrived 9am one of sales staff was in but did not no anything about it ,The Director who was dealing with us was not in until 10am, but someone rang him to say we were there, At 10.15am I ask the salesman who was showing a couple around a van outside how much longer will he be, We were told he has been sitting at his desk for the last 10 minutes, Still no contact ! So we go into the showroom, and was told he will be with us in a few minutes, He finally comes across with the keys and we go and look at the new van, not much conversation, Oven Door was hanging off! light over the table would not stay fixed ! No awning, ( should have had a 5.5m with LED lights,) WE paid for a 120 watt Solar panel, Only fitted a 100watt, and so on and so on, Any way he said he would sort it all out and contact us when it would be ready, 17th September, A phone call saying the Van is ready for collection, Collected the van on the 18th, WE STILL DID NOT GET WHAT WE ORDERED, THE FIRM WHICH SOLD US THE VAN IS 3 HOURS DRIVE AWAY, SO IF YOU ARE GOING TO THE NEC, I HOPE IT DOES NOT TURN OUT TO BE A NIGHTMARE LIKE US !!!!!!

This post will be lost with 3 million others. Please do copy and paste your post in the review section. Here They only have one review so far. It will only take you a moment, Thanks

 

[WESTY66]

Any chance you could review your service from Lowdhams, looks like they could do with a good review! it only takes a couple of clicks Many thanks

Done

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[Lenny HB]

I really don't understand why you went ahead with the purchase as you weren't satisfied with the van. Also why did you give them such a large deposit. We have bought 3 new vans only ever given £1000 deposit, to me a deposit is an amount you can afford to loose if unforseen circumstances ocur.
Sounds like the best way forward is to reject the van.

 

[RogCar]

I was ask to pay £5000 Deposit so they could order the van, It is ok to say don't go ahead with the purchase, but when you have payed 5K to get your money back would be very difficult, and costly, So do you lose your 5K and don't have the van, or do you collect the van and sort out the problems somewhere else?? I really don't know ! But also a bit of a worry is we only brought the van home, We have not used it for camping yet!

 

[Lenny HB]

As the van was not to the spec you ordered if you rejected it they would have to return your deposit as they are the ones defaulting on the contract.
They may have asked for 5k deposit doesn't mean you have to give that much, a £1000 is more than enough to show your intent to purchase.

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[DavidG58]

@RogCar

I feel for you, the advice offered is all good but comes from the bad experiences of many others, you are not alone with such a poor position

You feel like you are over a barrel but this one reads like all the wrongs are firmly on the dealer, provided you haven’t missed any time restrictions you have nothing to lose by rejecting it. Just be sure you follow the correct procedure

Even if all you get in the end is what you wanted, rather than your money back , that would be a result

Then more importantly you can move on and start to use them enjoy the MH

 

[DavidG58]

Just a thought on above, you might be better getting a partial refund for where the dealer has supplied different to contract specifications

They would have to pay quite a lot to swap solar and awning, better for him and maybe you to live with what you have and take some cash off him instead

 

[Madcaravanner]

Chesterfield???? Timberland????
Oh dear! When we was looking for a used van we went there and all the used vans was very tatty and scruffy looking (maybe the valeter was on holiday??) it didn’t inspire us with confidence, we bought elsewhere (lowdhams Nottingham) and up
To now we’ve been treated brilliantly!!

Sounds so much like that certain company on the A617 Timberland - - -we did take a look in there to do a reconnaissance when we were buying and after a lot of waiting around before eventually being shown around we declined anything they had as they didn't seem to have any knowledge

heard other similar stories - - - -for us would have been great only 2 miles from our home location

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