swift warranty repairs

[robnchris]

A friend of ours has just found damp in his floors in his 3yr-6 month old Swift Escape, now this motorhome has been totally mothered, all servicing and checks done on date.
Motorhome cleaned more than enough to drive you nuts inside and out, basicallt he is an old woman were the motorhome is considered.
He went around a few dealers and found similar age vans with the same problem so this is obviously a design fault.
Ok it`s out of warranty by less than a year, the seals that have failed around the toilet locker would have been so whilst still in warranty, he has been quoted £2750 to get the job done.
He conatcted Swift who just cmae back and said sorry it`s out of warranty.

One wonders why they couldn`t look at this case and say ok it`s out of warranty but only just we`ll sort this out as an act of goodwill, or ok how about we pay half to the repairs, again showing customer care.
We all know that if you take your motorhome for any repairs you will pay more than swift would pay for labour costs so it`s not going to cost them that much.
I just can`t get my head around this total lack of customer relations, my friend now will pay the whole job himself and yeah good old Swift will have saved in the short term a couple of grand but for future investment he will never buy from Swift again plus he will spread the story through his friends and contacts on just how poor Swifts customer care policy is.
How short sighted is this from Swift, ok by the letter it`s out of warranty and Swift can point this out and say there`s the conditions, but in this finiacial climate you would think they would treat their customers with a little more compassion.
One thing for certain our next motorhome will not be from the Swift group.

 

[knokinonabit]

It seems fairly endemic over the whole industry.
We are coming up to the one year mark on our Auto-Trail and still waiting for warranty jobs to be done from day one. :Angry:

 

[Terry]

Hi Rob, I thought Swift gave 6 years warranty against water ingress ? Not surprised at all
Terry

 

[Jaws]

There now.. you are gonna get me started again on just how bloody AWFUL swift are ( in general ) with customer care and after market service

Yes, we here of the odd good result but by the cringe, they do seem to go out of their way to pee customers off and turn off potential new customers

There are a couple of quite sad things about this..

1) The products look great and are well designed, but of course who in their right mind would spend massive amounts of folding stuff on an item we now know to have probably the worst back up in the world !

2) They really do not seem to care one iota that their name is slowly flushing down the toilet.
At the moment they are still trading on the good name they developed for them selves donkeys years ago.. Sooner or later people WILL realise that fact and vote with their feet and wallets .. And then that will be the end of another BRITISH company..


Is it just apathy by management ? As long as the bosses are getting their hefty lump of wonga paid do they really not give a stuff ?
I have NO idea.. but I do know if I was the owner(s) I would want to increase my customer base, not throw it all away oh:

 

[robnchris]

Hi Rob, I thought Swift gave 6 years warranty against water ingress ? Not surprised at all
Terry

That`s the impression my mate thought, but oh no, 6 years for caravans only 3 years for motorhomesoh:

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[buttons]

After my experience with my Swift Konleaky some 20 years ago I made myself a promise never to buy another Swift. Still stand by that pledge today. Would never purchase another from the Swift camp. Their attitude to their customers appears not to have change much.

 

[haganap]

May I suggest that your friend joins the swift group forum ? Whilst on it, post his problem and see if he can speak to ash?


I have never found swift anything other than extremely helpful in resolving stuff.

However what I don't understand is at what point does a warranty run out? If it is 3 years hen it's 3 years? Why would you expect anything different if its 3.5 years? After all it's out of warranty?

Would you take a TV back for a refund or repair if it went wrong after 18 months if the warranty was for 12?

Should the service engineer not of noticed defective locker seals at its last service?


Not much help I know, but sometimes the other side needs to be examined.



If there is a problem with this model then I'm sure ash would know about it, (not the ash on here but on swift talk )


Good luck with it.

 

[hilldweller]

t my head around this total lack of customer relations,

From 5 years of reading about Swift on here and the dark side, even chatting to the boss, I formed the opinion that Swift have no idea about quality control. They let their dealers and customers do that job. In fact their dealers seem to be the final assemble department. Rotting floors, collapsing beds condensation/damp, defective hab doors to name the common ones that I remember.

The bottom line is they probably could not afford to carry out the warranty work they are morally obliged to.

 

[Terry]

That`s the impression my mate thought, but oh no, 6 years for caravans only 3 years for motorhomesoh:

I would be returning it as unfit under the European 6 yr rules
I should say that if it was mine I would be doing a Roclaire and parking out side the dealer's with posters etc:thumb: it works a lot quicker and less expensive
Terry

 

[buttons]

May I suggest that your friend joins the swift group forum ? Whilst on it, post his problem and see if he can speak to ash?
I have never found swift anything other than extremely helpful in resolving stuff.
However what I don't understand is at what point does a warranty run out? If it is 3 years hen it's 3 years? Why would you expect anything different if its 3.5 years? After all it's out of warranty?
Would you take a TV back for a refund or repair if it went wrong after 18 months if the warranty was for 12?
Should the service engineer not of noticed defective locker seals at its last service?
Not much help I know, but sometimes the other side needs to be examined.
If there is a problem with this model then I'm sure ash would know about it, (not the ash on here but on swift talk )
Good luck with it.

Not totally correct Paul. The warranty is the manufactures warranty. You still have a contract with the place you purchased it from under the 'Sale of Goods Act. Your expectancy for the life of a £50k motorhome without major water ingress would I hope be more than 3 years so in my opinion this motorhome is not fit for purpose.

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[robnchris]

May I suggest that your friend joins the swift group forum ? Whilst on it, post his problem and see if he can speak to ash?


I have never found swift anything other than extremely helpful in resolving stuff.

However what I don't understand is at what point does a warranty run out? If it is 3 years hen it's 3 years? Why would you expect anything different if its 3.5 years? After all it's out of warranty?

Would you take a TV back for a refund or repair if it went wrong after 18 months if the warranty was for 12?

Should the service engineer not of noticed defective locker seals at its last service?


Not much help I know, but sometimes the other side needs to be examined.



If there is a problem with this model then I'm sure ash would know about it, (not the ash on here but on swift talk )


Good luck with it.

Of course you are correct by the letter it`s out of warranty hence Swift can and have said on your way it`s not our problem...how short sighted from Swift.
Isn`t that the biggest mistake Swift are making, one pictures an office at Swift headquarters with someone holding warranties waiting for them to expire and at the stroke of midnight tearing them up.

Where is the customer realtions and care here, don`t they have pride in their product are Swift happy that their motorhomes are on forecourts with damp floors, a result of poor design and previous customers walking away and going somewhere else.

This is such an easy example of how to keep customers happy and achieve a reliable and trusted name, if they had said look it`s out of warranty but as it`s only going to cost us say £2000.00 we`ll keep this customer happy and make ourselves look good in the bargain, or they could have offered to say pay half the costs again making friends and keeping those that have invested their hard earned cash with them sweet.
No they have chosen the hard line, put two fingers up to and lost another customer, this isn`t a company with a policy of continual improvement in my eyes.

 

[jhorsf]

And still the Swift owners defend them

I once bought a new Swift caravan it had nothing but leaks and would not have one now if they were bloody giving them away.
They have a duty to provide a serviceable product that does not leak they do not care when they have had your money I do not know how they keep selling the vans and caravans to people oh:

They would be against the wall with a blindfold if it were left to me

 

[haganap]

Nothing to do with defending them,

But the industry as a whole is no better is the only point I'm making.

But I don't get the out of warranty it's still under the sale of goods act?


What is reasonable? If say swift fix this one, they fix mine that is 3 years out of warranty? Have I got comeback under the sale of goods act?

Motorhomes are rotten to the core, every manufacture of every model, some are slightly better than others but I can give you horror stories about the manufacture of EVERY motorhome, from swift to hymer to Rapido. If one or two members would let me publish PMs I've had about certain makes you would be shocked..


My swift is a bag of shit, but it's my bag of shit and a wonderful refined motorhome. My adria was a bag of shit, and my CI was a bigger bag of shit, but they were all a bag of shit.

The whole industry is either rotten to the core in terms of quality control and we the public just take it for granted, if any motorhome was any good they would all come with a life time warranty or 20+ years, that's how long it takes to pay for the bloody things.


The best advice I would ever give to anyone is that if you want a trouble free life of camping, don't buy a motorhome, any motorhome.
Instead, get a room in a hotel, it's cheaper

But If you want a life of woes and fun get a camper, the best thing money can buy but don't expect a trouble free life with it, it won't happen.

From cracked shower trays broken steps fridges heaters locker catches water ingress you name you get it, oh and btw I haven't even started with going backwards in a fiat or avoiding body roll on a merc yet...:thumb:

 

[Mikemoss]

Having owned two Swift caravans and now a Bessacarr motorhome over the past 20-odd years I'd always respected their undoubted design excellence (which is what made me buy them in the first place) and found their after-sales service to be top notch too. I'm now having my doubts.

The fact that at the age of 15 and with 85,000+miles on the clock our Bessie is still damp-free, with everything working as it should, and showing clear evidence of the care with which it was designed and built, is proof that they can build great motorhomes. The few occasions when I've sought help from Swift have confirmed my good opinion of the company, too. OK, two of them have been very small - they provided a handbook and even a marketing brochure when I first took over Bessie seven years ago, but the third was a safety recall for extra strengthening for the seat belts in the dinette. This was handled superbly, with all costs met without question - down to a lunch while waiting for the work to be completed at Alko Kober in the Midlands.

So why do I now have my doubts? Well, the soggy floor syndrome is one reason. So far as I can tell from posts on this and other forums, this is due to a combination of poor sealing and a bought-in flooring with plastic membrane that won't let water out again once it's got in. At first, it seemed that Swift was stepping up to the plate and repairing all these incidents. Now, increasingly, it seems that they're not. Surely this is an endemic fault either with the material itself or during the manufacturing process, and should be put right - with Swift reclaiming the cost from the material manufacturer, if necessary?

Even on their own SwiftTalk forum, Swift give the impression of being much less customer-centric than they were a few years ago when they had a presence on here and elsewhere.

It's all shaken my belief in them more than a little. I'm still delighted with our Bessie, and just hope she will see me out as I don't have that much faith in Swift as a source of any replacement.

 

[buttons]

Under the Sale of Goods Act, retailers are responsible for faulty goods that are not of satisfactory quality for up to six years after you bought them. In Scotland the period is five years. Satisfactory quality covers various aspects including whether they've lasted as long as you could reasonably expect. In law it would ultimately be for a court to decide. But, for example, you might reasonably expect a 50k motor home to last longer than 36 months without serious water ingress. See link.
Broken Link Removed

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[haganap]

Under the Sale of Goods Act, retailers are responsible for faulty goods that are not of satisfactory quality for up to six years after you bought them. In Scotland the period is five years. Satisfactory quality covers various aspects including whether they've lasted as long as you could reasonably expect. In law it would ultimately be for a court to decide. But, for example, you might reasonably expect a 50k motor home to last longer than 36 months without serious water ingress. See link.
Broken Link Removed

Ive just read that article.

Good luck to anyone who tries going down that route


Just a thought,

Has anyone ever tried getting work like that is mentioned done under their insurance policy?

Surely if you sustain damage then insurance covers it? say like a tree hit it? rats got in etc etc?

why not damp?

 

[jhorsf]

People have to insist on their rights, I took a faulty microwave back to Argos it was over 2 years old the guy said" oh its out of warranty sir" I said "get the boss please" he then told the guy to work out just how much money they would give me back or towards replacing it from the formula they have and all know about this reduces with age up to 6 years.
They did not have the same one so they allowed me a % on a new one I forget but it was most of what I paid originally

 

[hilldweller]

People have to insist on their rights

Most people are very poor at that but with TV coverage and www I think people are now learning.

 

[Peter JohnsCross MH]

We have found just a couple of Escapes with damp as per Glenns comments below, but you will note that it should have been picked up with proper servicing, perhaps we are too picky and find problems and fix them before they cause problems.

---------------------------------------------------
[FONT=&quot]Hi Peter[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Unfortunately yes!!! Apparently Swift and Bailey have been using the same sealant which obviously wasn’t up to the job.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Luckily when we carry out any service work we thoroughly go through the entire van (including the external floor) so if there was any evidence of damp we could act on it straight away and report to the appropriate manufacturer.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]If their van has been serviced yearly then I find it very hard to believe that damp has not been found earlier.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]We have had two similar repairs to the rear of Escapes one we carried out here which was a warranty repair and the other I had Swift collect the other one.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]We get to see a lot of Escapes and I must say it’s a very small percentage of damp vans we see.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Regards[/FONT]

 

[buttons]

Ive just read that article.

Good luck to anyone who tries going down that route


Just a thought,

Has anyone ever tried getting work like that is mentioned done under their insurance policy?

Surely if you sustain damage then insurance covers it? say like a tree hit it? rats got in etc etc?

why not damp?

If I could give my experience of excellent customer service.:thumb:
After a trouble free warranty on my camper and just 6 months from when it was due to expire, the camper developed a problem with the earth bridge below the fridge. They made the mod as well as replacing both batteries. I asked if this work was guaranteed after my warranty expired. What do you think they said.
No problem sir, we will extend your full manufactures warranty for an additional 12 months when this one runs out. That covered everything from bumper to bumper. Guess what....never needed to use it.
Perhaps VW are more confident than Fiat/Swift.

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[hilldweller]

We have found just a couple of Escapes with damp as per Glenns comments below, but you will note that it should have been picked up with proper servicing, perhaps we are too picky and find problems and fix them before they cause problems.

---------------------------------------------------
[FONT=&quot]Hi Peter[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Unfortunately yes!!! Apparently Swift and Bailey have been using the same sealant which obviously wasn’t up to the job.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Luckily when we carry out any service work we thoroughly go through the entire van (including the external floor) so if there was any evidence of damp we could act on it straight away and report to the appropriate manufacturer.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]If their van has been serviced yearly then I find it very hard to believe that damp has not been found earlier.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]We have had two similar repairs to the rear of Escapes one we carried out here which was a warranty repair and the other I had Swift collect the other one.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]We get to see a lot of Escapes and I must say it’s a very small percentage of damp vans we see.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Regards[/FONT]

This seems to be all the OP needs to go for the dealer.

 

[Jaws]

We have found just a couple of Escapes with damp as per Glenns comments below, but you will note that it should have been picked up with proper servicing, perhaps we are too picky and find problems and fix them before they cause problems.

No Peter, I do not think you are too picky, I think you and the team do the job as it should be done.

If someone brings a bike to me for a service and I see something likely to cause an issue in the future, I will address the matter and sort it out.

You are doing exactly the same..

Proactive customer care.. Sadly lacking in many places but not in YOURS Peter !! :thumb:

 

[Terry]

Ive just read that article.

Good luck to anyone who tries going down that route


Just a thought,

Has anyone ever tried getting work like that is mentioned done under their insurance policy?

Surely if you sustain damage then insurance covers it? say like a tree hit it? rats got in etc etc?

why not damp?

Simply because the insurance co would put it down to lack of maintainence
Admitadly on a 3 to 4 yr old m/h it should not come into it


Now for the bad Swift bit --
Paul if you remember when you first bought your Swift I warned you that they were having probs around your yr van with damp floors circa 2005/7 ish -it now seems that since they stopped it after that ie 2008 ish they have now taken a backward step in 2009 and reintroduced damp floors as confirmed by Glen at JCM oh:(PETER AT jcm YOU WILL GET YOUR HANDS SLAPPED AGAIN
Last time Peter -then- CEO @ Swift along with his PA Gail promised that Swift would step upto the mark and retify any problems as and when they presented themselves-- :thumb: again it seems they are not standing by what was then and what is now --I must say that the then Peter did a very good PR job at the time :thumb: but I do not know if /what he still has to do with Swift ? I think Gail retired so wonder if Peterstepped down as well
terry
edit I kept a copy of Swifts responce at the time if anyone is interested

 

[haganap]

Terry you seem to be mistaking me with someone that gives a s**t about either swift motorhomes or any one else.

I have a Bessie, I have no floor problems, I have had plenty of other problems but no floor problems.

I know two Chausson owners, both have had a damp issue
A hymer owner with a sink problem that has led too damp
A Rapido owner whose 90k MH is simply falling apart.
Numerous Autotrail owners with problems.
The list goes on and on and on.


My point is simple, so I will say it again.

Motorhomes are rotten to the core, there is not one decent manufacture out there. For every one about to reply and say such and such sorted mine out, there are 10 stories of swift going above and beyond the call of duty.

Simply put, they are no worse and certainly no better than any other maker in any part. Glen suggests that bailey are having the same problem yet I don't yet see them brougt to task.



Build your own, or expect problems that's the industry's answer.

 

[chaser]

Terry you seem to be mistaking me with someone that gives a s**t about either swift motorhomes or any one else.

I have a Bessie, I have no floor problems, I have had plenty of other problems but no floor problems.

I know two Chausson owners, both have had a damp issue
A hymer owner with a sink problem that has led too damp
A Rapido owner whose 90k MH is simply falling apart.
Numerous Autotrail owners with problems.
The list goes on and on and on.


My point is simple, so I will say it again.


Motorhomes are rotten to the core, there is not one decent manufacture out there. For every one about to reply and say such and such sorted mine out, there are 10 stories of swift going above and beyond the call of duty.

Simply put, they are no worse and certainly no better than any other maker in any part. Glen suggests that bailey are having the same problem yet I don't yet see them brougt to task.



Build your own, or expect problems that's the industry's answer.

I must confess I know nowt about swifts, but you get this in all things, you only tend to hear from people who are grieved by something not from folks who are happy with their purchase they just go merrily along enjoying their purchase

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[jhorsf]

when you fall through the rotten floor on a fairly new motorhome there is NO EXCUSE its a bloody good job that Swift do not build boats

 

[Terry]

Terry you seem to be mistaking me with someone that gives a s**t about either swift motorhomes or any one else.

I have a Bessie, I have no floor problems, I have had plenty of other problems but no floor problems.

I know two Chausson owners, both have had a damp issue
A hymer owner with a sink problem that has led too damp
A Rapido owner whose 90k MH is simply falling apart.
Numerous Autotrail owners with problems.
The list goes on and on and on.


My point is simple, so I will say it again.

Motorhomes are rotten to the core, there is not one decent manufacture out there. For every one about to reply and say such and such sorted mine out, there are 10 stories of swift going above and beyond the call of duty.

Simply put, they are no worse and certainly no better than any other maker in any part. Glen suggests that bailey are having the same problem yet I don't yet see them brougt to task.



Build your own, or expect problems that's the industry's answer.

Paul no mistake and I know ( because you told me )that your Bessie had no damp floor probs Bessicars are made bY SWIFT AND AS SUCH I have no doubt that you will be keeping an eye on your floors :thumb: Truth be told I don't give a shit about anyones M/H- ONLY MY OWN but where practical I can offer advise etc, that I have gleemed from the forums etc.
Again it is not even a member who was the source /has the problem but Rob/Chris telling us about a mate and that started the discusion to which I made my small contribution Nothing like a rotton floor on a new ish van to get the juices flowing BTW like what has already been said -it's not what ,how faults occur but what /how they are treated
terry

 

[rolandrat]

Swift warranty repairs.

as a member of the MCC rallying regularly I hear of many water ingress problems with coach built motorhomes but the Swift group manufactured ones top the list. I have seen some very serious rotting floors and witnessed them being stripped down to have large sections replaced at a local company who specialise in this type of work. The end result is very good and so is the bill for doing it. I am talking about very young motorhomes and yes you would think that some of the water ingress damage would have been picked up at the annual habitation damp check but obviously overlooked. I don't think it is good policy to use the supplying dealer for habitation damp checks better someone independent who is willing to do a thorough check for you. I might have mentioned this before, I live in East Lancs but take my motorhome to the Auto-Trail factory at Grimsby which is a long drive away but I have piece of mind knowing that the habitation check is done thoroughly and it gets a clean bill of health. I will never ever take it back to the supplying dealer, they are a complete waste of time.

 

[G4OGE]

Thinking twice

Well reading all the posts on this one I wonder whether it is worth taking the plunge and buying a motorhome at all as a long time caravaner I know they to have the same problems I have a swift caravan which has had leak problems but she is an old girl.

I'm sure as was said on some of the posts that they are all not this way but it's a lot of money to spend to find these sort of problems.
A 3 yrs warranty on a fifty grand outlay certainly does not seem very good you would have thought that these sort of problems would have been sorted out long ago as one of the posts said it's a good job they don't make boats if you think of the life span of most cars these days it seems they are a lot better than a motorhome where weathering is concerned and a lot less money.

How do the American made one's shape up?.:Confused:

 

[Terry]

as a member of the MCC rallying regularly I hear of many water ingress problems with coach built motorhomes but the Swift group manufactured ones top the list. I have seen some very serious rotting floors and witnessed them being stripped down to have large sections replaced at a local company who specialise in this type of work. The end result is very good and so is the bill for doing it. I am talking about very young motorhomes and yes you would think that some of the water ingress damage would have been picked up at the annual habitation damp check but obviously overlooked. I don't think it is good policy to use the supplying dealer for habitation damp checks better someone independent who is willing to do a thorough check for you. I might have mentioned this before, I live in East Lancs but take my motorhome to the Auto-Trail factory at Grimsby which is a long drive away but I have piece of mind knowing that the habitation check is done thoroughly and it gets a clean bill of health. I will never ever take it back to the supplying dealer, they are a complete waste of time.

Would this be the same A/T THAT denied they had faults -re damp floors around the same time as Swift around 2006 ish Like Paul SAYS THEY ALL HAVE PROBLEMS others more than some Auto trail had the same flooring and the same probs that Swift got/have but to Swifts credit at the time they held there hands up :thumb:-but they are now renaging on what they said
terry

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