# Damp in a Swift Bessacar floor.



## sparky20006

I know this is old hat in here with Swift and damp floors BUT thought you all might like to track the progress of me and my MH on here in real time.

After reading a few postings about issues with delamination of Swift floors I decided to go and have a nosey at my old gal. Crawled underneath and had a prod about with a finger. Where the floor meets the aluminium side casing I found an area that was a trifle squishy at the rear nearside corner extending about 3 feet towards the main habitation door and about 2 to 3 inches towards the centre. I went around to the driverside and had a look to get a comparison and 'yep' it was nice and hard and shiny that side, as it should be.

Therefore have called Glossop Caravans from whence it was purchased in April and expressed my concerns. The MH is still under its 12 month guarantee from Glossop Caravans and so I simply invoked that agreement.

It has been booked in next Tuesday at lunchtime for a damp check and they will advise accordingly. (To be honest you don't need a damp meter to see there is an issue)

So let's see how a retailer, who claim to be one of the largest in the UK together with a manuafcturer , who also claim to be one of the largest in the UK do between them.

I am hopeful and shall keep you all informed at each step. Between them they have the opportunity of coming out of this as either heros or zeros.

Watch this space.....

Paul


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## sparky20006

Step 2

As promised in real time here is the unfolding story -

Glossop Caravans phoned me 40 minutes ago asking me to take a look and see if there is a service history. When I look there are no stamps in the habitation service book. They then tell me that I need to call Swift directly on Monday giving them the build number (which they have given me). They also tell me that Swift will require a £500 fee to come and collect my MH should they wish to look at it!

I also still have to take it in to them (Glossop Caravans) on Tuesday for a check on the damp in the floor.

I have had a look at all of the paperwork and there are lots of references to a 1 year warranty provided by Glossop Caravans. There is a tick on the pre delivery form saying that it is elligble for the insurance cover provided by the Insurance company.
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Footnote - if either Glossop Caravans or Swift think I am paying anyone 500 quid to collect my MH they need to get their medication looked at. I recall the salesman at Glossop caravans bleating on incessantly about the 1 year cover -all guarantee they offered. Sale of Goods Act anybody?

PS The MH year of manufacture is 2005.

I wil let you know what happens on Monday after the call to Swift.


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## grasscutter

Hope you get on OK with Swift. I can only say that when I found the problem they dealt very professionally and courteously with me. I had purchased privately and so did not have the back up of a warranty.
Having said that I do feel that you should have redress through your supplier. The service history should not be an issue. They sold it and should honour their pledge.
Good luck because I know what a worry it can be.


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## sparky20006

Cheers GrassC

I like to think they will be accomodating and I agree I think the dealer 12 month guarantee will be my inital and most important recourse. I hear good things about Swift, like their products and would hate to be the odd one out. 



25 grand might not be a lot to these people but it is to me.


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## tyreman1

Hiya Paul,have you had a look on the Swift forum (Swift talk),i think you`ll find the damp floor issue is well covered....i`d be a bit concerned about the lack of stamps in the book as this might be a cop out for Swift but whatever happens i reckon you`ve got it covered by dealers warranty,all the best with it and keep us posted...Dave


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## sparky20006

Cheers Tyreman

I am pretty certain that my contract is with the supplier and not Swift but this does not exempt Swift from building and selling expensive vehicles which are not only not fit for purpose but also potentially dangerous.

I can't see Swift surviving for too long if there is a general consensus out there that there is an inherent, serious problem with many of their products and that they were aware of it and did nothing to minimise the damage to the profile of the company.

I had a new Renault when it was recalled with 60,000 other vehicles because of a known fault, Thats what blue chip companies do.

It will fall upon the dealer to prove build quality issues if they wish to counterclaim. Either way it wasn't a private sale so am reasonably confident of gaining satisfaction one way or another.

They can sort it amongst themselves. They've all had their hands out for the money somewhere along the line.

Paul.


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## Stormycat

Hi Paul

We had the same problem with our Bessacarr. The Dealer was hopeless and didn't want to know, we had had it less than a year too. 
We had more of a problem as we live on the Isle of Man and we had to get our MH back across to the UK for it to be fixed. 
I have to say Swift were fantastic with us. 
I can't praise them enough, and would happily buy another MH made by them. They worked with us for timings etc and were very very accomodating all round. It was fixed when they said it would be too.
Big thumbs up for them


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## stevec195

See, I don't get this, so can someone explain it to me in very simple terms please. I see lots of problems with Swift group motorhomes, especially with damp, and they seem very good at sorting it (they do seem to have had a LOT of practice). The bit I really don't get, is that lots of existing owners say they would buy another, WHY?????
If I had a (very expensive motorhome) that had damp problems, I would not from the same manufacturer, ever again.


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## ched999uk

stevec195: I guess it's because most if not all manufacturers have faults, but it's the way they deal with the faults that makes the difference.
Swift seem to repair the faults rather than ignore people. They acknowledge that they have had damp issues and judging by some posts on here they have actually fixed them and not just said it's the customers problem.


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## stevec195

I understand that Swift are very good at fixing the problems, and well done to them for that, and I know that all motorhomes have problems, but, it is a major design or manufacturing fault, and I would not be buying from the same manufacturer again. I would love to buy a British motorhome, but these faults just scare me to death, also, no one does the layout we need.............


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## antpurley

we no longer have a lovely mh sold this week due the the LEZ but thats another story.....2 years ago our mh went for its service and Johns Cross pointed out the damp underneath, we contacted swift (Johns Cross gave them the details), they collected the mh free of charge, fixed the problems with no hassle, paid for our transport and hotel for a night couldn't of been any better service. the rear lightpod was damaged in the workshop no questions they replaced that as well.

as for swift and British manufacturers.....a problem occured with certain years 05-06 (I think) (lots of threads on here re this) and they have honoured the works to repair even when out of warranty.....not all manufacturers are perfect but their customer service was second to none

Now we are busy looking for another mh that meets Lez


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## stevec195

But will you be considering a Swift???.......


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## antpurley

absolutely....


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## sparky20006

Hi Steve

I know where they are all coming from. if Swift take care of this problem for me (which they should really considering the newness of the vehicle and the fact it's a design / build fault) I would also buy another Swift without another thought when it comes to renewal in a couple of years. I like the interior layout, solidity of fittings and general ambience of the interior.

I'm hoping they are as good with me as other Swift clients as I like the product and only bought after a lot of looking around. The Bessie series are not the cheapo range either.

How you treat customers long after the sale is how you build loyalty and there seems to be a good deal of that around because of the way they admitted to the build fault and fixed it. My dad was the same with Volvos - had 5 of them and never bothered ever looking at anything else in twenty years because of the excellent way they treated him with the first one. Clever people.

Swift also seem to have been very clever at turning around a potential marketing nightmare to their advantage. 

Either way I shall keep everyone updated over the next few days.

Paul


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## 96299

antpurley said:


> absolutely....


Why? I would be running a mile away from them. Our burstner was a really big pig for the first two years, would I buy another? not on your nelly mate is the answer. Once bitten and all that.

Steve


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## dikyenfo

Happened to me and the damp underneath at the rear meant that the rot had spread all along the back from the roadspray which is unprotected from hitting the underside back joint.
It means that a quick crawl under your glossy machine will destroy any hopes you had on value for money.
All MH's look like an unfinished garden shed and where the wood bits meet the metal bits ingress of damp is probably inevitable.
On mine the whole back had to come off the kitchin and fridge etc. smash out the shower tray and the wallboards.
When I got it back I sprayed hot waxoyl over all the joints and a full width mud flap and individual wheel arch mud flaps.
I nearly had to pay for that lot as warranty was 2 weeks off ending.
You must get the supplier to get authority from Swift for the repaid and once accepted it should be straightforward.
Timing for mine was 3 months for slot in the workshop and 2 weeks for the repair .
The rest of you get under now and get busy and if you have mushrooms growing out the back you may have a problem????


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## antpurley

dikyenfo said:


> I nearly had to pay for that lot as warranty was 2 weeks off ending.


Ours was out of warranty by a year or so, and Swift honoured this work, didn't give them a penny! As I mentioned they paid for all our expenses as well.

Mandy


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## bluereiver

I have the same problem with my 09 reg Sundance 580pr (probably 07 model ).

It was with Discover to have the warranty work assessed when they went into administration. The van has been brought home and I have contacted another Swift agent to have the warranty work assessed as advised by Swift. The supplying dealer has moved to the Ayrshire coast and is not easy to get to from here.

I am hopeful of a satisfactory outcome since a round trip of over 100 miles is needed.


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## Mikemoss

On the limited number of occasions I've asked for it, Swift's customer service has been beyond reproach - absolutely first class. And 'our Bessie' is ever so slightly out of her guarantee at the age of 13.

So, yes, all makes of motorhome may or may not have problems, it's how the maker deals with them after the original sale that really separates the good from the bad.

Swift is one brand I have confidence in, at least so far as my personal experience is concerned.


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## gloworm

Hi folks, first of all Steve 195 the damp problem on the swift is a paticular batch like 07 o8. And Sparky dont worry mate swift will sort it, I had no warranty with anyone and swft are exelent.


Eric


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## gloworm

Please excuse my spilling, I know it was,nt excellent.




Eric :lol:


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## moby56

had my mh in for hab check last week and repairs under warranty found some spongy bits on floor delamination, Webbs motor homes in Warminster have told me that even if the extended warranty insurance company gets shirty about the work, it will be repaired and they will take the hit as the mh is double floor it will be a long job all I can say is well done Tom the service manager and all at Webbs


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## sparky20006

As promised here in real time -

Spoke to Hayley at Swift customer services half an hour ago. She was so cool and just started to finish my sentences for me as she must have heard it a thousand times. There was no denial or trying to get out of if it approach.

I was simply (and politely) told to book it in with the dealer which Ive done for tomorrow and that they would be contacted and take it in for full repairs.

Was advised it would be about February when that was done. (Considering I'm sorning it that works out fine!)

Starting to look like Swift are 100% bang on with their customer care here.

Will keep you updated.

Paul


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## pneumatician

I am with you on this one Steve I would approach Swift, Bessacar and Autotrail with a great deal of caution.

In fact I have decided that following the experience with our current van which is basically a boat on a Sprinter chassis I would approach all conventional coachbuilts with caution.

Steve


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## sparky20006

The latest

The wife drove MH to supplier today for insepction. They agreed and said it needs to go back for new floor. Also mentioned that there were 2 'recalls' that should be done - one for the door lock and one for the safety belt bolts. The dealer said they would ask Swift if they intended doing these when they did the floor.

This would be in the report that Glossop Caravans submitted to Swift.

So far I appear to be being treated like a customer. Looking good.

Paul


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## sparky20006

Real time up date-

Had a letter from Swift today advising me that the best course of action would be to take it back to their factory and have it put right by them.

They have provisionally booked it in for 13.02.12 and have given me a confirmation sheet to be signed and returned to them.

So far their understanding of customer care seems to be bang on.

Will let you all know how it goes.

Paul

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## Sheeds

*Damp in a Swift floor*

SteveC 195: - Couldn't agree more with your comment "not to buy another one". Friend bought a brand new Motorhome and has had problems since day 1. too many problems to list,but all "not fit for the purpose" and as a consequence "not of merchantable quality". Mate went to court and represented himself. The sales contract was with the Dealer,not the manufacturer,but the manufacturer brought in a top quality barrister and tied my mate in knots - dropping contract law extracts on the table in front of him which he hadn't seen before and put forward the "Baltic Shipping" case,stressing no compensation payable even though the Motorhome was out of the mates hands for repair work(manufacturing faults)for 3 separate periods totalling 92 days in all!! The judge said: You get what you pay for!! You did not buy luxury. My goodness, $156,000 AUD is NOT luxury. Briefly,the Motorhome had Australian Design Rule(ADR) failures; LPG installation non-compliances(AS5601-2004) and roadworthy issues. How do these manufacturers get away with it? It comes down to Government administration,control and monitoring of the manufacturers, who in Australia are granted a licence to build.Unfortunately,the Government can't control it all. Surely it's the same in the UK?[/b]


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## bluereiver

FAO Sparky et al

I got the same letter as you this morning also with a provisional booking of 13 Feb 2012. They will collect and return to the dealer if I wish. Seems like a well known problem.
The dealer Tune Valley Motorhomes (not the supplying dealer) have also been more than helpful.


Sam


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## grasscutter

Paul, so glad that Swift have agreed to rectify the damp. I know that for us it was a huge relief when we received our letter from them booking it in for repair. I drove up to the factory and caught the train home and vice versa when picking it up and they paid train fares and diesel. 
In reply to people who ask why we would buy a Swift again after the design fault I can only say that they fully put their hands up and acknowledged they were at fault.
Lots of companies can have design faults. Its what Swift did about theirs that sets them apart and gives me confidence in them.
I know others will have different views but I can only speak from experience.
Graham


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## sparky20006

What Grasscutter said..... ditto.


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## gloworm

Ours was collected from dealer yesterday, and is now in Swifts factory, I will report here when i have some news.



Eric :wink:


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## gloworm

Hi all, just had a call from Swift our motorhome is now ready for collection, as we cant collect til next week Swift are having a hire car delivered to me on monday so we can travel to hull on tuesday. we have been allocated a one hour slot in their work bay where we will be shown the repair they have carried out. I am extremely happy with this result, and will let you know how it turns out.



Eric


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## sparky20006

Have had a letter off Swift saying call them to book the MH in. Have done this.

They seem to be extremely professional so far. After the shock of finding out about the damp in the floor I am rapidly becoming a Swift 'convert'.

Paul


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## gloworm

Hi Sparky, I think only you & I are interested in this post, well we collected our M/H from Swift this morning, and im more than pleased with the job they have done, almost complete new floor outside, new mounting for step, oven & fridge removed some resealing work done in that area, one top locker door ajusted, and when everything replaced on checking electrics they found battery charger on way out, and that was replaced F O C, that was all done on a M/H that was out of warranty.




Eric


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## sparky20006

Wicked !

Good for you Eric. 

Pleased it all went well for you mate. Hopefully same will happen here also. Have no reason to doubt it.....

I really like the Swift range and didnt want to be put off by a poor manufacturing choice which could have happened to anybody.

They seem to be turning a potential nightmare around into gaining a lot of loyal customers (Clever people)

Mine's all booked in now for second week of February.

Paul

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## gloworm

Hello Paul (Sparky), I trust your motorhome has gone to Swift, hope all,s well please keep us updated.


Eric


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## sparky20006

Hi Eric

drove her up there last week. Was told it could be up to 4 weeks 8O .
Makes me talking about booking into a hotel overnight to make a bit of a break out of it look daft!

Going to ring them tomorrow and ask for an ETA - booked on a 4 star site at Easter so better be done.

Will let you know what happens and when it happens mate.

Paul


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## pete4x4

My 09 Swift requires a new floor which will be done under warranty but I'm not prepared to take the chance that it won't re-occur so have partex'd it for a new Bailey.
They were supposed to have sorted this problem out. Customer service has been great though.


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## gloworm

Sorry you lost confidence in your Swift Pete, but wish you well with your new bailey.  



Eric,


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## bluereiver

Hi Paul (sparky)

Our Sundance was collected from Tyne Valley Motorhomes on 13 Feb as arranged. I have received a letter from Swift saying it is on site and they will keep me in touch with progress.

Looks like we are running in parallel.

I did ask for mine to be returned to Tyne Valley since it's really difficult to get to Hull from the Scottish Borders by public transport.
Will be intererested to compare progress.

Sam


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## gloworm

Hi Sam, swift supplied me with a hire car, just a thought if you wanted to collect your M/H,


Eric


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## bluereiver

Eric.
Thanks for the thought.

I will phone them later to see how things are progressing and hope that they might make me a similar offer.
 :lol:


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## damp148

I am interested in this post as I have the same problem, i am just starting to research it before going to Swift direct


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