# Fault rectification at the factory (Part 2)



## Bazbro

Mmmmm...!

I returned the Rienza to the Service Centre, and was very pleasantly dealt with by Trevor and someone from the workshop (whose name I've forgotten). They went through my list of problems, and were aghast that the work involved was greater than the 7 hours that they had allocated. In fairness, this was partly my fault because I hadn't previously forwarded them the full list of problems.

However, their revised estimate of *seven to ten days* seemd a bit excessive! However, I left the vehicle with them to do the necessary work.

*Fourteen days later*, I have just had my first telephone call from Trevor (who had previously informed me that he "doesn't do e-mails"!) telling me he still had no specific delivery date, and no specific costings of items that I had requested - a bit of a non-call, really. The only item of news he did give me was that my broken shower-room door would cost *£186*. Yes, that's right - £186! Now I was prepared for this to be an expensive item - it's quite specialised. But £186???? This presumably doesn't include VAT, fitting, etc, etc, ad nauseam. Our conversation didn't get as far as that!

You are getting the idea that all is not well with this particular transaction. Not from my perspective, anyway.

I don't hold out any hope of getting it back this week, although I did ask for it to be ready on Thursday.

I will keep you informed as to "what happened next".

Barry


----------



## 88789

hi barry was this a new autosleeper?? i have a concern as i am due to collect a new Nuevo es from the dealer June 3rd and i want to inspect it on pickup. is there any chance that you could let me know what your problems were??

Lou


----------



## Bazbro

Yes, Lou. Maybe a pm would be more appropriate. Give me a while to type it up.

Barry


----------



## 88789

Thanks Barry i look forward to reading the PM.
Lou


----------



## 88810

Lou isn't the only one with concerns. We are due to get our Duetto hopefully 5/5/05.

If it was a new van why do you have to pay for the shower door?

Whereabouts is the service centre ? is it next to the factory? just in case we need to go and have any repairs done (I am a bit of a pessimist) 

Can you post a bit more about your problems.


----------



## Bazbro

I'll pm you too, Jana.

I'll write all this up in the open forum at the conclusion of the work (it's not fair to pillory A/S until they've had the opportunity to put things right)

Barry


----------



## Bazbro

Jana,

The A/S Service Centre is on the same small factory estate as A/S main factory, but on the right, before you get there. 

Barry


----------



## Bazbro

Oh, all right - you're determined to humiliate me... I'll tell everyone about 'the shower-room door'!

I was crouched down fiddling with the catch on the bottom of the fridge, when I overbalanced - that's all. Just overbalanced. Such a graceful overbalance it was, too. And as I gently rolled backwards, scrabbling to grab something, anything to stop myself going, I hit the open shower-room door...

Now 14 stone travelling backwards at an unstoppable, determined 4mph, meeting an AutoSleeper 'cheap-as-chips' shower-room door is not a marriage made in heaven.

The door was split asunder as I continued my Fosbery Flop into the cab area, ending up with legs and arms flailing, surrounded by matchwood, and with me reduced to tears as I looked back at the route I had just taken.

And the moral of the story? Don't do acrobatics in a motorhome.

There. Are you happy now? :roll:

Barry


----------



## Anonymous

BarryandSue said:


> I'll pm you too, Jana.
> 
> I'll write all this up in the open forum at the conclusion of the work (it's not fair to pillory A/S until they've had the opportunity to put things right)
> 
> Barry


Hi

They took two & a half years to put our two main problems at delivery right not to mention the problems they left us with after both a habitation & a vehicle service.

Motorhomer


----------



## 88789

Many thanks for the PM, its a long list, were these problems evident from the start or did they show up over time ???

Lou&Carol


----------



## MOTORHOMER

I bet our list was longer. 


Motorhomer


----------



## Bazbro

The list was about half as long almost immediately. The rest became apparent in the next 6 months.

Barry


----------



## Mike48

If its any consolation my 2002 Duetto has had absolutely zero faults in either the Autosleeper conversion or the Ford vehicle. And we live in it 5 months of the year in Europe. My only experience of Autosleeper is when I telephoned to request some additional fabric to cover a modified TV stand I had made and they insisted on giving it to me for free as well as some additional complementary fabric because they thought it would make a neater job.. Now that is service. Its small touches like this that consumers dont forget so well done Autosleepers.


----------



## Bazbro

I'm hoping that I can say nice things like that, too, gelathae, but £186 for a door is not a good omen. Only time will tell (hopefully by the end of this week I'll know).

Your experience is the very reason that I haven't widely published the faults. If all the faults are swiftly and efficiently eliminated, then that's good enough for me, and I'll be pleased to sing their praises, just as I did when they 'sorted' my Talisman all those years ago.

If, on the other hand, because I own an AutoSleeper I'm viewed as some kind of milch-cow by the factory, then they will receive the widest publicity about that, too.

I'm nothing if not fair.

Barry


----------



## Brambles

Pity they cannot maybe see the replavement door as a good will gesture in compensation for all the other problems. S'pose you could try saying all the other faults got you in a raging temper and you smashed it up so it was their fault - LOL. But alas that will not work as us M'homers are a placid lot and so well natured and calm. 
Jon.


----------



## Bazbro

That would be nice, Jon. I don't expect 'something for nothing' but *£186*!!! They must think I'm stupid. But give them a chance...

Barry


----------



## spykal

Hi Barry

It is too late now but you should have told them that the door "imploded" one night during a freak storm on top of a Cornish clifftop due to the suction caused when you inadvetantly opened the Toilet trap..... :lol: 

I was there I would have backed up the story :wink: 

Mike


----------



## Bazbro

Ha!

I think the door was SERIOUSLY WEAKENED that night, Mike! My resolve certainly was!!! :lol: 

Barry


----------



## MOTORHOMER

BarryandSue said:


> I'm hoping that I can say nice things like that, too, gelathae, but £186 for a door is not a good omen. Only time will tell (hopefully by the end of this week I'll know).
> 
> Your experience is the very reason that I haven't widely published the faults. If all the faults are swiftly and efficiently eliminated, then that's good enough for me, and I'll be pleased to sing their praises, just as I did when they 'sorted' my Talisman all those years ago.
> 
> If, on the other hand, because I own an AutoSleeper I'm viewed as some kind of milch-cow by the factory, then they will receive the widest publicity about that, too.
> 
> I'm nothing if not fair.
> 
> hello Sue & barry
> 
> I would be interested in your fault list if you could PM me.
> 
> In passing I would say that all the faults were rectified very quickly except the two major ones which they did eventually do. The staff were always polite & helpfull. Just annoying that we had to keep going and experiencing their helfulness so often.
> 
> The two mishaps for want of a better word resulting from the two servicing problems was another matter. They totally denied responsibility.
> 
> Motorhomer


----------



## PugBoxter

Hello All,

AS you will see from my profile this is my 1st post.

I just wanted to say i own an Autosleeper Nuevo which i have owned from new, it will be 3 years old in september.

It has never been back to a dealers!

I've had to replace the drain valves on the water tanks after winter (Possible frost damage)

I've made minor adjustments to some of the catches on internal doors.

Apart from that it has been great.

Hope that brings some comfort to those who are awaiting the arrival of their new van.

Regards Stuart..


----------



## Bazbro

Thanks for that Stuart.

AutoSleepers were about the best of the bunch in th UK for many years. However, the market has moved on, Continental manufacturers are making inroads into the UK, some of them with really excellent vehicles, standards have risen with many manufacturers, and AutoSleepers have been taken over by a larger Group with no experience of manufacturing (to my knowledge).

The questions are - Are the faults on my vehicle just a lack of Quality Control prior to despatch; due to gross carelessness; or do they signal a serious drop in standards of a once-good company heralding a terminal decline?

I'm glad that you've had no problems with your Nuevo. It shows that it can be done.

Barry


----------



## 88810

Barry and Sue Thanks for the PM makes interesting reading.

Gelathae. I take heart from your message as ours is a van conversion theoretically there is less chance of leaks and sealant problems. It has only taken 6 months since ordering.

We will let you know how we get on on VDay Van Day lol.


----------



## MOTORHOMER

hello Barry & Sue


That is some list. From what I read I am glad we stayed away from Autosleeper. Our two main problems were extremely uneven beds a very long saga - i had to use an airbed in order to use mine until they sorted it. And the loo door either wouldnt close at all not good when the habitation door is opposite. Not pleasant for others in the van if you know what I mean & embarassing for the user. Or having managed to get it sort of shut being unable to get out afterwards. 


All the best in getting them fixed but I would consider asking them to replace the vehicle completely using the 1994 sale of goods act.


Motorhomer


----------

