# Am I expecting too much???



## W5RAY

Being the owner of a brand new 2011 Bessacarr 510 I am wondering if I am expecting too much?
On first viewing the vehicle looked fine, the handover was very rushed (another story) and we didn't get the time to go over the vehicle properly, however the dealer agreed for us to go over the vehicle in our own time and upon returning from holiday contact them with any issues. 
I must point out that the dealer is not in question in this thread but the generall quality of finishing works undertaken by Swift/Bessacarr. The van will be going back for remedials and hopefully all will be sorted.
The reason for this thread is to try and gauge the expected finishing detail of coachbuilts.
For instance, the quality of the mastic finishing on the outside and why do they use a mastic that is hard to keep clean, the door and skylights appear to have been installed with a putty type substance which is even worse at attracting dirt and as yet I haven't found anything to clean it.
There are a number of cracks in the roof section, perhaps only the gel coat but still not acceptable and also fibreglass residue left on various roof panels.
Moving to the inside there are screws missing from the over cooker section fixing to the roof and consequently this has dropped, screws have been tightened to the point that the tips appear through the finished panels.
Even the fitting of the awning was left to be desired - factory fitted and whoever fitted it drilled through the fixing brackect and into the awning body whilst the awning was closed.................. and yes drilled through the awning arms???
Most of the issues would appear to be carelessness or speed fitting issues and no doubt Swift will resolve all the issues but why should we as consumers have to put up with quality issues - these vehicles aren't cheap and thus deserve to be finished correctly. Now I have a 200 mile round trip back to the dealers twice with two vehicles - a total of 600 miles to get this sorted and at today's fuel prices that's a lot of money!!!

Another issue is I have purchased the Swift supplied ladder and roofrack for my vehicle and on fitting (by dealer) it is apparent that the main rails are to low as the cross roof bars are virtually the same height as the skylights - making them pretty useless if you want to put something on the roof!!! Hopefully Swift will come up with some extension brackets to raise the height and allow the rack to be used?

Frustrated New Motorhome E510 Buyer!

Ray


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## aldra

No, W5RAY, Your expectations are fine, but

unfortunately thats all they are expectations

I am beginning to believe that the norm is to supply the van complete with faults and see if there are any comebacks

Lots of miner problems with our new van, many we shall fix ourselfs but at the cost of the van shouldn't be necessary

Aldra


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## norrie

Excellent post, and you are absolutley right in your definition of quality finish, albeit a poor one

I can see the type of finish with my own Bessacarr which is just over 2 years old, and if this is the example of British quality then its a very poor one.

They have been using these allegedly quality materials for years and craftsmen, and women, appear to be on a quick finish at any cost.

I think that when I do change the MH I will be thinking twice about Bessacarr or Swift

Norrie


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## DTPCHEMICALS

Its all down to poor quality control and poor pdi. They let the consumer do it.
When the rectifications have been made the dealer will invoice the manufacturer fo his labour costs

We should be allowed to Invoice the supplier for inconveniance and costs of travel.

The car industry has tightened up on QC and pdi`s in the last 10 years or so and warranty claims have reduced enormously.

Dave p


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## geraldandannie

This is a bit sad. We used to regularly have a spate of posts about the quality of Swift Group products, but they seemed to die down, leading me to think they'd smartened up their act.

We had a couple of little things fixed at the dealer (one heater control not straight), and I found another issue (wiring incorrect to the TV). I've just noticed that the driver's seat isn't quite square to the wheel when locked in position, so it's not just Swift products that have manufacturing QC issues.

Gerald


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## aldra

No mine isn't a swift 

I was talking about new motorhomes in general not any make in particular
Aldra


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## artona

I have watched motorhomes being built on the production line and that is exactly what it is - a production line.

On a production line a number of individuals will be involved and the finish will only be as good as each and everyone of them unless there is a final quality control procedure in place and this is where things seem to be lacking.

Your mileage back to the plant will be covered by the long distance selling laws and you might well be able to recover costs for both your time and travel/fuel.

Do not tolerate any fobbing off. If they cannot give you a fully finished motorhome as you would expect then you will ahve to consider getting it finished off elsewhere and asking them to cover the cost.

Screws sticking out are a health and safety as much as a poor fininshing item. 

You expect what you paid for!


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## Mikemoss

You'd think that manufacturers had got the message by now that people aren't prepared to sit back and accept sloppy finishing and shoddy workmanship at any price - let alone the huge amounts of money that they ask for their products.

You'd also think that in a shrinking market, where customers are thinner on the ground than they used to be, they'd redouble their efforts to get things right.

On the brighter side, it would seem that most 'vans - apart from the obvious stray lemons - settle down to give a long and reliable life after the teething problems have been ironed out. 

It's enough to make many of us think twice about buying a brand new motorhome.


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## erneboy

I believe manufacturers generally don't care. Most seem to work on the 80/20 rule, if 80% of it is OK send it out and see how it goes. Many people will not notice problems or will fix them themselves. That is cheaper than doing it properly.

If they did care or had proper Quality Assurance we would not see the same problems cropping up again and again. I also think there is no traceability so that a poor component or system or someone doing consistently bad work is not traced and rectified.

I would really like to know whether any of the manufacturers have an externally monitored Quality Assurance system. I am betting they don't. 

It's not good enough but they know it's all there is and until one takes the bull by the horns and produces a properly sorted product they can all continue as they are. Delivering mediocre products and poor after sales care seems to be good enough for them, Alan.


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## JohnsCrossMotorHomes

The mastic has to be 'soft' in order to allow movement if the body flexes whilst in motion, it will 'ooze' out in some instances and can be tidied up using the edge of a credit card or other plastic tool.

It can be cleaned by wiping over with white spirit.

As to the other faults, they should all have been picked up on the PDI and rectified before handover.

The roof bar rails can be slid into any desired position as they are moveable.

Hope the above helps.

Peter


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## artona

JohnsCrossMotorHomes said:


> The mastic has to be 'soft' in order to allow movement if the body flexes whilst in motion, it will 'ooze' out in some instances and can be tidied up using the edge of a credit card or other plastic tool.
> Peter


an out of date credit card just in case you break it and if you do use an in date one please wipe off any excess mastic before inserting it into a credit card machine


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## Blizzard

W5RAY said:


> Another issue is I have purchased the Swift supplied ladder and roofrack for my vehicle and on fitting (by dealer) it is apparent that the main rails are to low as the cross roof bars are virtually the same height as the skylights - making them pretty useless if you want to put something on the roof!!! Hopefully Swift will come up with some extension brackets to raise the height and allow the rack to be used?
> 
> Frustrated New Motorhome E510 Buyer!
> 
> Ray


Hi Ray,

Sorry to hear you're having quality issues with the new Bessie and I hope you get it sorted 'Swiftly' without too much hassle.

With reference to the roof rail system, if it has remained the same as on the 2009 models, I have never seen anything that would allow you to raise the crossbars.
Our ladder is fitted to the rear nearside and as it curves over the roof, it joins on to the first and rearmost crossbar. I originally intended fitting a Fiamma Ultrabox at the back, which I would be able to access from the top of the ladder, without needing to climb fully on to the roof.
As we have a rear Heki over the rear bed, I hit the same problem of the bottom of the box being lower than the top of the Heki. I had to purchase a further crossbar from Swift to allow the box to be fitted forward of the Heki and pulled the front crossbar further to the rear to meet.

If you do find a system to raise the crossbars, be aware of the impact on your maximum height. I placed a length of 4x4 timber across the top of the roofbox once it was fitted and measured down to the ground and it stands at 10' 10". I don't think I would want to go any higher.

HTH - Ken.


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## PaulW2

Ray,

Problems of the sort you describe (and a range of others) seem to be very common with motorhomes. The norm even based on what I've read and seen.

Having read a number of posts on this forum in the past year it seems to me that it is not a problem that is unique to the Swift group, or to British manufacturers. We have had members who have had a huge number of seemingly intractable problems with (say) German marques - either the reliability of components, or the quality of assembly, or the PDI, or the general level of care from the dealers. Or design errors that require repairs or jury rigging.

These frequently require repeat trips to dealers involving massive mileage and considerable cost.

My general sense of it is that we are buying individually assembled or small run items in a world in which we have become accustomed to the quality of mass production. 

For instance, my mass produced car is over 4 years old and has 60,000 miles on the clock and nothing has gone wrong. No assembly problems, no PDI problems, no bits falling off or breakdowns, no problems with the dealers. Some tyres, some brake pads and that's it.

We accept this as the norm for cars. But it seems that this standard is simply unheard of in relation to motorhomes.

My impression is that with motorhomes one has to have quite a high tolerance level for the little things that will inevitably go wrong and one has to accept that there will probably be a fairly steady stream of minor (and sometimes not so minor) repairs that will need to be made.

Paul


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## Jezport

It is a shame that simple issues of mainly poor workmanship and poor inspections still arise after so many reports.

I love the look of the new Swift vans and would love to buy British but I always buy an imported van because of worries about British quality.

Come on my 12 year old son can put a screw in a panel and know if it will come out the other side, it aint rocket science.


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## Grizzly

It's disappointing that the quality of sealing mastic is still not right.

We bought a Bessacarr ( new) in early 2007 and, after protests from ourselves and others with the same problems, many of us had it removed and renewed by our dealers (FOC). Ours is still not good, sticky and remaining grey and dirty whatever we do.

Sadly this was not the only- by any means -fault we had on the van, both in the habitation area and the Fiat part- but, after 4 years and 30,000 miles, we've got our fingers crossed that all is now sorted and we are not contemplating exchanging it !


Look back in MHF about 3-4 years and you will find build quality was a very hot topic.

G


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## W5RAY

*Update on original post E510*

A quick update on my E510 and original post.
The dealer had the vehicle back for a few weeks and managed to sort out most of the smaller issues. We are still waiting for a few items to be resolved, but the main issue is the roof. After taking it to various experts the main dealer were unable to get anyone to repair the numerous gelcoat cracks, worried that the quality and paint match would not be up to my required standard.
This has so far been a long and protracted three way discussion with Swift involved as well. We now appear to have osmosis (blistering through water ingress) on the roof sections due to the cracks in the gelcoat.
Swift have accepted that our van will need to go back to the factory to be rectified...................... in MARCH 2012!!! Come on! - why not sooner?
Also they will not supply a replacement van, will not come out to inspect, have not confirmed how long they will require it to complete the repairs and will not know until they inspect it fully - could be repaired or may need a new roof! They have said that any water ingress into the vehicle will be covered when this work gets underway and to keep using the vehicle in the mean time - whoopee!
I will keep struggling on but for a brand new van this is totally unacceptable. 
And this is the main outstanding issue, we still have other issues waiting to be settled including the high level kitchen unit among others and now the control panel or water level sensors are messing about with the alarm for low water going off even though there is plenty of water in the tank.
We have owned this van since the end of June, not had it for 3 weeks while the remedials were being dealt with, covered over 6K miles, been to France twice, Wales and Devon a number of times - it is what we wanted but it would be nice if the manufacturers produced a quality vehicle from the start!
Who know's how long we will be without the van when it goes back to Swift?????
Will update when we know more or my solicitor gets involved!
Ray


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## Jezport

Your contract is with your supplier. You need to tell them exactly what you want and when you want it by.

Under the sales of goods act an item should be fit for purpose and of merchantable quality otherwise you are entitled to your money back.


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## W5RAY

*Re: Update on original post E510*



W5RAY said:


> A quick update on my E510 and original post.
> The dealer had the vehicle back for a few weeks and managed to sort out most of the smaller issues. We are still waiting for a few items to be resolved, but the main issue is the roof. After taking it to various experts the main dealer were unable to get anyone to repair the numerous gelcoat cracks, worried that the quality and paint match would not be up to my required standard.
> This has so far been a long and protracted three way discussion with Swift involved as well. We now appear to have osmosis (blistering through water ingress) on the roof sections due to the cracks in the gelcoat.
> Swift have accepted that our van will need to go back to the factory to be rectified...................... in MARCH 2012!!! Come on! - why not sooner?
> Also they will not supply a replacement van, will not come out to inspect, have not confirmed how long they will require it to complete the repairs and will not know until they inspect it fully - could be repaired or may need a new roof! They have said that any water ingress into the vehicle will be covered when this work gets underway and to keep using the vehicle in the mean time - whoopee!
> I will keep struggling on but for a brand new van this is totally unacceptable.
> And this is the main outstanding issue, we still have other issues waiting to be settled including the high level kitchen unit among others and now the control panel or water level sensors are messing about with the alarm for low water going off even though there is plenty of water in the tank.
> We have owned this van since the end of June, not had it for 3 weeks while the remedials were being dealt with, covered over 6K miles, been to France twice, Wales and Devon a number of times - it is what we wanted but it would be nice if the manufacturers produced a quality vehicle from the start!
> Who know's how long we will be without the van when it goes back to Swift?????
> Will update when we know more or my solicitor gets involved!
> Ray


I understand who I should be dealing with but ultimately Swift will need to have the vehicle back to their factory to carry out the roof repairs!

We are now in January 2012 and the situation has worsened and we are no nearer a resolution.
We now have a control panel (I am sure this is the cause) that is faulty to the extent that even though the van is kept on charge and we go away with fully recharged (2 x 110amp) batteries prior to the weekend but by the second day the battery meter for the van records only 12 volts - this then appears to have the knock on issue of the heater not working properly, resulting in a cold van.
In addition the thermostat and heater unit (when working) does not appear to be configured correctly due to the fact that with freezing temperatures outside the heater initially works okay up to a temperature and then cuts off, the van then gets cold again before it will kick back into action - I think the sensor is either faulty or reacts at to lower a temperature. This van is supposed to have been tested and fitted out with the correct equipment to maintain a 20c plus temperature when it is minus 20 outside - no way?????

Getting more frustrated as each day goes by!
Getting the dealer to contact me is also very frustrating!

Is the control panel a reboot solvable problem?

My roof issue is probably the strongest grounds for seeing a solicitor as the van is (IMO) a sound case of Not Fit For Purpose due to a major manufacturing defect!
If I dont get any joy over the next few weeks with some headway to resolving these issues then I think I will be left with only one option to contact solicitors and go down the road of a replacement vehicle! I have been more than patient and have given both Swift and the dealer plenty of time to resolve all issues, yet still I find myself 6 months down the road no further on than then!!!

A very sad case of both poor customer service and ignorance!

I love this van and it should have been everything it was advertised to be - come on guys get your acts together and stop this from happening all to often! And while you are at it get my van fixed for the love of God! And quickly with no expense or loss of time to me.............. or do you not care about your customers as you have sold them one van and you know full well that the chances of them buying a further new van from you (and get the same issues) will be very unlikely!
Swift / Bessacarr are you just a one sell company???

Ray


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## Sargent

Hi Ray could you email with your contact details to try to establish what is wrong with your system.

[email protected]

Best regards

Ian Sargent


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## W5RAY

*Thanks*

I would just like to thank Ian of Sargent Ltd, the providers of the electrical system to Swift, for taking it upon himself to contact me and discuss the issue that I am having with the recharging, etc. He has given me a few things to check out, which I shall do and he informs me that it is fable that the system needs rebooting!
He also thinks we may have an issue with our Trauma Combi system and has taken it upon himself to contact Trauma on our behalf and asking them to contact me!
Wow! And he doesn't even work for Swift / Bessacarr...............

*Thanks Ian!*


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## cheshiregordon

*hidden costs of warranty claims*

although the faults identified may in time be resolved by the dealer at no cost to the owner there is a hidden cost to the owner which is never recouped.

The expense of taking / collecting the vehicle to / from the dealer, its loss of use for the duration, plus intangibles such as the stress involved with getting a major cost item rectified and loss of satisfaction with your purchase which customer shouldn't be subject to - so it goes on.

If these significant incidental cost were charged to the manufacturer or dealer they might sit up and take more notice. (i say dealer because they should have PDI'd it and not be offering a defective product either new or secondhand)


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## 96299

*Re: hidden costs of warranty claims*



cheshiregordon said:


> although the faults identified may in time be resolved by the dealer at no cost to the owner there is a hidden cost to the owner which is never recouped.
> 
> The expense of taking / collecting the vehicle to / from the dealer, its loss of use for the duration, plus intangibles such as the stress involved with getting a major cost item rectified and loss of satisfaction with your purchase which customer shouldn't be subject to - so it goes on.
> 
> If these significant incidental cost were charged to the manufacturer or dealer they might sit up and take more notice. (i say dealer because they should have PDI'd it and not be offering a defective product either new or secondhand)


When we had all of our problems after we bought our van new, I made sure that the dealer compensated us for our travel expenses. It's only right and the dealer agreed to it no probs. We had a 280 mile round trip and did it a good few times as well. Courtesy cars were also asked for and received.  You just have to ask.

Steve


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## cheshiregordon

well I'm glad that you seem to have been partially compensated but I can't agree that in general "You just have to ask"

What about your time and inconvenience the dealer probably charges £75/100 per hour - what did he give you for each of your 4/5 hr trips? a coffee perhaps.


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## 96299

cheshiregordon said:


> well I'm glad that you seem to have been partially compensated but I can't agree that in general "You just have to ask"
> 
> What about your time and inconvenience the dealer probably charges £75/100 per hour - what did he give you for each of your 4/5 hr trips? a coffee perhaps.


Yeah your right. It was just for the fuel. Bloody good coffee though. 

Steve


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## cheshiregordon

you must share his name!! good coffee at a dealers is something to cherish


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## W5RAY

*Resolution*

Okay, an update on my Bessacarr!
Further to my last post we felt that we weren't getting anywhere fast with a resolution so in February we decided to attend the first Motorhome show of the year in London. So armed with the list and photographs of the various defects we arrived at the show and made a beeline for the Swift area. We asked for the most senior Swift official on site and calmly proposed a discussion in a more private area to save their embarrassment. We proffered all our information and were treated fairly and courteously. The information was dispatched to head office straight away and we left the show with a feeling of satisfaction that at last we were getting somewhere. 
After further negotiations with Swift they eventually collected my van on a transporter and after a few conversations with the workshop manager they started work on the remedials. Andy Binks from Swift contacted us shortly after receipt of the van at the factory and confirmed that the "recall" was definitely warranted and he was surprised at the severity of the issues.
Swift had the van for about three weeks and in this time they replaced the roof over the cab section (the main issue), repaired various other crazing of the gel coat, installed a new door as the lock mechanism was faulty, installed a new heating sensor, rectified all the minor and not so minor issues both on the inside of the van and on the outside, including remasticing and fitting new trims and skirting parts, new badges, ariel, redrilled the roof bar brackets and supplied longer bars and a whole host of other bits and bobs. They refixed the high level unit in the kitchen, refitted the pleated blinds in the front windscreen, checked and tested the electrical system, the heating system and the water system, carried out a damp check and provided the results and finally cleaned the van inside and out. They also undertook any other irregularities that they came across during their very thorough de-snag!
It was arranged for us to collect on a Friday morning in late May on our return from Scotland. I booked us into a hotel not to far from the Swift factory where we enjoyed a great stay and evening meal. Friday morning we arrived at Swift and after meeting the customer services manager and Andy we were taken to our van. Our pleasure was immense - this is how it should have been from the start - it was amazing! Andy took the time to run through our very extensive list of defects and all barr a couple of very small niggles (which an engineer undertook rectification of immediately) all was good. We had asked for a small table on a swan neck leg to be fitted (in a demountable format) as an extra and this was duly supplied - even better still they insisted on not charging us for this, which was really appreciated. On top of this Swift refunded our overnight stay and evening meal at the hotel and paid the fuel cost for two vehicles to travel back home.
Needless to say we were very happy with the outcome of the remedials, the care and expertise in putting right the wrongs and the "compensation".
It is fair to say that this Bessacarr is now a truly great van and one that we are now very happy with.
In conclusion I would like to say a thankyou for all the Swift staff who worked on our vehicle and all who had to deal with one very grumpy man, especially Andy Binks for turning our motorhome from an ugly duckling in to a brilliant swan - THANKYOU!
So to all you members out there with issues, whatever make of van you have, perseverance does pay off, make sure you log everything and go as high up the management chain as possible, don't take no for an answer - it took us just under a year but the end result is definitely worth it!
A final note - when away for the first time since repatriation we realised that the plugs for the sink and bathroom were missing but apart from that all was good - a quick phone call and these were dispatched to us straight away! (It wasn't the value, just making sure we had the right ones without searching around!)
We have two trips to North Wales planned for the next couple of weekends and then a three week vacation to Austria - at last looking forward to relaxing with Millie!
Cheers for reading my blog!
Ray
 [/u][/b]


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## tulsehillboys

Sounds a lovely outcome
I really hope you will enjoy and get the most out of your new (ish) van.


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## camallison

*Re: Resolution*



W5RAY said:


> Okay, an update on my Bessacarr!
> Further to my last post we felt that we weren't getting anywhere fast with a resolution so in February we decided to attend the first Motorhome show of the year in London. So armed with the list and photographs of the various defects we arrived at the show and made a beeline for the Swift area. We asked for the most senior Swift official on site and calmly proposed a discussion in a more private area to save their embarrassment. We proffered all our information and were treated fairly and courteously. The information was dispatched to head office straight away and we left the show with a feeling of satisfaction that at last we were getting somewhere.
> After further negotiations with Swift they eventually collected my van on a transporter and after a few conversations with the workshop manager they started work on the remedials. Andy Binks from Swift contacted us shortly after receipt of the van at the factory and confirmed that the "recall" was definitely warranted and he was surprised at the severity of the issues.
> Swift had the van for about three weeks and in this time they replaced the roof over the cab section (the main issue), repaired various other crazing of the gel coat, installed a new door as the lock mechanism was faulty, installed a new heating sensor, rectified all the minor and not so minor issues both on the inside of the van and on the outside, including remasticing and fitting new trims and skirting parts, new badges, ariel, redrilled the roof bar brackets and supplied longer bars and a whole host of other bits and bobs. They refixed the high level unit in the kitchen, refitted the pleated blinds in the front windscreen, checked and tested the electrical system, the heating system and the water system, carried out a damp check and provided the results and finally cleaned the van inside and out. They also undertook any other irregularities that they came across during their very thorough de-snag!
> It was arranged for us to collect on a Friday morning in late May on our return from Scotland. I booked us into a hotel not to far from the Swift factory where we enjoyed a great stay and evening meal. Friday morning we arrived at Swift and after meeting the customer services manager and Andy we were taken to our van. Our pleasure was immense - this is how it should have been from the start - it was amazing! Andy took the time to run through our very extensive list of defects and all barr a couple of very small niggles (which an engineer undertook rectification of immediately) all was good. We had asked for a small table on a swan neck leg to be fitted (in a demountable format) as an extra and this was duly supplied - even better still they insisted on not charging us for this, which was really appreciated. On top of this Swift refunded our overnight stay and evening meal at the hotel and paid the fuel cost for two vehicles to travel back home.
> Needless to say we were very happy with the outcome of the remedials, the care and expertise in putting right the wrongs and the "compensation".
> It is fair to say that this Bessacarr is now a truly great van and one that we are now very happy with.
> In conclusion I would like to say a thankyou for all the Swift staff who worked on our vehicle and all who had to deal with one very grumpy man, especially Andy Binks for turning our motorhome from an ugly duckling in to a brilliant swan - THANKYOU!
> So to all you members out there with issues, whatever make of van you have, perseverance does pay off, make sure you log everything and go as high up the management chain as possible, don't take no for an answer - it took us just under a year but the end result is definitely worth it!
> A final note - when away for the first time since repatriation we realised that the plugs for the sink and bathroom were missing but apart from that all was good - a quick phone call and these were dispatched to us straight away! (It wasn't the value, just making sure we had the right ones without searching around!)
> We have two trips to North Wales planned for the next couple of weekends and then a three week vacation to Austria - at last looking forward to relaxing with Millie!
> Cheers for reading my blog!
> Ray
> [/u][/b]


Congratulations! .......... but why did it take a visit to their stand at a show before they acted? Maybe your dealer wasn't as persistent as you. He owes you something besides a coffee.

Colin


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## Spacerunner

A good outcome but no customer should have to go through that just to get what they paid for in the beginning.

No, Swift aren't brilliant! Do they really think that the buying public are fools? Are they always thinking they can get away with foisting shoddy goods on us. Are they going to take our cash in exchange for third rate workmanship?

Come on Swift you have inherited a good reputable company name, about time you tried to fill its shoes!


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## Telbell

Would be interesting to find out whether Swift "dealt with" (or even took steps to trace) the individual workers at Swift who initially were responsible for all that shoddy work.

Who knows- they may still be let loose on some unsuspecting future Swift owner! 8O 8O


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## brens

Thanks for that update Ray,really pleased you got it sorted.

I am still in the process......ringing the dealer again today,(encouraged by your post).

I have not yet received an answer to a letter I sent to our dealer on 05/05/12 stating all the defects and agreed actions previously discussed which so far have been forgotten about. brens


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## W5RAY

Good luck with yours Brens - don't let them off the hook, keep plugging away. If nothing else it will use up their valuable resources to keep fending you off and when they eventually realise you will not be giving up they will have to do something to resolve the issue. If you need a Swift contact send me an email!

Ray


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## organplayer

*organplayer*

Thank heavens we bought a new Bailey Approach 740 from a local dealer, Webbs at Padworth, 9 miles from where we live. Only two very minor faults, and hopefully no more. Bestest wishes to everyone with their new vans, which if for the same money,purchased a Bentley or Roller (second hand of course) most definately would not have all the aggro and stress illistrated here.


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## andyangyh

If you bought a BMW car or a Lexus - which would involve a similar outlay to a mid-range British motorhome - the salesman would treat you like royalty. The car would be handed over immaculately valeted, any faults (an unlikely occurrence) would be fixed by the dealer and returning it to Germany or Japan would not be a consideration. If you bought a Kia - hardly an expensive car - you'd get a 6 year warranty and would be able to take it into any Kia dealer in Europe to get any problem fixed under warranty.

With some notable exceptions (honourable mention to Marquis Devon and Deepcar a few years back) I have found many motorhome dealers lag way behind in terms of selling skills and customer care. Salesmen who don't know their products, brand new vans on forecourts with visible faults - I could go on. A few years ago I used to interview motorhomers for a motorhome magazine and the tales of poor service were innumerable - far too many for anyone to believe that these are isolated incidents.

Full marks to Swift in this case for sorting everything out. Any company can send out the occasional "lemon" but it is what the retailer (with whom the contract exists) does about any problems that is the measure of them. You shouldn't have to ask for fuel costs to be refunded - it should be a matter of course. In the unlikely event that a Kia needed to be off the road for any length of time due to a problem you would be offered a courtesy car. I know that Lexus lend you a car for as long as you need (I know a few rich people!). Seems the average motorhome dealer will make you drive your faulty vehicle the length of the country at your own expense. One day soon these people will wake up to the fact that we are in a recession and will find themselves looking out over a forecourt full of unsold vans.


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## W5RAY

*Further update!*

 
Following on from my previous posts - a quick update!
We are now another year on, Millie passed her habitation check with flying colours, no re-occurance of any of the original issues we encountered, Millie is doing well!  
Having just got back from another European tour covering France, Italy, Switzerland and Germany, Millie, just 2 years old, has now covered 16000 miles and we are extremely happy with our girl!
Happy motorhoming pepe's! :wink:


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