Caravan Industry

It's my belief that the whole caravan industry, manufacturers and dealers, goes from bad to worse year on year.  I have a very low opinion of the industry and little surprises me now.

Same here. We won't be buying brand new. We occasionally have a browse around at local dealers, some of whom are largest in area such as Lowdhams, Yorkshire Caravans etc... We are never impressed with what we look at, cheap quality fittings, insubstantial quality, most never look like they would last a first busy season, let alone a decade. We weren't that impressed by some of the foreign makes either to be honest, especially the budget variety. 

If buyers are prepared to keep buying such poor quality, and put up with such appalling after sales treatment, then things will never improve. 

I have had an "enlightening" conversation with the grand fromage at our dealers.

Even he has had enough of the poor standard and attitude from the manufacturers.

He said.

We must bare in mind that a caravan is in effect hand built, there isn't any automation in the assembly, therefore you will always get human error. But that is no excuse for letting the van get sent out after so called quality checks. It has got to the point now where I can't see us selling new caravans in 3 years time, and most small dealerships are feeling the same way. We just cannot afford to keep a team of people processing claims and technicians putting them right, we don't earn as much as you think off a new van.

If I had 15 new units delivered to me, I can guarantee you that I will find at least one fault on every unit. All the manufacturers say is " just put claim in". I employ one person, full time to process claims to the manufacturers. We try to do our best for the customer, we go above and beyond just making good the faults, and we don't get compensated for some of the stuff we have to correct.

In the future I can see that there will only be big dealerships dotted around the country, or maybe the manufacturers will have their own retail outlets.

A bit sad that, I thought as I reamed off a list of things that need doing to ours. 

Another point he made about the lead times on replacement parts he said that they have a schedule and know how many, and what model of unit has got to be manufactured in a certain time frame, so they will only carry enough stock to complete.

Any other non scheduled parts will have to ordered and made on the next run of that certain model which could be between 3 and 6 weeks.

Very frustrating for us, but as the man said, the big names don't care just put a claim in.

Even if a van is returned to the manufacturers, the dealer has to stump up for the transport, then they are just turned round and sold to the big dealerships which they sell "sold as seen" for a discounted price.

I really can't see things improving as they have been working like this for years, they aren't losing out, thanks to your dealer of choice, it's those guys who are on the front line getting all the flack from irrate customers.

That's why the demise of the small friendly dealerships is on the cards.

And yes there probably is unscrupulous dealers out there as well. 

No one does anything for free.

The problem to me is not that it is a cottage industry but the standard of workmanship involved. The systems used to build caravans should work reasonably well if the people involved did their job but they do not appear to. Frankly the level of complaints seems to be so high that it must be costing more to put things right than to do it right first time.

The manufacturers are slow in sending out bits but as they are all the same at this you cannot easily pick one on back up.

The dealers are generally working near flat out with workshops full. This is I think a legacy of the recent slump when several went out of business and have not been replaced nor have the remaining ones expanded enough to take up the further business available.