Motorhome Facts :: View topic - Bessacarr E425 broken bed and the mother in-law
Latest News Next Rally is @ UK Motorhome & Caravan Autumn Fair Newark on 03/09/2010 in Nottinghamshire

Tweet This Topic Facebook del.icio.us digg blogmarks Furl Reddit technorati Yahoo Google View previous topic View next topic


 Bessacarr E425 broken bed and the mother in-law
321153 Post Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 10:53 pm Thank this member for this postReply with quote Back To Top

edgynail  

Joined: Oct 07, 2006

Posts: 18

Thanked 4 times in 4 posts

MH: Bessacarr E425

Campsites

Gender:

Location: Perth

scotland.gif

Status: Offline

The one and only time the lounge bed has been used in our E425... it collapsed while the in-laws were asleep in it.

The poor souls are not particularly heavy or clumsy, the problem seemed to be design/materials unfit for the purpose. They were utterly mortified that "they" had done this to our new motorhome. Our reassurances that we didn't blame them and we would get it fixed couldn't rescue the weekend away with them and off home they drove. The only place they could sleep was now broken anyway.

For one reason or another it's taken a few weeks to get the van into our dealer (Knowepark in Livingston) for repair. While it was with them and due to the van now approaching 6 months old, we got them to look at a few other things. Usual adjustment type snaggings plus the stuff affecting us that's being showing up in these forums.

I got a phone call tonight saying the van wouldn't be available by tomorrow as anticipated since the factory had sent the wrong part. The dealer re-ordered the part a few days ago but stated something about the leader board being the wrong size and their attempt at re-ordering on the computer system coming up with the wrong part number continually. They also said that the replacement part was of the same general quality as the failed one, disappointing as I was hoping for an improvement in the design so it wouldn't break the first time it's used again.

That phone call also came up with more surprises. It now seems like a couple of the other issues we asked them to address may be a problem, they are:-

Exclamation Damage to the dining table. It's been scuffed on all four corners while in it's transit position. The metal flue heat shield hasn't been fitted correctly and it's been scraping at the table while the van's been travelling. By the time we worked out what was causing the damage it was too late, the damage was done. The dealer said that Swift are unlikely to replace the table under warranty. Doesn't seem fair as the same dealer will likely reduce the vans trade-in value by the cost of a new table when we go back for the E495 we're saving-up for. Mad

Exclamation The carpets have become very flat and matted looking after less than 30 nights away. They look way too tired way too soon. We asked that this be reported to Swift with a view to a warranty claim. I don't think they bothered because they didn't expect a favourable response from Swift. I've seen this issue mentioned in the forum before and Swift's response was that they hadn't had any complaints of this but the person should report it to their dealer for a warranty claim. That's just what we've tried to do. I think our dealers attitude is "why didn't you buy the plastic covering we sell in rolls in the accessory shop?" The answer is simple, because we want our feet to be on comfortable, durable carpet and not on hard cold plastic or makeshift rugs.

Hopefully everything else we asked of the dealer will be fixed.

Once it comes back from the dealer I then need to take it back into the Fiat garage for the 5th time. Having suffered a knackered starter motor and slipping accessory drive belts, the latter has happened again.

Anyway, enough of my moan. I need to go to the Caravan Club website and cancel our booking for next weekend as we won't be able to get the van back in time. Sad

Thanks for listening to the moan if you've made it this far. Don't get me wrong, the van is a fantastic holiday machine and we love it. We just want it to spend less time in garages and more time on holiday. It'd also be appreciated if it didn't upset the in-laws.
 
321157 Post Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 11:02 pm Thank this member for this postReply with quote Back To Top

carol Subscriber 01/01/2012 

Age: 64

Joined: May 09, 2005

Posts: 2321

Thanked 215 times in 179 posts

MH: Rapido 7090F 160 Auto Maxi

Mpg: 17.70

Campsites

Gender: Female

Location: Yeoford, Nr. Crediton

england.gif

Status: Offline

Hi how depressing.... and I am surprised you are even saving for another Bessacar..... I think I would have looked elsewhere for a similar layout and another make....

But...

Why not write to Swift/Bessacar and explain the situation to them, send it recorded delivery and see what they say.... sometimes it can be the dealer, being less than helpful...

Never having worked in this market, I don't really know how it works, but I would imagine the dealer (assuming this is a new van) would have a certain amount of the money in their for warranty repairs.... and perhaps he would rather not spend them on you,.... I dont' know

But if you are not getting any joy, sometimes a letter to the company, and Peter (sorry I am not sure of your surname) who seems to be the owner of Swift - may pick this up - but write to them/him and put your disatisfaction....he can then perhaps liaise/lean on the dealer..

Worth the effort I think....

Carol

______________________________________________________________
Carol

wav

Click
Only registered users can see links on our Forum
Join Now or Login
to go to my albums

Fighting for Mavis
and Remembering Peter and Fiona

Only registered users can see links on our Forum
Join Now or Login
 Bessacarr and Knowepark
321333 Post Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 12:30 pm Thank this member for this postReply with quote Back To Top

SwiftGroup Subscriber 05/07/2012 

Joined: Jun 27, 2007

Posts: 1439

Thanked 359 times in 241 posts

MH: Swift & Bessacarr

Campsites

Gender:

blank.gif

Status: Offline

Hello Edgynail

Just read your post, sorry to hear of these problems. Please send me a PM with your details and I will look into it on Monday. Postcode and your name should be enough for me to identify your vehicle.

I am sure we can help your dealer get all of these things resolved and I will be able to chase up the parts and ensure they get the correct ones.

Regards
Kath
 Re: Bessacarr and Knowepark
321336 Post Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 12:33 pm Thank this member for this postReply with quote Back To Top

asprn Subscriber 19/11/2010 

Age: 99

Joined: Feb 10, 2006

Posts: 6508

Thanked 974 times in 614 posts

MH: Rexhall Rexair RV

Campsites

Gender:

Location: Lincolnshire

scotland.gif

Status: Offline

SwiftGroup wrote:
Just read your post, sorry to hear of these problems....
I am sure we can help your dealer get all of these things resolved

I wish you'd stop being so embarrassingly helpful and nice. How can people be expected to stay worked up & angry? Very Happy This forum's going uphill rapidly.

Dougie.
 Re: Bessacarr and Knowepark
321352 Post Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 1:22 pm Thank this member for this postReply with quote Back To Top

Grizzly Subscriber 31/12/2010 

Joined: May 09, 2005

Posts: 9822

Thanked 1358 times in 1126 posts

MH: Bessacarr E530

Campsites

Gender: Female

blank.gif

Status: Offline

asprn wrote:

I wish you'd stop being so embarrassingly helpful and nice. How can people be expected to stay worked up & angry? Very Happy This forum's going uphill rapidly.
Dougie.


Very Happy Very Happy Very Happy

Please Kath, persuade Fiat to come onto the forum !

G
 Re: Bessacarr and Knowepark
321371 Post Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 2:09 pm Thank this member for this postReply with quote Back To Top

SwiftGroup Subscriber 05/07/2012 

Joined: Jun 27, 2007

Posts: 1439

Thanked 359 times in 241 posts

MH: Swift & Bessacarr

Campsites

Gender:

blank.gif

Status: Offline

Grizzly wrote:
asprn wrote:

I wish you'd stop being so embarrassingly helpful and nice. How can people be expected to stay worked up & angry? Very Happy This forum's going uphill rapidly.
Dougie.


Very Happy Very Happy Very Happy

Please Kath, persuade Fiat to come onto the forum !

G
They cant come on the forum as no individual is allowed to make comments on behalf of the company!I had this discussion with them at the NEC.I have all recent comments printed off and they will be discussed again on Monday.Peter.
 Re: Bessacarr E425 broken bed and the mother in-law
321376 Post Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 2:13 pm Thank this member for this postReply with quote Back To Top

SwiftGroup Subscriber 05/07/2012 

Joined: Jun 27, 2007

Posts: 1439

Thanked 359 times in 241 posts

MH: Swift & Bessacarr

Campsites

Gender:

blank.gif

Status: Offline

edgynail wrote:
The one and only time the lounge bed has been used in our E425... it collapsed while the in-laws were asleep in it.

The poor souls are not particularly heavy or clumsy, the problem seemed to be design/materials unfit for the purpose. They were utterly mortified that "they" had done this to our new motorhome. Our reassurances that we didn't blame them and we would get it fixed couldn't rescue the weekend away with them and off home they drove. The only place they could sleep was now broken anyway.

For one reason or another it's taken a few weeks to get the van into our dealer (Knowepark in Livingston) for repair. While it was with them and due to the van now approaching 6 months old, we got them to look at a few other things. Usual adjustment type snaggings plus the stuff affecting us that's being showing up in these forums.

I got a phone call tonight saying the van wouldn't be available by tomorrow as anticipated since the factory had sent the wrong part. The dealer re-ordered the part a few days ago but stated something about the leader board being the wrong size and their attempt at re-ordering on the computer system coming up with the wrong part number continually. They also said that the replacement part was of the same general quality as the failed one, disappointing as I was hoping for an improvement in the design so it wouldn't break the first time it's used again.

That phone call also came up with more surprises. It now seems like a couple of the other issues we asked them to address may be a problem, they are:-

Exclamation Damage to the dining table. It's been scuffed on all four corners while in it's transit position. The metal flue heat shield hasn't been fitted correctly and it's been scraping at the table while the van's been travelling. By the time we worked out what was causing the damage it was too late, the damage was done. The dealer said that Swift are unlikely to replace the table under warranty. Doesn't seem fair as the same dealer will likely reduce the vans trade-in value by the cost of a new table when we go back for the E495 we're saving-up for. Mad

Exclamation The carpets have become very flat and matted looking after less than 30 nights away. They look way too tired way too soon. We asked that this be reported to Swift with a view to a warranty claim. I don't think they bothered because they didn't expect a favourable response from Swift. I've seen this issue mentioned in the forum before and Swift's response was that they hadn't had any complaints of this but the person should report it to their dealer for a warranty claim. That's just what we've tried to do. I think our dealers attitude is "why didn't you buy the plastic covering we sell in rolls in the accessory shop?" The answer is simple, because we want our feet to be on comfortable, durable carpet and not on hard cold plastic or makeshift rugs.

Hopefully everything else we asked of the dealer will be fixed.

Once it comes back from the dealer I then need to take it back into the Fiat garage for the 5th time. Having suffered a knackered starter motor and slipping accessory drive belts, the latter has happened again.

Anyway, enough of my moan. I need to go to the Caravan Club website and cancel our booking for next weekend as we won't be able to get the van back in time. Sad

Thanks for listening to the moan if you've made it this far. Don't get me wrong, the van is a fantastic holiday machine and we love it. We just want it to spend less time in garages and more time on holiday. It'd also be appreciated if it didn't upset the in-laws.
Please give my apologies to your mother in law (bless them).I see Kath has posted so I will discuss with her on Monday.Peter.
 Re: Bessacarr and Knowepark
321386 Post Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 2:30 pm Thank this member for this postReply with quote Back To Top

Grizzly Subscriber 31/12/2010 

Joined: May 09, 2005

Posts: 9822

Thanked 1358 times in 1126 posts

MH: Bessacarr E530

Campsites

Gender: Female

blank.gif

Status: Offline

[quote="SwiftGroup"].
They cant come on the forum as no individual is allowed to make comments on behalf of the company!.Peter.[quote]

I can understand that Peter and it's fair enough. Presumably someone could still monitor it without responding though ?

I think then they would get a flavour of the strength of feeling about the poor way they respond- or don't respond in fact- to their customers. That is the stressful thing as far as we are concerned, not the water ingress and so on.

I am still waiting for a response to a friendly letter I posted in May suggesting, quite without any heat, ways in which they could improve the Fiat Assistance service after our experiences with it at Easter. I e-mail and phone on a weekly basis, sometimes more often and always the same " We'll get x to treat it as urgent and get back to you " or similar. I keep a record and it is brick thick now. All I wanted originally was a "thank you for your suggestions and we'll look at ways of implementing them" letter !

Rant over, have a productive meeting !

G
 Re: Bessacarr and Knowepark
321430 Post Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 4:06 pm Thank this member for this postReply with quote Back To Top

SwiftGroup Subscriber 05/07/2012 

Joined: Jun 27, 2007

Posts: 1439

Thanked 359 times in 241 posts

MH: Swift & Bessacarr

Campsites

Gender:

blank.gif

Status: Offline

Th[quote="Grizzly"][quote="SwiftGroup"].
They cant come on the forum as no individual is allowed to make comments on behalf of the company!.Peter.
Quote:


I can understand that Peter and it's fair enough. Presumably someone could still monitor it without responding though ?

I think then they would get a flavour of the strength of feeling about the poor way they respond- or don't respond in fact- to their customers. That is the stressful thing as far as we are concerned, not the water ingress and so on.

I am still waiting for a response to a friendly letter I posted in May suggesting, quite without any heat, ways in which they could improve the Fiat Assistance service after our experiences with it at Easter. I e-mail and phone on a weekly basis, sometimes more often and always the same " We'll get x to treat it as urgent and get back to you " or similar. I keep a record and it is brick thick now. All I wanted originally was a "thank you for your suggestions and we'll look at ways of implementing them" letter !

Rant over, have a productive meeting !

G
They do monitor!Peter.
 Re: Bessacarr and Knowepark
321463 Post Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 5:02 pm Thank this member for this postReply with quote Back To Top

Grizzly Subscriber 31/12/2010 

Joined: May 09, 2005

Posts: 9822

Thanked 1358 times in 1126 posts

MH: Bessacarr E530

Campsites

Gender: Female

blank.gif

Status: Offline

SwiftGroup wrote:

They do monitor!Peter.


Interesting ! I'm tempted to say then Peter that either they have a collective skin as thick as several elephants or they hold us, their customers, in some contempt.

G
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You cannot download files in this forum
All times are GMT + 1 Hour  
Page 1 of 2  
Goto page 1, 2  Next


Post new topic Reply to topic Printer-friendly version

Tweet This Topic Facebook del.icio.us digg blogmarks Furl Reddit technorati Yahoo Google Go to MAIN SITE Front Page