Leisure Vehicle Survey

Hi everyone,

A few of you have asked why the Leisure Vehicle Survey does not ‘give a more detailed analysis’.

Given the scale of the survey and the scope of the results, unfortunately it is not possible to condense the ‘full’ results into a publishable form. The survey, combined with the comprehensiveness of the questionnaire we felt was necessary to truly represent your views meant we ended up with 7.5million pieces of data.

We haven’t published specific faults for specific makes as the variations in fault data between makes are relatively modest – if they weren’t, the overall average satisfaction ratings probably wouldn’t be as high as they are. The issues we identify on pp11-12 apply pretty universally across makes, however, and we think the industry needs to address them collectively.

My best advice would be to call our Technical Helpline if you are thinking of buying a new van, and our Technical Advisors will be able to help you through the process.

Write your comments here...

Is the club serious? Do they really think the industry will work on this issue 'collectively' (whatever that means) just because the CC say 'we think....'! So what is the CC proposing on behlaf of its members (remember those?) the industry should do? This is a cop out of the highest order and makes the survey findings utterly pointless. 

Having read the report, it does not reflect the experience we have had of our Flagship caravan, with 23 faults so far. Each time we use it something else falls apart.

In summary, common poor quality parts thrown together with little regard for unfortunate purchasers.

Fortunately we have the Flagship of the industry, pity those with base models 

Interestingly I had a chat with a friend earlier today who mentioned when he went to view the Eldis factory in anticipation of purchasing a caravan, it was being picketted by angry owners with placards decrying the poor build quality and he was ushered through
the back door. That was a few years ago.

Makes you proud to support British manufacturing, not 

You know what the really interesting question is?

Did the Caravan Club pay the marketing company  verve to carry out the survey So it could sell the results to the manufacturers?

Or did verve pay the caravan club to get it hands on the membership list. So that it had access to an affluent demographic?

You know what the really interesting question is?

Did the Caravan Club pay the marketing company  verve to carry out the survey So it could sell the results to the manufacturers?

Or did verve pay the caravan club to get it hands on the membership list. So that it had access to an affluent demographic?

 

..Cinic or what

What you think the survey didn't cost anything to produce or had no monetary value?

To believe that would be Naïve beond belief ??

It's always intrigued me why for example a Buccaneer should be better screwed together than an Eldiss. It's the same work force do they get twice as long to fit a fridge into a Buccaneer than an entry level Xplore van?  

Or it may be a lack of dealerships selling non-UK vans or the prices thereof

Having read the report, it does not reflect the experience we have had of our Flagship caravan, with 23 faults so far. Each time we use it something else falls apart.

In summary, common poor quality parts thrown together with little regard for unfortunate purchasers.

Fortunately we have the Flagship of the industry, pity those with base models 

Interestingly I had a chat with a friend earlier today who mentioned when he went to view the Eldis factory in anticipation of purchasing a caravan, it was being picketted by angry owners with placards decrying the poor build quality and he was ushered through
the back door. That was a few years ago.

Makes you proud to support British manufacturing, not 

Write your comments here... Oddly enough if you read the PC surveys the more expensive models generally do better than the cheaper ones. In the last survey Sprite came out top above Swift for customer satisfaction and Buccaneer bottom below Eldiss.

I am not sure if expectations rise with price or if because as you move up there is more to go wrong but given the results do not pity the guy in the Sprite his caravan beat Adria into second place and whatever you have as well.

We purchased a 'Flagship' caravan at a premium price point as our first caravan with the not unreasonable expectation that such a product would be suitably well assembled and give fault free service. We were clearly duped.

Since the text above a 24th fault has presented itself when going out to fit the winter covers to the fridge vents. Yet again, common poor quality parts thrown together. Common parts that are in caravans throughout the industry regardless of the sales price
of the caravan.

Although with the exception of 1 part, the other bits are at the dealers ready for replacement fitment. But that is unlikely to be until well into January due to the volume of repairs to equally poorly thrown together caravans at the repairers.

We are seriously regretting buying this piece of crap, despite investing just short of £30k for what is shoddy workmanship. However will not pass it on to some unsuspecting mug until it is fit for sale. That appears the norm for the caravan industry, pass
it on let someone else 'get over it' in respect of the faults.

Volunteers sought to tell our 10 year old daughter that Xmas away in KASPar the caravan is looking doubtful due to our total lack of faith in it. Unlike the brilliant Xmas we had last year before bits started falling apart.

Assembling a caravan from common parts, despite the poor quality of those parts, is not rocket science, nor beyond the wit of man; although evidently it is 

Once again the British v  foreign argument is just a diversion  from the main issue.  That a leisure vechicle is made in the UK is a feature, but without data who knows if it is a benefit?

The caravanclub have in their hands data that would help rank the reliabilty satifaction call it what you may of various makes of caravans and they have made the decision not to reveal it.  The prevarication and delays over the publication of the report
and the frankly feeble excuses offered by the caravanclub do nothing to convince me that they are hiding something and not acting in the best interests of its members  

Or it may be a lack of dealerships selling non-UK vans or the prices thereof

Alan

For there to be a significant upturn in sales of European caravans there would have to be a large investment in this country by the manufacturers. With the exception of a couple of makers none of the other major players seem at all interested in the UK.
As I said previously I suspect most of those manufacturers are concentrating their efforts on selling motorhomes in the UK as that is an expanding market where as the caravan market is at best static.

David

Statistics here for caravan and motorhome sales

http://www.thencc.org.uk/our_industry/statistics.aspx 

 

This is the 17th year of the 21st Century, but don't let fact get in the way of a good pop at someone  You don't work in the marketting department of a caravan maker do you? 

Not really fact I am afraid. See here.

Write your comments here...

Thank you Stevel. Keefy, no I don't work for a caravan manufacturer, nor have I ever done so. But I do have an engineering background, which rather precludes wishful thinking as part of a design. Like all science it's important to build our understanding on facts.

Worth  pointing out I think that you have used the "fact" that British made caravans make up 98% of the market, as an indication of the quality of the product.  This is a bit like saying 700 hundred years ago 100% of the population believed that the Earth was the centre of the universe.  Therefore it was correct. 

 

Worth  pointing out I think that you have used the "fact" that British made caravans make up 98% of the market, as an indication of the quality of the product.  This is a bit like saying 700 hundred years ago 100% of the population believed that the Earth
was the centre of the universe.  Therefore it was correct. 

Write your comments here...

Actually, since this post is about the CC survey, I referred to the 97% UK built vans which the survey identified as sold here. I haven't mentioned their build quality. But I did refer to the statement that manufacturers were dragged screaming into the 21st
century, which with 97% of the market they clearly aren't. From your post you imply that you have expertise in erecting fences and the arithmetic which that involves, that's not the sort of engineering which I was referring to.

 

Worth  pointing out I think that you have used the "fact" that British made caravans make up 98% of the market, as an indication of the quality of the product.  This is a bit like saying 700 hundred years ago 100% of the population believed that the Earth
was the centre of the universe.  Therefore it was correct. 

Write your comments here...

Actually, since this post is about the CC survey, I referred to the 97% UK built vans which the survey identified as sold here. I haven't mentioned their build quality. But I did refer to the statement that manufacturers were dragged screaming into the 21st
century, which with 97% of the market they clearly aren't. From your post you imply that you have expertise in erecting fences and the arithmetic which that involves, that's not the sort of engineering which I was referring to.

I think if you read the thread.  You will see that, I have never mentioned fences.  Nor have I implied any expertise in the subject of fencing either explicitly or implicitly.

However by coincidence I do have a fence that needs mending and not a metaphorical one 

thanks Jenny, hope youre having a lovely day....

Thank you BB, I've done lots of nice and different things today, not least of which was experimenting with my new oven smoker - My technique needs work! Thank you also for your detailed explanation. Without doubt UK caravanners do, in the main, want different things from their vans than their foreign counterparts. I think that the heart of this lays in a sense that once set up with its awning etc, caravans become a sort of alternative home, which includes ovens and comfortably sized washing space etc. There are of course exceptions. Motor homes tend towards smaller washrooms and more condensed cooking facilities as part of their free roaming, untethered lifestyle. In that sense there's less of a gap between UK and continental customers. The real differentiator in both cases will ultimately be cost/ value for money, which with depressed Sterling values and no serious prospect of restored buoyancy may well stimulate exports from the UK rather than the other way around. Quality is very much a subjective subject, discussed by ancient Greek philosophers and ever since. We only have to the VW fuel economy scam to see how fragile brand loyalty can be.