Do you do a pre-acceptance inspection?
Comments
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Re last para must admit not something I have experienced. Tend to use people I have used before so tend to build up relationships. Tend to use retailers with good reputations sometimes at the expense of saving a pound or two. Seems to have worked well for
me.David
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I'm the same as you, DD. I dispute unreasonably large deposits and don't make the final payment until all is well.
We once bought a MH and picked it up with a few minor faults that needed parts but we withheld a few hundred £ and didn't pay that until the work was done. If the dealer had rejected that arrangement, he would have lost the sale. It worked.
We have also refused to hand over a cvan for p/ex until the replacement was ready for collection.
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You might well have had a lucky escape there, DD. It proves we can never be too careful.
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This is our 1st caravan. Deposit on order £500. Pre pdi inspection where we were advised to check all locker catches; found incorrect seat end cushions in lounge and a non affixed blind frame. Went through everything at collection before paying balance.
Since then 25 faults have manifested themselves, mostly due to common poor quality parts being thrown together. Awaiting final part, kitchen end panel to be delivered to dealer. Once safe receipt is confirmed it will then be booked into a specialist repairer
for the replacement parts to be fitted correctly as should have been done by the asemblers at the factory.So despite it being checked before pdi, at pdi and on delivery the crap workmanship and poor quality parts have bitten us on the arse. Extremely dissapointed on our first and probably last purchase of a flagship caravan purchased at a premium price point.
It's a lottery for sure, but one the only prize is a loss.
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DD & TW. You are 100% correct. From 1999 to 2011 I worked for an organisation that sold a very high value & complicated product.
In every case our customers adopted the same principle as yours, and in our case very often held onto a significant amount of money until a period of several months had elapsed in order to ensure that we had delivered a commodity fit for purpose. that was
the norm in our industry.Now I'm not saying that the caravan buyer should adopt such a practise, but I am saying that they should carry out a very thorough check of the van they are buying - prior to handing over the money, and if faults are found on that pre delivery inspection
either demand they are corrected there and then, or insist on witholding part of the final payment until satisfaction is achieved. Remember once you pay in full and take delivery you are in the hands of the seller and totally reliant on their good will. But
by that stage you are just another customer and the vast majority of their attention will now be focussed on the next customer.TF
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Nail on the head, TF. Much as we might like to withhold part of the payment just in case something goes wrong, as happens in many businesses, it's not going to work in the LV industry but, in an instance like mine, there was every justification as faults
were already apparent. It made them pull their fingers out.0 -
I didn't realise people paid before the handover was completed. As for deposits, I ask dealers why and the terms - then check their written terms and clarify the discrepancies. I'm content to leave a deposit to cover the costs of getting the vehicle ready
for the road and fitted with accessories I specify. I don't pre-order, I buy what I can see in the metal in front of me. Certainly wouldn't give someone a deposit which they hold for more than a month.1 -
I would have thought that as with almost any contract a 10% deposit is fairly normal.
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Can't say we have had any issues with dealers we have used so far. An acceptable deposit has always been paid by CC and balance paid once we have inspected the vehicle be it car/caravan/motorhome.
We have never let the dealer have the vehicle before we have collected its replacement. In fact we were in Wales on holiday when we decided we liked the look of the motorhome we now have. Wales was too far away from where we lived so we phoned the dealers
nearer to home, thankfully the nearest dealer didn't have one (another story) so we called the dealer in Aberdeen, we did the deal over the phone there and then. They knew we were on holiday and wouldn't be home for another month but they were quite happy
to carry on and prep the van for us to collect once we had returned from Wales.One of my jobs many years ago was as a quality control inspector, I have a keen eye for detail so and can be a right pain in the side of dealers but like DD and TW I believe in good service, after all its my money why not.
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We have never let the dealer have the vehicle before we have collected its replacement.
Before I collected the present caravan I took our previous one in to the dealers 3 days earlier so that they could swop the motor mover over. I did not however hand over the documentation until I collected the new van which we had previously inspected. A
few jobs needed attending to but were in part sorted by the time we collected.The sliding door to the washroom could catch the wall if pressed inwards when opening (a simple spacer on the bottom guide) front blinds caught slightly ( a 2 mm spacer under top
fixing) and wardrobe door slightly warped, agreed to be done at first service as it was not a real problem it was documented however).0 -
Great advice.
Having experienced a poor handover with our first caravan we intend to throughly check our new caravan which is due to arrive next month before paying the balance......
Steve
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We have always been asked for £500 deposits for cars and caravans. I always pay on my credit cards to get the additional protection. We then do not pay until we have checked them but have to say caravan handovers have always been excellent but remembering
it all is another matter.0 -
This post has been very useful to me. In March next year we pick up our 1st ever MH & I will remember what people have posted. I think we will be going over our MH with a toothcomb prior to paying our money.
Is it reasonable for us to then with hold a amount of money until the snags are fixed???
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Construction industry contracts typically allow a retention of 3 to 5% of the contract sum to be withheld untill the end of the 'defects liability period' (typically 12 months after completion of the work).
This final payment is witheld untill all defects have been rectified.
Good idea.
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That said, I am frequently amazed when people comment about the "extensive list of defects" in their new caravan or motorhome.......including doors that don't fit, equipment that doesn't work, dents and scrapes in panels or equipment.
Did these people not notice that these obvious defects were there to see when they collected the expnsive vehicle? Or were they just too excited to care?
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Wish us luck with our collection in the morning.
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However thorough your pre-delivery inspection there is no substitute for using your van/motorhome on site. You need to test it with EHU, on 12 volts, with and without gas, all taps, shower, wc etc. You can't do this at the dealers. Book a couple of days at a site near the dealer and prepare a snag list.
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Searching for a Mondeo once and saw the car online at a main Ford dealership (but not held at local dealers). They shipped it over - I saw it all was good, neat, tidy, correct paperwork etc. Paid for it all and was shown around car at handover (and they had fitted a towbar for me) - immaculate. They wanted to show me the engine - I said "Don't worry, I assume its under the bonnet" but they insisted. Good job - it was the 115bhp engine and not the 130bhp as advertised - took some hassle but got all money back after lots of "It'll do the same job/same towing capacity etc. Shows you can't be too careful.
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Hi HItchglitch
We went straight from the dealers to Southport CC for an overnight and all went well
Steve
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The dealers we have ordered our new van from give customers 2 free nights on their site to make sure all ok with the van, they are also on call if any problems, just in case.
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I was caught out when I bought a new Bailey caravan. The max noseweight for the chassis was 100kg. It was on that figure on delivery empty.Then off road for months from new.
it is also advisable to pay any deposit by credit card as that makes the card co equally responsible with dealer - known as Section 75.
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I am trading in and buying a replacement caravan from Bardsea Leisure near Ulverston and it will be my third. One of the reasons I use them is they always give you two free nights on their adjacent site. Someone attends to explain how everything works (if you are unfamiliar) and also their workshop staff can attend to any small problems. Apart from a deposit we have always paid just before leaving i.e. after a two night test.
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If you are buying from a dealer £500 should be the maximum and should always be put on a credit card to protect you if you have problems. There is no need to pay in advance these days as you can do a bank transfer at the time these days so both parties are protected.
If buying privately I would not pay a deposit unless it was through something like Paypal and not until you are happy with the purchase.
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