2017 Buccaneer Galera 2 Vans and Counting
Hi All
Well where do i start... Maybe to say how disappointed the whole family is at this point, the first school holidays of 2017 and after placing an order for the new 2017 Buccaneer Galera ( Ultimate family Caravan, as per the sales buff ) in August 2016- 2 vans delivered and we won't be going anywhere next week !!!
We have just, what i though, was upgrading from our 2015 Coachmen Vision £18k to the new 2017 Buccaneer Galera £32K and have to say Coachman put Buccaneer to shame when it comes to quality control and build quality, customer services and to be fair everything so far as I'm yet to hear from Buccaneer so don't know what they are thinking...My thread may get a little confusing so bear with me please, as I'm all over the place with this and completed gutted...Money isn't easy and myself and wife work hard to provide for our family so the step yo such a van was a big one and its proven so fair to be beyond a joke!! to the point my wife and kids have cried and I'm fuming....
Here goes.. So we loved the new layout of the Galera and after looking at the Compass Camino and Avante we felt to get anywhere near the finish of the coachman we would need to have the Bucanneeer as its sold as the ultimate in quality bla bla bla.. and upon our first visit to one we agreed, it looked stunning, nicely finished and very solid so we took the plunge.. This was August last year and as such was nice and early for the 2017 range and should have got our van in December. we went to the NEC caravan show in September all excited and came away completely happy we had chosen the right van for us and we were even more excited about our delivery. Well December came and went, delayed dye to no stock of the wheel locks! which in fact dint drive even when the van did in January. !! So the call came, the van had arrived and off we went for our hand over and collection. we arrived at the dealership, Which i will not name at the moment as they are trying to resolve and i don't think i can, at this point give them credit or negativity until they either resolve or don't then i can give me true opinion of the dealer. We look around the van and straight away noticed a dent in the plastic hitch cover/shrouding where the nose had been let down to low onto the jockey wheel, the rear window on the bottom bunk had been part sealed with sealant, we enter the van after moving everything out of the coachman we traded in, to be treated by the front of the fridge cover/control buttons hanging off, we opened the fridge door and it wouldn't close it hits the surround then all became apparent, the kitchen area had not been installed correctly as it was all fighting with each part as out of alinement, and to make it worse however, the dealer or Buccaneer had tried to sort it out but still let it go out for delivery, there was a screw driver mark to other side of the fridge/wooden surround, a filler piece of wood that runs top the side of the fridge had been snapped off trying to release pressure against the side of fridge and give enough moment, the splash back they make a big point about was all marked where the vinyl was peeling off as its twisted and pulling away from the window frame, the top draw wouldn't open with out extreme force, the top cupboard doors need to be pushed hard to click close as they needed lifting.. So the kitchens crap !!!! then we move onto the rear wall/bathroom side wall going strip that came away in my fingers as not glued, the pieces of last trim that had been left on my kids mattress.. i give up !!! may be best to have a look at the video i placed on you tube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yz0Q0skJEU&t=5s
So after no one at the dealership could give us a clear answer of what will happen, and the fact we had swapped everything over in the rain and the day was running out, and the fact the kids did not want to go home after waiting so long for the new van, we stayed the night, in the morning i refused to accept the van, why should i , why should it be repaired, why did i get it in the first place !!! so we left
a couple of ays later we get a call from the dealer saying they have new one coming, will be with them a week later, a week later nothing, i cal , i get told finally its with them and i can collect this weekend, the following day i get another call !! thats today, am I'm told the new van has a ding !! a ding !! on the side at the back... we can get it repair at your convince or collect it on another day !! hold on its half term, we are meant to be going away ! can't take the coachman as i no longer have a hitch lock, wheel locks or waste collection as all sold... sorry kids no holiday this week!! so when will the replacement be here!! Buccaneer close on a friday afternoon you will have to wait until Monday, but our next van is due in May.. MAY !!! i ordered in August, why should i haver to wait till may as your last 2 vans are crap...So the dealer gets hold of there sales rep! sorry can't confirm what the stock is so wait till Monday... And can i at this point add, I, The customer , has yet to have any communication with anyone, well apart form the automated message today telling me there shut, from anyone at Buccaneer . So please, before you choose to part with over 30K beware, it may just be use but i bought £300 trailer for my farther inlay for Christmas, it had a problem and the service i received from the supplier/manufacture was second to none... and none is what communication i have had with buccaneer ... don't be blinded into thinking buying a premier caravan, ultimate in family luxury etc etc and all the other sales rubbish they fill you will result in a premier service as to be totally frank to this point its been appalling !!!!
So what do we do, anyone have any advise or feedback on what we are having to deal with, any help or feedback would be great as we feel out on a limb at the moment and really have had enough, what should have been a great experience especially buying new, is getting us down...thanks and again sorry for the dribble but i can't express just how we feel...
Comments
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You may also wish to seek advice from the CAB, they are also very good.
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Don't accept any repair on anything.
Reject van.
Money back.
As above advice.
JK
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Reject the caravan for a few minor problems, ridiculous IMO.
If that's all my present caravan had wrong with it i would have been over the moon.
I had over 40 faults with my Bailey 4 major ones, lots of minor ones.
Look at the video before posting.
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Thanks xtrailman for your reply,
Should we have to accept any faults when buying new?? if i wanted to or willing to accept faults ( minor in your opinion ) or otherwise them i would have bought second hand.. not when i buy new thanks all the same...
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I think maybe peoples perception of "a few minor problems" has helped fuel the shoddy workmanship we often see today. If I bought a brand new van that had over 40 faults including 4 major ones I would have rejected it. Surely if enough people refused to accept and pay good money for a rubbish product we might see a change in builders attitude to their customers?
JK
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I did refuse to pay for it, unlike the op, until the faults on delivery were sorted.
So it stood on the forecourt for nearly a month until it was sorted to my satisfaction. I could have rejected it, but that would have involved months waiting for another to arrive.
It was during a February so before my touring years starts.. It is around 6 months for my on order caravan to arrive, so i have no intention of rejecting a caravan for such minor problems.
The fridge being centralised would be my first request for rectification.
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You and your family must be devastated.
Surely the dealer is supposed to do a PDI check on the van before handing it over to the customer.
If this dealer did do a PDI did he not notice these faults or did he notice them and think they were acceptable or that the customer might not notice and that he would get away with it?
Or did the dealer not do a PDI and was content to leave that for the customer to do?
Or did he do such a slipshod PDI that he did not notice any faults?
Which of the above was it? None are acceptable.
The buyer should not have been advised that his van was ready for collection until it was in perfect order.
The more buyers accept nonsense like this from dealers and manufacturers the more this type of thing will continue. So I am with the OP - make them get it right.
squip
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Why are manufacturers expecting dealers to sort out deficiencies in construction in the first place?
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Not a very good dealer PDI check either. One day dealers will learn to do PDI checks properly.
I would use my own solicitor and get them to write to the dealer telling them you are rejecting the van and that you want a replacement or your money back plus compensation and out of pocket expenses. If you paid for the van or any part of it by credit card or finance then let them know what is going on.
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I don't disagree with xtrailman in terms of the number of faults, like him we have a vast amount with our Sterling although non presented themselves at handover, they developed over the 10 months.
I think the OP has every right to expect their caravan to be absolutely perfect and there is no way the dealer should have even attempted to hand it over. The cost of the van in my opinion is irrelevent, if you were spending £18,000 or £32,000, you should not have anything present.
For me, I'd have been getting van no 1 rectified by the dealer and I'd have been looking for some sort of financial remedy as well, but we are all different.
Unfortunately damage does occur after delivery from the factory. I work for a large motor dealership and if the public knew what happened to some cars before they leave port they would be horrified. We had a car arrive last month where it had been dropped resulting in significant underbody damage. If we'd have signed for it, the manufacturer would have transfered all responsibility to us.
Oh and those heavy chains they use to secure cars on the top deck? They make an interesting mess when Bob the transporter driver accidentally drops it onto the bonded glass roof of the car below. What happens in that situation: Car written off? Not at all, straight back to port, new roof, new paint and a bit of a clean and polish.
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