Poor service

[The Wino]

We will be visiting Van Bitz next month for the third time for our third strikeback alarm and lithium conversion. This will not be cheap but I figure it will be worth it for the peace of mind that comes with quality workmanship and components, and renowned after sales service, not that I have ever needed the latter.
I was quoted almost half the price for a dealer fit alarm but I figured that would likely not provide much of a protection for our investment.
Interestingly when we had our first strikeback fitted in 2007 it was very wet the night before including inside the van due to a useless installation of the satellite dish. VB fixed that foc whilst installing the alarm.
I agree with others that the service you get from others very much depends on how you approach. An hour and half waiting on the telephone queue to HMRC last week before I got put through to the person that could help me. I figured it was not her fault and she was likely to be subject to some aggressiveness during her working day. So I was very polite and in return we had a very productive conversation with all my queries answered.

If I get frustrated enough to complain about things like the waiting time I always try to remember to say to the person who eventually answers that my comments are aimed at the company not them. I don't usually complain as I realise it's a complete waste of time and just means that the next person is kept waiting even longer!

 

[nicholsong]

I agree with others that the service you get from others very much depends on how you approach. An hour and half waiting on the telephone queue to HMRC last week before I got put through to the person that could help me. I figured it was not her fault and she was likely to be subject to some aggressiveness during her working day. So I was very polite and in return we had a very productive conversation with all my queries answered.

And did she agree to meet you for dinner, you smoothie?

 

[Feltwell]

I'm happy to fit many things myself, but I certainly wouldn't expect a business whose trade it is to fit them to offer free backup - beyond if I bought the item from them, to maybe expect some quick phone advice if I had a query.

First point of reference is usually the internet these days, chances are whatever you are trying to do someone has done it before.

If I've got something requiring installation that I'm not happy to do myself then I absolutely shop by recommendation and reputation rather than by price.

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

I am pretty loyal to the trades that I use when building houses and most of the time end up paying more than the cheapest quote as I would rather use chaps I trust and know and a few £k more is not the end of the world.
I also like to use local suppliers and manage that mostly but you always get one that is a complete nightmare.
£25k Contract to a local door supplier, doors we’re special order from Germany 10 week wait and the first one came with hinges on wrong side then I checked the second one before they ordered and they had that wrong!!
Some people you just can’t help

 

[Tea Bag]

Hi.
eddievanbitz.Came to your stall/unit at a Caravan show B/ham some years ago when we had a c/van and enquired about a " Part ". It was about a £1.000 'ish. You had advanced knowledge of how the market was going and advised against it.
You have a great reputation on here and respect from me,who bought nothing. Enjoy being " Retired ? " " Retired ? " Where have i heard THAT before......... Give you a couple of weeks..
Tea Bag

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[ChrisL]

Well, as an ex function band musician I am well aware of this. Always gobsmaked that they think they can hire a piece band for a few hundred quid. For a wedding do we arrive and set up at say 6pm, finish at 2am. An hour to pack up. 6 people 9 hours for a few hundred quid. That's not accounting for transport coasts, expensive gear, and years/decades of practise involved.

My experience as well, I ran a ten piece band (12 if you count the sound guys) for over 20 years, often people would call or email and say we saw you at such and such event and you were brilliant, how much would it be to do our event and are then shocked when the fee has four numbers in it, I think they think that because we enjoy what we do, we should do it for free or a couple of beers.

 

[Gromett]

This is the reason I stopped dealing with members of the public and concentrate on business clients these days. There is a better chance that a client who operates their own business understands the value of my services.
When I first started doing the freelance/consultancy I went in cheap to get some jobs in so I could build up a rating on the platform. I very quickly stopped offering cheap jobs because it attracted "that type" of client.

I now turn down personal jobs that are not for businesses immediately and without even quoting.

 

[the1andonly]

Buying stuff is quite a complex affair. As a manufacturing engineer i have had to castigate many a purchasing manager whose remit is to get the cheapest price irelative that his penny saving has cost me a drop in yield from 96% to 70% on a £2k product or similar small savings add an extra cleaning process. A plant manager once told me of a situation where we keept losing quotes to the cheapest (by a long way) and on talking to the customers we had lost they were more than happy. So the question to ask of cheap competitors is "what do they know that we don't know" or "what do we know that they dont". On specifying capitol equipment i used to use a method based on a prioritization matrix, still occassionaly use it at home.
buying for home if the requirement is a one off eg a tool a cheap one will do if its need is limmeted if its indended for repeated use buy a goodun.
I am currently in a dilema .next post

 

[DuxDeluxe]

We have a friend that has cost himself a fortune trying to save money.
He will hunt out the cheepest option for something / anything and then decrys the fact it's not well put together.

I think that we all know someone like that. Buys cheapest and then carries on moaning endlessly about it

 

[DuxDeluxe]

Some things I buy the cheapest as I think they're basically a commodity ( like diesel some like to buy from a garage rather than supermarket as they think it's better quality I've run cars and the MH on supermarket diesel for years with no problems) other things I buy on recommendation like our builder others somewhere Inbetween.

A bit like power tools. Nearly all of mine are Aldi/Lidl/Cheapo things as their used is lightweight and infrequent

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[the1andonly]

Dilema
My wifes attitude to spending is sometimes different to mine. Shes from Yorkshire.
We are currently about to buy 2 folding e-bikes. I got her to commit to spending £1500 each (small lie as are £1600) now there is one issue i can see that being single speed may not be upto some hills in Wales Specifically (Mirider one) the other model has a range of updates that i dont see as necisssary other than 3 gears, the price jumps to £2500. My instinct is if she would commit to £2500 i would buy Bromptons at £3500 .
There is one other factor in putting me off a Mirider " Gadget John " reccomends them.
Any owners here to reassure me.

 

[15isto2]

Not always about price but sometimes also trust. I had my boiler replaces about 3 years ago and got 3 quotes. British gas, very professional and quoted ridiculously high price and said I also needed a new gas pipe which would involve taking up the floor. Local contractor A reasonable price but also wanted a new gas pipe they would run around the outside of the house! Local contractor B (large local firm) reasonable price (mid range between the others) great knowledge, knew my ancient boiler (remembered when it first launched about 30 years ago!) explained that I did not need a new gas pipe depending on the boiler I chose and gave my options.

Went with Local contractor B, not the cheapest, not the most expensive but the one who actually impressed me as a tradesperson and I would likely have gone with if he had been more expensive.

Now if it comes to food.. some things I am happy with own brands as it tastes similar or better to name brands but come to baked beans and only Heinz will do as I cant find anything nearly as good

 

[ChrisL]

Dilema
My wifes attitude to spending is sometimes different to mine. Shes from Yorkshire.
We are currently about to buy 2 folding e-bikes. I got her to commit to spending £1500 each (small lie as are £1600) now there is one issue i can see that being single speed may not be upto some hills in Wales Specifically (Mirider one) the other model has a range of updates that i dont see as necisssary other than 3 gears, the price jumps to £2500. My instinct is if she would commit to £2500 i would buy Bromptons at £3500 .
There is one other factor in putting me off a Mirider " Gadget John " reccomends them.
Any owners here to reassure me.

I would by one good one and give the Mrs a cross bar or better still get her to give you a crossie.

 

[the1andonly]

I would by one good one and give the Mrs a cross bar or better still get her to give you a crossie.

Unfortunately they don't have crossbars.

 

[berni109]

How anyone who has to deal with the buying public and keeps their sanity is beyond me. What the chancers try on is unbelievable.
BUT if I purchase something that is not as described or fails prematurely then I do expect it to be rectified.
As far as expecting some other supplier to respond to problems that they have not had a part in - dream on!
Goodwill gestures are almost always appreciated but if the gesture is costing time money and inconvenience then why would you.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Otter Spotter]

I would buy an electric tandem, should be cheaper than 2 bikes because you’ve saved the cost of 2 wheels!

 

[davidroxburgh]

I assume Eddie you are talking of after purchase extras not the motorhome? If so then what I look for is expertise in the particular product and the fitting of it. For example you and Ash were helpful when I was contemplating a drop in lithium battery but had good vehicle wiring solar controller etc. You said that would work - the background being that VanBitz were booked around 2 months odd forward! Indeed AshVanBitz gave me 45 minutes without charge going over my thoughts after we camped at your site.
If I find a choice of similar firms then price would play a part. My beef is that quite a lot of dealers seem not to be adequately equipped or staffed to look after the vehicles they sell and worse still often fit extras when they do not have adequate expertise. I have been lucky in coming across 2 local firms each founded/run by highly skilled folk who have left large dealers. The first is Reliance at Chichester and the other is Andy Bottle.
At the risk of being negative about UK vans, it was quickly clear that my German van was both well made well specced and the extras very well fitted.
So for me finding the firm with the expertise is critical and that is not easy. Sorry if I have not quite answered your exact questions!

 

[BillandHelen]

One of the reasons we bought a Wildax, after having a series of IH campers, is that they were happy for me to take the van back to the factory for any required Aftersales work. Always liked the idea that they knew exactly how it was built and had the spares ready to hand. They have been excellent.

For our upgrade to lithium, would only use either vanbitz or Roadpro, their knowledge, reputation and helpfulness both superb. Our Aftersales from Roadpro has been excellent, we selected NDS batteries and inverter and Votronic b2b. Would highly recommend Damien their expert “fitter”.

For the same reason would only ever use Mick at SAP for levellers and suspension.

And as we are from Edinburgh, it’s a big drive to any of these necessitating stays at their workshops etc, but definitely worth it in my opinion.

 

[2x2camper]

Dilema
My wifes attitude to spending is sometimes different to mine. Shes from Yorkshire.
We are currently about to buy 2 folding e-bikes. I got her to commit to spending £1500 each (small lie as are £1600) now there is one issue i can see that being single speed may not be upto some hills in Wales Specifically (Mirider one) the other model has a range of updates that i dont see as necisssary other than 3 gears, the price jumps to £2500. My instinct is if she would commit to £2500 i would buy Bromptons at £3500 .
There is one other factor in putting me off a Mirider " Gadget John " reccomends them.
Any owners here to reassure me.

We have a couple of Miriders, now 18 months old. Great for what we do with them. They will cope with hills but that will reduce the range if there are lots of hills. Our use will only get us 15 to 20 miles on each charge

 

[carolyn]

Would much rather pay extra for someone good and trustworthy. We’re just nearing the end of a building project that also involves a big kitchen diner. Our builder has project managed the lot. There’s only been one day when no-one was here and that was because he and his son got ahead of schedule! Every workman has been great, even with my “while you’re here” requests.

We’ve known our builder since he was a teenager, he’s the stonemason now for repairs on Sherborne Abbey. We had to wait a few months but worth it.

Like Vanbitz.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[ShiftZZ]

Many years ago, I decided to add a satellite dish to my autosleeper. It was installed by a well known dealer, it was forever blowing a fuse, took it back loads of times. Not impressed.

Wanted solar and gaslow fitting, asked on Fun and was recommended by two Funsters for a mobile dealer/installer not far from where I live. The cabling through the roof leaked, he had put two cables through one grommet, Turned up at Misterton and Terry did a fix. The gaslow was not as I requested, the second leisure battery the ‘link’ between them was using a thin cable and a crocodile clip, identified by Simon. Again not happy.

Had an issue with the van took it to a well known nut no longer a dealer on fun Mr. Knowitall, Pompus git, didn’t do the work as agreed, wouldn’t go there to change a fuse, if he paid me.

I have used Venture Caravans, Motorhomes & Campervans, Watford gap, no issues at all, they quote a price and more often than not they come under the price. Matt the Workshop manager is really good.

Before the Carthago, I always went to BR Cartronics for my servicing, would still be going there but the van is too big. Bernard is a man full of knowledge and will not give up.

I did have semi air suspension and hydraulic levelers put on and they both failed, I do contact them and on my return Mick did sort it out, I was just unlucky.

Now Vanbitz. To be completely honest (this is going to be hard to swallow) I have had two alarms put on my vans and the most recent one, solar, plus lithium etc etc, When we had the two solar put on we went away to the beach and one solar stopped working, rang Eddie and he was prepared to send an engineer to fix, I declined as we were ok and coming back past his place a few days later, the van was fixed and Eddie gave us free camping.

The stuff we have had put on I am confident its done properly, yes Eddie and his team are not the cheapest, but as far as I can tell they do not cut corners and the job is a good un. I have so far full confidence in Vanbitz, but not in Eddies rugby predictions and analysis. The saving grace is Ash and Lynn both being Welsh, that’s Eddies saving grace,

Its true, you only get what you pay for and I am certain in the knowledge that if something went wrong with the stuff Vanbitz have installed, it would get fixed.

Now that Eddie has retired, I wonder if they have fitted a tracker on his bathchair.

 

[Feltwell]

An important part of service is what happens when things go wrong, because they will - at every company - just like ShiftZZ says above.

I took my van in to a garage I know for a new CV joint. Several hours later, I get a very sheepish phone call - "Have you got a spare set of keys? As we've lost yours".

I wasn't best pleased, but there is no point in getting narky with them. The mechanic in question was mortified and had already spent 3 hours looking for them. He came in the following day at 5am just to look for them whilst no one else was about. They didn't turn up, but they paid for a new set no questions asked.

If I thought they weren't bothered, then I would have been angry. But they had clearly just made a mistake, like we all do. After all, the person who never makes a mistake never does anything.

 

[funflair]

I would buy an electric tandem, should be cheaper than 2 bikes because you’ve saved the cost of 2 wheels!

You might think so but the bad news is they are a bit niche market so the price goes up

Dilema
My wifes attitude to spending is sometimes different to mine. Shes from Yorkshire.
We are currently about to buy 2 folding e-bikes. I got her to commit to spending £1500 each (small lie as are £1600) now there is one issue i can see that being single speed may not be upto some hills in Wales Specifically (Mirider one) the other model has a range of updates that i dont see as necisssary other than 3 gears, the price jumps to £2500. My instinct is if she would commit to £2500 i would buy Bromptons at £3500 .
There is one other factor in putting me off a Mirider " Gadget John " reccomends them.
Any owners here to reassure me.

Think Ditcha have MiRider.

 

[Northernraider]

I don't think it's just price , it's often distance and convenience.

I had a quote for someone to build and fit a full length roof rack on my merc vario , price is great and the guy has a good reputation for building these . But I'm in Scotland and he's in Kent, so £1200 for the roofrack but 14- 18 hours driving and £400 + in diesel to take the van down there means I'll likely get someone closer to do it

 

[poacher]

I am now fortunately of that business age / age in life when if the first question out of their mouth is "how much to .........." - the answer is now regularly "clearly more than you want to pay, goodbye" - click.

Solicitors are the worst - "how much to ................ ??" - about twice what you will charge me to sell my house - "I will need to know how much you are selling your house for / where it is / any issues etc, etc " - touché / click

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[DerryW]

In this life you get what you pay for. If your happy with a pair of jeans for a tenner from the local bargin store, that'll last a couple of months, thats fine, but if you want a pair that'll last a year or two and cost £60 thats also fine. The important thing is not moaning to the retailer about the quaity of the pair that cost you a tenner.

 

[The Wino]

In this life you get what you pay for. If your happy with a pair of jeans for a tenner from the local bargin store, that'll last a couple of months, thats fine, but if you want a pair that'll last a year or two and cost £60 thats also fine. The important thing is not moaning to the retailer about the quaity of the pair that cost you a tenner.

Some though might be happy with a pair that last a year or two and aren't bothered what label is on them! I think branded clothes are one of the biggest cons out there

 

[DerryW]

Agree.