Has anyone had bad experiences with travel world
Travel world
- Thread starter Mart grump
- Start date
The Facebook Hymer owner group seem to have many less than happy members with them. They used to have a discount arrangement with Travelworld, but so many members had problems that they switched to Southdowns who are now the preferred supplier, seemingly they are more professional and generally a far better outfit.
I wanted to buy a motorhome from their stock but I needed an oven. They assured me that it was not possible to fit one into that layout. So I bought elsewhere and later found that an oven would have fitted. They just wanted a quick, no bother sale. Take it or leave it.
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scotjimland
LIFE MEMBER
Bought my USRV from them in 2005 when they only sold RVs.. had no problems, any issues were resolved quickly and without fuss ... but that was almost 20 years ago, times change and possibly different staff now,.
I think you may find it difficult to find anyone with good experiences of the company.
If you are interested in a Hymer, then Travelworld is worth a visit as they will have most of the models in stock.
However under no circumstances should you buy from them.
To say that their reputation is dreadful is an understatement.
In the next few years Hymer will either drop them as a dealer,
or,
insist on a total change of staff from the top down
as they are not doing Hymers reputation any good at all.
Do you have any evidence to back up your assertions or is this pure speculation?
I would agree that they have had more than there fair share of criticism but you're claiming to know the intentions of 2 companies. Unless you have insider knowledge maybe you should make it clear that its just a guess.
My Guess is that while Travelworld are shifting sufficient numbers of new Mh's then Hymer will leave them alone. Hymer let Brownhills carry on for years and they were far worse.
Jim
Ringleader
Difficult to find anyone with a good experience, that is a damning statement, have you tried? My experiences with them over the years has been excellent. I've said as much many times, you probably don't remember, but I'm sure if I reported a bad experience, you'd have remembered that.
Check out their Google reviews. Spend about 20 minutes among them, click through the reviewers profiles to see that it seems the vast majority are from real motorhome owning people, some of them Funsters I notice, reporting good experiences. So not too difficult at all.
In fact they have more 5 star reviews than many main dealers. There are a few one star reviews too. It's a reminder that while some customers may report their one side of a bad experience, the broader perspective can often tell a different story.
As an aside...As a business, have you ever tried to get a genuine bad google review removed? Best of luck with that.
Yes there have been some terrible tales of woe reported here, but a dozen bad experiences over 20 years on a forum can be amplified and repeated over and over..
This unchecked, leads to the pile-ons. The "I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole" comments from people who have no experience of the company other than they have read comments from others who have no experience of the company.
It becomes that pathetic internet noise, that forums used to be famous for, thankfully these days, much of that noise is on facebook.
Generic damning posts like the one I've quoted here, are typical of the pile-on rubbish that gives communities like this one a bad name. Not only does it break the rules here, (rule 2) but could get me sued.
The rules are clear. If you have an experience about a company, positive or negative, we encourage you to share it in a way that is factual and helpful to others IN A REVIEW.
The generalised public slagging off in threads! No, leave that to Facebook. We don't do it here. Thanks.
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I have never purchased a motorhome from them but have found their service offering and warranty support to be pretty dire. Examples include basic stuff like promising to call back and not bothering, very slow processing of warranty claims, price gouging (£675 for damp and habitation check).
- Apr 6, 2019
- 5,019
- 10,150
- Funster No
- 59,702
- MH
- RV
- Exp
- FourWinds Windsport 6.8L V10
They have helped a few RV owners I know and their knowledge in RV's appears to be growing - can't comment on UK/Euro builds.
Mikey RV
LIFE MEMBER
They have also let a lot of RV owners down in the past inc me. But that was a long time ago and I would hope they have improved now.
when we were looking for a new Moho we visited Travelworld and to be honest came away less than impressed and looked elsewhere. We eventually bought from Southdowns (we changed our mind about a Hymer and went for a Burstner) and have been very happy with their service, backup and responsiveness.
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Pappy
LIFE MEMBER
- Dec 7, 2017
- 414
- 2,995
- Funster No
- 51,592
- MH
- Carthago Compactline
- Exp
- Since 2017. Before had caravan, folding camper and various tents.
We bought our Carthago from them, second hand. It was a good deal (I don't think they wanted a Carthago on their forecourt) . Liked some of the staff but overall our experience was that they were poor for aftersales.
Why not, they get paid for it
- May 5, 2022
- 2,038
- 15,082
- Funster No
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- Hymer B778 PL
- Exp
- Since 1992
Not wanting to tell any untruths all I will say is that the buying experience that we had in May 2020 was excellent. Follow up parts ordered fine. They have now changed how you contact them. You can no longer phone parts or service, you have to complete an online contact form and wait for them to contact you, which can take a while.
As far as the servicing and damp checks are concerned they are double the cost of what I would expect.
I asked for a quote to change the cam belt on a Fiat 2.3 diesel in an AClass Hymer. Their quote is below. Main Iveco dealers was £1,050.00. I got it done by a registered workshop for £650.00.
Summary. Buying is good, the remainder is not so good.
As far as the servicing and damp checks are concerned they are double the cost of what I would expect.
I asked for a quote to change the cam belt on a Fiat 2.3 diesel in an AClass Hymer. Their quote is below. Main Iveco dealers was £1,050.00. I got it done by a registered workshop for £650.00.
Summary. Buying is good, the remainder is not so good.
- Sep 7, 2017
- 1,633
- 7,286
- Funster No
- 50,394
I agree, the post is a far too sweeping statement maybe even defamatory. It is also very unfair, so I will give our experience.
We bought from them and have had no problems with them. The advisors have been helpful and the annual work done well. A while ago I rang to ask how to remove something on the vehicle, and the technician sent me a video of him doing it... all free.
They are expensive and for that reason only we will get the annual checks done locally once our water ingress warranty has expired. But I would not hesitate to buy from them again.
We purchased our first MH, an RV from them and had excellent service, BUT it was many many years ago, and I'd be surprised if any of the personnel we met are still working. Most adverse comments seem to date from the major financial investment in turning a medium sized RV dealer into what it is now. Unfortunately for dealers, I work on the principle of there's no smoke without a fire, and why deal with somebody where there's a chance, however remote, of encountering problems.
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We bought our Hymer from "I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole" Brownhills. We went in with eyes open as it was the van we wanted. We had excellent service.
Every issue was dealt with. Communication was great. After they lost the franchise we needed a spare part and asked Travelworld for a quote. 3 times I rang and emailed and was promised a reply. It never happened. Rang Brownhills on the off chance. Not only did they still have the part, it was ordered and delivered within 3 days. I still ring them for advise and they are still happy to help and always ring back.
These are just my experiences. But If you go in expecting the worse, you may be surprised
Every issue was dealt with. Communication was great. After they lost the franchise we needed a spare part and asked Travelworld for a quote. 3 times I rang and emailed and was promised a reply. It never happened. Rang Brownhills on the off chance. Not only did they still have the part, it was ordered and delivered within 3 days. I still ring them for advise and they are still happy to help and always ring back.
These are just my experiences. But If you go in expecting the worse, you may be surprised
Then you won’t deal with anyone as crap happens when in business, it’s then how the business responds to the situation that influences me more.
I've had over 10 years service with Travelworld/Erwin Hymer Centre. My feelings on it;
"Some good, some not so good but none has been dire. I was pleased with Annabelle and her team at Travelworld in Telford. It started to go wrong at Telford when Annabelle disappeared and it discouraged the Technicians from talking to customers. It seemed that the conversations had to go through the office staff. In Stafford it is the same except some of the office staff are customer orientated. It has done three cam belts, some servicing and repairs for me. My last cam belt was a year ago just before EHC put up the prices! The work has been to a good standard.
To me, Erwin Hymer Centre has a business model and it sticks to it. I accept what I think it is and I pick and choose when I use it. If I bought a new Hymer I would go to Erwin Hymer. If I wanted a Habitation check, I'd think it would be way over my price!"
Bottom line is that I bought an Arto and Hymer from 2000 & 2005 and had them serviced by Hambilton and Hymer out of Preston. These firms knew what customer service is so I give them 10/10. I give Erwin Hymer somewhat less.
"Some good, some not so good but none has been dire. I was pleased with Annabelle and her team at Travelworld in Telford. It started to go wrong at Telford when Annabelle disappeared and it discouraged the Technicians from talking to customers. It seemed that the conversations had to go through the office staff. In Stafford it is the same except some of the office staff are customer orientated. It has done three cam belts, some servicing and repairs for me. My last cam belt was a year ago just before EHC put up the prices! The work has been to a good standard.
To me, Erwin Hymer Centre has a business model and it sticks to it. I accept what I think it is and I pick and choose when I use it. If I bought a new Hymer I would go to Erwin Hymer. If I wanted a Habitation check, I'd think it would be way over my price!"
Bottom line is that I bought an Arto and Hymer from 2000 & 2005 and had them serviced by Hambilton and Hymer out of Preston. These firms knew what customer service is so I give them 10/10. I give Erwin Hymer somewhat less.
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- Oct 12, 2009
- 12,518
- 28,349
- Funster No
- 8,876
- MH
- A Class N+B Arto 69GL
- Exp
- Since 2009
It can be worse when the organisation creates the crap with a deliberate and illegal decision.
My contact was with Hymer (UK) at Preston, owned by Brownhills. I was a driver for a travel firm and just limited time between jobs. They showed me a N&B Arto 69GL and I said wanted to buy it subject to a full inspection next week when I could return. I left a cheque for a 10% deposit.
I phoned on the Monday to arrange the inspection, only to be told that the had sold it over the w/e. They had not banked the cheque but I considered it a breach of an oral contract and it was sold illegally, because there was that contract in existence.
This example does not speak just about bad service but bad ethics and illegal dealing.
I know that Brownhills are under different ownership now, but the new owners would have been well-advised to just take over the premises, re-negotiate the dealerships in a new name and start afresh without the 'bad' name, instead of riding out the bad history.
The decision to retain the Brownhills name makes me doubt the integrity of the new owners.
[Edit - Because Aspenshaw, in post #23 mentioned dates I should clarify that my dealing with Hymer at Preston was probably 2007.
Peter Hambilton was a big loss to Hymer owners and to the ethics and expertise of MH service in general. He retired but is he still OK?
Last comment - I have not noticed Hymer Group nor Thor Industries making much change to N&B at Polch, where we have had good service.]
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Yes, I have bought N&B spares from them and they are very efficient.Has anyone had good experiences with Travel World?
DJT
I think as someone else mentioned, they have a business model and they stick to it, that model does not race to the bottom with prices but does probably give a resonable service.
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No. I ever got that far. Their £160 per hour labour charge for a bit of clean spannering 4 months ago made me go elsewhere.
Dave
Basildog
LIFE MEMBER
- Feb 21, 2018
- 2,454
- 4,882
- Funster No
- 52,506
I can understand why customers always believe that businesses are charging them too much as the headline figure for labour often looks expensive.
Knowing what our fixed costs are at the moment for a relatively small business I can only imagine what their starting point would have to be .
It might sound petty but seeing a customer who is determined to keep staff chatting is infuriating , why most businesses now separate technical staff from the customer.
We have recently started rigorously enforcing a no customers in the workshop policy.
Knowing what our fixed costs are at the moment for a relatively small business I can only imagine what their starting point would have to be .
It might sound petty but seeing a customer who is determined to keep staff chatting is infuriating , why most businesses now separate technical staff from the customer.
We have recently started rigorously enforcing a no customers in the workshop policy.
That is about the right hourly rate for the type of operation that they are running.
i.e very similar price to higher end cars.
N&B look to be running in their own sphere, something that interested me is that they don't use the same electrical suppliers as Hymer. N&B use the Italian brand (name escapes me) and they manufacture in slightly different ways to Hymer. So not maximising economies of scale.
When I toured N&B last October they looked like they could survive on their own but that was not always the case.
They wanted 1.5 hours labour to fit a factory door latch. It's something that doesn't need many tools and no specialist equipment. It's not rocket science. And not worth £240.
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