Owner Satisfaction Awards 2014 Over the past year we’ve asked readers to give us their feedback on buying and owning a caravan. Now we reveal the results. Don’t buy your next caravan before reading the following pages!
WELCOME TO THIS, our second Practical Caravan Owner Satisfaction Awards, which is the only awards scheme in the press today that features both new and pre-owned caravans and their supplying dealers. Using information based entirely on owners’ experiences and judgements, we’ve come up with satisfaction scores for the manufacturers and suppliers (dealers). We’ve awarded those who have impressed you one of our coveted and prestigious Gold or Silver Awards. Buying any caravan can be a complicated business. Not only do you have to track down a van that suits your needs and is within your price range, you also have to find a dealer or private seller to whom you’re happy to hand over your cash. Factor in the possibility that it’ll cost a fair wedge of your ‘hard-earned’, then add your emotional involvement with caravanning as a leisure pursuit,
and it soon becomes clear how important it is that the whole process goes as smoothly as possible. At Practical Caravan we are well aware that, while the majority of people are satisfied with their dealer and manufacturer, there are both saints and sinners out there. There’s always room for improvement, and we believe it’s time all retailers and manufacturers put the customer first and that owners’ experiences achieved wider recognition. At Practical Caravan, you’re all equally important to us whether you have spent £500 or £50,000 on your caravan, and we believe in telling it how it is – however uncomfortable that may be for owners, dealers or manufacturers. Turn over the page to find out the results. “We believe in telling it how it is!” Awards coordinator, Gentleman Jack Bancroft
We run the Owner Satisfaction Survey in association with specialist insurer Coast, which is committed to ensuring quality customer service. Tel 0800 614 849, www.coastinsurance.co.uk
www.practicalcaravan.com | MARCH 2014 | 83
Owner Satisfaction Awards 2014
Survey results New caravans Manufacturers
Supplying dealers
Gold Awards
Gold Awards
Satisfaction scores awarded by respondents
Satisfaction scores awarded by respondents
Adria
97.5%
Sprite (Swift Group)â€
94.5%
Silver Awards Coachman
84%
Bailey
83%
Lunar/Venus
82%
Swift (SG)
81%
Sterling (SG)
80%
Elddis
80%
2013 Awards Gold Bailey, Sprite (SG) Silver Adria, Bessacarr (SG), Compass (Elddis), Vanmaster, Sterling (SG), Coachman, Lunar/Venus, Swift (SG), Abbey (SG), Elddis
TOP 5 SELLERS OF NEW CARAVANS TO RESPONDENTS WERE (IN DESCENDING ORDER) 1 Reading/Swindon/Oxford Caravan Centres 2 Chichester Caravans 3 Catterick Caravans 4 Cambells Caravans 5 Highbridge Caravan Centre
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Leisure Sales (Cheshire) Caravan World (Essex) Sussex Caravan Centre Teeside Caravans (Cleveland) Top Road Tourers (Angus) North Staffordshire Caravans Dickinson Caravans (W Yorks) Bardsea Leisure (Cumbria)
95% 94% 94% 94% 93% 91% 88% 86%
Silver Awards Venture Caravans (Northants) Reads World of Leisure (Lancs) Chipping Sodbury Caravans (S Glos) Duncan Caravans (Lanarks) GT Towing (Herts) Roundstone Caravans (W Sussex) Stewart Longton Caravans (Lancs) Sharman Caravans (Suffolk) Newport Caravans (Gwent) Chichester Caravans (Hants/Worcs/Surrey/Sussex) Reading/Swindon/Oxford Caravan Centres (Berks/Wilts/Oxon) Derby Caravans Stowford Caravan Centre (Devon/Mid Glam) Grantham Caravans (Lincs) Golden Castle Caravans (Glos) Michael Jordan Caravans (Surrey) White Arches (Northants) S Yorks Motorhomes & Caravans David Hope (Suffolk) Raymond James (Warks) Salop Leisure (Shrops) Kimberley Caravans (Notts/Co Durham) Knowepark Caravans & Motorhomes (West Lothian) Highbridge Caravan Centre (Soms) Lowdham Leisureworld (Notts/ W Yorks) Brayford Leisure & Coupland Caravans (Lincs) Broad Lane Leisure (Warks) Flintshire Caravan Sales (Clwyd) Greentrees Adventurestore (Norfolk)
84% 83% 82% 82% 82% 82% 82% 81% 81% 80% 80% 79% 78% 77% 77% 77% 77% 76% 75% 75% 75% 74% 74% 73% 72% 70% 70% 70% 70%
2013 Awards Gold Dorvic Carvans, Stowford Caravan Centre, Salop Leisure, Grantham Caravans, Broad Lane Leisure, Lady Bailey Caravans, Chipping Sodbury Caravans, Kimberley Caravans Silver Michael Jordan Caravans, Torksey Caravans, Robinsons Caravans, Highbridge Caravan Centre, Chichester Caravans, Duncan Caravans, Lowdham Leisureworld, White Arches Caravans, Lee Davey Caravans, Leisure Sales, Greentrees Adventurestore
In association with
Without further ado, we’ll reveal the winners. But please also take the time to read our FAQ, Analysis and Myth Busting sections on the following pages.
Pre-owned caravans Manufacturers
Supplying dealers
Gold Awards
Gold Awards
Satisfaction scores awarded by respondents
Sterling (Swift Group) Adria
Satisfaction scores awarded by respondents
91% 89.5%
Coachman
89%
Lunar
88%
Bailey
87.5%
Swift (SG)
86%
Beechwood Leisure (N Yorks)
95%
Chipping Sodbury (S Glos)
92%
Newport Caravans (Gwent)
92%
GT Towing (Herts)
92%
Highbridge Caravan Centre (Soms)
91%
Northam Farm (Soms)
90%
Pearman Briggs (Glos)
88%
Pioneer Caravans (Cambs)
87%
Salop Leisure (Shrops)
87%
Silver Awards
Silver Awards
Elddis
82%
Sprite (SG)
84%
2013 Awards Gold Adria, Coachman, Abbey (SG), Ace (SG), Bailey, Sterling (SG), Avondale, Compass (Elddis) Silver Lunar, Elddis, Swift (SG), Sprite (SG), Bessacarr (SG)
TOP 5 SELLERS OF PRE-OWNED CARAVANS TO RESPONDENTS WERE (IN DESCENDING ORDER) 1 Reading/Swindon/Oxford Caravan Centres 2 The Caravan Company 3 Glossop Caravans 4 Lowdham Leisureworld 5 Michael Jordan Caravans
Don Amott Leisure (Derbys)
85%
Raymond James Caravans (Warks)
82%
Ropers Caravan World (N Yorks)
82%
Reading/Swindon/Oxon Caravan Centres (Berks/Wilts/Oxon)
82%
West Midlands Caravans (Warks)
81%
Venture Caravans (Northants)
80%
The Caravan Company (Leics/Northants/Berks/Dorset)
78%
Broad Lane Leisure (Warks)
78%
Grantham Caravans (Lincs)
78%
Reads World of Leisure (Lancs)
78%
Lowdham Leisureworld (Notts/W Yorks)
76%
White Arches Caravans (Northants)
75%
Robinsons Caravans (Derbys/Notts)
72%
Campbells (Lancs)
71%
Michael Jordan (Surrey)
70%
2013 Awards Gold Chichester Caravans, Highbridge Caravan Centre, Greentrees Adventurestore, White Arches Caravans, Lowdham Leisureworld, Chipping Sodbury Caravans, The Caravan Company, Knowepark Caravans and Motorhomes Silver Sussex Caravans, Stowford Caravan Centre, Glossop Caravans
www.practicalcaravan.com | MARCH 2014 | 85
In association with
Owner Satisfaction Awards 2014
Helping you to buy better
We reveal how we scored your responses to produce our satisfaction league tables
Why did you start this Qawards scheme?
A
Our most important aim was to open a channel of communication between folk about to buy and those who had already done so. This is realised by rewarding manufacturers and dealers who acheive consistently high levels of customer satisfaction, thereby driving up standards so that buying a caravan becomes less of a lottery. did you decide to Q Why feature pre-owned caravans in the survey?
A
We think it is vital to feature pre-owned vans because many of our readers buy them. We also feel that buyers of new and buyers of pre-owned models can gain valuable insights by seeing how the other group has rated products and services. For example, it gives buyers of new caravans an idea of how manufacturers’ older models are valued by owners, and some guidance on how they might stand up to years of use. Why don’t you call Q them 'second-hand' as most people do?
Athe caravan has only had
‘Second-hand’ suggests that
one previous owner and that you will be the second. In reality, many will have had more than one previous owner. reliable are the Q How survey results?
Aanalysed meticulously and Very. The responses were
the computations were undertaken by an independent data-processing company. Finally, a meaningful sample was checked by an auditor and the compiler subjected it to stress
and validity tests. We received 2332 useable responses, which is a mightily impressive number and a 34.8% increase on last year. This year pre-owned caravans were well up and counted for 47% of the responses, which shows how this market is strengthening after recession.
Q
How representative is the survey?
Areaders of the print or
Most responses were from
digital versions of the magazine and visitors to its website. Survey forms were also available at shows and dealers. We attracted a good cross section of those who bought new or pre-owned vans since January 2009 and owned them for at least six months. We know that some buy their new caravans in mainland Europe but we didn’t receive any responses from them. The unfavourable exchange rate will have had some influence. However, our understanding of the situation is that although some choose to buy abroad because of a perceived cost saving, most do so for other reasons. Either the model they want isn’t available in the UK, or most of their caravanning is abroad, or they live in mainland Europe and want a ‘Eurohanded’ model plus access to a large European dealer network. As last year, we didn’t get many responses from owners of folding caravans, by which we mean those with hinged walls as opposed to ‘pop-tops’. Last year we had no responses at all from owners of fifth wheelers; this year, there were three, all of which were US imports. How do the owner Qsatisfaction awards
fit with the Practical Caravan Tourer of the Year Awards?
86 | MARCH 2014 | www.practicalcaravan.com
Aparticular function. The Each performs its own
Owner Satisfaction Awards add an owners’ perspective, and list ‘switched-on’ dealers who think service should have a capital ‘S’. The Tourer of the Year Awards recognise product quality. do you decide Q How who wins a Gold
Award and who a Silver?
Ascoring between 86% and Gold is awarded to those
100%. Silver is awarded to those scoring 70%-85%. are the Q How responses scored?
Afor background information The first few questions are
and are not scored, just collated. The graded sections requested respondents to rate an element ‘Good’, ‘Acceptable’ or ‘Poor’. Those answers scored 10-5-0 marks respectively or 30-15-0, depending on importance. Under ‘Faults Reported’, 1-3 faults scored -10 for both dealer and manufacturer, 4-6 faults scored -20 for both, and 7+ faults scored -30 for both. The final questions are the most significant in the survey because they represent a considered overall judgement and were therefore loaded appropriately. The questions were, “Would you buy another caravan of this make?” and “Would you return to this dealer to buy another caravan?” In each case ‘Yes’ scored 50 marks, ‘Perhaps’ scored 25 marks and ‘No’ scored 0 marks. Finally the total scores for each manufacturer and dealer were totalled and expressed as a percentage. Gentleman Jack still feels that there is some over-marking by enthusiastic owners, but has steered clear of downgrading any
responses. He does wonder, for example, whether dealers should be highly rewarded for putting right problems that should have been spotted in their predelivery inspection (PDI). What have been the Q most frequently
voiced complaints?
Ahave been a shorter section We’d hoped that this might
than last year. In fact, the ‘sin bin’ contains the same old offenders and consistently highlights the same three things. In descending order of occurrence, they are: ■ Sloppy PDIs ■ Dealers’ failure to return telephone calls or emails ■ Difficulty obtaining spares. Not rocket science, is it? It was disappointing to find that some companies are still not paying sufficient attention to these areas despite only just beginning to climb out of a deep recession. In many cases advertising material and mission statements promising care and attention did not filter through to the front line all of the time. Compounding our disappointment is the fact that, most of the time, these problems don't seem difficult to put right. What had Q respondents tearing their hair out?
Afault (or several) was
Although the discovery of a
disappointing enough, it was the lack of engagement by the dealer and/or manufacturer in correcting it/them that really wound people up. There was a feeling among correspondents that some companies (not usually our Award-winning dealers) didn’t care once you’d handed over the money and driven off into the setting sun.
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In so doing they caused £750 of damage. We exchanged details in the conventional way but the other driver wanted to go ‘knock for knock’ to which I refused – as far as we were concerned we were the innocent party because we were stationary. As the traffic had built up it was embarrassing to ask for witnesses as the main concern was to clear the tailbacks and some of the abuse we received just could not be repeated – I am sure fellow caravanners can imagine. I made a claim and insisted that this was a ‘no fault claim’
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Having just bought a new caravan this year we have had no hesitancy in renewing our insurance with The Caravan Club. Ian Moore, member, Sutton Coldfield
Top tips when choosing insurance The Club knows that your caravan is one of the most precious and valuable things you own. So it makes sense to ensure the insurance policy you choose does offer the
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Compare the cover on a like-for-like basis e.g. sum insured for the caravan, the equipment, contents and excess – then compare the price
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Make sure that you can meet any policy terms and conditions. For example, are there storage or security requirements? Check exclusions or limitations
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Ask trusted friends about their insurance experiences and arrangements
5
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www.caravanclub.co.uk/caravaninsure The Caravan Club acts as an intermediary in arranging cover via our Caravan Insurance Scheme. The Caravan Club Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Lines are open Mon-Fri 8.45am-6.00pm. Calls may be recorded. Full terms and conditions apply – available upon request.
In association with
Owner Satisfaction Awards 2014
We analyse the findings
We crunch the numbers to extract data and identify trends among caravan owners 2014
CAN CARAVAN SALES be a harbinger of economic growth? That is one of the tantalising ideas emerging from the data in Practical Caravan’s latest Owner Satisfaction Survey.
Heirs and eBay-ers
The sluggish economy may be behind one development shown in figure 1 (right), which illustrates the split between those who bought pre-owned vans privately and from a dealer. This year we were stunned that no respondents had gotten a caravan as an inheritance, as a gift or for a nominal price. Perhaps this indicates that older caravanners were delaying the replacement of their tourers. One of the predictions our statistician made last year was that more pre-owned vans would be sold via the web, whether by eBay-only traders or, more frequently, private sellers. It was likely, he argued, that the strongest growth would be over the next five years. In fact, the opposite occurred for eBay-only caravan traders, while more respondents reported buying vans from private sellers who advertised on eBay.
2014 2013
2014 ■ Swift Group (SG) 33.3% ■ Bailey 33% ■ Lunar 12.5% ■ Elddis/Compass/ Buccaneer (E) 6% ■ Coachman 5.6% ■ Adria 1.9% ■ Rest 2.3% (* inc Adria)
2013
Fig 1 Buying patterns for pre-owned caravans among respondents. The outer circle reflects responses
2014
2013
■ Bought privately
20%
20%
■ Trade purchase from retail premises
80%
72%
■ eBay-only trader/ gift/inherited/exchange
0%
8%
for 2014, the inner circle is for 2013
US-style discounters
There was no evidence that the US phenomenon of a ‘clearing house’ approach had crossed the pond – yet! This is when remaindered new stock is bought off franchised retailers as stock for the new model year arrives. The buyers act as a large nationwide, multi-site discount sales outlet. An outlet may sell anything from mobile phones to earth movers. Frequently, the prices are heavily discounted, but the goods are sold without an explicit manufacturer’s warranty; purchasers may be offered insurance-based cover for extra cost instead.
Behind the raw data
Respondents firmly believed in buying British; UK brands accounted for 96.7% of all new-caravan purchases by respondents. The most successful imported make in our survey was Adria, built 2013 in Slovenia.
27.5% 35.5% 14%
Fig 2. Big
10.5% 8.5% N/A 4%*
hitters’ league — market share of leading manufacturers whose caravans were bought new by survey respondents. Swift Group (Sprite, Swift
and Sterling) led the field
88 | MARCH 2014 | www.practicalcaravan.com
Three respondents owned American fifth wheelers. We’d also expected a sprinkling of Airstreams, but there was none.
Pressure selling
There were a few respondents in the latest survey (not included in the data) who answered most of the questions but who had never owned a caravan, although they were in the process of buying one. They felt that too few lightweight caravans were displayed prominently at dealers. Two had company cars (a Ford Focus and a Vauxhall Astra), one a privately owned Kia Rio and one a Ford Orion. All could be matched with a suitable van, but the respondents felt that some dealers were on a mission to sell luxurious twinaxle tourers.
Fig 3. Big hitters’ league — market share of leading manufacturers whose caravans were bought pre-owned by survey respondents. Bailey took the lead from Swift Group
We thought this practice had disappeared and that all sales staff are aware of the need to match outfits correctly, especially when selling to inexperienced caravanners. We will keep a close eye on this over the coming year. However, before damning every salesperson unfairly, it would be apposite to point out that I have witnessed the opposite at my local dealer. When comparing the size and type of dealers from whom respondents bought pre-owned caravans with those supplying new ones, there was a far greater variety in the former. A few were not actually caravan dealers at all, but car dealers who had accepted one or two caravans in part exchange. Other (fringe) ‘trade’ sellers included campsite managers selling vans on behalf of owners who were giving up the pastime. No one indicated that they had bought from a ‘trade’ auction open to the public, but we feel that this route will become more popular.
Big brands dominate
Many of the same manufacturers dominated the voting for
■ Bailey ■ Swift Group (SG) ■ Elddis/Compass/ Buccaneer (E) ■ Lunar ■ Coachman ■ Rest
2014 2013
2014 32% 30%
2013 25% 39%
17% 10% 7% 4%
15% 7% N/A 14%
In association with
Owner Satisfaction Awards 2014
We analyse the findings (continued)
Fig 5 Percentages of new-van
Fig 6 Percentages of pre-owned
owners reporting different faults
van owners reporting faults
50
25 20
6% 3% Water supply
6% 4%
6.5% 2% Gas supply
5
Water supply
8%
13% 12V/230V electrics
White goods
7%
10
6.5% 3%
10
21%
19%
20
21% 8%
15 27%
30
Gas supply
43%
40
Fit and finish
12%
a large sample of owners prove that a UK company can design and build really great vans. “PDI? What PDI?” a dissatisfied customer wrote in last year’s survey about the predelivery inspection of his van. All new vans should receive at least two thorough inspections: one at the manufacturer before dispatch to the retailer and the other at the dealer before collection by the customer. Occasional accounts of incompetence and rudeness made our blood boil. On the other hand, all our award winners usually behaved professionally and did their utmost to help customers. A modern touring caravan has habitation systems as complex as domestic ones, and we then bounce them along our roads. There will be problems that only show up after many trips, no matter how complete the PDI. Worryingly, some owners say that a regular habitation service – in which potential problems
22%
£18K-£20K
£16K-£18K
£14K-£16K
£12K-£14K
5%
5
Over £20K
10
10%
13%
18%
21% 18%
15
17%
24% 21%
21% 17%
19%
20
A study of figures 5 and 6 (below) shows the improvements manufacturers and dealers have made in regard to the frequency of warranty claims. (The bars in pink show the 2013 survey responses, in red this year’s.) There is no doubt about the improvements in all areas, though the time scale may be slightly misleading. Our first survey on new caravans was in 2013 and featured those bought before mid-2012; 70% of these were bought new between 2007 and 2010. This year’s survey featured new caravans of which almost 80% were bought from mid-2012 to October 2013, so the significant decrease in faults found has taken place over the past six years, rather than in one. Although the reduction in reported cases of water ingress is welcome, the incidence is still far too high.
Pre-owned preference
12V/230V electrics
25
22%
side of the median price point
4%
more evenly distributed either
White goods
that the past year’s sales were
17%
out of the economic doldrums is
12%
affordable end of the market. A sign that we may be climbing
Fit and finish
biased towards the more
What jumps out from the results is how a pre-owned caravan is more likely to be less hassle than a new one. Several respondents noted that, having had several troublesome new caravans, frequently with manifold problems from day one, they’d never buy new again. Last year, we reported on the suggestion that leaks may partly be blamed on us, the end users: “Our relentless drive for ever-lighter vans with ever-more equipment is just incompatible with current construction methods, which by and large haven’t changed in decades.” Some contributors to the Practical Caravan website argued that this was the sort of comment manufacturers and dealers would use as an excuse for producing what the posters felt were poor-quality vans. In fact, the comment was part of a report by two independent engineers after inspecting a two-year-old caravan. It was referred to in a summing-up of a case in which a reader was suing a UK manufacturer for building a caravan that he considered to be too flimsy. Developments in the past few years, however, may be changing the situation.
11%
blue) the peak of sales was
can be identified before they surface – is optional. Every purchaser should heed one piece of advice regardless of the caravan’s age or price: never depart on a long ‘dream’ holiday right after taking delivery. Allow yourself time to become familiar with its operating systems and to iron out teething problems.
Water Ingress
for new caravans. In 2013 (light
Water Ingress
Dreams vs nightmares
Purchasers of new Sterlings (Swift Group) reported that they were pleased far more frequently than they were disappointed, but it was even better for pre-owned examples. Owners see them as aspirational. They’ve sold well and their consistently high scores from
Fig 4 Price paid by respondents
Under £12K
new caravans (table 1, page 84), but the winners finished in a slightly different order. Missing this time was Vanmaster, which hit the financial buffers early last year. It’s up and running again, so let’s hope it can gather momentum. Adria caravans were praised by owners as being well-built and properly inspected. They also cited the caring and professional dealer network. Coachman is quietly climbing up the table and is within a whisker of achieving a Gold Award for new vans. Its vans aren’t just good, respondents told us – they’re consistently good. Anecdotal evidence from a straw poll of dealers indicated that a pre-owned Coachman is a valued item of stock and that there is a high demand for them among purchasers of one- to three-year-old caravans. Figures 2 and 3 (page 88) reveal just how much the new and preowned markets continue to be dominated by the big hitters. Not long ago, around 30 brands were made in the UK; now 90.4% of the market (96% in 2013) is shared between five major players. Bailey and Swift Group sell far more than all the rest put together. This year, respondents bought more new Swift Group vans and fewer pre-owned ones. It was the other way around for Bailey, fewer new and more pre-owned. Among our respondents, the ‘big two’ appear to have stolen market share from Lunar, Elddis and Coachman in sales of new vans, but lost out to them on pre-owned sales.
www.practicalcaravan.com | MARCH 2014 | 91
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In association with
Owner Satisfaction Awards 2014
We analyse the findings (continued)
Motorised moving
The fitting of motor movers to new vans for first owners has increased exponentially. Ten years ago, less than 10% of new tourers were fitted with them; in last year’s survey, it was 53% and in this year’s 66% – two thirds of all respondents. The most popular make, with 53% of sales, was Powrtouch; Truma followed with almost 20%. Other makers to figure significantly were Reich, Endura, Rhyno and Al-Ko.
Fig 7 PRE-OWNED TOURERS — model years reported in the 2013
49%
50
48%
(pale green) and 2014 surveys
40 33%
✗ False Your choice of dealer is far more significant than price.
5% Over 8 years old
4%
3%
6-8 years old
4-6 years old
2-4 years old
6%
10
10%
17%
20
inexperience may make them more judgemental, especially if they are parting with a large amount of hard-earned dosh for the first time. 3. The more you pay, the more satisfied you are likely to be with a new caravan.
25%
30
Up to 2 years old
Better build quality?
We set ourselves the task of evaluating whether new build methods such as Alu-Tech (Bailey) and SoLiD (Elddis, Compass and Buccaneer) have significantly improved bodyshells’ resistance to the elements. Caravan owners are more worried about the risk of water ingress than any other issue. We compared our respondents’ experiences with pre- and post-Alu-Tech Baileys, and found a slight reduction in reported water ingress, although the system’s main advantage is the stronger bodyshell. For pre- and post-SoLiD Elddis models, the evidence was unequivocal. Before introducing SoLiD, Elddis did a better job of sealing its vans than rivals, survey responses indicated. In the latest survey, it recorded lower incidences of damp than other volume brands.
Myth busting
Our respondents’ verdicts on some frequently repeated ‘facts’ 1. Entry-level caravans are cheap rubbish.
✗ False New Sprite vans
unashamedly offer VFM (valuefor-money) in spades. That may be why the brand has won a Gold Award for two years in a row. 2. VFM ranges only win these awards because they appeal to first-time buyers and the inexperienced, who have lower expectations.
✗
False (mostly) One doesn’t need much experience to comment meaningfully on water pouring through the roof or cupboard doors coming off. In fact, the respondents’
“The responses reveal just how much the new and preowned markets continue to be dominated by the big hitters”
4. UK caravan makers are rubbish and owners will never buy British again.
✗
False Our survey has shown that despite experiencing some problems, the overwhelming majority of owners of UK-built caravans would buy another of the same make. Brand loyalty to UK manufacturers is impressive. 5. Imported caravans are taking over.
✗ False All imported marques
are suffering because of unfavourable exchange rates. Imports only accounted for 3.3% of purchases by respondents; most were from Slovenia-based Adria. That said, there’s wicked styling on new European caravan ranges for 2014. Only complacent UK manufacturers would think that these won’t attract future customers. Many European brands have been beavering away, cutting the weight of their VFM ranges. Also, last year there was a huge increase in the number of teardrop-style, ultra-lightweight caravans sold in Europe generally, particularly in the Netherlands and Germany. Jack reckons they appeal strongly to younger purchasers and that the already established-butfledgling UK market for these will experience a big rise in sales.
6. There is no demand for older caravans.
✓
✗
True and False Last year, 17% of respondents with preowned vans had bought caravans that were more than 11 years old. Most were from the 1990s and a surprising number were from the 1980s. This year, sales of tourers that were more than eight years old have fallen off a cliff. Is it a statistical blip, emergence from recession or proof that there’s a shortage of suitable old-timers being offered for sale? We’ll look into this over the coming year. 7. Caravanners generally are a very helpful bunch and will pass on knowledge.
✓True The magnificent
response to this survey is irrefutable evidence of this welcome phenomenon.
From the awning
It would be remiss not to thank each and every respondent. Your help is greatly appreciated, not just by us, but more importantly by your fellow readers who are about to purchase. Special thanks to those who provided supporting evidence and correspondence. Thank you also to Specialist Insurer Coast, for supporting our initiative again this year.
And finally…
All survey entrants were entered into a draw to win an iPad – the winner will be revealed shortly. All results and information reported in this Owner Satisfaction Awards roundup reflect the opinion of the respondents themselves. All we’ve added is a précis of the statistical analysis.
Vote online for next year’s awards now at www.practicalcaravan.com/oss2015 www.practicalcaravan.com | MARCH 2014 | 93
“Northamptonshire’s Premier Dealership”
WHITE ARCHES CARAVANS
2014 SHOW NOW ON!
Come and view the new 2014 models in our our heated heated in showroom now!
Come and meet Matt and Paul on the Bailey stand
Alan Conley on the Swift/ Sterling stand
NEC Caravan & Camping Show 2014 Tuesdayy 18 February to Sunday day 23 February
ns a v a r a c Over 250 iced all serv eed t n a r a u and g es! c i r p t s e b
3URXG WR EH D IDPLO\ V Wellingborough Road Rushden EXVLQHV
Northamptonshire NN10 6AY Telephone 01933 353818 www.white-arches.co.uk
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.00am to 6.00pm Sunday 11.00am to 5.00pm (closed Wednesdays)
FREE customer parking
In association with
Owner Satisfaction Awards 2014
Meet the winners
Bryony Symes talks to the companies you rated highly to share the secret of their success
Our vision is to offer customers the complete experience and not just products, so we have been
Slavica Sterk, MD at Adria Concessionaires Ltd Gold Award for manufacturers of new caravans Everything we do has the customer and their satisfaction in mind. Our
development process is fast and flexible, from selecting design proposals to focusing on quality and, most importantly, educating and supporting our dealers to provide high levels of customer service. All our products are built in the same state-of-the-art factory using the same construction techniques and materials. Quality is key to our success and a main factor in our customer satisfaction. We believe that after-sales is even more important than sales. From one good
experience we will gain one additional customer, but from a bad experience we could lose
many more. How we react to a customer's issue and provide a solution is vital, so we organise regular after-sales training events. We are also enlarging our service network to offer our customers better coverage. We actively encourage our customers and dealers to supply us with product proposals. These are discussed
with customers at rallies and with dealers at focus groups. We forward all ideas to the factory at our product development conferences, which are held three times a year. The factory is able to follow most of the proposals and we are always proud to show our customers and dealers that we have listened to, and acted on, their feedback.
Leisure Sales Gold Award for dealers of new caravans Leisure Sales is passionate about providing the very best customer care. We
of Lunar Caravans in 1969 in
realise that buying a caravan can
staff are on hand to help you
We want to hear what people think of our customer service because we pride ourselves on it.
throughout the buying
We send out a short survey on
experience, from towing, to
a regular basis asking for honest
stowing, to exploring! Our personalised hand-over
be a big and complex decision, so our friendly and experienced
a humble cow shed in Wigan.
For the 2014 season we introduced completely new and redesigned Adora and Astella Glam caravans. For
the 2015 season, we will present new lightweight caravans that major on contemporary design sure to turn heads again! We will also be launching updated van conversions and new Matrix and Sonic motorhome ranges, all with a modern interior and many new technical features which we can't wait for the public to see.
working hard to widen our exposure in the UK to bring our products closer to customers. By sharing our enthusiasm about the caravanning lifestyle, we hope to bring new customers into the industry and give more people the enjoyment of active holidays, short breaks and backto-nature weekends.
Customer-service awards are the most satisfying. They
are the most meaningful and valuable awards as they are voted by our customers who know us and our products. Thank you all very much for the votes in the Owner Satisfaction Survey.
Adria Concessionaires Ltd Tel 01787 888 980 Web www.adria.co.uk
Customer service is paramount to our business with the belief that if a customer is treated greatly, they will return. Our recent
soon be available online, too. There's also an NCC Approved 10-bay workshop and deluxe heated indoor showrooms on our 17-acre site in the Cheshire
2013 Caravan Talk award for
countryside. We have also started
runner up in 'Best Caravan
work on a luxury, 42-pitch
Servicing' category also reflects
caravan park on site, due to
our company's consistently high
open in the summer of 2015.
level of customer service.
Customer satisfaction is the backbone of our business, and we believe
opinions about the Leisure Sales
Our wide-ranging facilities include a huge awning and accessory superstore. We're
our dedication to ensuring our
experience; recommendations,
currently planning to extend this
customers are well looked-after
still further, and all our stock will
long after they have picked up
procedure and aftercare
concerns, questions and praise
package are a big part of
provide us with invaluable
making sure people are
customer insights to ensure
happy with their new van.
each and every customer's
their purchase is crucial. Leisure Sales' accessory superstore
Happily, it has also resulted in numerous awards for
experience is enjoyable. We
us and the evolution of
Leisure Sales was established in 1978 and has
also encourage our customers
a very loyal customer base.
been passed from father to son,
experiences more informally
keeping it a friendly family
via our social-media sites.
to share their ideas and
business. Brian Talbot, the
All information is acted
owner, was in fact co-founder
upon immediately.
Leisure Sales Ltd Tel 01477 535 264 Web www.leisuresales. co.uk
www.practicalcaravan.com | MARCH 2014 | 95
Have your say for
2015! It’s time to start the search again to reveal the best new and pre-owned tourers, and dealers. If you’ve bought a caravan since 2010, tell us all about the van and your buying experience for our next Owner Satisfaction Survey — and help others to buy better! We’ll publish the results at the start of 2015, in the form of a league table of the very best manufacturers and dealers, as reported by you.
Find our online form now at www.practicalcaravan.com/ oss2015
Owner Satisfaction Awards 2014
Meet the winners (continued) Our parts suppliers make a commitment to provide spares for caravans that are up to 10 years old. At the
Nick Page, commercial director, Swift Group Gold Award for manufacturers of pre-owned vans The two things we measure most closely are repeat purchases and whether one of our customers will recommend us. Receiving an
Owner Satisfaction Award is a vindication of all the things we’re trying to achieve. When Swift asks one of our customers for feedback, it may be less than frank. When Practical Caravan asks readers for feedback, then they’re far more likely to share their experiences, warts and all.
If the customer’s not satisfied, then they’re not going to come back and buy one of our caravans again.
And people talk to each other about the products. If they’re not going to recommend you, you’re pretty much dead in the
water. If the feedback’s positive, it’s more likely to lead someone to look at or buy our products. For caravanners who have bought a pre-owned Sterling, we provide huge back-up via Swift Talk, our
online support-and-chat site. We encourage people to talk to us whether they’ve bought new or second-hand, because the owner of a used tourer is a potential customer for a new tourer. We view technical back-up as a real service that benefits customers.
We try to give owners of pre-owned vans all the support and back up that we would a customer of one of our new vans. Obviously they
haven’t bought if from us,
they’ve bought it from a dealer, but the principle applies: we try to give them a good service, to deliver the parts when they need them, to give them a good backup via Swift Talk, and make sure they’re embraced by the Swift Group family. We try to work carefully with dealers, so if they do
discover any product-quality issues, they’re able to feed it back to us so we can act on it.
Mark Howey, owner, Beechwood Leisure Gold Award for dealers of pre-owned caravans
The most important service we offer is a personal, friendly approach.
We are a family owned and run dealership established in 1992. We built the business
To set us apart from the competition, we do little
up over the years and put our success down to hard work, customer dedication and a friendly service. My son Edward (pictured) is the sales adviser. We stock pre-owned caravans costing from £1000£20,000 in a wide range of layouts. Most are nearly new with one previous owner, and are selected to ensure good quality. We also offer a sourcing service, if you can't find a van to meet your needs in our current stock. Our number one priority is customer satisfaction. To ensure that all our customers are satisfied,
we assist as much as we can, starting by advising them
on which caravans are suitable for their needs. We don't apply any pressure to buy. We match the customer’s car to the caravan and check the weight of the caravan against the car’s to ensure that it is safe to tow and that together they'll make a good match.
things like including an awning, servicing the caravan, providing a warranty and a starter pack (step, mains lead, fresh- and waste-water containers, a gas bottle and a steady winder). That way, new caravanners can go straight off to use the tourer
factory, we have an area where we employ six guys who are specialists in parts back-up. All the patents are kept for anything we make in-house. If you want, for example, a cupboard door on something we no longer manufacture, we’ll have the patent for it. We’ve got a bespoke shop; all six are craftsmen, and they can help out owners of pre-owned models. We can’t say we’ll get this to you within seven days, but those parts are available. We’ll have kept a supply of that woodgrain and we can get that part. That’s recognised as a good service that we offer. Swift Group Tel 01482 847 332 Web www.swiftgroup.co.uk
they just bought; all they have to do is load their personal things. We do a demonstration and check that everything is working while the van is still at the dealership. This year, we plan to continue maintaining current levels of satisfaction. Our plans for the
future include expansion; we would like to enlarge the premises and build a bigger storage unit.
To get feedback on how we are doing, we ask all
our customers about their experiences and if there are any negatives at all, we act on that straight away to correct it.
This Owner Satisfaction Award shows that we are succeeding with our business.
Family business: Mark's son Edward is a sales advisor at Beechwood Leisure
Beechwood Leisure Tel 01845 523 500 Web www.beechwood leisure.co.uk
www.practicalcaravan.com | MARCH 2014 | 97