Club joker and Sven owners

[The Merle]

Thanks Barry is the van good to drive and does it go well and does it feel big

Switch dealer and go to campersales

 

[Andya]

Switch dealer and go to campersales

I can't as they have my £5k deposit which is non refundable! I am starting to feel like I have made a mistake ordering the Sven now as these comments about service and quality are bothering me as the last thing I want is to have to take it back to get snagging done as it shouldn't happen on these vans at this price!

 

[ArunAlec]

I would say campersales are the complete opposite with aftersales/handover in my experience so may not be best to always go for distance or price.
As it does seem the westfalia factory is letting vans leave Germany with all sorts of issues, some very major!
My damaged underfloor water tank leaks in two places, problems with roof, saw cuts in plastic, not fitted correctly skylight (inside surround).
Hearing more and more dodgy vans from manufacturer!

I reckon the skylight (above shower) surround must be a standard issue!

 

[Glenhyrst]

I can't as they have my £5k deposit which is non refundable! I am starting to feel like I have made a mistake ordering the Sven now as these comments about service and quality are bothering me as the last thing I want is to have to take it back to get snagging done as it shouldn't happen on these vans at this price!

8 months after my purchase from Wandahome and with benefit of hindsight and much loss of sleep over the matter, I'm not sure that I would have gone to Campersales instead, despite their seemingly better reputation. If you need any warranty work, an 80mile round trip is bad enough (from York), but to and from the south coast x4 (and counting) would surely have finished me off.
And I do not understand why a seemingly simple pre-booked attendance needs to take hours to fix or in one case, the van was with them a an entire working week, was declared repaired when in fact its problems were unchanged.
I have contemplated pursuing a return of the van and my monies as the van was sold in a state that was other than fit for purpose, but I get the distinct impression that Wandahome are not inclined to readily yield to such threats and the thought of the likely hassle and potential costs of going to law have put me off.
That and the van's spec - the Club Joker - does suit our requirements now that it is in a useable state. But it would have been a much more pleasurable experience to date if it had kicked off in a fit state.
As an aside, whilst Wandahome leaves me disappointed, I get the distinct impression that Westfalia also do not put customer concerns high on their priority list. It would not surprise me if the support and advice Wandahome need with some issues is less than forthcoming from Westfalia. But at the end of the day, the responsibility to provide a satisfactory product lies with the vendor.

 

[Californication69]

Interesting.
Having now put all Campervan ideas on hold, & sold the Cali.
I’m looking at options for in, around 3 years time, or sooner if raised funds allow.
But the KNAUS brand is not far from me at Nick Whale. So only a 50 mile round trip.
And really fancy the Meg 650 4x4 Man Ti looks a nice bit of kit.

 

[Barry Chuckle]

I'm waiting to leave a Google review in case there are any issues under warranty.

I was mindful of that too, but I think it's important for people to get a candid view of what a company is really like to deal with. I'm hoping a negative review won't cause me any aftersales problems, but if it does I'll leave them 3 negative reviews next time!

 

[Andya]

I shouldn't be having doubts now but I have even been thinking of cancelling the order and getting a new California at least my VW dealer is good BUT I would be losing a £5k deposit!

 

[Barry Chuckle]

I shouldn't be having doubts now but I have even been thinking of cancelling the order and getting a new California at least my VW dealer is good BUT I would be losing a £5k deposit!

I personally think that would be a little too extreme, despite the appalling service I've received from the dealer I still wouldn't be without the Sven after my first week with it. I've not found any faults with the van since the snagging issues were sorted and I know you watch Campervantime's VLOGs and they say they've had no issues whatsoever since collecting their van.

 

[The Merle]

I can't as they have my £5k deposit which is non refundable! I am starting to feel like I have made a mistake ordering the Sven now as these comments about service and quality are bothering me as the last thing I want is to have to take it back to get snagging done as it shouldn't happen on these vans at this price!

Lots of happy Sven owners heard less issues with Sven than jokers.
The likes of Rasp ordered a lovely orange Sven I’m sure that was wanda and Sven headley had a couple there’s lots of very pleased owners.
VW dealers can be just as bad and longer waits etc.
Hopefully you will get a good one, I would buy a Sven or even a joker again once out of warranty you can find a good indie.

 

[The Merle]

I reckon the skylight (above shower) surround must be a standard issue!

Mine wasn’t cut round cupboard properly. Campersales sorted super quick did they sort yours?

 

[The Merle]

I shouldn't be having doubts now but I have even been thinking of cancelling the order and getting a new California at least my VW dealer is good BUT I would be losing a £5k deposit!

Do they not offer a full refund once the vehicle has been purchased by someone else. Have heard that happen in the past.

 

[Barry Chuckle]

Do they not offer a full refund once the vehicle has been purchased by someone else. Have heard that happen in the past.

I think that would only work in a sellers market, which we're certainly not in anymore. I wouldn't put it past them to keep the deposit claiming it was the discount they had to offer to shift the van.

 

[Jimmylondon07]

I think that would only work in a sellers market, which we're certainly not in anymore. I wouldn't put it past them to keep the deposit claiming it was the discount they had to offer to shift the van.

Breeze offered that to me on my GC so some are still at it

 

[larrylamb]

I shouldn't be having doubts now but I have even been thinking of cancelling the order and getting a new California at least my VW dealer is good BUT I would be losing a £5k deposit!

As others have said, the Sven will be fine, some dealers are just (a lot) better than others.

 

[Californication69]

I shouldn't be having doubts now but I have even been thinking of cancelling the order and getting a new California at least my VW dealer is good BUT I would be losing a £5k deposit!

Take the Sven. It’s an amazing vehicle.
Would really really love one.
My circumstances don’t allow me to have one at the moment.
But in 3 years I’d seriously consider one.
Or even the new Sven with gearstick on steering column.
You’ll love being able to stand up straight out of the drivers seat.
Loo, shower. No bed to faff about with setting up.
It’s an awesome tool.
And not much bigger than a Cali footprint tbh.
The drivers seat adjustment looks and feels great too.

 

[ArunAlec]

Mine wasn’t cut round cupboard properly. Campersales sorted super quick did they sort yours?

I didn’t bother going back to them….. had a look at it myself and decided it was safer to leave it !
One thing that I do find poor is the rear fly screen fixing next to the sink The self adhesive Velcro is a waste of time.

 

[Andya]

Thanks guys for all those recent posts saying just get the Sven they really made me feel better about it all and I will go for it, I was having a wobble earlier but you are all right the Sven will be awesome and hopefully I get a good one and I can't control how good or bad the dealer is.

 

[Andya]

Take the Sven. It’s an amazing vehicle.
Would really really love one.
My circumstances don’t allow me to have one at the moment.
But in 3 years I’d seriously consider one.
Or even the new Sven with gearstick on steering column.
You’ll love being able to stand up straight out of the drivers seat.
Loo, shower. No bed to faff about with setting up.
It’s an awesome tool.
And not much bigger than a Cali footprint tbh.
The drivers seat adjustment looks and feels great too.

Great points Bill you made me feel so much better about it and of course I will still get it, just hope the dealer treats me well

 

[larrylamb]

@Andy A Are you on Facebook? The Sven Hedin FB group has lots of new members, would be a good source for Sven info,
Also try the Westfalia forum, https://www.westfalia-fan.de/forum/sven-hedin

 

[Andya]

@Andy A Are you on Facebook? The Sven Hedin FB group has lots of new members, would be a good source for Sven info,
Also try the Westfalia forum, https://www.westfalia-fan.de/forum/sven-hedin

Thanks for that link Larry I don't have a facebook account so I can't access the other forum is it a good one to use as I really don't like facebook.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

I didn’t bother going back to them….. had a look at it myself and decided it was safer to leave it !
One thing that I do find poor is the rear fly screen fixing next to the sink The self adhesive Velcro is a waste of time.

It fine, provided you never take if off.

Magnets sewn into the screen + self adhesive metal strip on the cupboard would work better (fixing similar to the old Cali side window blinds).

 

[larrylamb]

I don't have a facebook account so I can't access the other forum is it a good one to use as I really don't like facebook.

It's a small friendly group. Members posting pics of their vans, trips, tips and niggles etc. Might be worth making an "incognitio" Facebook account to join some of these groups purely for advice etc.

 

[Andya]

It's a small friendly group. Members posting pics of their vans, trips, tips and niggles etc. Might be worth making an "incognitio" Facebook account to join some of these groups purely for advice etc.

Sounds good to me thanks is it the one run by Campervan Time?

 

[Californication69]

Sounds good to me thanks is it the one run by Campervan Time?

Yes. Incognito FaceAche account and search that group for tips n tricks

 

[Barry Chuckle]

Sounds good to me thanks is it the one run by Campervan Time?

I dropped into the dealers on my way home to collect my car which I'd left there for a week. I spoke with the sales director and told him the terrible experience I'd encountered. To be fair he took half an hour to give me a proper guide to the main features of the Sven. I really learned a lot about the vehicle which made me a little bit happier. I'm still annoyed this didn't happen in the first place and it highlighted many contradictions with the original handover which could have meant I'd have damaged the van.

I've lived with it for 6 nights and I'm really impressed with the Sven and I cannot recommend it highly enough! Other than one of the decal stickers peeling of a little it has been flawless!

You'll definitely love it Andrew