How angry should I be?

[NZCol]

When i collected my Cali from new the stunning dealer who had lied and ordered it with the wrong spec and awning cover then excelled themselves by helpfully fixing my towbar electrics and putting big scratches down the side of the van.
As a pedantic bugger i examined it very closey before i left and made a list of all the issues before i signed for it. I then spent a month being made to feel like a complete moaner. I sincerely hope for a better experience this next time round.

 

[smgcowfoldparts]

I'm not convinced that Van Centres are the right place from which support the California despite its T5 base.

Agree with you there Steve, I've said that all along. Van centres deal with builders vans & to sell & maintain one of their most expensive models along side builders vans is not going to work. Also If sold from their car dealers they would probably sell more of them.

Took my Cali into local van centre for warranty work. The upstairs shutter was opening on it's own. When I collected it there was aluminium swarf on the floor in the back & on the glass kitchen top. I was not a happy bunny ! Will not be going back there again.

Also we deal with Caravelles, kombis, shuttles (taxis) and life vehicles such as Caddy life so to say we only deal with builders is not quite correct.

You could go to a car dealer and have the same issue that you have had so I don't think it is fair to say that van centres shouldn't deal with California's for that reason.

 

[Victor]

it is about time VW followed suit with most other manufacturers and started to offer a 5 year warranty.

I have a VW Polo as my 2nd car and when I go to the dealer I get a proper coffee and selection of newspapers and a widscreen TV showing Sky news but when I take my van in I get a broken coffee machine and a selection of magazines dating back to 2009.

California cost me £50k
Polo cost me £15k

Does not make sense to me?

 

[777111]

I'm not convinced that Van Centres are the right place from which support the California despite its T5 base.

Agree with you there Steve, I've said that all along. Van centres deal with builders vans & to sell & maintain one of their most expensive models along side builders vans is not going to work. Also If sold from their car dealers they would probably sell more of them.

Took my Cali into local van centre for warranty work. The upstairs shutter was opening on it's own. When I collected it there was aluminium swarf on the floor in the back & on the glass kitchen top. I was not a happy bunny ! Will not be going back there again.

Also we deal with Caravelles, kombis, shuttles (taxis) and life vehicles such as Caddy life so to say we only deal with builders is not quite correct.

You could go to a car dealer and have the same issue that you have had so I don't think it is fair to say that van centres shouldn't deal with California's for that reason.

Alex - I think the issue here is about appropriate customer focus and quite likely some Commercial centres can service both commercial and private owners requirements to the full. Undoubtedly SMG have that focus but some commercial centres see 99% Transporters day in day out and really don't have the correct approach to a customer with a £40K + pride & joy. I am sure there are exceptions but short of designated California specialists (and that would be good for me) I can well understand why a car dealer may well be a lot more of an attractive option. Probably obvious....

 

[smgcowfoldparts]

Alex - I think the issue here is about appropriate customer focus and quite likely some Commercial centres can service both commercial and private owners requirements to the full. Undoubtedly SMG have that focus but some commercial centres see 99% Transporters day in day out and really don't have the correct approach to a customer with a £40K + pride & joy. I am sure there are exceptions but short of designated California specialists (and that would be good for me) I can well understand why a car dealer may well be a lot more of an attractive option. Probably obvious....

I can see where you are coming from, but having a California specialist or going to car dealers instead is not going to stop issues, mistakes, damage etc...A Sportline kombi is the best part of £40k so should that go somewhere else as it costs more than a standard panel van as vehicle cost is being alluded to as a reason it should go somewhere else?

Reality is that mistakes happen at every dealership for every manufacturer. It's how the mistakes are dealt with and rectified that counts more than anything else. We are all only human.

cheers

 

[777111]

Reality is that mistakes happen at every dealership for every manufacturer. It's how the mistakes are dealt with and rectified that counts more than anything else. We are all only human.

cheers

Agreed - and that is the key issue with this case.
My observations are based on both generalisation and on my own experience. But a scratch on a builders 10 year old Transporter versus a new California? The impact is going to be quite different!
The admittedly unrealistic idea about having Cali specialists would address the extra equipment and not only a different customer type. Don't suppose VW do any specialist training course to supports Cali's do they?

 

[smgcowfoldparts]

Yes there are California courses available.

It doesn't matter what vehicle, how old or the cost of it. If you damage someone's vehicle then you have damaged it. Age and cost should never come into it as far as I'm concerned. If you have a brand new California and it has cost you a lot, then compared to someone who has a 10 year old Transporter then relatively speaking it could have cost them a lot as well so always coming back to builders vans compared to a California is not really a relative argument as someone else's property/vehicle is being damaged regardless of cost of the vehicle.

Will now watch from the sidelines on this topic.

thanks

 

[KernowLad]

Our local dealer is fairly small so I deal with them via the car department - there is a very small Commercial section but it's pretty low rent. TBH the car section is much nicer; good(ish) coffee, toys for the kids if needed, sue nice cars to look at. Maybe it's best to keep them together?

We bought the van from a purely Commercial centre and it definitely didn't have the feel good factor of a good car main dealer.

 

[Goldie]

Our local dealer is fairly small so I deal with them via the car department - there is a very small Commercial section but it's pretty low rent. TBH the car section is much nicer; good(ish) coffee, toys for the kids if needed, sue nice cars to look at. Maybe it's best to keep them together?

We bought the van from a purely Commercial centre and it definitely didn't have the feel good factor of a good car main dealer.

I think it depends on the dealer. Citygate Woodburn Green are totally geared up for the Cali and Caravelles and I've had excellent service from them. The dealer where I bought my Cali from had sold just a few and their main business was the T5 working van / Caddy. I believe that VW may require all Commercial Centres to stock/offer the Cali whether they are fully geared up for it or not, so you end up with differing levels of expertise / experience.

I see no problem in buying one where you get the best deal and then having it serviced or any work carried out at one of the experienced dealers - I expect warranty work is quite lucrative!

This is the position I've ended up in - by accident really, having had the roof replaced.

Andy

 

[Andy]

I'm not convinced that Van Centres are the right place from which support the California despite its T5 base.

Agree with you there Steve, I've said that all along. Van centres deal with builders vans & to sell & maintain one of their most expensive models along side builders vans is not going to work. Also If sold from their car dealers they would probably sell more of them.

Took my Cali into local van centre for warranty work. The upstairs shutter was opening on it's own. When I collected it there was aluminium swarf on the floor in the back & on the glass kitchen top. I was not a happy bunny ! Will not be going back there again.

Also we deal with Caravelles, kombis, shuttles (taxis) and life vehicles such as Caddy life so to say we only deal with builders is not quite correct.

You could go to a car dealer and have the same issue that you have had so I don't think it is fair to say that van centres shouldn't deal with California's for that reason.

Alex, sorry I did not mean to tar all van centers with the same brush. You guys have done work on my Cali without any problems & excellent service. I would use you every time if only you were closer !

 

[777111]

Alex, sorry I did not mean to tar all van centers with the same brush. You guys have done work on my Cali without any problems & excellent service. I would use you every time if only you were closer





As indeed would I - undoubtedly a dealer with experience and focus.

 

[Freeley]

I'm not convinced that Van Centres are the right place from which support the California despite its T5 base.

Agree with you there Steve, I've said that all along. Van centres deal with builders vans & to sell & maintain one of their most expensive models along side builders vans is not going to work. Also If sold from their car dealers they would probably sell more of them.

Sorry don't agree with any of that at all.
We bought our cali from a vw car dealer that sold vans as well and the quality of service we got from them was shockingly bad, so bad I now make a 100 mile round trip to take it elsewhere (to a van centre btw).
I also have a "builders" transporter and I expect exactly the same care to be taken with that. It may ONLY have been 20k but I still cherish it.
Bit of a snobby attitude Andy.

 

[James]

I'm not convinced that Van Centres are the right place from which support the California despite its T5 base.

Agree with you there Steve, I've said that all along. Van centres deal with builders vans & to sell & maintain one of their most expensive models along side builders vans is not going to work. Also If sold from their car dealers they would probably sell more of them.

Sorry don't agree with any of that at all.
We bought our cali from a vw car dealer that sold vans as well and the quality of service we got from them was shockingly bad, so bad I now make a 100 mile round trip to take it elsewhere (to a van centre btw).
I also have a "builders" transporter and I expect exactly the same care to be taken with that. It may ONLY have been 20k but I still cherish it.
Bit of a snobby attitude Andy.

It's a bit rude isn't it, a builders van should not be a negative term, it is someone's livelihood. I agree with you Freely.

I think it's quite snobbish and arrogant to use that argument, as Alex said, you have any idea of the cost of some of the Sportline Kombi's and Caddy Camper.

If people think money entitles them to service or just entitles them... I feel sorry for those people, it doesn't matter what vehicle you have, everyone should receive a good service.

I think people have preconceptions and judgements and that clouds their vision.

James

 

[MartinR]

Cowboys I take it you are not going to use Breeze again.

The problem is, if you live in the Bournemouth area you have to go a long way to find an alternative.
Martin

 

[choplee]

Cowboys I take it you are not going to use Breeze again.

The problem is, if you live in the Bournemouth area you have to go a long way to find an alternative.
Martin

i'm travelling to smg cowfold next week for a service and it's about 90 mins drive ,as i don't trust jcb in ashford which is closer to me.

 

[Rob02]

I use SMG as well only just over hour for me but peace of mind with a van that cost this much you need a good service.

 

[motorpaint]

Hi Simon,
I'm in complete agreement with you.
The California is a high end luxury product and the van centres are only used to to dealing with commercial vehicles. That's VW's fault in my opinion.
I've had problems with my new Oct 13 Cali and feel that if it had been supplied through a car outlet my experience would have been a little different although we have reached an "understanding"
Make of that what you will but I've been in the motor trade for 20 years and see how customers are treated who spend a similar amount of money on Mercs and BM's and think was California owners don't receive the service we deserve.

Regards,
Mike.

 

[James]

Many commercial vehicles are high end - and the notion of commercial vehicles as simple vans has changed massively, the days of stripped out commercial vehicles are past. These days buyers expect much more on their vans.

The Cali is expensive but not much more than some Sportlines, equally Caddy's and Caddy Campers are expensive and VW has always had a 'car' philosophy around its commercial vehicles. Take the Caddy Maxi Life for example.

It does a slight disservice, if you run a business and you depend on the van for your livelihood I would argue that it is more important than something someone has bought for pleasure.

I think as well in terms of customer service it has to be narrowed down to the type of problem, unanswered phones calls, poor product knowledge, general rudeness etc, all these are separate issues and have different solutions. Some would argue the build quality on the Cali is poor and leaves the vehicle with fragility, again, these are all different aspects and rather than generalising perhaps separating these would give a clearer picture.

James

 

[Freeley]

I give up James.
It seems that some cali owners on here are snobs who have their head in the clouds and expect a better service than mere van owners.
As you say arguably the "van" is more important than the cali as it supports a business and livelihood, in my case at least, whilst our cali sits on our drive for months on end without being used.
So it could be taken as pretty insulting to us van drivers that we're considered less important and lower down the food chain than the superior cali owners.
Luckily I couldn't care less!

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

 

[James]

I give up James.
It seems that some cali owners on here are snobs who have their head in the clouds and expect a better service than mere van owners.
As you say arguably the "van" is more important than the cali as it supports a business and livelihood, in my case at least, whilst our cali sits on our drive for months on end without being used.
So it could be taken as pretty insulting to us van drivers that we're considered less important and lower down the food chain than the superior cali owners.
Luckily I couldn't care less!

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

I agree - I think there is a snob attitude and I don't buy the whole car dealers are better - Mercedes gets constant flak and BMW does not do much better, aside from buying a Lexus or a Skoda it seems people will always complain.

I think sometimes when you've spent the best of 50k you might expect the world to turn to black and white and as you pull up to your dealership cockney men come out and doff their caps, look down and call you sir.

If you just want reassurance that you are special and that helps justify your purchase the you've bought the wrong vehicle.

I am not blind to dealer problems, I have been n the receiving end but taking Exeter Carrs as an example, they return my calls, they are friendly and they let me sit in their nice Caravelle whilst Betty Custard is being serviced (that sounds wrong).

SMG - equally as good, the thing that tends to make them good is the interaction.

If you look in SMG or any 'Van' dealer you'll see Transporters with colour coding - smart Alloys - decent media systems - the humble 'Van' has changed a lot and so have people's expectations.

I've specced a Sportline Kombi and I am sure I was over 40k. I've certainly got a Caddy Camper up to 36/37k

 

[Andy80F]

Dorchester have a VW commercial dealer, though the main California centre is in Bristol. So far our experience with them has been great but it's a new van with no warranty issues to test them so can't go to far on a recommendation. Poole Breeze do seem a little sniffy.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Meoncoast]

We have had some 1st class service fitting extras from Breeze Poole We have had some 1st class service from Breeze Totton (Southampton) when our wiring to brake master cylinder was eaten by a rat, We have some 1st class service from SMG fitting the 12v socket to our dash top. As for sales I have had from a cross the country helpful dealers non helpful dealers pushing dealers and non intrested dealers. I have read on here members van being off the road for a week at some dealers for a job that can be done it 8 hrs.

for me what do I want from a dealer

TRUST
REALISTIC TURN AROUND
UNDERSTANDING OF THE VAN
UNDERSTANDING OF THE CAMPER
ABILITY WHERE POSSIBLE TO DO WORK WHILE I WAIT
GOOD COMMUNICATION

I am happy to sit in comercial van centre which has less facilities than a posh car sales room if I can get the above and if the dealer makes an error puts it right . I am happy with all the service I have had at VW van centres so far :cool


The Cali is our daily ride machanical problem off the road need it fixed asap which I am sure most van centres are up for as many small and large businesses need their vans on the road, if I need something fixed on the camping side I can make my choices which dealer will have the best knowledge to fix that bit of the van.

 

[Rob02]

I think we are missing the point here this is not just a Sportline panel van this is a lifestyle choice. My holidays my days out my memories great fun & if some Cowboy damages it or walks his or her dirty boots in my van I will be unhappy with the service & I think some Van centres are like this but you make your choice in where you take it.

 

[Gasgas]

"The Expectation of Expectation is ever increasing"


A quote from a new cooking programme " you can have bad food from a restaurant but great service and you would always go back ,but if you have great food and bad service you will never go back" Good service is all about communication and good attitude.

I have a van and a new California on order, what I want from my van is reliability and low running costs when it goes into a Dealer for service or repair I want them to fix it first time so that it can be back on the road earning its keep, I would expect the dealer to keep me informed and to come up with solutions if they had to keep it longer than planned perhaps a loan vehicle for example, that to me would be good service, on my part I would stay calm reasonable and treat them with respect.

From being in the motor trade for many years some customers can be just plain rude and unreasonable.

The problem I see with the California is that it is more complex and customers expectation is higher ,if my van has a few rattles it is not a problem with me as I sort of expect it but if my California (when I get it ) rattles then its going to drive me crazy. Both vehicles are important to me for different reasons. Rattles for instance can be hard to cure ,just when you cure one another appears in a different area, but as long as the Dealer was trying hard to sort it and coming up with solutions and keeping me informed then I would feel like I was getting good service.

I don't think that you need two tiers of Dealers just good staff with a "I can do attitude" which cascades down from the owners of the Business and good levels of investment in training.

 

[777111]

"The Expectation of Expectation is ever increasing"


A quote from a new cooking programme " you can have bad food from a restaurant but great service and you would always go back ,but if you have great food and bad service you will never go back" Good service is all about communication and good attitude.

I have a van and a new California on order, what I want from my van is reliability and low running costs when it goes into a Dealer for service or repair I want them to fix it first time so that it can be back on the road earning its keep, I would expect the dealer to keep me informed and to come up with solutions if they had to keep it longer than planned perhaps a loan vehicle for example, that to me would be good service, on my part I would stay calm reasonable and treat them with respect.

From being in the motor trade for many years some customers can be just plain rude and unreasonable.

The problem I see with the California is that it is more complex and customers expectation is higher ,if my van has a few rattles it is not a problem with me as I sort of expect it but if my California (when I get it ) rattles then its going to drive me crazy. Both vehicles are important to me for different reasons. Rattles for instance can be hard to cure ,just when you cure one another appears in a different area, but as long as the Dealer was trying hard to sort it and coming up with solutions and keeping me informed then I would feel like I was getting good service.

I don't think that you need two tiers of Dealers just good staff with a "I can do attitude" which cascades down from the owners of the Business and good levels of investment in training.

Spot on.