JCB Group / Eurovans - Terrible Customer Service

[camperhov]

In fairness to JCB it's not all bad. I had excellent service when being sold/collecting my first Cali and if follow-on support is disappointing then there is SMG just down the road.

Thank you, appreciate the feedback.

Aware the negative experiences usually out weigh the positives, and the negatives are remebered while the positives forgotten...

 

[Niborn]

Thank you, appreciate the feedback.

Aware the negative experiences usually out weigh the positives, and the negatives are remebered while the positives forgotten...

Well, we've all got our own experiences, mine were not one offs, the long duration of repeated incompetence and the poor service on top is what motivated me to write and warn others. Ive been in the distribution trades for over 40 years plus my academic life in business teaching the stuff. Im very objective on the matter and patient. However in this case I really advise you to stay away, its just too stressful to go through all this. Eurovans and JCB as distributors have been, over time without doubt repeatedly truly terrible for me. Id much prefer to buy and get service in the same place if I could. Then one is truly a customer of the dealer, it should count for something. Sure Eurovans after some negotiation gave me a good deal on purchase, which is why I bought there in the first place. Although not knowing about their terrible service department I didn't try to get it matched at the other dealers known for their better service . If I was buying again this is what I would do and suggest it is what you should do.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Thank you, appreciate the feedback.

Aware the negative experiences usually out weigh the positives, and the negatives are remebered while the positives forgotten...

My dealings with Eurovans to date on the purchase of my Cali has been good. Haven’t taken delivery yet so can’t say what after sales service is like? If you’re getting the best deal from them I’d stick with it. Post sales you’re not obliged to use them for serving or warranty issues.

 

[HamishEeyore]

Hiya,
Yes indeed I have. I was getting no where a few weeks ago and was advised that trading standards would support legal action against the garage.
SO s a last resort I sent an email, to both the managing director of JCB, the service manager at Eurovans, stating I was about to start legal action for the costs and the money owed, plus send the story to the Guardian news paper.
I got a phone call that day and paid quickly after, but not real apology, just with covid etc, so Im behind in answering mail.
Just as an a-side... My daughter took her car to a JCB in Canterbury and said the service there was terrible. Terrible attitude.

In summary : glad to be repaid but the expérience re JCB is very sad. Im sure the problem comes from the top.

I hope you can enjoy some great times in your fab vehicle, untainted by your horrible and stressful, prolonged experience.

 

[Tamanddave]

We bought our van from Eurovans in 2017 and have had some servicing and warranty work done there, they have been good to deal with for us. Now using their site in Portslade as it is closer to us, for the next service will be at the one that has opened in Worthing.

 

[dartmoordingoe]

Horrified by this story. It is extraordinary to me that service is not very high ion VW requirements and that the companies that work for them should be kept up to speed.
I know with my VW car that the centre in Newton Abbott seems much better than the one in Exeter ... so I should not be surprised.

Am buying from JCT 600 in Sheffield so I hope they prove to be good. All helpful so far!
But I was interested in the reviews here of Breeze in Poole and as my cousins live there I think I will use them locally for servicing. Any feedback on JCT600 Sheffield/York would be interesting !

 

[Hamish S]

Tom and Nathan were very helpful to me when I purchased from Sheffield so fingers crossed they play ball for you.

 

[patflash]

This does make for grim reading esp as I just placed an order with JCB through drive the deal ‍ Wasn’t intending on getting it serviced with them but still... wondering if I’ve made a mistake.

 

[Niborn]

This does make for grim reading esp as I just placed an order with JCB through drive the deal ‍♂ Wasn’t intending on getting it serviced with them but still... wondering if I’ve made a mistake.

As long as you didn’t over pay and you get what you ordered , check it very carefully when it comes in , mine had a few things missing ....

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

This does make for grim reading esp as I just placed an order with JCB through drive the deal ‍♂ Wasn’t intending on getting it serviced with them but still... wondering if I’ve made a mistake.

For the record, my dealings with Eurovans to date have on the whole been good. They’ve been very helpful in recent days clarifying the situation in respect of extending my warranty from 4 to 5 years and have confirmed that the extension does not negatively impact the 4-year care package which came as part of my deal. According to other VWCC members their dealers have given wrong advice on this subject or just couldn’t be bothered to find out! So, Mike and Victor at Eurovans get a thumbs up from me.

This morning Victor also ran through the process for collection of my van in a couple of weeks and offered to deliver if I would prefer.

They also did a significantly better deal than my ‘local’ van centre was prepared to offer.

Can’t comment on their after sales service as I have no experience and due to distance it’s unlikely I’ll use them for servicing/warranty issues (they know this).

 

[patflash]

Thanks for the feedback GG that’s reassuring to know. Not that I’ll be able to get it now but what does the 4 year care package entail?

 

[westfalia]

This morning Victor also ran through the process for collection of my van in a couple of weeks and offered to deliver if I would prefer.

Victor is a good name for your van

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Thanks for the feedback GG that’s reassuring to know. Not that I’ll be able to get it now but what does the 4 year care package entail?

4-year warranty, 4-year roadside assistance and 2 services (1 minor, 1 major).

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Victor is a good name for your van

I don’t believe it

 

[Rams66]

For the record, my dealings with Eurovans to date have on the whole been good. They’ve been very helpful in recent days clarifying the situation in respect of extending my warranty from 4 to 5 years and have confirmed that the extension does not negatively impact the 4-year care package which came as part of my deal. According to other VWCC members their dealers have given wrong advice on this subject or just couldn’t be bothered to find out! So, Mike and Victor at Eurovans get a thumbs up from me.

This morning Victor also ran through the process for collection of my van in a couple of weeks and offered to deliver if I would prefer.

They also did a significantly better deal than my ‘local’ van centre was prepared to offer.

Can’t comment on their after sales service as I have no experience and due to distance it’s unlikely I’ll use them for servicing/warranty issues (they know this).

Same experience from us. Very responsive, helpful and not at all pushy through the order process. We worked with David and would recommend. They don't know the Californias inside out but that doesn't matter, really there's more than enough info here and on YouTube. Ours isn't built yet so like Grumpy Grandad, can't comment on after sale.

 

[Niborn]

For the record, my dealings with Eurovans to date have on the whole been good. They’ve been very helpful in recent days clarifying the situation in respect of extending my warranty from 4 to 5 years and have confirmed that the extension does not negatively impact the 4-year care package which came as part of my deal. According to other VWCC members their dealers have given wrong advice on this subject or just couldn’t be bothered to find out! So, Mike and Victor at Eurovans get a thumbs up from me.

This morning Victor also ran through the process for collection of my van in a couple of weeks and offered to deliver if I would prefer.

They also did a significantly better deal than my ‘local’ van centre was prepared to offer.

Can’t comment on their after sales service as I have no experience and due to distance it’s unlikely I’ll use them for servicing/warranty issues (they know this).

It’s good to hear you are finding dealings on the whole good from EuroVans, I Hope that they can, as a dealer of many years, clarify your questions , especially when they want you to part with tens of thousands of pounds , that should be motivation to answer your questions , just doing their job I think.

More or less I had a good experience buying from them too, a few things did go wrong like having confirmed in writing and having got a written confirmation back my Cali would have black B pillars , “100 certain” they wrote . It didn’t , but they did sort it , eventually. Not having the safe I ordered, but then I wasn’t charged , but now I don’t have a safe. The water tank sensor wasn’t checked on delivery and it was faulty ..but they did change it .
So that’s why I wrote more or less good experience, things like that , all irritating because I had to go back , lost most of a day each time to get the issues sorted.

Then there is the long list In this thread Initially written about , over a duration of time of the service issues , finally finishing with the stupid VW agreed guarantee claim which took ages to resolve. In the end , after a legal threat and trading standards intervention , the service manager did ring me and it was sorted . He did say he apologised for the delay , but after what I’d been through it felt a bit hollow. Would of been nice to have had a written apology from the boss at least saying sorry for three years of cock ups , all at my expense.

To rub salt in my wound , this weekend I changed my tyres over to my Goodyear Vectors , all seasons . These are directional tyres. They have the 3 peak symbol and stand in for me as my winter tyres.

It was one of these I had the puncture with last winter , I wrote about how the technician said he could not find the puncture and then he put the all season tyre back in the spare position ( still with the puncture ) leaving the different summer spare on the rear axle, mixing the axle tyres, where the puncture had been !!!

When I saw this I demanded that they put the all season tyre back in its place and the spare in its place, whilst the supposed non punctured tyre was off again I asked him to look more carefully as I was convinced there was a puncture, after all I’d just come back from holiday to Heathrow ( three weeks away ) and in that time my tyre, rear left , was totally flat . I asked him to cover it in soapy water , as we did when we were kids repairing our bike tyres. Of course there were the bubbles. Closer investigation revealer a huge broken off nail , luckily in the centre if the tyre . He then repaired it.

As I said this weekend, I went to put back on my directional 4 season tyres , taking off the Bridgestones used for the summer . I was totally surprised to no find a tyre for the rear left , the one which had the puncture, with the right direction . Then I realised , the tyre he repaired he put on the wrong way round. Indeed I had three tyres for the right side wheels. I realise now I didn’t check his work enough.

So I had to go down to my local garage and get the tyre changed around, so the direction was right and have it rebalanced , as well as having the other 2 rebalanced too because I didn’t know which of the three was the affected repaired puncture tyre . The one we changed around wasn’t , so it meant one of the other two was , but which we would not know without taking the tyre off .

I paid out again , about 30euro , because of the EuroVans incompetency .

In my opinion and from the previous experiences I have had , especially in the service department, plus the no contact for some 6 months with my guarantee issue, which was much more recent, it all tells me this garage really doesn’t have proper training and as well it appears management do not really care about after sales.

Good luck with your purchase and good luck with your subsequent services.

Personally I’d rather buy and get service in the same place if I could , even for the sake of a few quid , it ought to count for something that one buys the more or less £70 or £80,000 Cali at a dealer and then has it serviced at the same dealer.

Best wishes

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

It’s good to hear you are finding dealings on the whole good from EuroVans, I Hope that they can, as a dealer of many years, clarify your questions , especially when they want you to part with tens of thousands of pounds , that should be motivation to answer your questions , just doing their job I think.

More or less I had a good experience buying from them too, a few things did go wrong like having confirmed in writing and having got a written confirmation back my Cali would have black B pillars , “100 certain” they wrote . It didn’t , but they did sort it , eventually. Not having the safe I ordered, but then I wasn’t charged , but now I don’t have a safe. The water tank sensor wasn’t checked on delivery and it was faulty ..but they did change it .
So that’s why I wrote more or less good experience, things like that , all irritating because I had to go back , lost most of a day each time to get the issues sorted.

Then there is the long list In this thread Initially written about , over a duration of time of the service issues , finally finishing with the stupid VW agreed guarantee claim which took ages to resolve. In the end , after a legal threat and trading standards intervention , the service manager did ring me and it was sorted . He did say he apologised for the delay , but after what I’d been through it felt a bit hollow. Would of been nice to have had a written apology from the boss at least saying sorry for three years of cock ups , all at my expense.

To rub salt in my wound , this weekend I changed my tyres over to my Goodyear Vectors , all seasons . These are directional tyres. They have the 3 peak symbol and stand in for me as my winter tyres.

It was one of these I had the puncture with last winter , I wrote about how the technician said he could not find the puncture and then he put the all season tyre back in the spare position ( still with the puncture ) leaving the different summer spare on the rear axle, mixing the axle tyres, where the puncture had been !!!

When I saw this I demanded that they put the all season tyre back in its place and the spare in its place, whilst the supposed non punctured tyre was off again I asked him to look more carefully as I was convinced there was a puncture, after all I’d just come back from holiday to Heathrow ( three weeks away ) and in that time my tyre, rear left , was totally flat . I asked him to cover it in soapy water , as we did when we were kids repairing our bike tyres. Of course there were the bubbles. Closer investigation revealer a huge broken off nail , luckily in the centre if the tyre . He then repaired it.

As I said this weekend, I went to put back on my directional 4 season tyres , taking off the Bridgestones used for the summer . I was totally surprised to no find a tyre for the rear left , the one which had the puncture, with the right direction . Then I realised , the tyre he repaired he put on the wrong way round. Indeed I had three tyres for the right side wheels. I realise now I didn’t check his work enough.

So I had to go down to my local garage and get the tyre changed around, so the direction was right and have it rebalanced , as well as having the other 2 rebalanced too because I didn’t know which of the three was the affected repaired puncture tyre . The one we changed around wasn’t , so it meant one of the other two was , but which we would not know without taking the tyre off .

I paid out again , about 30euro , because of the EuroVans incompetency .

In my opinion and from the previous experiences I have had , especially in the service department, plus the no contact for some 6 months with my guarantee issue, which was much more recent, it all tells me this garage really doesn’t have proper training and as well it appears management do not really care about after sales.

Good luck with your purchase and good luck with your subsequent services.

Personally I’d rather buy and get service in the same place if I could , even for the sake of a few quid , it ought to count for something that one buys the more or less £70 or £80,000 Cali at a dealer and then has it serviced at the same dealer.

Best wishes

Sorry for your poor experiences Niborn. Hope I’m not recounting similar tales in the months/years to come.