Thank You NCE - flyscreen/block out blind for new van

Submitted: Thursday, Mar 12, 2015 at 16:43
ThreadID: 117035 Views:6924 Replies:7 FollowUps:1
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After a number of occasions trying to get my Euro blind fixed in my Lotus caravan, still under warranty, I rang the company who supply the blinds, NCE, and asked them had they had any problems with this blind and how can I fix it as the blind is still broken. The technical man from the company was very upfront and honest and told me they cannot be repaired and they should have been replaced in the first instance when I complained about them as they cover them under warranty. He took my particulars and 2 days later a brand new Euro blind arrived at my rural property by courier delivery free of charge.
So a big THANK YOU to NCE Pty Ltd, who do have excellent after sales customer service and integrity. It was an absolute pleasure to deal with this particular fellow in the company and I now have the brand new fly screen/block out blind fitted in my caravan.
I have had numerous problems with this new caravan of less than 12 months old; water coming through the roof on 3 occasions, exhaust fan burning out on first use, numerous holes drilled in the floor and not used or sealed and water/dust coming in causing water damage to floor and flooring, air conditioning unit loose in roof as a result of the bolts only being finger tight.
This is a really good caravan that has been put together shoddily without proper quality control and when I complained about the roof leaking for the second time whilst in Cairns I was told I would have to drive the van all the way back to southern NSW to have it repaired whilst the roof was still leaking in the rain. They never had the common sense to seek a local repairer and I ruined my holiday and a great expense for fuel from northern Queensland to have it repaired in southern NSW and we are still not certain it is repaired and won’t leak in the rain as they could not find where it was leaking. The mechanic at the dealership was very co-operative and has tried to repair the van on a number of occasions and I have no complaint or problem with the workshop whatsoever.
Lotus in Melbourne never even acknowledged or replied to my letter when I wrote to them about my troubles.
Now I am finding that the weld on the a-frame that holds the support for the tow bar is coming apart and rust is showing through, so that is going to be my latest whinge.
Cheers
The Major
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Reply By: Bill D6 - Thursday, Mar 12, 2015 at 17:39

Thursday, Mar 12, 2015 at 17:39
I will cross Lotus off the list!
AnswerID: 549842

Reply By: Member - Tony F8 - Thursday, Mar 12, 2015 at 18:39

Thursday, Mar 12, 2015 at 18:39
I'm sorry, but you said it is a really good van, but let down by shoddy assembly, I think that is an oxymoron, don't mean to be rude but sounds like a pile of poo. I hope they sort out all the problems, if not there is always consumer affairs and facebook.
AnswerID: 549844

Reply By: AnneC5 - Thursday, Mar 12, 2015 at 21:27

Thursday, Mar 12, 2015 at 21:27
Sounds like the item purchased was not 'fit for purpose' and could be returned for a refund under Australian Consumer Law. Check out your rights under the ACCC site, major faults that would prevent you purchasing the item if known at the time of purchase entitle you to an exchange or refund, it is your choice not the sellers.
AnswerID: 549852

Reply By: member - mazcan - Thursday, Mar 12, 2015 at 22:14

Thursday, Mar 12, 2015 at 22:14
hi the major
well this is very very interesting as i have recently been receiving emails from the lotus caravan company telling me what a really very well made and exceptional van they are
blah blah and how good the workmanship is etc etc and they will be at the perth caravan show next week
thanks for the open and detailed imfo and i'm sure i'm not the only one grateful for it
there are far to many vans been built without any really quality control other than trust between the employer and the company manager who leave the staff basiclly to do the right thing during assembly
this has been the down fall of many van companies over the years
unfortunately the buyer is the one who suffers both financially and their holiday plans are quiet often stuffed up as well after years of looking forward to their retirement travells don't give up until you get justice
cheers
AnswerID: 549855

Reply By: Member - Tony (ACT) - Saturday, Mar 14, 2015 at 07:15

Saturday, Mar 14, 2015 at 07:15
Must have been one made on Friday. I have not had a major problem as far as build quality.

The Trooper van is just over 12 months old and non of the problems you have had.

AnswerID: 549944

Reply By: Cruiser . - Saturday, Mar 14, 2015 at 12:47

Saturday, Mar 14, 2015 at 12:47
I have had 2 lotus vans. The 1st one we had for 5 yrs and not any sort of problems, so naturally when we decided to get another van we went for a Lotus.

BIG MISTAKE.

The list of faults was numerous and after 3 weeks the van was back at the factory to rectify 13 faults. When we got it back they had only rectified 6 of the 13. In the course of the 12 months under warranty we had a total of 47 faults.

Lotus decided to just ignore any correspondence. They didnt return calls or emails, so the dealer took it up with Lotus and Lotus decided to cancel his dealership.

He was so pi$$ed off with them he took it upon himself to rectify all but 2 faults for which I was very grateful. I found out later that he did this without any renumeration from Lotus.

After 2 1/2 yrs we decided to sell the van and now have a new van but guess what, its NOT a Lotus.

Lotus in my experience do not care once the van rolls out of the factory.
AnswerID: 549952

Follow Up By: Cruiser . - Saturday, Mar 14, 2015 at 12:49

Saturday, Mar 14, 2015 at 12:49
BTW, we had the same pleasant experience NCE when we had problems with our privacy screens (even though it was under warranty, Lotus did nothing. It was up to me to chase up a replacement from NCE)
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FollowupID: 835345

Reply By: TheMajor - Sunday, Mar 15, 2015 at 13:47

Sunday, Mar 15, 2015 at 13:47
Hi Forum
Thanks for all the replies, I didn't expect such a response about my Lotus caravan. I can tell you I did really do my research to budget and although Lotus wasn't the best caravan I looked at it was for the budget I was prepared to pay at the time. I did inspect a number of caravans at different dealerships but what I didn't take into consideration at the time was that these vans displayed at the dealerships have been thoroughly checked for quality control for potential buyers but the van you order off the assembly line sometimes is not like the one at the dealership for quality.
I have taken photos of every fault in my van but I found out it is much easier to fix them myself where possible than having to put up with the delays, excuses, denials and mucking about and still not have it fixed. I have had 12 months of misery and worry trying to get my van fixed to the expectation I was led to believe so that I can finally enjoy my retirement in my new van.
I recently inspected a van at the Wagga dealership the same as mine and could not find one fault. I really got mad because when I asked the price it was $2,000 cheaper than what I paid for mine at a different dealership almost 12 months prior. So, it pays to shop around and like I said before, I still think Lotus is a good caravan but just my one is not up to scratch, I feel like it is a "Lotus Lemon".
Cheers
The Major

AnswerID: 550007

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