Have I won the prize

Daisy mae is right in that older things were invariably better made than newer ones in respect of cars and motorhomes and so on. Sadly the world has gone into designer mode rather than functional mode when it comes to most things.
Sadly Spockydog you seem do to have a lot of faults and more sadly they seem hopeless at sorting them out as well. At the end of the day I doubt the motorhome magazines will publish or get involved as they get most of their income from motorhome companies. It is down to the supplier Marquis and if your one is the same as ours I'd consider trying a different branch. Golden Cross seem incapable of rectifying faults in general and their standard of awning fitting beggars belief the case of our Benimar.
Good luck.

Unfortunately, why should AS care about a few problems when sales are so buoyant. Sales at the NEC in October were 42% up against the same show the previous year. This is reported by Sales Director Dave Williams in the latest MMM. Another name to direct your emails to.!!!

The whole UK market is buoyant   24% going up .
I suspect long waiting lists.
Money coming from somewhere,maybe pensions pots taken early?
Micky

Bought a 1999 Ravenna on a mk 5 transit chassis,everything is still working as it should,good quality interior,last owner had it 10 years no problems.Would i buy a new one?.No way

bantamblade wrote:Bought a 1999 Ravenna on a mk 5 transit chassis,everything is still working as it should,good quality interior,last owner had it 10 years no problems.Would i buy a new one?.No way

If you lived where I do a £100 a day LEZ charge might make you consider a newer van.

Jeez Dave, I think I'd move... In fact I wouldn't even think! I've not ventured inside the M25 this century, and only twice (briefly) last century. Sounds like it's changed a bit down there.
Al.

Yes, I almost bought a Toyota a couple of years ago until I saw the fee. I live on one of the corridors but a close that I sometimes have to park in is in the London LEZ zone. Fortunately all irrelevant with a 2016 van though.

Where i live,we have trees ,fields,wild boar,sheep,rabbits,foxes,badgers,deer, all running wild never seen a LEZ. You had better move to the Forest Of Dean,nice place for a holiday too....Dave

Similar where I live in the Peak District Dave, without the wild boar.., mind you a nearby country pub of that name is one of my favourite haunts for a crafty pint when out on the bike...
Al.

Maybe we will try it next year Al ,arnt we lucky living where we do..................Dave

bikeralw wrote:Jeez Dave, I think I'd move... In fact I wouldn't even think! I've not ventured inside the M25 this century, and only twice (briefly) last century. Sounds like it's changed a bit down there.
Al.

Hate M25 tried getting off and going inside today only to find that as blocked. Glad I rarely have to go up that way but I did today to collect my new tow car. Letchworth to Brighton Distance 105 miles journey time 4hours 30 minutes including sitting on M25 car park M23 car park and A 27 car park. Still nice little car to tow behind us occasionally.  4 grand less than a brandnew one with only 2004 miles on it and a year old.  So made it worth the journey. But dreading the trip init up to Yorkshire for an Armitage conversion.. Anyone want to lend me a towing dolly lol.  Ops..

HI M8, good luck with your new tow car. I have an A frame which has been used only once,  my wife wasn't happy towing a car behind us. 
If you are interested in a possible purchase PM me. It came from a company in Poole.

Leighton.

Hi all, got a reply from Alan Curry Customer services manager, on behalf of A/S.
Did they pull out all the stops, drop everything and do something, anything within their power and get my vehicle fixed? 
No
Did they snatch the opportunity to exercise that legendary, quote  "most responsive aftersales service in the industry" and turn me into a loyal lifelong customer.
No
What did they do I hear you cry?
They sent me a letter stating how wonderful their company is, how fantastic their product is and how their aftersales service is second to none.
Confused??? Laughable.
It really is time the motorhome industry is brought under the umbrella of the ombudsman. Anyway easy decision for me, Knaus, Hobby, Pilote, ANYTHING, other than A/S here I come.

Phew, Spockydog, that shocks me. I am astounded that the company did not invite you to bring the AS to the works for them to investigate, albeit on a without prejudice basis i.e. if the faults are as you have described [I don't doubt you] and are not due to you or a third-party having caused them, then the company will remedy them, and compensate you for your trouble.

That they have taken a robust, defensive line erodes my faith in AS. Like you, I had assumed that I was buying a premium product; like you, I accept that there will probably be initial snags; but where such snags turn into a continuing catalogue of significant faults which suggest that the vehicle is not of merchantable quality, I had - until now - expected the company to act honourably.

I really don't see why purchasers of new vehicles should have to put up with having to be DIY mechanics, remedying faults and design mistakes.

I suppose that I'm unlikely, given my age, to buy another new motorhome. But if I am asked for a recommendation, I doubt if I'd recommend an AS despite 30 years of brand loyalty. I suspect I'd recommend a German make.

Sorry, that's a ramble. In your case, Spockydog, I'd consult a solicitor. Now.

Spockydog wrote:Hi all, got a reply from Alan Curry Customer services manager, on behalf of A/S.
Did they pull out all the stops, drop everything and do something, anything within their power and get my vehicle fixed? 
No
Did they snatch the opportunity to exercise that legendary, quote  "most responsive aftersales service in the industry" and turn me into a loyal lifelong customer.
No
What did they do I hear you cry?
They sent me a letter stating how wonderful their company is, how fantastic their product is and how their aftersales service is second to none.
Confused??? Laughable.
It really is time the motorhome industry is brought under the umbrella of the ombudsman. Anyway easy decision for me, Knaus, Hobby, Pilote, ANYTHING, other than A/S here I come.

Sorry to hear of your problems Spockydog... your story doesn't surprise me in the slightest, having contacted Auto-Sleepers myself when we had issues with the service we received by Marquis they didn't even have the decency to reply let alone attempt to get involved in anyway. As far as us plebs are concerned they simply don't care, they don't even seem to care or appreciate the damage to their reputation when these matters are discussed here on this forum! 

I've seen a lot of people move away from owning an Auto-Sleeper motorhome and going with another maker including quite a few on this forum since it started... I guess as long as Auto Sleepers keep selling motorhomes they don't care  

Like you if we were buying again I'll be seriously looking at other new vehicles by another manufacturer. They may be built no better, but I can't imagine any other company like Auto-Sleepers or their sister company Marquis showing such a lack care or interest in its "loyal customers" which instead they should value and treasure!