Message Forums

The show aired on Sunday. To be honest I could have pitched the product better than the two Directors did. I was also surprised that a company who knock out as many premium caravan covers as they do and with a very impressive turnover sold out 26% of their company to two Dragons for a 'mere' £70k. With a robust business plan surely they could have approached the need for investment along the normal lending routes and retained 100% ownership of their business? Had they been asking for £250k then I could have understood their approach.

I think that the area they do need to improve on is their customer service. We ordered a custom cover for our caravan at the NEC. We were quoted a delivery time of 'within 7 weeks.' An email from them three weeks later quoted 8 - 9 weeks so I called them about it and as no reassurance was offered I cancelled and took my business to Specialised Covers who honoured the show deal and threw in a set of wheel covers for my TA van. Their delivery time was quoted as within 4 weeks and I have fast tracked it to 2 weeks for £25. (Apparently all fast tracked orders are done on overtime so the machinists have the opportunity to make a few quid extra as all the fast track payment go in overtime pay.) OK there is no easy fit system but we get our cover before Xmas!

Protec made no attempt whatsoever to keep my custom nor explain the increase in delivery time and were happy to let me take my business to their main competitor without a single attempt at customer retention. It wouldn't surprise me if Hilary and Duncan  but a firm boot up the customer service department in due course.

Quote: Originally posted by birdman101 on 15/11/2012

---

I bought one of their covers 4 years ago and totally satisfied.I was amazed that with a thriving company as theirs they were prepared to sell 26% for so little.

---

Quote: Originally posted by Alistair on 14/11/2012

---

The show aired on Sunday. To be honest I could have pitched the product better than the two Directors did. I was also surprised that a company who knock out as many premium caravan covers as they do and with a very impressive turnover sold out 26% of their company to two Dragons for a 'mere' £70k. With a robust business plan surely they could have approached the need for investment along the normal lending routes and retained 100% ownership of their business? Had they been asking for £250k then I could have understood their approach.

I think that the area they do need to improve on is their customer service. We ordered a custom cover for our caravan at the NEC. We were quoted a delivery time of 'within 7 weeks.' An email from them three weeks later quoted 8 - 9 weeks so I called them about it and as no reassurance was offered I cancelled and took my business to Specialised Covers who honoured the show deal and threw in a set of wheel covers for my TA van. Their delivery time was quoted as within 4 weeks and I have fast tracked it to 2 weeks for £25. (Apparently all fast tracked orders are done on overtime so the machinists have the opportunity to make a few quid extra as all the fast track payment go in overtime pay.) OK there is no easy fit system but we get our cover before Xmas!

Protec made no attempt whatsoever to keep my custom nor explain the increase in delivery time and were happy to let me take my business to their main competitor without a single attempt at customer retention. It wouldn't surprise me if Hilary and Duncan  but a firm boot up the customer service department in due course.

---

Quote: Originally posted by Alistair on 14/11/2012

---

The show aired on Sunday. To be honest I could have pitched the product better than the two Directors did. I was also surprised that a company who knock out as many premium caravan covers as they do and with a very impressive turnover sold out 26% of their company to two Dragons for a 'mere' £70k. With a robust business plan surely they could have approached the need for investment along the normal lending routes and retained 100% ownership of their business? Had they been asking for £250k then I could have understood their approach.

I think that the area they do need to improve on is their customer service. We ordered a custom cover for our caravan at the NEC. We were quoted a delivery time of 'within 7 weeks.' An email from them three weeks later quoted 8 - 9 weeks so I called them about it and as no reassurance was offered I cancelled and took my business to Specialised Covers who honoured the show deal and threw in a set of wheel covers for my TA van. Their delivery time was quoted as within 4 weeks and I have fast tracked it to 2 weeks for £25. (Apparently all fast tracked orders are done on overtime so the machinists have the opportunity to make a few quid extra as all the fast track payment go in overtime pay.) OK there is no easy fit system but we get our cover before Xmas!

Protec made no attempt whatsoever to keep my custom nor explain the increase in delivery time and were happy to let me take my business to their main competitor without a single attempt at customer retention. It wouldn't surprise me if Hilary and Duncan  but a firm boot up the customer service department in due course.

---

For what it is worth, if I had 70K burning a hole in my pocket I would have invested it for 10% of the company as I think the product is great.

Unfortunately I was not in the position to wait for the cover so had to look elsewhere, but the very best of luck to you on your venture with the Dragons.

I saw the show, and like others on here was surprised that they needed the help from the dragons when they have such an excellent product and reputation already.

I did laugh when one of the dragons called it a tarpaulin cover.

Still I am sure they know what they are doing.

As a recent purchaser of one of their covers I can vouch for the superb quality of the material and the workmanship, and the easy fit system is definitely a winning idea which in my opinion gives them the edge over the competition.

Good to see Pro tec monitor site's  like this for customer feedback, I wish them well in there future business ventures and hope this is a good move for them, we have too few good british thriving companies at the moment.

We purchased one of these at the Manchester caravan show this year, placed the order and within weeks it arrived, spot on.

...but still to master the art of getting it on, early days, working on it with concertina folding method and getting better!

..debating whether to invest in one of those front covers as the salt on the road when we arrived on site at Easter had left the front of the caravan really dirty but i suppose you can go on and on buying things