Hi Melly. This is the letter that we wrote and with which we successfully obtained a full refund. To all other posters, sorry, please ignore this next bit, it is for Melly
Dear Mr. ………
Further to our recent telephone conversation, I am writing to you concerning the numerous problems we are experiencing with our Bailey Pageant Monarch caravan. We have been advised that we must return to you as it is with the seller that we have a contract and not the manufacturers. We took delivery of this caravan from new in early November last year. We returned the caravan to you for repairs and we had it back with the repairs as detailed on the separate sheet. You stated that you were unable to repair the shower. The caravan then went into winter storage and the first opportunity we had to use the caravan again was in June as I had been in hospital.
We reported to you on the phone that the shower tap was still leaking and you said that you would have to order a new tap from Bailey. We reported that the washbasin tap was also leaking and would require fixing. Due to our holiday and your being unable to order parts from Bailey due to their summer shut down, we were not able to return the caravan. We had returned home for my urgent hospital appointment and as you were not able to repair the van, we continued with our holiday.
We contacted Bailey on the phone to ask about nose weights and whether the main weight being down one side was contributing to the violent back end sway we were experiencing. Bailey initially advised “appropriate loading” but was unable to say what this actually meant. I enclose copies of the subsequent e-mails. Toward the end of our holiday, we needed to use the heating system and found it to be non-functioning and it was then we discovered the badly cut hose and disconnection. The on going problems fall into two categories, a) defects and b) problems arising through design faults.
DEFECTS
a) The heater blown air pipe is not actually connected to the exit point on the heater. It is so roughly and unevenly “cut” that it is impossible to get a fit.
b) There was a gas leak in the locker which we located and fixed ourselves. This may explain why the flame in the cooker kept lifting.
c) The heater will not function at all unless the cupboard doors and drawer are left open. It keeps cutting out. The cupboard and drawers are basically un-useable.
d) The omnivent vent extractor fan keeps getting jammed and sometimes will not open at all.
e) The oven appears to work intermittently. It can take over thirty minutes just to achieve a low temperature. The dealership has tested it and found no fault, but we still appear to have problems. The flame level on occasion appears to modulate to a low level far too quickly.
f) The taps on the bathroom sink and shower leak.
g) The shower tray has been fitted such that it bends up in the middle, and it will not empty. The walk in part, despite the caravan being levelled for emptying, remains filled with water. The bend up in the middle is causing a lever effect and stress marks are now manifesting on the shower tray. The dealership has said that this is not a problem that it can deal withThe shower room window left hand catch is not correctly aligned and we have to force it into position. In doing this, the whole catch moves on the window.
h) Despite having now been on nine different sites, the TV aerial did not once give any adequate level of reception and the TV we purchased is basically un-useable.
i) The locks on the external front locker keep working loose and resulted in us having to bend the locker door in order to free up the left hand lock. We keep tightening them but they still work loose and cause difficulty in both opening and closing the locker.
j) Mrs…. is totally unable to operate the button release on the Alko hitch and I have found it extremely hard to operate and the pressure required to force the brake down causes pain in my shoulder. On one site, the owners place all caravans on the pitch themselves. He had difficulty operating the brake himself and said we should get it checked out as it seemed very stiff and he handled a great many caravans.
k) The smoke alarm keeps going off without apparent reason. We have disabled it by the use of cling film but obviously this places us at risk.
l) The water container switch appears to stick and sometimes will not empty or fill until we have flipped the yellow switch several times.
m) Sealant around the wash room basin has all come off.
n) Sealant on the shower does not seal. The shower panel is so loosely fitted that it bows out. It moves quite considerably and no amount of sealant will ensure a watertight fit because of the degree of movement.
DESIGN PROBLEMS
We have experienced violent side to side back end sway whilst towing. We hastily parked up on a lay by to investigate hitch etc. and were alarmed to observe passing Lorries were causing our stationary caravan to markedly rock. We have been to a public weighbridge when loaded and have not exceeded our permitted weights. The main weight of the van as supplied is down one side. When the van is loaded, clothes, food etc all go down the same side. This we felt might be the cause of the side to side back end sway. It was so marked that all the drawers were flung open, and the fridge door became marked by knives and books flying everywhere. It also flung the waste water carrier onto the van door denting that as well. We can only tow with any degree of stability if we do not put any clothes in the wardrobe at all. This in turn means that we cannot put any weight in the back of the van, and to avoid exceeding our nose weight, we have to place all our clothes and food in boxes and put them in the car. On arrival on site, we then have to transfer everything from the car to the van and again on leaving. I am registered disabled and the constant carrying to and fro of all the boxes is left to my wife. We actually had to change our holiday itinerary and give up the idea of touring as it really does become quite an exhaustive process. Thus we are not able to use the van as a Tourer and also as the car is loaded, we are unable to take anyone with us in the car. (New Honda Accord Diesel Tourer Estate). We understand that in the Series 6 Monarch, the shower and wardrobe are fitted on the opposite sides. This would rectify the one sided weight problem and presumably Bailey is aware of the problem otherwise it would not have needed to radically altered the design after two years.
In use, we have found that the clothes in the wardrobe become very damp and heavy condensate drops form on the corner by the toilet. We did wonder whether there was damp penetration this corner. In order to overcome the damp, we have to leave the window open and the vent above the shower open. We do not like going off leaving a window open but really have no choice. We also leave all wardrobe doors open and the shower room door open and operate the omnivent in order to achieve any ventilation. Having the doors always open rather defeats the object of having a separate door as well as having to contend with a noisy fan on the omnivent. The bathroom becomes rather cold and in winter this is clearly not a sustainable situation. This problem is exacerbated by the bent shower tray. Each time the shower is used, which is on a daily basis, we have to completely dry the shower tray out. This is rather a long process because, as already explained, the shower tray is so mis-fitted.
The electrical socket on the side of the sink cannot really be used for any kitchen purpose, e.g. kettle. The cables are at risk of being caught when the seats are in use. I accidentally caught the cable when going to sit myself at the table and this resulted in a kettle of freshly boiled water toppling over. The alternative is to trail the cable behind the sink and the close proximity of water and electricity is actually quite dangerous. There is insufficient workspace to allow use of this socket. The overhang of the work top by the sink prevents opening of the under seat locker. You have to remove all the cushions just to gain access to the locker.
We are not prepared to have any further repairs to the caravan. Even if all the repairs are carried out, the warped shower will remain and the caravan will still not be suitable for use as a Tourer. We feel that the combination of defects and design faults have resulted in a caravan that is most certainly not fit for purpose. We have decided that as the van is un-useable in the cold that we have to cancel our September holiday. We have already experienced considerable disruption, stress etc.
Having discussed the issues with various consumer advice organisations, we wish to say that under the Sale of Goods Act of 1979, as amended, we have purchased a caravan that is neither fit for purpose or of satisfactory quality. We are not prepared to accept repairs as this will still not correct our back end sway, ill fitting shower and damp problems. Our on-going problems have not been resolved and thus we are rejecting the goods. We now formally request that you take the caravan back and return our money. We will allow a period of 14 working days for this to be arranged. We are saddened that you have to bear the brunt of bad design and build by Bailey, but the law does require that we return to you for redress.
Yours Sincerely
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Topic: 2004 Swift Group van problems
