Tina S

Steer clear

The van I was sold had dangerous faults when I left their courtyard. I am very very lucky I haven’t had a serious accident. I had to take the campervan back due to the roof leaking on 4 occasions the 1st time as soon as I arrived home! The garage did do repairs &, paid the cost of replacing 2 dangerous tyres (cracked & warped despite being put through its MOT according to the garage who replaced the tyres they were illegal ), shock absorbers, a plastic panel on the side of the the van that flew off across the road in the wind as the wood it should have been screwed into was rotten they had just put sealant around it. This is just one email I sent to the company Please read the catalogue of faults with the T4 Topaz campervan. Each and every single one of these faults could have and should have been dealt with before the campervan left the garage. The day I collected the van I parked up in my driveway to find there was a leak! water pouring from the roof inside the van. The van was returned by me & an attempt was made to repair the leak. A few weeks later the same issue arose and I had to return the van again. The wheel arches where rusty & corroding and needed treating as did the undercarriage. I was assured this would be rectified before the van came to me.Yet again I had to request this to be done. I had to return the van due to a Gas leak which was a faulty valve on the gas bottle this was unsafe it should have been checked & made safe before releasing the van. This potentially could have resulted in a fire & caused death to myself, family & others. The campervan was released to me with defective tyres I have a statement from the garage that removed the tyres confirming that they were the reason the shock absorber broke & that the tyres should not have passed at the MOT. I have photographic evidence of tyres & 1 tyre. It was very very fortunate that I was able to drive from the middle lane of the M4 motorway to the hard shoulder without causing death to myself or others. I paid £200 for a bike rack to be fitted & was reimbursed £100 for a rack that should never have been fitted with as it was again not fit for purpose hence causing damage to the van. The fitter was clearly aware of the problem as it had already started to make holes in the high top ! Another incident resulted in the campervan having to be recovered. Yet again shoddy workmanship was the reason for the breakdown, the fuel filter had not been changed when supposedly a full service was completed by Hoyles dealership. Then another leak on the drivers side the floor/carpet/ footwell being-wet. I decided to buy a campervan from Hoyles of Denholme expecting to be treated fairly and with honesty. I can see I have been far to trusting and accommodating. When I viewed the van I was assured that it would come to me fully functioning and in excellent condition. I acknowledge that I bought an older van & that it may result in parts needing to be replaced due to age & wear & tear. Up to press non of these repairs have been as a result of this. I have spent £’s in fuel & time travelling backwards & forwards for avoidable repairs. Again I had to have the van recovered as it would not start. It was diagnosed by a mechanic as having a leaking sump plug (that appears to have been leaking for several months) so much for a full service being done! The Sale and Supply of Goods Act says that anything you buy has to be of satisfactory quality, and that (among other things) it should be durable, as described, and suitable for any use you made known at the time of purchase. Unfortunately Hoyles of Denholme failed to fulfil that obligation. The bed fell to pieces, the faults list is a long long long one. A majority of the faults should have been dealt with before the vehicle was sold or left the forecourt. I had to return the van at least 10 times. It had a habitation check there was no paperwork, I had to request another one. The habitation checklist was filled in incorrectly making me think it’s not worth the paper it’s wrote on. Their excuse was the mechanic that carries out the checks is dyslexic! Surely if this is the case you would have someone to assist him? I paid top money for an old van which I was happy to do as long as the camper was in tip top condition I put my trust in Hoyles & was sadly very badly let down. As with other reviews I was passed from one director to another with repeated excuse. I spent 18months going backwards & forwards to get my van fixed. Never again would I trust or deal with this family business.