“Awful absolutely awful dealings and customer service from the top to the bottom. Spent just shy of 30k last year on a used van which to us was an awful lot of money and we were so so excited about collecting. As newbies we specifically asked Neil the salesman for a full and thorough breakdown and in depth explanation of the van at collection as we have never stood foot in one before. He promised us a “half day” handover which would include showing you how the motor mover works, how to get water in and out of the van, filling aquaroll ip and showing us the pump and then all the indoor panel settings etc, you get the drift. Collection day came. On first note the van had not even been cleaned on the outside and had a very deep ingrained mark running down all the side if it. Not happy.
The handover was useless. 4 hrs we were pencilled in for. It lasted 36 minutes before the chap said that’s it now I need to go for my Friday bacon butty!
I didn’t even know how to hitch the van to the car.
The day after we went away in it. No water could get into the van. The pump was broke which had so called passed its test on its PDI. So 12 months in and we have had several issues with the van. This is where they are dire. The team of girls in porta cabin will argue with you. So much so I have had to put the phone down on them. It’s like they cannot book a repair in without accusing you it’s your fault. They will try their utmost in getting out of repairs. I managed to get a 12 month warranty out of them but it’s not worth the paper it’s written on.
This is the worst customer service I have ever dealt with from any organisation or company I have managed to deal with.
It went back for the intial mark all down the side- on collection it was still there.
They refused to repair my motor mover when it was under warranty.
I had a service at another test station thankfully and they found damp. Had to wait months for them to sort it and it was very hard working with them getting them to do it without arguments with the staff of girls in the porta cabin.
Every time I’ve taken the van in they wanted proof of receipt that I had a 12 mo th warranty and each time I was told I should not have that.
Whilst it was in for repairs I got them to add an extra plug socket to the van. I got an estimate of approx £100 which I thought was a little excessive as I was even providing the £30 socket. They did the fitting and then called me to say that they don’t know who quoted me £100 but the total bill was over £300. £300 for a socket to be fit which I even provided. No thanks.
So I am very glad to say the warranty has now finished and
Even in that time the van has been taken elsewhere for better professional repair with top customer service. All these reviews on here are correct in my opinion and I will never ever go back to them for advice or anything whatsoever to do with caravans. This is a true and honest account of my personal dealings with them.”
“I bought an £18000 caravan off Campbells of Lostock Hall, when we picked it up we noticed that certain areas hadn't been cleaned properly, however, we took it to our site and set it up, first use of the toilet and it wouldn't work! (within 1.5 hours of leaving Campbells) after a few days of flushing with a bucket we called at Campbells on the way home hoping to speak to Neil who supposedly did the service, I was confronted by a man who said his name was Daniel who, when he found it to be a complaint, became aggressively nasty, at this time Neil was walking past so I shouted him to come over at which Daniel snarled "carry on walking Neil" and Neil scurried off like a frightened rabbit! I thought oh! this has happened before! I then left the premises vowing never to return, even if I had to pay for the repairs myself which I did, no way could I trust this company with it. The toilet pump was seized solid and hadn't just happened, it had either not been checked or simply ignored, it was only when reading other bad reviews from people with similar experiences that I realised that Daniel was in fact Daniel Campbell. My only advice is to go to a smaller company who value returning customers, not one that couldn't care less because there are plenty more fools out there!”
“Campbells are the nearest dealer to sell Bailey caravans.
After a lot of research we bought a brand new model in lockdown without seeing it with a deposit of £1000.
we agreed a price for our part exchange van and paid the balance 2 days before pickup. On the day of the exchange they appraised our van and at the same time tried to inflate the price of our new van as they had just increased the price by £900.
they stated my van was damp and showed me then reduced my van part ex van by £1000 saying it was costly to repair why a round fat figure covering the price increase and despite my van being serviced annually and 8 months previously declared damp free. I had to pay there and then or else the deal was off. The strange thing is less than a week after dropping my van off it was sold for more than double the price they gave me!! Their excuse... thats what we do.. we sell caravans. Make your own mind up but after reading these reviews it looks like the faults on my new van won't get sorted.
Im an honest person and feel ive been taken for a fool.”
“Purchased a caravan and when the service was carried we found that the underneath had been damaged and was ‘fixed’ with tie wraps. Contacted Campbell’s who basically blamed the damage on us. Wrote and phoned the manager 3 times but did not get a response. Not impressed after spending &14k”
“When challenged about the catastrophic failure of an 8 year old tyre on our almost £35,000 motor home, after just 200 miles, Campbell’s explained to us “that we had “just had an accident.” The “crazing” of the tyre sidewall and de lamination of the tyre were explained away as being equivalent to us dropping a t.v. on the way out of the shop! I question that this is a reasonable summary of our experience.”
“Earlier this month (November 2019) I was able to get a full refund under the Consumer Credit Act, section 75, for a caravan I had bought from Campbells Caravans & Motorhomes (Preston) in 2017.
Following the purchase in 2017, I had found quality faults straightaway, which were reported to Campbells within the first six months (eg, ceiling lights not switching on and off properly, front window panels misaligned, edging strips peeling away, permanent marks on the upgraded wipe-clean upholstery on a front seat, etc). I returned the caravan to Campbells (at my expense re: travel costs) for repair in the same year, and the front seat was replaced in 2018).
The quality issues continued in 2019, eg, the front window panels still misaligned, edging strips continuing to peel away, together with bubbling of the roof decals, and the surrounding of the large skylight becoming detached.
On more than one occasion, Campbells were given the opportunity to make full reparation, as per their legal obligations under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA), which they refused to acknowledge. As their emails to me confirmed, they continued to deny their responsibility to repair the caravan’s faults without any cost being incurred by me, and, instead, attempted to pass the responsibility for repair onto Lunar Caravans ‘warranty’ schemes and even onto me, citing “wear and tear” issues (without examining the caravan). The after-sales manager even informed me that there was no record of my having reported any faults within the first six months of purchase (I was able to prove otherwise, thankfully).
When I informed Campbells after-sales manager that I would apply for a refund due to their failure to meet their legal obligations under the CRA, Campbells (wrongly) told me that any refund would only be that of the market value of the caravan, which would be reduced further due to wear and tear issues. The CRA clearly states that this is not so.
Campbells’ after-sales manager’s email to me stated that the decision was “final” and I had no further response from them in relation to the matter, other than a generic email sent later to inform me that Lunar Caravans had gone into administration (which had nothing to do with my case, as my contract of purchase was with Campbells (the retailer), not Lunar Caravans (the manufacturer).
As I was able to provide evidence that I had paid an initial deposit payment by credit card to Campbells (£1000), I was able to approach the bank (credit card company) under the Consumer Credit Act (section 75) and claim a refund for the whole price of the caravan from them (it is then up to the bank to claim the money from the retailer). I was able to prove that I had reported faults within the first six months, and that Campbells had not fulfilled their obligations to me under the CRA, so was able to claim a full refund in 2019 from the bank for the 2017 purchase price of £21500 (and they also paid me a contribution towards the ancillary items that I had purchased specifically for use with the caravan).
My advice is to know your rights under the law, and don’t let the retailer try to distract you with talk of warranties or what it says in the handbook (they may not know the law).
The CRA is law and takes precedence over any warranties or handbook contents.”
“I fully agree with the comments below. Never again will i deal with Campbells caravans. A number off us are looking to raise a collective response as we are so disatisfied with the quality and service from Campbells caravans.”
“As first time buyers we found the purchase of the caravan was smooth sailing! Then everything went downhill from there! I found Campbells to be dishonest and have a lack of knowledge in the products the supply and install. We were told that our Coachman VIP 570 came with a tracker included and it was recommended by the salesman to get a solar panel installed. And also we had an iNet box fitted to the caravan which had been fitted in the incorrect place so in fact didn't work. After several emails asking if this was installed after we collected as I couldn't find any paperwork and being ignored we finally found that it didn't come with a tracker installed. After a lot of conversations Campbells offered to fit a Phantom Pro 3 tracker at cost without the labour charge whilst they were installing the iNet box in the correct location. Upon collection we found that a BP Tracker Retrieve had been fitted instead without is being informed as this is what coachman recommend and have wired in ready to install (this is a battery operated tracker and doesn't need wiring in!) Campbells still refuse to acknowledge they are wrong but at least have refunded us the cost of the tracker. Reading through other peoples reviews I think Campbells are ok if you are just buying a caravan and have no teething problems with it, but if you have teething problems they aren't interested. The customer is always wrong in Campbells case, and I feel that they have to have the last word, whether its right or wrong!!!!”
“This dealership isliving in a time warp of dodgy practice and poor service. They need to be stopped. Over a year of stress caused by poor service and lies.”
“Terrible heart breaking experience. These ruthless traders will cause you many sleepless nights. one of my worst mistakes throwing £14000 away on a faulty caravab that is still unusable months later/”
“Very bad company to deal with.
We had ordered a brand new caravan and they switched it with an older one in poor condition. The deceived us when they took our money not telling us what they had done.
When confronted with their dishonesty they weren't bothered in the slightest. It seems that the dishonesty starts at the top levels of this shady company.
They were obliged to fully refund me as they had broken our contract.
No apologies, no remorse and no compensation.
Avoid this company or be sorry.
The Director should be disqualified from holding office.”
“They switched caravans without telling us and took our money having deceived us. They broke our contract and their own terms and conditions.I believe they have acted dishonestly. Avoid at all costs.
On 27/1/2017 my wife and I placed an order with Campbells Caravans at Lostock Hall, Preston for a brand new Lunar Clubman Sb caravan to be built during March 2017 to be ready early April.
On 6th April, 2017 being the collection day I authorised payment of the outstanding balance (having paid a deposit on ordering) in the belief and on the understanding that it was payment for the purchase of a new caravan having been built in March 2017 as ordered and as per the agreed and signed contract.
We didn't receive the caravan we had ordered - they switched caravans. Instead we were given one having been completed 12th October 2016 which had been stood in their compound since 11th November 2016 and throughout the winter. vin no. SGLSOOOLUH1036259. They didn't tell us of the switch but kept quiet about it.
The dealership requested and took payment in the full knowledge that we were not receiving the caravan we had ordered and believed we were collecting.
It was dirty and had several faults despite being assured it had received a thorough valet and PDI.
The gas and electric certification only had 6 months left on them.
We sussed what they were up to and complained. We were treated disgracefully. We received no apology or compensation and their attitude was reprehensible.
As Campbells were in breach of contract we were able to get our money refunded in full. Their cavalier attitude was such that they even breached their own terms and conditions.
This has been the worst retail experience in my 60+ years.
Everything I have said is well documented, truthful and accurate. Campbells are fully aware and have my complaint fully on record.
Unbelievably Campbells are a National Caravan Council (NCC) approved dealer - so clearly that's no guarantee of honest dealing.
The director was dismissive and unhelpful. No gesture of goodwill or even an apology. It seems this is a bad company from the top downwards.
My advice is to avoid Campbells Caravans.”
