Kiravans

[Creamytash]

About a month ago I went on the Kiravans site to look up RIB Single seat swivels. I elected to buy a RIB 'Off Set' Drivers Side Seat Swivel for a RHD T6. The passenger side item was out of stock. The drivers side seat swivel arrived with no problems. I was notified when the Passenger Side 'Off Set' Single seat swivel for a RHD came back in stock, so I ordered and paid for it. That evening I received a confirmation e-mail for my order. That was when I noticed that although I had specified a RIB single seat, off set, seat swivel for a RHD, the e-mail showed that I was being sent a Drivers Side seat swivel. I quickly e-mailed back to Kiravans pointing out the error. I also tried to phone Kiravans but my call was picked up by an answering service (a human - not a metal mickey) who took my details to pass on to Kiravans for a call back. It was the following morning when I got the call back but it was too late to stop the item from being shipped. Not to worry the correct item was shipped that very day. Ironically both items ended up arriving to me on the the same Yodel at the same time, meaning I then had to use the tracking numbers to decide which one was the right part and which one I had to send back, this I did. Yodel man left, I opened the box and low and behold I had a Drivers Side, off set, seat swivel for a right hand drive(bugger), but the invoice in the box said 'Passenger Side' Off Set, seat swivel for a RHD. The part number was the same as the drivers side swivel that I had previously bought a few weeks ago so I knew it was wrong for the passenger side. Again I contacted Kiravans who in turn contacted Yodel. The Yodel man brought the other seat swivel (the one I returned) back to me today. Yodel man left, I opened the box and bugger bugger bugger - another Drivers Side, off set, seat swivel for a RHD. Kiravans have been very helpful and full of apologies but the most frustrating part of the fiasco is that you can't just phone up and talk to Kiravans, it goes through an answer service and you have to wait for a call back. On this occasion I waited from 11.00am today until 5.pm. Hopefully the correct item is now being shipped. I reckon I have more RIB seat swivel bases in my hallway than they have in the Kiravan stores.
The moral of the story has to be - 'no matter what it says on the outside of the box, open it up, check the item is correct straight away' - in case it ain't. I had no intention of fitting these seat swivels until the Christmas break, so in reality I may not have opened up the boxes until then - and boy would I have been in a mess and with no paper.
I hope this story helps, especially the 'newbies' like me.

 

[Donk]

Wow! To be fair I've found Kiravans to be pretty good. Just an unfortunate mix up this time.

 

[Creamytash]

Wow! To be fair I've found Kiravans to be pretty good. Just an unfortunate mix up this time.

Yes absolutely, I accept that we can all drop a bollock no matter what field me make our living in. I wasn't making a criticism of Kiravans, in fact it may not even be their fault as it could jyst be as simple as wrongly asigned part numbers stuck on the boxes by the manufacturers in France. I was just explaining the irony and my frustration of the chances of this happening while the point I was really trying to get across was, when you take delivery of a package/part etc - don't stick it in a corner until you are ready to fit it, break it open and visually check it over. Kiravans have apologised and done everything they could do to put it right and in double quick time. I don't have a problem with them.

 

[Gavinda]

Anyone who can get a package and not want to immediately open it and admire/fiddle with/dismantle/assemble or otherwise is not to be trusted.

 

[JOG]

Anyone who can get a package and not want to immediately open it and admire/fiddle with/dismantle/assemble or otherwise is not to be trusted.

Have you met SWMBO? My office (was called the “spare room” pre-covid) is like a blooming warehouse! Oh, but guess who is wheeled out to deal with it if there is an issue?!!

 

[GazEvans86]

£7 for x1 blank.. Are you kidding me ??

Hopefully the ones I’ve ordered from THQ fit 6 for 7 quid

 

[Doogie]

£7 per blank. That’s the same price as vw themselves. Got mine from THQ too.

 

[Gavinda]

It's only robbery if they get your money!

 

[Colakid]

That was unfortunate...
Can you tell me how the driver offset swivel worked out after installing? Is thre much difference than to a non offset, I am thinking of installing one.. cheers

 

[Creamytash]

Hi, installing the seat was ok but the drivers seat swivel comes with 2 shims which are in fact 2 oblong blocks of plastic, the idea of which is to raise the seat up so as to be able to pass over the handbrake lever when you rotate the seat. I found that I didn't muck like the extra hight(approx 18mm) so I removed the shims and bought a handbrake lever lowering bracket. I can't compare with the nkne offset swivel base as I don't gave one fitted. Both my driver and passenger seat swivels are 'off-set'. If I were you, I would try to get a look in the flesh at a vehicle with the seat swivels fitted before spending any money.

 

[Ayjay]

We often slag off firms who maybe don't do well enough on the customer service front and so I thought it worth relaying my recent experience with Kiravans. I noticed that all press studs on our tailgate curtains (and the receiving parts) were all rusty and on further inspection two of them were actually fused together by the rust - they probably when it rained whilst I had the tailgate 'standoff' in place for extra ventilation. Anyway, I had some press studs of the right size to put on the curtains but had to replace all four of the receiving pieces screwed to tailgate and what I had were not the right type. I called Kiravans and asked if it would be possible to buy some spares and without hesitation, the very helpful woman on the phone said that she would send me a spares kit free of charge and ASAP. The phone call was yesterday afternoon and a bag of miscellaneous parts (including what I needed) arrived by Yodel at lunchtime today. Once I had used a bit of brute force to get the old ones off the van, it was a simple job to fix the new ones in place and smear a bit of silicone grease on all the metal parts to, hopefully, stop them rusting again if I let them get wet. As I say, well done Kiravans!