Why do conversion companies behave like this?

E

Ewan Kennedy

Member
Hi, Just wanted to tell the story of my quest for a good camper conversion. to have pop top, dog crates and whatever facilities we could fit in.
I did a lot of research and narrowed the field down to 3 companies I thought I would like to do business with.
The first three bridges when contacted by phone made it clear they really only built the different ranges listed on the website. I was disappointed but respected the straight answer.
The second company Exploria asked me to visit them to work out a plan, As I live approx 4 hours away I had to take a days holiday to travel up with my wife and spend £120 on fuel.
Graeme was great welcoming and came up with some great ideas for us to move forward with. We went home
via his recommendation for a VW dealer in West Yorkshire all enthused and a couple of decisions to make on the final layout. I emailed exploria the following day with our final decision and request for quote.
Despite several promises and reminder phone calls and emails I never received a quote.

My problem is that I wasted a days holiday, money on fuel, and the company kept me hanging on. If they don't want my business tell me up front please!!Don't string me along with promises of quotes next week!
My van purchase as a result was delayed until after the price increase in November so would cost me an additional 3%.
In the end I decided to go for a high spec California with 7 miles which a dealer was needing to shift for £52000
In the end I probably got a better deal than going down the conversion route but very disappointed at the lack of respect companies can show customers.
I know they are busy But
We are busy people too!!!! and deserve to be treated better.
 
Unfortunately it's just a fact of life in business. I run my own business, and I make a point of returning all e.mails straight away, even if i'm on holiday, in the evening, or weekends. It's from years of experiences like you've had, that taught me the way to run my own business.
I have 2 very strict rules.
Never be late for a customer under any circumstances, there's no excuse for that, and I have never turned up late to any location in the UK in 11 years of business.
Secondly, always reply to every e.mail or message, even if you cannot help with the enquiry, you can often point the person in the right direction, thus leaving them with a good experience of your name, and that sometimes leads to other work.

I've lost count of the amount of times i've been told someone will get back to you, and they never do. It's very unprofessional, and frankly rude. As mentioned, i've been doing this for years, and I know it can get very busy at times. We often have more work than we can cope with, leaving long lead times, but I still keep replying, and if someone want's the job doing by us, they will happily wait.

Oh and welcome to the forum.
 
That's a real pain Ewan but I reckon you've actually ended up with a better van.
What model? Any photos? Almost into our second year of T6 Cali ownership (we had a T5.1 for three years before this one) and loving it.
Shout if you need any tips on where to get bits/how to use anything!!

Edit - I realised we "spoke" about tints a while back!
 
Exploria have had a bit of a slagging off on here and have replied to the critisisim but I agree that is no way to treat a customer who is willing to pay out their hard earned cash on somthing they want. You did the right thing getting a cally because the conversion could have worked out more which is why I bought the one I did.
 
Yes must admit to be annoyed with myself . I had read the posts about Exploria and their response which I felt was try ing to address the issues. I gave them plenty of chances to recover the situation all to no avail. They are obviously very busy and do not require my custom but that attitude is short sighted as Californias are now being discounted to a much higher level. My main intention is to warn others who are in the position I was in to insist on dates for responses at the outset.

These companies websites suggest bespoke conversions, but when spoken to make it clear they are not keen to deviate from their standard builds.

Anyway rant over

Yes Thrilled with our Cali had our first adventure in it this week to try out the gizmos.
All good!!!
Was worried about the heater ticking overnight but found it was nearly inaudible in the pop top
Took some pictures and will post once I transfer them
Got the tint done by Auto Asylum in Maidenhead really pleased with it felt he did a great job at fair price £250
 
Sounds good! Yep the heater does take a bit of getting used to but the "whoosh" noise it makes is now quite relaxing - I initially found it annoying!
I find it does also calm down a bit (like the regen fan) with more use and miles.
 
Hi Tourershine thats a scarily good memory you have!!!
Yes it was Sandringham chilly outside but lovely and warm inside
And it did turn out brilliant for me 150 DSG, LED headlights, Sat Nav, App connect, rear shower(for dog use only!!), DynAudio upgrade, White Pearlescent paint, and strawberry bellows and alloy wheel upgrade.
Something similar by conversion company would have cost in the region of £62000

Best extra was the RidgeMonkey toaster.... never heard of them before using this forum!
But awesome
Turkey Mozzarella and Cranberry favourite so far

So thanks to everyone who has shared experiences
 
Ewan Kennedy said:
Hi Tourershine thats a scarily good memory you have!!!
Yes it was Sandringham chilly outside but lovely and warm inside
Click to expand...

It's funny, I've worked for 100's of customers, and if I get calls from previous customers, I tend to not always remember them by name, or by what Caravan or Motorhome they owned that we worked on. It's normally the driveway configuration, or the colour of their front door, or some other random object I spotted whist working. The same goes for the hours of daft UK Dash-cam footage I spend ages watching on Youtube, I can often recognise an exact area by a passing fuel station, or coffee shop etc. I seem to be able to retain tiny details in my head to refer back on instantly.
It's actually the gravel and the tree's that instantly made me think it was Sandringham.

Ask me what I spent all my money on this year and I conveniently forget though...
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the comments the paint looks best in a bit of sunshine which I'm looking forward to this summer!!!
and I bet some of Tourershine expenses were VW related.
Phil it is the Cali Topper which attaches by little bungee cords.
Surprisingly easy to attach and remove.....
I would always put topper on first and then add any drive away awning second
I was a bit stupid and did the awning first. Never said I was smart!!
Was lovely and toasty verging on too warm in pop top with the heater on 1.
I think about -3 or -4 outside and lots of ice on the cover when we removed it.
 
Ewan Kennedy said:
Thanks for the comments the paint looks best in a bit of sunshine which I'm looking forward to this summer!!!
and I bet some of Tourershine expenses were VW related.
Phil it is the Cali Topper which attaches by little bungee cords.
Surprisingly easy to attach and remove.....
I would always put topper on first and then add any drive away awning second
I was a bit stupid and did the awning first. Never said I was smart!!
Was lovely and toasty verging on too warm in pop top with the heater on 1.
I think about -3 or -4 outside and lots of ice on the cover when we removed it.
Click to expand...

On our last Cali, our daughter (aged 18 months at the time) got soaked in our roof in Scotland; a cover was essential. But the T6 roof is really well sealed; so I haven’t needed a cover yet but we tend to camp in warmer seasons. They are essential in cold weather.

Where did you get yours from out of interest?
 
Well done @Ewan Kennedy looks like you did the right thing. I’ve not been impressed at all with Exploria as a company, and I only bought a kombi-bed from them. Their attitude when dealing with them over the phone stinks.
I know some folk have had a good experience with them, but it seems to be around 50/50 on here. Glad you chose to spend your hard earned dosh wisely rather than line the pocket of a company that doesn’t deserve it.
 
I've got the ridge monkey toaster on my birthday list. Fingers crossed.
 
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