Pecuniary Pandemonium; the Subconscious Rejection of a Conventional Lifestyle & STOPtober…
We arrived home to a harsh dose of reality. Having no income, we do our best to save the odd Euro here and there, but we came home to a Holy Trinity of pecuniary pandemonium;
A speeding fine from just before we left, 3 months ago; now transmuted into a Court Summons because, being abroad, we had neither received nor responded to it;
A fine for deducting our tax allowance from our tax return, when we should have left THAT to HMRC and;
A fine for our vehicle tax running out. To be truthful, we had been naïve enough to think that we didn’t need to renew our UK tax while the van was out of the country…
We felt like Bonnie and Clyde – mindful that notorious criminal Al Capone was ultimately brought to justice on a charge of tax evasion.
France is a beautiful, friendly country with plenty of walking, however there are a few things of which you need to be aware if you are planning to take your dog there.
Killer Caterpillars, Gunmen and Fierce Locals are just a couple of the hazards worth considering before you let loose your Fur Baby in France. ‘Chien Interdit!’ also comes into play, as there are widespread dog restrictions on beaches and in national parks.
We tour overland in a truck camper. This blog does not cover flying with dogs or dog-friendly accommodation.
Wherever we go, Mr Cock Up seems to be on our tail…
The Course of Caravanning Never Did Run Smooth… but today, Mr Cock Up taught us a very important lesson!
We arrived back in Portsmouth at 18:30 on a golden October evening and were first off the ferry! Marvellous. All we had to do was drive for an hour or so to Verwood, get pitched and relax for the evening.
A copy of an email was published on Bailey UK Owners Facebook page on 9th March 2018. It seems to suggest that Bailey are now addressing the axle problem IF REPORTED, however I am not sure of the veracity of the source. Despite this apparent acknowledgement of an axle issue, Bailey have subsequently still refused to repair some axles on the basis of overloading or pothole damage. There seems to be no logic to who gets a FOC replacement and who doesn’t. A question worth putting to Bailey, since repairs have been made FOC after Bailey have accused the owners of overloading.
A Facebook Group ‘Bailey Axle Problems Family’ has also been set up to support the large number of owners who have had the same problem with their axle. A copy of the document mentioned above and other useful letters and documents can be found in the photos section of this Facebook page.
Bailey’s Technical Bulletin TB-C-001Bc to their dealers dated 20/11/17 acknowledges the axle problem on models produced between 2014 and 2016 and asks dealers to report incidences.This shows they were aware of the problem.
I have received reports that when weighed empty, some Bailey caravans exceed the permitted laden weight. When Bailey were asked the question “Do you weigh all caravans off the production line?” the answer was effectively ‘No’! (From Jo Barrington, Bailey’s Customer Services Co-ordinator; “All prototype and show caravans and motorhome are weighed and approved by the NCC. All vehicles build thereafter are made in the same way and meet the same requirements and allowed tolerance.” So Bailey are allowed tolerances but customers are not!) Click here for a link to Authorised Testing Facilities where you can weigh your caravan. It may pay to check!
The Problem
It seems that there is barely a week goes by on the Bailey forums where some poor owner does not post that they have had the dreaded Bailey Alko Axle problem and been told by Bailey that it is their fault, because they overloaded their van ‘at some time’.
The axle on our 2-year-old Vigo collapsed and were told exactly that. We KNEW that we had never overloaded our van. As a scientist and former Road Haulage Manager, our knowledge and experience put us in a rather unique position to question Bailey, however.
We put together the information below to support our case and informed Bailey that we would take them to the Small Claims Court and “Publicise our plight via every media available to us.” We paid for the repair up front to expedite the return of our caravan (I have heard of warranty issues taking months to resolve.) Nevertheless, Bailey eventually agreed to replace our axle free of charge. It came without apology and with careful avoidance of any mention of ‘warranty’ or even ‘goodwill’ which could suggest fault on their part!
I have shared this information with a number of people who found themselves in the same position with Bailey. Bailey’s first stance is always to blame the customer (‘overloading at some time’ or ‘hitting a pothole at some time’) but I am pleased to say that in every case, the axle was ultimately replaced free of charge when the customer challenged Bailey.
Therefore, if you find yourself in this unfortunate position, I hope that the information here will be helpful. My advice is to be persistent. The axle problem is common and personally, I believe that it is something that Bailey should address. I find it difficult to believe that it is the fault of countless careless owners overloading their vans. C’mon Bailey. Play fair. That’s all we ask.
World Wide Walkies 