Anyone been refunded for their Ifor 511 trailer?

[Cherisheddust]

Pulling my hair out over our moldy Ifor 511. Has anyone successfully returned their trailer for a refund?

The mold was treated under a recall but it's come back with avengence. Roof, door, front panel, in the seals and creeping over the padded panels. Daren't put the horses in that vile environment. So I have a useless horse trailer, under 12 months old, with no resale value what so ever. What an utter waste of money!

Ifor want to paint the interior now to cover up the god awful mess...errmmm no you don't!

Customer Care is zilch. Your calls go un-acknowledged and if you do get through to their Customer Care manager, he speaks to you in a patronizing manner.

The trailer is now sitting back with the dealer. Can't bear to look at it anymore. It's so disappointing. Put a scupper on all our plans this winter.

The dealer is tentatively suggesting a replacement, but I've lost all confidence in Ifor and their mold management.

We've given them 7 days in writing to refund. Both to the dealer and Ifor. Small Claims Court next?

Has anyone had any experience of this?

Will I be forced to have it sign written and take it to every hunt meet, hunter trial and show?

 

[BigRed]

I had no idea there were problems with these trailers. You have clear rights under the sale of goods act. They have to give you a refund, fix the problem or give you a replacement, if you accepted them putting the problem right, it's probably too late to get a refund. If they are offering a replacement - ie a brand new trailer, I would take it and then if you don't trust that brand, sell it straight away.

You should call your local trading standards office and they will tell you which Sale of Goods Act applies to you. Quote that in a registered letter and give them x number of days to reply and say you will take them to court if they don't give you the replacement or your money back. The agent is the one who took your money, so he is the one to complain to.

 

[MrsMozart]

As T01 says.

Sorry to hear you're having such a pants time

. Most of us know how it is to look forward to something, pland an pay for it, and the reasons outside your control ruin it

Hugs hun. Hope you get sorted for the season.

 

[thelwell]

sorga act unfit for purpos do a google search for the cag forums.
they deal with problems from baylifs to debt collectors and to faulty items.
the trailer is not fit for purpos it was brought for.
also i would not be wanting a trailer under a year old being painted.
http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/
that forum has been a great help to me with o2 and bad cars give it a go nothing to loose. it could meen you getting a brand new trailer to take ifor head on with advice from these

 

[beckieswann]

Definitely go to trading standards and also watchdog - who knows there might be loads of other people having problems and getting publicity and having them investigate might be the only way to get this sorted!

I hope it gets sorted - I've heard other people on here having problems with new ifor williams' trailers to do with mould...

 

[Lottie83]

We too have had exactly the same problem with our 511. It was recalled and all they did was wash it, it has since come back, they then sent us some wash, wish is just a caravan type wash, and we have done it ourselves, but now the mould is slowly starting to come back after two weeks. We have been on the phone to ifor Williams and they are saying the same, that they need to go back to the dealer to be repainted. Our old 510 never had these problems, its so fustrating!

 

[Impy]

Through the small claims court you can only take a case where you are looking to recover up to a certain amount. It used to be £3000 but not sure if this has increased. It may be that the small claims court is not an option for you and you have to go to 'proper' court. Costs for this can add up to more than your trailer is worth pretty quickly. Speak to a solicitor and their first suggestion will be for them to write a letter to the organisation you bought the trailer from, stating the fact that you are rejecting it in accordance with the sales of goods act and that if they do not return your money you will be persuing them through the courts. This letter should not cost you too much and is likely to do the trick.

 

[PeterNatt]

Simple. Send the dealer a letter by Royal Mail Special Delivery rejecting the trailer and asking for a full refund within 14 days. Failing a refund take the dealer to the small claims court for a full refund, loss of interest and court fees. You can do it online now! Here is the link: https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/csmco2/index.jsp

 

[sonjafoers]

I bought my 511 last September & it went back for the mould to be washed off last December. Not only is the mould back worse than before but the springs on the side & rear ramps are rusting out. I started trying to liaise with Ifor Williams on the 28th August and had absolutely no luck in getting them to retuen calls let alone put anything right. Yesterday I spoke to their Business Improvement Manager and today I get a call saying one of their reps will take the trailer back to the dealer for me ( it's a 150 mile round trip for me and I refuse to pay the fuel) and they will look into the problems. I am not exactly sure what they are going to do with it but I have said i do not want anything painted over which was their initial solution. Please let me know how you get on because it looks like we are in the same boat!

 

[Angelbones]

I haven't had any mold problems with mine (about 4 months old) but I do wash it inside with a mold inhibiting cleaning agent as a matter of course. Whether this is helping, or whether my trailer is from a 'good batch' I don't know. The only problem I have is the blasted grooms door which I cannot open from the inside without kicking it too. It also has to be really slammed to shut it.

 

[TheCurlyPony]

Im having the same problem with my 506. Please keep me updated with how you get on.

 

[Pedantic]

If they dont play ball I would give them as much bad publicity as possible, hit them in the wallet if all else fails, I would definately be contacting BBC watchdog, they seem to love this sort of thing.

 

[chestnut cob]

Speak to Trading Standards, and also call Consumer Direct. I dealt with CD recently and they are brilliant - they will give you the correct wording for a letter to send which will help you get your money back.

 

[eriskaypony]

Just to echo others, if your trailer is constantly mouldy it is not fit for purpose. Don't be put off by Ifor Williams or their dealers, they have an obligation to resolve the matter. Make sure you are clear about your rights before you get involved however.

I will say that the 2 Ifor Williams dealers I have dealt with (Peter McKenzie in Bridge of Allan and Duncan McIntosh in Forfar) have been superb.

 

[lizziebell]

[ QUOTE ]
...the blasted grooms door which I cannot open from the inside without kicking it too. It also has to be really slammed to shut it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto...!

 

[Cherisheddust]

Well, I have an update on the moldy Ifor 511 trailer situation.

Thanks to the support and suggestions on this thread, I contacted Consumer Direct/Trading Standards. They are very supportive and left me in no doubt as to where I stood, being the proud owner of faulty goods. Template letters were emailed to me with 20 minutes and they wanted to be kept informed. I had already sent a letter to the dealer and Ifor, so backed that up with a template one from CD/TS. Mine was a bit meatier! That's by the by.

I have today received a refund for our 11 month old, moldy 511 trailer. I should be overjoyed, but if I'm honest, it's been a horrible week. I can't put into words how I feel about Ifor Williams behaviour over this matter. They know they have a problem, clearly acknowledged by their recall letters, yet they treat customers as though we are being unreasonable for wanting a useable, factory finished trailer. Lets face it, we aren't talking cheap, cheap trailers here!

Our dealer, in fairness to him, has acted with total integrity over this issue. Any delay in issuing our refund, I believe, was caused by some vain hope that he would receive a tickle of support from his supplier. I wouldn't hesitate to use him again in the future, just not for a new trailer.

If you have a moldy trailer, please don't accept it. Ifor treated ours once and the mold returned, far worse than before. It will come back. Painting over the problem was not an acceptable resolution for us. If I'd wanted a painted trailer I would have paid far less than £4k! Ask yourself, who will buy a two year old painted trailer? Paint over plastic? The guys in the workshop are mechanics, not painters, they must be dreading this next request.

Our problems actually started with a sticking jockey door...nothing major, easily resolved. I just happened to be shut in the box for a while. It also opened in transit, the jockey door that is. I initially thought I'd caused this by not closing the door correctly, instead it was a faulty catch. Now the mold came later, months after purchase.

Again, please, if you are having problems, contact Consumer Direct. Don't be fobbed off with the 12 month warranty either, you do have longer to claim. Consumer Direct/Trading Standards will give you all the info you need. Bare in mind, the longer you keep it may have an impact on how much refund you receive.

Good luck x

 

[notiwt]

Hope you got your problem solved, I heard thart there are more than 5000 horseboxes from Ifor Williams with that problem. I also heard that there are problems with the leaf springs

Pulling my hair out over our moldy Ifor 511. Has anyone successfully returned their trailer for a refund?

The mold was treated under a recall but it's come back with avengence. Roof, door, front panel, in the seals and creeping over the padded panels. Daren't put the horses in that vile environment. So I have a useless horse trailer, under 12 months old, with no resale value what so ever. What an utter waste of money!

Ifor want to paint the interior now to cover up the god awful mess...errmmm no you don't!

Customer Care is zilch. Your calls go un-acknowledged and if you do get through to their Customer Care manager, he speaks to you in a patronizing manner.

The trailer is now sitting back with the dealer. Can't bear to look at it anymore. It's so disappointing. Put a scupper on all our plans this winter.

The dealer is tentatively suggesting a replacement, but I've lost all confidence in Ifor and their mold management.

We've given them 7 days in writing to refund. Both to the dealer and Ifor. Small Claims Court next?

Has anyone had any experience of this?

Will I be forced to have it sign written and take it to every hunt meet, hunter trial and show?

 

[xmariax]

oh no i dont like this thread!!! i have just bought a new 511 and the jockey door is too hard to unlock so i dont lock it i guess it will be goin mouldy soon!!!!!

 

[3Beasties]

My trailer had the mould problem, it went back to be cleaned up and they then painted the interior (about 6 months ago now!), so far the mould hasn't returned!

I also had a problem with the jockey door and lights which have all been fixed.

 

[Kallibear]

We had ours painted by the dealer and it's worked perfectly. They also replaced the rusty ramp springs.

 

[sonjafoers]

I refused to have my roof painted so they took the trailer back to the factory & fitted a new roof lining, which I have to say has been absolutely fine. They also replaced the struts on the doors as these had rusted within a few months of having the trailer.

Since then the trailer started to come detached from the car once I had hitched up - I would hitch correctly, check everything, pull away & then 'bang' the trailer would be left behind, luckily with no horses in as I have to hitch up and then move before I can load. This happened half a dozen times so as I had such s**t customer service from IW previously ( excuse my language but there is no other word for it) I went directly to the dealer. In view of the seriousness of the problem, and the fact the handbrake wasn't coming on when it got detached, they fitted me in straightaway and replaced the ball hitch. The mechanic who dealt with it said the hitch was faulty & he had never seen anything like it on such a new trailer.

Then started the fun with IW, and I will cut a long story short, but despite contacting Trading Standards and quoting everything correctly to IW they maintain the ball hitch had suffered accidental damage since I had bought the trailer. Strangely enough the dealers also then decided it was accidental damage, although when they replaced the hitch there was no mention of this, and as such I didn't have a leg to stand on.

I'm not sure how you accidentally damage a ball hitch on a trailer but I had my old 510 for years and never managed to damage that one and the back of my car is perfectly ok so I haven't reversed into it or anything.

TBH I have had such poor service from IW that I cannot face getting into more arguments with them despite the severity of the latest fault. I truly thought the dealer was on my side until they backtracked after being in contact with IW, and even though I made it quite clear I didn't trust the trailer and wanted a refund and confirmed that Trading Standards were on my side they still said it would be impossible for IW to refund me when I had clearly damaged the ball hitch.

All in all I have had a nightmare with my 511 which has been exacerbated by the absolutely disgusting customer service when trying to resolve things. I have completely lost faith in the trailer and am stuck with a £4,000 white elephant which nobody in their right mind would buy off me. I think their reputation is now so bad that I'd have to virtually give it away if I wanted to sell it or trade it in.

It's such a shame because my old 510 was the bees knees!

 

[0ldmare]

Since then the trailer started to come detached from the car once I had hitched up - I would hitch correctly, check everything, pull away & then 'bang' the trailer would be left behind, luckily with no horses in as I have to hitch up and then move before I can load.

God thats awful, its my worst nightmare trailers coming unhitched! Thank goodness you didnt have your horses in it!

 

[miss_c]

Since then the trailer started to come detached from the car once I had hitched up - I would hitch correctly, check everything, pull away & then 'bang' the trailer would be left behind

Just reading that gives me nightmares. I lost my old horse when a correctly hitched trailer came detached while in motion.

 

[Coffee_Bean]

Quite surprised by all this.... however have never heard a bad report about bateson, or their customer services...

 

[lindsayH]

Note to self. Never EVER buy an Ifor 511.

Thank you for the warning!

 

[Capriole]

Note to self. Never EVER buy an Ifor 511.

Thank you for the warning!

i agree!

ive always wanted an IW and was planning to get one eventually as they were always so well recommended!
What on earth has happened to IW?!

 

[Vetwrap]

From all that I have heard here and on other forums, I wouldn't touch them with someone else's barge pole!

I would like a Bateson trailer and I have only ever heard good reports of them.