Our shower tray cracked around the plug hole, we asked if Explorer would help us out but because the caravan was in its 2nd year they said "no", floor coverings are only covered under warranty for 12 months. Ok thats fine, so.... we ordered a new shower tray through Discover and my hubby (who is very able) carefully removed the whole bathroom to fit and seal the new tray. On removal of the cracked tray we found a huge hole cut out in the manufacture and installation of the plug hole/waste pipe, which funnily enough was the same diameter of the crack in the tray.
A letter and photos where sent to the Explorer group, they are saying that the hole made in manufacture is needed so fitment of the waste outlet can be done, they do numerous tests on shower trays and never have a problem. They then say that the problem may of occured because we may have used abrashive chemicals to clean it (no I have not).
I am now considering further action as it is most definately a manufacturing fault.
Has anybody else suffered with this sort of customer service?
We have an Eldiss Avante (544 model) which is 1 year old and had numerous problems with it since new.
One of the problems was a crack on the shower tray near the plug hole. We had hardly used the shower and certainly did not use abrasive cleaners. Luckily for us, it was still within the 12 month warranty so was replaced by the dealer.
Shirley & Steve,i have an avante 505 2006 model & i have just had the same problem,shower tray cracked round the plug hole,elldis have back healed any claim under warrenty.
As you have said there is a large hole cut away under the tray for the waste & it is probably what is causing these trays to crack because there is no support for the tray at this point.Elddis should hold their hands up & fix the problem because i don,t think people will want to buy caravans that only have a life expectancy of up to 2 years on the shower tray & than have to pay a fortune to have it replaced.Please if anyone else has had this problem get in touch & maybe we can get elddis to sort the problem out.
Having found this forum from a google search - 'Elddis shower tray', I was amazed to read Shirley and Steves message from 20/6. It was so simular to my experiance that I could have written it myself! In my case it is a 2006 Elddis Autoquest 180 motorcaravan. I was refused replacement under warranty by Explorer group who sent me a patronising letter. I have sought legal advice from the Caravan Club legal dept., who advised me that I should be directing my energies towards the dealer that sold the motor caravan to me, as it was them that I had the contract with. It is not a warranty issue as it is a defect in manufacture. I am in communication with the dealer and awaiting their response before small claims action. I have been informed that it will cost £400 to replace however when the old shower tray is removed the floor is going to need modification or the tray will simply crack again.
Get as many people through this forum, then submit a joint proposal to the company.
In the meantime, I would suggest sending a link of this forum to a few national newspapers (informing Elddis of your intentions of course) to try and increase awareness of the problem.
Our shower tray cracked around the plug hole, we asked if Explorer would help us out but because the caravan was in its 2nd year they said "no", floor coverings are only covered under warranty for 12 months. Ok thats fine, so.... we ordered a new shower tray through Discover and my hubby (who is very able) carefully removed the whole bathroom to fit and seal the new tray. On removal of the cracked tray we found a huge hole cut out in the manufacture and installation of the plug hole/waste pipe, which funnily enough was the same diameter of the crack in the tray.
A letter and photos where sent to the Explorer group, they are saying that the hole made in manufacture is needed so fitment of the waste outlet can be done, they do numerous tests on shower trays and never have a problem. They then say that the problem may of occurred because we may have used abrasive chemicals to clean it (no I have not).
I am now considering further action as it is most definitely a manufacturing fault.
Has anybody else suffered with this sort of customer service?
yes exactly the same as ours,half circle crack.on checking from the underside there is a large void where its fitted.ours is a bailey.faulty design on all caravans.the first person to stand with there heal in the drain hole could well crack it because there is no support on the underside.imho there should be a metal bracket on the underside to take the weight.mended ours with fitting a larger drain fitting and re-sealed.i will try to post a picture of the new one.the metal bracket should be this shape and let into the floor.
HOLE in centre to take drain.after letting in non can be seen.
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------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
Hi,what i have done with my cracked tray (after glueing it)is to make a wooden slatted tray to go onto the floor of the shower tray,it looks ok and the main reason for this is to distribute the weight & make sure no one stands on the plug hole.It cost around £5 for the wood(planned)& it is made to fit the full shape of the floor so hopefully this will solve my problem.People may want to do this to saveguard any cracked trays in the future.
i went to look at an eldiss a short while ago and noticed a rippling movement when standing in the shower tray...whoops i thought ..there's a problem in the making rigid pipework outlets and flexible surfaces do not mix
bananaslik,,you can buy the slatted tray from ikea i think... all shaped to size too... i have one,but it is about 6" smaller than my full sized tray works a treat but gets a bit of getting used to under bare feet but you can always put a rubber shower mat on top
We had a 2001 Elddis Wirlwind which we kept for 5 years. The shower tray came with a freestanding slatted platform, which we removed to avoid scuffing of the plastic tray, and fitted anti-slip bath mat in its place. The slatted platform was replaced to go witht the van when we sold it.
Reading this thread, we were probably lucky not to have suffered as a result, as we never imagined a possibility of an oversized cutout under the tray.
Hi clanjones,the reason we made our own was so that we got the right size for the tray & we have put the slats very close together so that it is nice on the feet & gives an all round support(come on Elldis the solution is not difficult)
A covering letter and photos/diagrams were sent to the dealer asking for repair under the sale of goods act or I would start small claims action. They responded by phone offering half the cost of repair. I rejected this on the phone and explained that this had become a matter of principal and I would be starting civil action.They stated that they would seek advice from their solicitors. This advice obviously went in my favour because they rang me a couple of days later offering full repair of the tray! Incidently I have found out that you can start small claims action on line without going through solicitors, which is what I was about to start. I am hoping this is the end to my saga.
Sadly I have exactly the same problem with a Compass avantgarde 115 motor caravan.
Would you believe I have just been quoted £1000 to replace it by a well known Shropshire caravan supplier.
I shall repair it myself, most definitely supporting it beneath the plug hole. It is most certainly a design fault
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Topic: Elddis Avante cracked shower tray
