They make a good van at a reasonable price and have a good after sales support via the manufacturer. Ive had three. They have been great and Jaycos warranty has been exceptional. And I dont work for them.
Phil. You've been lucky - lets see how many disgruntled Jayco owners respond to your post. (and it not just Jayco that build fault units - most of the manufacturers do; its just theres a lot more Jaycos out there
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Cheers Bruce
The amazing things you see when nomading Australia
They make a good van at a reasonable price and have a good after sales support via the manufacturer. Ive had three. They have been great and Jaycos warranty has been exceptional. And I dont work for them.
Hi Phil.........I have yet to purchase a van.....however if all the bad feed back was hidden from the public could I make an informed choice?
If 20 or so happy Jayco owners hop on board I could re consider but as it stands now Jayco has no chance of getting my money.
I am pleased to see that you have had a great run with their after sales and warranty service but there appears to be a few around that havent been so lucky.
Fingers crossed...........
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I Remember It ...............All Too Well
Wherever the four winds blow. I'm restless, I'm ready
We have a Jayco Sterling that we are very happy with, and because we have a Jayco van I have taken specific note of Jayco vans where we stop, and have spoken to most of the owners of those vans whenever we travel.
Have never yet come across one that's really dirty on Jayco as they are generally very happy with their vans, and find it difficult to understand the vicious attitude undertaken by some in print when they have a bitch about their Jayco van.
I can however understand that it could become a problem if you received poor service from the dealer through which you purchased the van as it is them that are responsible for looking after any warranty issues, and while most are excellent I have noted some complaints about one in particular lately.
At least as the situation stands Jayco is highly unlikely to go the way of so many other van manufacturers over the years that have gone into voluntary receivership, and have left their customers in the lurch and out of pocket.
All in all I still believe the Jayco vans are not only the best value on the market, but also the most advanced in construction teqniques that provide a great stable van structure, and in addition Jayco provide a measure of long term security unmatched by any other van manufacturer when it comes to warranty issues and standing by their product.
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I had a thought but it got run over as it crossed my mind.
Consider this. Jayco have approximately 40% of the Australian market for RV's. They have their faults, but they must be doing something right to continue to hold that share of the market.
I can guarantee that whatever make of van you decide to buy, the manufacturer will have owners who have had the same faults as Jayco owners. Some will have had a higher percentage, some will have had a lesser percentage, but ALL will have had faults. What you will find. however, is that many more other brand owners have problems getting things fixed than Jayco owners. There are a great many more horror warranty stories being hidden for other brands than for Jayco!
I am afraid that "Jayco Bashing" has become a national sport on forums, despite so called "No naming and Shaming rules", much like people who ridicule Jeep or Landrover owners, and while other brands seem to be somewhat protected with threads being cut short for naming and shaming, this doesn't happen with Jayco threads.
Before you decide to buy, do some real market research. Go to caravan parks and ask people with vans their experiences. If you base your purchase on the information of forums only, you will have a very, very small sample of information to consider. Remember, most caravanners are NOT members of forums, and most people do not rush into print when they have no problems, so the sample you see is not a true sample of real life experiences.
Good luck when you do decide to buy a van. I hope yours is fine.
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Regards Ian
Chaos, mayhem, confusion. Good my job here is done
They make a good van at a reasonable price and have a good after sales support via the manufacturer. Ive had three. They have been great and Jaycos warranty has been exceptional. And I dont work for them.
Philw,
I welcome you and any one else here to view our van. If Jayco Sydney can make you wait 4 months to fix a simple thing. God help when the Sh....it hits the Fan. You are a lucky one or you don't give a toss how you spend your life savings.
For us We listed 15 faults / damage items. Three got rectified, 12 not.
Go back to out photos in ( Our Baby's going back ) and take A good Hard Look at the Photos then, correct your self as to ( They make a good Van.)
We still have angle that is 80 % cut through and Jayco Sydney says That's OK. They fixed It with A chalking gun. ( Covered it over with Silicon sealent. F OFF.) now you see it now you don't.
Our Jayco is 15 years old and still going strong (Touching wood) You must remember in their prime Holden and Ford had the market sewn up
but still a few lemons found the end of the production line. Most people were happy with their car but those who got the lemon made a great deal of noise
and that is what was heard. The same can be said for caravans.
I'm with Jim, ....it's because Jayco Dealers consider they now have an 'automatic' market share. and customers will keep coming back that my experience shows that they are far more interested in the next sale rather than the ones they have already made. As a recent example with my Jayco Heritage, due to our own error, the front window stone guard was blown off due to not being locked, leaving exposed front window glass to the elements while travelling, I took it into Prestige Jayco Bendigo in mid November....with the not unreasonable expectation it may be fixed before Xmas....or at least to order one for me so I could fix.... Reply when I took it in : we have many new and second hand Jaycos we are trying to prepare for our Xmas sales....we can't help you....read: we won't help you...even though I had purchased much in the past from them, they 'happily' watched me drive out the gate.....I was incredulous they could not even take the time to order one for me...you can only have that business attitude when you consider you have your market assured notwithstanding...... A caravan retailer/repairer in a neighbouring town..non Jayco....ordered one immediately for me as he was not surprised at what I had experienced...he fitted it for me well before Xmas when we were heading out again...serviced the van as well, plus did the bearings..all reasonably priced..AND..found several other problems like my dual tank hoses needing attention which he fixed for FREE.... When I recently had that awning blow off in storm damage he of course was the one I went to not Jayco...he fixed as soon as new awning was available...he said although he sells another brand looking after his and others customers is his business rationale based on knowing he does not have 'automatic' business walk in his door......another $2500 Jayco did not get..
When the Smart Charger in the Heritage stopped charging I rang 'customer care'.'.it must have been something I did, as no-one else ever had that problem;'...'come down to Dandenong' and we'll sell you another one, as we now have Setec Model 11 which has been improved on Setec Model 1 that I just had fail.........I did drive to Dandenong, and they charged me FULL price $650 for their "improved" Setec11 model....I fitted it myself and no problem since...not likely something I caused to happen...how can you continue to argue when you just want to get on with your life....Jim is pursuing them quite rightly I believe while he still has the time and is not on the road full time yet....why try and get it fixed later?
My Heritage is a good/functional Van now, but ONLY because it receives immediate attention by me as the inevitable problems develop....e.g. every drawer slider has been replaced with new longer/stronger style that Jayco now has...any reduction in price when I took all the broken/inferior/worn ones into Jayco?....not a cent off..full tote odds....couldn't care less....
I can see both sides of the above experiences...however after some 42 years in retail..'.the customer is not always right, but the customer ALWAYS remains the customer' something Jayco and its Dealers would do well to heed IMO... Hoo Roo
-- Edited by goldfinger on Tuesday 22nd of March 2016 09:10:36 AM
-- Edited by goldfinger on Tuesday 22nd of March 2016 09:24:15 AM
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'The secret of happiness is not in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less'.Socrates BC399.
'Be a Cheerful Nomad, not a Grumpy Gromad, it's the Surly Bird who catches the Germ'!
Consider this. Jayco have approximately 40% of the Australian market for RV's. They have their faults, but they must be doing something right to continue to hold that share of the market.
I can guarantee that whatever make of van you decide to buy, the manufacturer will have owners who have had the same faults as Jayco owners. Some will have had a higher percentage, some will have had a lesser percentage, but ALL will have had faults. What you will find. however, is that many more other brand owners have problems getting things fixed than Jayco owners. There are a great many more horror warranty stories being hidden for other brands than for Jayco!
I am afraid that "Jayco Bashing" has become a national sport on forums, despite so called "No naming and Shaming rules", much like people who ridicule Jeep or Landrover owners, and while other brands seem to be somewhat protected with threads being cut short for naming and shaming, this doesn't happen with Jayco threads.
Before you decide to buy, do some real market research. Go to caravan parks and ask people with vans their experiences. If you base your purchase on the information of forums only, you will have a very, very small sample of information to consider. Remember, most caravanners are NOT members of forums, and most people do not rush into print when they have no problems, so the sample you see is not a true sample of real life experiences.
Good luck when you do decide to buy a van. I hope yours is fine.
Thanks Ian for the good luck wishes.
I will certainly be doing more than taking note of forums However couple of years ago I purchased a Landrover...........completely ignoring all the forum advice ...........within six months........out of pocket, thousands of dollars wasted and no vehicle........very disappointed.
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I Remember It ...............All Too Well
Wherever the four winds blow. I'm restless, I'm ready
We have had three Jayco's and would buy another one tomorrow if we needed one. A few little problems but they were fixed without quibble. It would appear that Jim has a dealer that is not up to standard. Get in touch with Jayco factory Jim, I'm sure you will get a favourable response,
I got mine new in 1999 & have had >200,000 trouble free Kms of travel.
The only issue that I can recall was a slight roof leak when the van was out of warranty. The dealer at Brisbane Camperland couldn't be more helpful (& they are still in business so they & their product has stood the test of time, unlike so many other shooting stars who have come and gone, leaving their customers in the lurch). Even though my van was out of warranty by that time & it had traveled tens of thousands of KM they promptly fixed it at no charge.
When I needed to deal with Jayco HQ, I found that they were excellent & extremely customer friendly. I was doing some modifications to a cupboard & needed a sheet of the original ply board & a stick of the special timber molding. Their storeperson searched through their stock room for the then superceded material, found some and forwarded it through their Brisbane rep. and at a very good price (similar price to what I would pay for the standard stuff at Bunnings).
After our first trip round Australia, our traveling companion in a Coramal was so impressed by our Jayco, that he traded his van on a Jayco as soon as he got home. He is now on his second new one and is just as pleased as I am.
When my Daughter purchased her first van she chose (of course) a Jayco & has been very pleased with it.
You would be crazy not to favorably consider the Jayco product if purchasing a new or secondhand Van.
Singling one manufacture out in the caravan manufacturing business is a bit silly, all caravans are basically the same, nice and glossy on the surface but underneath is a different story. Obviously many will now come out in defence of what ever brand they have parked in the driveway, but realistically they are all rubbish.
We are on our third Jayco and have had a great run with all of them. We get them serviced regularly with B&B Caravans at Brendale in Qld. We must also say that Brisbane Camperland have been very good to us as we are sure they will be when we must have the inevitable problem.
Geoff and Bev
Like all mass produced items there ARE LEMONS what is important is the manufactures action taken to resolve your complaints bearing mind that we all see things in a different light hence what pee's one off may be viewed as acceptable to others
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Pets are welcome but children must be leashed at all times
we have had 2 Jayco's - a Heritage and a Stirling - then nearly ordered a new Journey but did not like the windows, built in blinds or the roof hatches. (but all brands now use these items we dislike) So ended up buying a second hand Roma instead. But would not hesitate to buy another Jayco if it had features we like.
-- Edited by villatranquilla on Tuesday 22nd of March 2016 09:44:02 PM
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Jenny and Barry
2009 Roma Elegance / 2013 Colorado. Permanent travellers 2011-2015 now just travel for 4-6 mths
Jayco is a big organisation, big enough to have proper quality control measures, and ensure customer safety. It seems to me that all they are interested in is out put no matter at what cost to the consumer, their employees either paid by unit output, or the employees are only give X amount of time to complete each job.
My caravan cost nearly twice the price of the vehicle, The vehicle being at least 10 times more complex, it is engineered and constructed well. If it had similar defects as I have on the van, the vehicle would have been subject to a national recall.
iana wrote: The vehicle being at least 10 times more complex, it is engineered and constructed well. If it had similar defects as I have on the van, the vehicle would have been subject to a national recall.
Sorry I have no tears for Jayco.
One major difference is that your car is probably assembled by numerous robots with very little human input, whereas your van is 100% assembled by humans.
Jayco are the largest caravan manufacturer in Australia, producing over 8000 units per annum which is streets ahead of any other builder.
All builders will have small percentage of unhappy owners who are always the most vocal, the much larger percentage of satisfied owners we rarely hear from.
Generally speaking, most mainstream builders, look after their warranty issues very well, however sometimes things can go wrong whether it be the manufacturer's fault or the expectations of the owner.
So far, no manufacturer has managed to build a fault free caravan, and I guess when one does, there will be no further need for warranties at all
Hi guys ,Our first van was a Jayco and for 10 years it went were we went ,even up to onaddatta and never failed us ,should have kept it as the NEW VAN is not as sturdy,Jayco also have a servise back up second to non ,buy your Jayco and enjoy the open road and all you meet
Jayco vans are no worse than others manufactured by other larger RV makers. We have a Supreme and have had over 60+ warranty repairs since bought new 19 months ago. We have 4 more warranty repairs yet be repaired and in the last week have had our hot water system fail and the 240v power supply tagged as out of service after 3 visits by an electrician due to dead shorts in faulty wiring. Supremes reaction has been "you've had your 12 months warranty" or if you tow it from Perth to their Melbourne factory ( yeah, right) they MAY fix it after inspection. Our reaction, either fix it locally under the implied warranty (fit for the purpose) under Consumer Protection laws which extends it beyond the 12 mnth warranty or we make a formal complaint to our state consumer protection dept. We travel a lot and had heaps of moans from others with new vans - mostly Jayco because theres more of them. Eight years ago we bought a new Jayco and didn't have a single issue with it. Its all about the quality of their staff (having seen the staff at Supremes plant) and the attitude by the makers about quality build.
Unless youre buying a top end tow vehicle, new RVs are usually dearer than the vehicles used for towing them. I have a 2014 DMax with 60K on it now - mostly towing the 'van, and not a single problem. The 'van was almost twice the price and I don't accept that there is a comparison between a complex motor vehicle (albeit many more of each model made than an RV) with so many moving and mechanical parts and a caravan made of timber, aluminum or fiberglass. The tow vehicle works much hard than the other part of the rig
.
build
-- Edited by Bruce and Bev on Wednesday 23rd of March 2016 10:30:12 PM
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Cheers Bruce
The amazing things you see when nomading Australia
The Problem in Sydney we have the largest population and go's with the sales of vans & Rv's.
They have so many people returning vans for warranty and service, that they have to stagger the arrival of each booking so as to not clog up the Entrance and Roadway.
A number of people are saying they have had multiple Jaycos and they have been ok had some problems but you have got to expect that after all they are mass produced by humans.
Hey folk you are paying your hard earned cash and have a right to a quality product that has been through a quality control process, i have also owned three Jayco vans the first one no problems a great 1984 mode jayco Swan, my next van a jayco freedom poptop from Jayco Sydney in 2000 i ended up getting warranty issues fixed at jayco ACT as i was very unhappy with Jayco Minchinbury.
Jayco number 3 is a 21 foot full fibreglass heritage which has the jelcoat breaking down all along one side and Jayco have told me its because i only polished it once a year which is not enough, they must think any answer will do.
Its time for US style Lemon laws
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Happily doing both to the Max.
Life is like a camera, focus on what's important & you will capture it every Time
Great news for Jim and Lambie. Jayco in Melbourne have contacted them and have agreed to fix everything on their list. So pleased for Jim and Lambie and well done to Jayco for coming to the party over this. Awesome stuff.
Phil
Can't see why you would give Jayco a pat on the back for carrying out warranty work, for problems that should never have happened in the first place.
Cheers
David
They make a good van at a reasonable price and have a good after sales support via the manufacturer. Ive had three. They have been great and Jaycos warranty has been exceptional. And I dont work for them.
Phil, you're fighting an uphill battle. Its like Jeep bashing and more recently Phantom bashing (according to Phantom). Pay it no heed or better still have a little dig yourself as the opportunity arises. Lot more fun that way.
