edfords bring tale of woe
Page 17
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EFER to the letter from Mr B. Palmer (CMSeptember 26) garding problems with a TL idford.
We do not have a TL, but we ve had nothing but trouble th our TM 3800 since it was irchased, new, in October 79. A the same time, a friend lught a TM 4400, We are both international haulage, and 3re persuaded to buy British, e a local dealer and were sured that Bedford were then the process of setting up an ternational Service network nilar to the Continental anufacturers.
The local dealer has since en up selling TMs and the of support from Bedford is lying both of us to !speration.
I will not go through the long t of woes from the expensive rvicing to the lack of spares to e number of breakages, eg six ackle pins, but our vehicle has iw been off the road since iptember 4, firstly duet° lack spares and now arguments :er who pays for the repairs to e split roof.
The TM 4400 has suffered rilar problems, starting with grease in the universals, to a !w set of pistons and now its of has split as well.
The dealer's (and Bedford's) titude is that both vehicles are it of warranty and that a !hicle that has covered
0,000km is at the end of its ;eful life.
We are frightened of sending ir vehicles abroad, cannot ford to park them up and nnot sell them as due to the I! reputation, their secondInd value is ridiculous, ie !hides for which we paid over 15,000 are now worth iproximately f4,000.
We want to buy British but ost British manufacturers just ) not seem to care about ,fling vehicles properly or oking after the after-sales
service. We cannot afford to be the guinea pigs when a manufacturer decides to dabble in a new market.
C. H. G. CRABTREE Euroroute Transport Northampton