Make Sure That Your 'A' Frame Supplier Reveals All!!!
- By janice payne
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- 05 Nov, 2017
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It was bought to our attention by one of our customers, that certain companies, in their advertising or on their websites only show the 'A'Frame itself, and/or the car with the 'A'Frame fitted. She had been caught when her previous car was converted by ..........(no names)! The grille "looked like a rat had chewed it" and featured "eyes" sticking out of the grille and a brake cable sticking out 100mm (4" to those of a certain age). We witnessed a similar problem with a BMW Mini that we recently had in the workshop for replacement of the over weight 'A'Frame. In this case, a fixed bar fitted in front of the grille, and the brake cable (trailer brake cable, bodged) was bolted to a bracket which projected some 80mm in FRONT of the grille! - Caviat Emptor!!!
At a recent show, I was approached by a gentleman with a problem. He had, a few weeks earlier, bought a new car as a 'tender' for his motorhome. The car salesman recommended us for the work, as we have fitted on of our systems to his car.
The gentleman than, despite it being a Bank Holiday Monday, rang us, to find (suprise, suprise!!) we were closed and did not leave a message for us to ring bank on the next working day. Being over anxious to get the work done, he had the work done elsewhere (this firm were not booked up in advance which tells its own story), never having physically seen the 'A' Frame hitch produced by this company.
He was, understandibly, upset when he collected his vehicle, to find what he described as "a massive, agricultural" 'A' Frame, so heavy and clumsy (approx 27kg, unlike ours at under 14kg) that it was all he could do to pick it up. let alone fit it with the fiddly loose bar to slide into place: could we, he asked, supply on of our lightweight hitches ('A' Frame) to fit to the already fitted mounting points?
The answer was, of course (Bob the Builder bit here) "yes, we can", we do frequently replace a variety of other manufacturers hitches to suit existing vehicle hardware.
The moral of this story is, of course - make a physical examination of what your buying, if at all possible, if not practical, as searching questions i.e. what is the weight of the hitch?, how does it attach to the car?, is the quoted price, the final price I will pay (allowing for vehicle problems)?, no reputable company will be worried about spending as much time discussing your requirements as you like.
Incidentially - he actually paid more for his unsatisfactory, unusable system that he would have had he just waiting for us to open after the Bank Holiday!!!
The gentleman than, despite it being a Bank Holiday Monday, rang us, to find (suprise, suprise!!) we were closed and did not leave a message for us to ring bank on the next working day. Being over anxious to get the work done, he had the work done elsewhere (this firm were not booked up in advance which tells its own story), never having physically seen the 'A' Frame hitch produced by this company.
He was, understandibly, upset when he collected his vehicle, to find what he described as "a massive, agricultural" 'A' Frame, so heavy and clumsy (approx 27kg, unlike ours at under 14kg) that it was all he could do to pick it up. let alone fit it with the fiddly loose bar to slide into place: could we, he asked, supply on of our lightweight hitches ('A' Frame) to fit to the already fitted mounting points?
The answer was, of course (Bob the Builder bit here) "yes, we can", we do frequently replace a variety of other manufacturers hitches to suit existing vehicle hardware.
The moral of this story is, of course - make a physical examination of what your buying, if at all possible, if not practical, as searching questions i.e. what is the weight of the hitch?, how does it attach to the car?, is the quoted price, the final price I will pay (allowing for vehicle problems)?, no reputable company will be worried about spending as much time discussing your requirements as you like.
Incidentially - he actually paid more for his unsatisfactory, unusable system that he would have had he just waiting for us to open after the Bank Holiday!!!