Hillside Leisure UK Ltd

Just wanted to share our experience of Hillside's after sales. We have never had any serious reason to contact, once we could not get the gas to stay lit on the cooker, but once they explained what I was doing wrong, after a good laugh all round, all was good. When we leave a message, we always get a callback, might not be straight away but we understand that they are busy. The after sales dept. have always been very friendly, helpful and soon sort us out. Thank You Hillside
Apr 27th, 2023

Having caravanned for over 25 years we decided that it was time for us to look for a campervan. So around 6 years ago we travelled far and wide looking at many conversions, but Hubby really wanted a VW Crafter. We did find a couple but were disappointed in the layout and the build spec. Then Hubby went to the Caravan and Motorhome Show at the NEC, spotted the Hillside Leisure stand and was hooked. A few days later we were off to Derby. Phil is walking wounded and really needed a sink in the bathroom. Hillside listened to him and said leave it with us. That same week we got a call to say we have fitted a sink in the bathroom on the demonstrator if we wanted to go down and have a look. Wonderful. In 2019 we finally got our dream campervan. It is as though Hillside had us in mind when they designed the Hopton. Well thought out layout with plenty of room and an exceptional build quality. I have cooked with Induction at home for many years, so it was thumbs up when I saw the induction Hob. A decent size fridge, plenty of storage space in the pull out drawers and overhead cupboards. A secret pull out worktop under the fridge. The bathroom/wet room is very well thought out. There are sockets near the side and the back doors. We like to cook outside and we can even if a gale is blowing. The blown air heating is exceptional, so that the van is toasty even in Winter All the Hillside Crew are wonderful, they are so friendly but still very business-like. You really need to go and have a look around the Hopton. The Open Days are recommended.
Apr 20th, 2023

Well-constructed vans, but my next van won't be from Hillside. The problem is their lack of after-sales support. For the past five months, I have been trying to book in a minor set of repairs for my van, including a faulty tap, a dropped door, and - now - a faulty voltage indicator. Despite leaving more than 10 messages on answerphones and with Hillside staff over the months, nobody from after-sales returns my calls - except once when I told them on the answerphone that I was overseas... As an aside, my sales experience with Hillside was awful too. The salesman who assisted me no longer works there, but I had issues such as Hillside taking off the wheels that came with the base-vehicle of the van and wanting to sell them back as an "optional extra", which they eventually backed down on. Additionally, I received poor advice about how the van could be adjusted to suit my preferences. I wanted curtains instead of the blinds that were installed, but I was incorrectly told it wasn't possible. However, trying to the latter rectified, post-sale, has been near-impossible. In contrast, I spoke to one of Hillside's competitors, Jerba in Berwick. I got through on the phone on my first attempt, they were helpful and knowledgeable - if I can't get everything sorted by Hillside, that's where I'm taking my van. I wish that I'd gone there instead of Hillside for my van in the first place... UPDATE - 17/4: Rang today and got through to aftersales at the third attempt; I've got a date for work to be done: but it is a five week-wait. UPDATE - 18/4: One of the directors of Hillside rang me today to discuss the customer service issue raised above. I'm hoping that it won't turn into a staff witch hunt, but he said he'll take the above points on board. After-sales have been pretty quick - and good at sorting out some points above. UPDATE - 18/4: Looking at the directors' response to this review was irritating - I just wish Hillside would believe its customers: '... can only see phones calls from the 3rd March 2023' - you might need your system checking, the van was in Hillside before then for a minor work. Additionally, Hillside said below it couldn't make changes 'because of limitations due to the requirements of the NCC and the vehicle agency approval systems' - I simply wanted curtains and no gas oven... Made up nonsense. Seriously, go elsewhere for your next van...
Apr 13th, 2023

Someone backed into our new VW campervan and we had to go back to Hillside to have conversion taken out and refitted after damage fixed. Brilliant, friendly service. Massive thanks to Cath and Kelly especially.
Dec 21st, 2022

I had a couple of problems - a possible leak on the LPG system (must have been a minor one as we toured in our Hopton for months before we suspected a leak) and the large pan drawer was not sliding in or out smoothly. I can't fault Hillside for how they helped sort these problems out. We picked up our van at the start of June and to date have travelled 1100 miles in the UK and stayed at 12 different sites for periods of between 1 and 5 days. I was expecting some teething problems but bar these 2 things (LPG and drawer) we have no complaints about the van - the base vehicle (VW Crafter) is a dream to drive with the 8 speed auto gearbox, if you drive with a light right foot you can get 44mpg on a motorway journey. We just travelled up to York - a 3.5hr drive up the M6/M62 and got 41mpg. The van is very well laid out internally, the cabinetry is well done and the controls/features of the heating, cooking and lighting systems etc are great: we absolutely love the van.
Nov 29th, 2022