Note: GIC is now Black Series Campers.
Talk about one, and you’re talking about the other
I had just finished writing my story of our first camper trailer and at about the same time I was asked over Twitter my thoughts on a particular model — campers we’re very much in my mind.
As I worked through some research, I stumbled across a story about GIC Campers that, well, fascinated me.
You won’t find too many bad things about GIC campers on line, as they threaten legal action against those given bad reviews, and there were plenty of those!
It all seemed to unfold in a few years ago as some critical reviews about CIG Camper Trailers started to float around the wonderfully visible and fast moving web.
I tuned into the story this post where someone was asking for thoughts on these campers. There was a sense of nervousness, and I couldn’t figure out why until I got to the end and followed to the end of the thread and read this
A very assertive letter to take down comments that GIC believe were detrimental, and I guess in their eyes incorrect.
My initial response was entirely negative. How could this company so aggressively want to control what was being said to them about on the internet in a small off-roading community?
… and then I got intrigued and started to dig.
I found this thread that included a second barrage about both the editorial integrity of the publication and the quality of the product and of course the legal process that GIC Campers was undertaking. I finally found this group of reviews that again added to the drama.
I found it difficult to come to any conclusions. There were a few things to consider…
- Most of the threads / comments related to GIC were removed. So I didn’t actually know what was said.
- Where there were comments I could read, GIC actively defended themselves, and did so in a public an open way.
- GIC were more than willing to open up their doors for people to become closer to the detail in the debate.
- There were a bunch of very upset customers of GIC.
- GIC wheeled in the lawyers, which is their right to do so, but ups the emotional ante somewhat.
Whilst I’m sure this gave a whole bunch of people something to talk about, and some extra pennies for lawyers this scenario in my mind fails the 4×4 community.
Does it in any way help an off-road enthusiast make a more informed decision on if a GIC camper is right for them? My view is no, it actually makes it harder.
If you look through the rubble that’s left online about GIC, you’re likely to be more confused than sold (or unsold) on GIC.
… and that makes me mad.
Off roading is big business, and with so much at stake you can understand why companies want to protect their reputation. Laws exist to help them ensure only correct information is shared, but they don’t exist for you to control all information good or bad.
You got to give GIC some merit…
GIC are trying to do to the camper trailer industry do what brands like Tigerz11 are doing for the 4×4 Accessories market. Bring some more aggressive pricing and competition to an industry that with only a few major players have charged a premium for a long, long time.
And I don’t mind that at all.
What I mind is when they say their products are more than what they are, but that’s a story for another time.
But GIC isn’t the only business a play here. 4X4 Earth is a business that makes money, 4X4 Australia is a business that makes money – and they all must be held accountable for what they do and say.
This is where it gets tricky. Media publications don’t make money from customers, they make money by selliing others access to their readers. In the off-road media world the push for greater ‘access’ has resulted in the line between editorial and advertisement blurring for the last decade. I stopped reading print 4×4 magazines as I personally lost trust if what I read was professional advice and recommendations or just something paid for.
That’s why I created 4X4 Fever.
I’ll leave you to draw any conclusions on GIC you wish, but what I will promise you as long as I continue to be the owner of this site, I will make sure without doubt that you are all 100% clear on what is paid for and what is not. And the people I let contribute to this site will be completely transparent about any conflicts of interest as well.
Off roaders have a thirst for two things. Knowledge and gadgets to help improve their off-road experience. As long as that remains people will try to make money from it – ethically or not.
Getting sound objective advice, personal experience and views, free from commercial entanglement needs to be brought back to the off road community.
But back to GIC.
There’s actually not a good place to talk about your experience with GIC, so I’m going to allow it in the comments. If you’ve had a good or bad experience with a GIC camper please let us know. Please share your OWN experience and do not throw in any generalisations or personal attacks on individuals.
State the facts and we’ll be fine.
Give the next person considering if they should but a GIC camper and nice objective place to do so.
Note: Chris featured in the comments below has shared his review of his alpha series here.
The Author
When there is money involved there are idiots. Thanks for trying to balance the viewpoint.
Personally i wouldn’t but a GIC for much the same reasons you have said in the article you wrote about what you purchased. 2nd hand quality over new and cheap.
But each to their own i guess.
We were ‘taken in’ you may say by the sales pitch of the GIC camper trailer, we purchased an Alloy off road extreme, a few years back now 2013. Upon receiving it we drove it for 1/2 hour towards home and were honked at by a number of passers, on pulling over and checking the tailgate was just flapping about in the breeze and it wouldn’t say closed, one bump had it fly open again. After securing it with rope we traveled the rest of the way home. Then on inspection of our ‘value for money’ purchase we had no ratchet to wind down stability legs, 2nd hand tyres complete with plugs in and chunks of rubber missing, leaking water tank, cheap hinges held by minimal poprivets, one different key for every lock (10 locks in all) so 10 keys. The tent we treated with a protective coating straight away, there was not much wrong with the tent to be honest—- so we fixed the tail gate and various other problems, tyres, loaded it up and went on our first trip – all ok, practice will see us get the tent up and down faster. This camper then spent the next 2 years just sitting because my partner was really put off by the whole thing – really the Kitchen on the tailgate, or should I say sink in a cupboard held on with 6 rivets has started to come adrift now with a portable stove, detergent and other basic kitchen needs sitting in it!!!!!! I would NEVER buy a new unit again – we are going to need to re seal this dust proof ( my arse) unit, re design the kitchen area maybe on a slider as the alloy tailgate really can’t handle it and complete a few modifications before we ever use it again!!!!
Buyer be ware – I do have images of our wonderful GIC if you need me to post them !
Rant over
Lisa
Thanks for your contribution Lisa. It sounds like you didn’t have a great experiance at all. Getting out into our great country should be a joy not a frustration.
Hi Shayne,
I like your site. I had a recent experience with GIC as well. Before i received my trailer i posted a review on their poor sales and service on Product review.com.au. Link below.
It seems to me that the aggressive approach taken to their competitors has overflowed to their customers which will be to their detriment in the long term.
Its no good having a cheaper option if people are to put off dealing with the company to buy it.
http://www.productreview.com.au/r/gic-camper-trailers/791969.html
Wow Jim not a great experience and you haven’t even got the thing!
Two things about it made me a little sad.
One, I don’t mind delays in things, it happens, but when your not told the truth about whats going to in order to try to save face, it never ends well.
The second is whoever the internet liason is, writing comments to you, but that are really sales pitchn to the next person, well, is a massive insult to you — a customer having problems right now.
Engaging with your customers is one thing, engaging as much as I need too with an eye to the next customer is poor form IMO.
Hi Shayne,
Thanks for an interesting article. I notice Jim’s article has been removed from the linked page. As older Australians we are looking at buying a camper trailer to do a bit of touring. I reckon GIC might be off the list now.
I will read the rest of your site with interest.
Cheers,
Iain
That link removal doesn’t surprise me. But this site isn’t going anywhere! Touring with a camper is a great experience. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Hi
I have found this site helpful but has got me worried I was going to use cig to do a mod on my trailer I want the tail gate to open sideways instead of down do you have any recommendations of where to go would rather stay local western suburbs of Brisbane way
Thank You
Hey Donny, I actually don’t have a heap of detail on many Bris builders when it comes to campers.
I wrote up my experience buying our first camper which has some of the criteria we use. We ended up second hand, might be helpful in comparing what’s local.
http://4x4fever.com/camper-trailers-is-it-time-to-make-the-leap/
OH CRAP..WE HAVE JUST BROUGHT A GIC TRAILER..well it will b delivered in a few week..Have I made a big mistake..
Hey Karen — Don’t assume that, there is obviously some people who have had real problems, but I’m sure there are a lot of people who are very happy.
What was the outcome?
I have a Extreme Off Road camper and have used it in extreme off road conditions and have been very happy with the performance.
When I purchased it I took the Kitchen off the back door as it was way too heavy but I would have done this anyway as I believe in having slide out kitchen and draw. These were built by “Drifta” to my design. I also checked the camper over for dust leaks and either put silicon in holes or an extra thin layer of seal opposite the pinch weld seals. The camper is now dust proof and has been used on tracks such as the Anne Beadell Hwy and Gibb River Road, where, other much more expensive campers fell apart. Our only damage has been a leacking shocky. CIG replaced both under warranty following a single phone call.
I have been very happy with my CIG Camper, but when I purchased it, I was also realistic in accepting the low price, that maybe the quality of build was not there. I have been pleasantly surprised as overall the quality of dust proofing, useability and durability is better than a number of campers, worth over 5 times as much, which I have observed while travelling the outback.
Thanks for sharing a good story Gary. Out of interest do you remember how much the slide kitchen set you back?
I’m looking to purchase a new camper soon. I’ve been doing my research and find it quite perplexing that a lot of reviews tend be to be censored (ie the fear of being sued tends to eliminate negative feedback) when it comes to GIC and their campers. Strangely enough, I want to be able to make an informed purchase! One of their camper models was top of our list however, I now won’t be buying their brand. The reasons being that, firstly it would appear that there ARE a lot of unhappy customers who’ve had a problem with a product. Secondly, these customers have been unable to reach a satisfactory outcome (there’s some nasty stories of how customers have been treated). And thirdly, when people have taken to the Internet to warn others and vent their frustration with the company, they get threatened with a defamation lawsuit! This is not the behaviour of a reputable company. One thing people need to remember when posting comments/reviews (and this applies to not just GIC but to anything posted publicly about anyone) you cannot be sued for defamation if what you have said or written is the truth. Make sure you can prove it is the truth though through having photos of the issue and records of correspondence etc. You can read further on the defamation laws via Google. Search defamation laws in Australia.
Hi there just writing in i bought a gic off road basic set up did my research there was alot of good and bad comments i took the chance its been a good trailer so far but i did do a few basic things like changed all nuts with nyloc and rewelded a few rough ones as the old saying goes u get what u pay for if u want a camper that is spot on stick with ur higher price ones but if your happy to change a few things id give the gic a go hope this helps anyone kind regards grant
Thanks for jumping in Grant -great comments. I reckon any campers going to be okay if you’re handy with the welder 🙂
Hi, I bought a GIC a couple of years ago, a basic model one up from entry. Since then I’ve been watching all this negative on the company. Sorta glad I didn’t read it before as it happens my trailer has been an absolute ripper. It’s all new steel, 3x new landcrusier wheel/tyres, dust proof, and nothing has broken or come undone.
On the other hand I did always get a vibe the company was a bit fast and loose and the salesmen were a bit full of it e.g saying the storm cover was a bonus, just crap really they all have a cover. And their quality assurance is all over the place, I actually got over-spec on some things, e.g. extra water pump, off-road block-coupling hitch instead of standard, but they forgot to include the mattress, laughed that one off because its the only thing I would immediately change, who wants to sleep on foam in the heat anyway. Also I think I got the pole set for the 18 tent not the standard 12, but heaps of poles and I hardly use most of them.
The trailer itself is very well made, even impresses my bush relatives which isn’t easy for mechanical stuff, but the cheap part is the tent. It’s quite low, so I (6’4) can’t stand up clear at the far third away from the trailer. Also can’t sit up clear on blind side of the bed. And makes it hotter.
It’s got heaps of tie down points on the tent but 90% time only use the two at the end to hold it taut. In a rush even one will do. One of these is actually sewed on sideways so is slowly tearing the thread loose, some day I’ll get around to sewing it on the right way round.
The biggest issue I have is the door side needs to be tensioned very precisly to zip easily. It was so bad I fumed for a while, sure that some asian sweat shop had buggered up the stitching, and I was going to take it to the factory and demand they show me it working. Now I have a work around to max the height on the nearest internal pole and tension the floor with your foot when you zip. Still a bit irritating.
My other winge about the tent is roof drainage. I like perfect run off and it can’t be done easily. Simplest thing is forget all the internal cross-braces to hold the canvas at the right angle, and whack a few tennis balls on poles and stick one inside the tent and one under the annex, at the right spot works like a treat. The floor is fine, has never leaked.
I envy the flash trailers with the little built in fly, the canvas gets hot with direct sun, so if its more than one night I put up a 7×8 tarp over the lot, also big help in rain with the extra space for bikes and gear. I load the lid with heaps of extra gear, poles, tarps, streatchers, and the gas struts still lift and hold fine.
It has done majority bitumen, last year Brisbane to Cairns up the coast and back via the inland, this year Brisbane to Melbourne down the inland and back via the coast. Never gave me the slighest drama on the road. (Except warning do not put a bike rack on the rear tow point option on the trailer, the whiplash effect is quite exciting to say the least. effing deadly actually.) Taking it to Bourke at Easter, then few hundred km rough dirt going back out to the old homestead. I reckon it’ll be fine, except one thing I’ll fit another mudflap in front of a bit of exposed tank hose.
I’m glad I bought a base model, great trailer and cheap tent option that works fine. I’m also very grateful I didn’t have any major issues, I’d rather not find out if the negative comments reflect the norm or not.
All the best, Jack
Thank you Jack for restoring my faith in my camper which is on its way up to Townsville as we speak. I was starting to get a little nervous with all these bad comments.
Beware “Black Series”
Hey Dennis. A little more detail on that would be really helpful.
Yes more info please
They have changed their name from GIC to Black Series.
Gidday Shayne
We bought ours second hand about 4 years ago paying $3500.00 and have had very few issues with this trailer. It tows well and the tent, although not as good quality as our old cabin tent, has never failed us during inclement weather, is lighter and has many features that make life easier for a family stay.
We have had a floor peg eyelet pull through in the front cnr, but they did supply a spare and was an easy repair. The only frustration I have had is the stone cover over the water tank made the drain hole inaccessible, DOH! 10 Tech screws and a hole cutter to install an extension drain tap has solved it.
All in all we got great value. We just came back from up the coast at Pt Plomer, where we were set up between a $19,000 hard floor and a $12000 king off the road. They were awesome set ups and their Kitchens were brilliant but, realistically we were just as well set up with actually more room and our basic Kitchen that swings on the back tailgate, is supplemented with a couple of camping tables and a mini Webber BBQ and we are set.
Didn’t have to deal with the company but their product was fine. Just to give a different view point
Thanks Iain. It’s great to have people contributing both good and bad. That’s what I hoped this post would turn into. And just like you, give me the best camp kitchen in the world and it still won’t cook a roast like you can in a webber Q. 🙂
Hi Shayne. Over the last few days I have read quite a lot of reviews about G.I.C and their camper range and they are more or less equally spread between those that love the product and therefore have not had much to do with the staff, and those that think the product is reasonable for the price but have had bad experiences with G.I.C’s customer relations. One thing I have noted is that the particular branch of the company that these people have had problems with is not stated. My wife and I have owned two G.I.C trailers, soft floors, since 2009, both bought from the Sydney branch, and we have been very happy with them, so much so that we have just put in an order for the Black Series “Dominator” hard floor. When we purchased our second trailer, an Extreme Ranger, the staff were happy to make some changes to the layout of it to accommodate our desire to have a Drifta kitchen installed, i.e. we asked that the tailgate kitchen not be installed, that the hole in the floor for the water supply to it not be drilled and that the toolbox be placed where we wanted it. They left that last one till we were at the depot to pick it up, and were happy to do so. Next week we will be going to the showroom in Revesby to chat to the boys there and discuss some of the things that we would prefer, that are not “standard” and based on past experience we do not anticipate any problems. If I was a first time buyer of a camper trailer I would almost certainly be put off by what I have read, but as an experienced owner of two and soon to be three G.I.C campers I would encourage everyone to give the brand a chance, I believe they will not be disappointed.
I am so happy this thread is turning out to be so balanced and proud that people are sharing their experiences in a open and detailed way. Thanks so much for sharing yours.
Hi John & Bernadette, we are in the process of looking for a forward folding camper trailer and have been looking at the dominator that you have bought. Just wondering if you have used it much yet and what you think of it. Any info would be helpful. Cheers Dave
Keen to know how your experience of the Dominator has been. They are running some very attractive deals right now and getting close to buying a FF camper
Hi
I’m in the process of buying a second hand gic camper from what I know of them they are better built than some brands out there. It seems to me that people who are unable to get a satisfactory outcome from the dealer on warranty issues etc are the ones that are most likely to make negative comments on sites like these. I’m sure there a lot of happy gic owners out there that haven’t commented. I will let you know what I think of mine
Indeed James.. be sure to drop back in an let us know.
A camper as well as being a financial investment is also an emotional experience as well.
People buy a camper and have visions of camping trips, bliss and fun.
I have always said to friends who go to camping shows…disengage your heart, use your brain and be ruthless in your investigations.
Take a thirds person with you who knows a bit about mechanics…fabrication or have been an owner of a campertrailer for a while.
CiG like many other manufacturers in the lower price point of the Campertrailer market makes a camper in several versions to a price point.
That is the bottom line.
If a person has a budget of say $5000 and has EXPECTATIONS of the campertrailer having capabilities of a $20,000 campertrailer, then in many cases they will be disappointed.
The canvas tents on some of the CIG models, are made to a price using lower manufacturing standards than that of the Australian manufactured Canvas tents.
This is not rocket science…it’s to keep the overall price of the product lower…
This has happened to one or two of my camping friends to their detriment.
They have either sold or modified the campertrailer and have moved on with their expectations on their purchase.
The “Hardline Aggressive ” stance now taken by CIG will not help their marketing cause and will turn some purchases away.
This is the gamble CIG are now playing and in marketing sense, they are going to paint themselves into a corner.
It can be argued that CIG have a right to defend their reputation, but a reputation is built over time and trust with the customer and the market.
So now to come out and “Bite the hand that feeds you” is a little dramatic when there have been reviews on their products, that CIG don’t like.
This is where CIG will have to work “Doubly Hard” in the campertrailer market to turn around these “Negative” reviews that are starting to become “entrenched” to their product.
They can get all the lawyers and sue all the reviews under the sun, but basically they (CIG) are just reinforcing, those opinions that have been made in the first place about their product.
Keep this up, and CIG will be calling the “Receivers”.
Hey Peter. I do like the idea of disengaging your heat but it’s so hard. I originally had a small budget for my first camper and ended up pulling the trigger on a Tru Blu which I never looked back on. All under the notion that I’d get more from a 5 year old $20K camper than a I would a 5K new one.
Turns out for me that was the right decision, but that’s all very easy in retrospect 🙂
I’ve had an extreme off road camper for nearly 5 years now, structurally I can’t fault the box trailer, it’s tough as nails and tows like a dream (130-140kmh I’m in the NT)
I just went up the Cape, including OTT and done 9000km in 3 weeks with out a problem. The front toolboxes suck the dust in and the main box partdoesn’t seal the dust out very well as its got the old thin rubber seals, apparently they changed to a better compression type not long after I got mine. But a tube of silicone helped a lot.
The sink never sealed very well from brand
new but that didn’t bother me as I use a small bucket which saves water.
I haven’t had a problem with the tent part but I only ever set up main part anyway.
So in conclusion for $6000 I couldn’t really complain about the little niggles and would definitely buy from gic again
It’s the tests of time I love to see Denny – thanks for sharing.
Awesome post Shayne. Looking to buy a Black Series Camper trailer (GIC) and have been very put off by all the negative stuff. Peter Graham’s post above is very much where we are at and we are trying to make a balanced choice. I like Denny’s post too. It seems GIC have had a shake up over the last 12 months and the product now (entry level) is much improved over the product previously offered. We are doing our best and finding the good and the bad reviews very thought provoking. The bad are bad, but the good are balanced and constructive. Our budget was $5k to 6k second hand but we’ll probably go $5k to $7k new. Will post again on our purchase.
That’s really good to hear.. Be sure to let us know!
I bought a 2011 Offroad earlier this year. Has the 18 foot tent which I can put up by myself but need the wife to help put the awning up. We have only used it twice so far and I don’t have any complaints, for $3000 it was good value for the money.
Hi
were also looking at buying a black series gic.
must admit bit worried about the reviews.
but bearing that in mind were looking at 8000 .
i think to many people look at the tvans ultimate campers Kimberly and so on.
If you want to spend 35 to 50k you expect the best.
Opions are varied.
Will post back if we decide to go ahead.
great site
Hey Stephen, I think that’s a good point. 8K vs 35K is more than three times the cost, not saying that means a 35K will be three times better, but it does make them an unfair comparison.
So, continuing my post from above, we are going for it and going a little above our budget and getting a new Black Series Alpha Camper. We thought about it for a long time and so far are happy with our decision and pick it up on the 12th of August. We want a really nice unit but we aren’t expecting a $35k unit for $8,800. Will post the ongoing experience as we go……
Hey mate have you got your camper yet as the wife and I are thinking of getting the sergeant. Realised that there wasn’t much difference between the two besides the alpha having draws.
Hi Chris.
Pick it up on Friday. Yes a big draw and lockers that all lock so a bit more security, a longer drawbar but that’s neither here or there so much.
Gas bottles and jerry cans at the front. Battery is in the rear left instead of the front. Just lots of little differences. The main for us was all draws and lockers are lockable and secure.
Chris HB M: 0416 489 797
Hey Chris T. I bought the sergeant last year and the only thing i can fault on it is the crappy hand pumps. I replaced them with some taps with electric pumps and its fine. It tows like a dream and the added power setup is a bonus. The tent on mine is fine with water. You just have to make sure you season the canvas very well. They say to do it 3 times but do it more if possible. Concentrate on all windows and door flaps and any seams as that’s where they will normally leak if not done right. If you’re worried about water pooling just asked the salesperson about extra spreader poles. It’s like anything in life if you have the finance to buy a Rolls Royce go spend the money but if you don’t you will have to go with what you can afford. Im happy with it and so is my family. Plenty of great camping to come.
Hate to break it to you but “4X4 Earth is a business that makes money” is false. Its a forum and the owner does not make money from it. Just gets enough to cover the cost of running the site.
Hey Steven. I don’t have anything against 4X4 Earth. I’ve always been a fan and wish that it made more money! The community there has probably helped me more often than any ‘brand’ I’ve given my money too. Note: I’ve lurked more that participated.
Even mentioned them here http://4x4fever.com/mud-maps-vs-hema-maps/
But it is something of worth, and it does have an income so I hold it to the same standards I would anyone else — that’s why I called it out.
Hi. The wife and I bought a MDC off road deluxe in 2012. Very pleasantly supprised. Picked it up in Brisbane and toed it home to cairns, rode very well and forgot it was there a few times.
Took it on quite a few trips on fairly rough goat tracks and it handled it fine. Only drama we had was the bolts for the shock absorbers broke off, so went shock less for the last 2 trips we went on (can’t be upset by this as it did cop a flogging). The tent itself was above my expectations as well no probs with that at all. Would highly recommend MDC. In saying that we have just ordered a black series alpha looking forward to getting back out there away from civilisation.
Good post Jason. your post is pretty much where we are at. Picked up our new Alpha recently and unpacked it today. Also pleasantly surprised. Very heavy duty canvas and really good strong zips. Still all a bit stiff and hard to spread etc but I know this will improve. The vid on you tube is excellent but a manual would be nice as well as all the detail on the in’s and out’s of the electrical system etc. Still very happy at this stage and looking forward to a little jolly next week to warm up for the big trip next year!
Hi Chris HB, quick question mate, looking at getting an Alpha myself but concerned about kitchen layout and quality, How is your Alpha
Cheers,
Darren Petersen
Arrears Field Manager
Radio Rentals Capalaba
P- 07 31938667
M- 0404811232
darren.petersen@radio-rentals.com.au
Hi Darren. Camping in it now. Will email and post when we get home on Sunday. I can give you a call and have a chat later if you like maybe later this arvo.
Chris HB
Chris HB Sent on the run from my mobile. 🙂
Hi Chris, quick question mate, looking at getting an Alpha myself but concerned about kitchen layout and quality, How is your Alpha.
darren.petersen@radio-rentals.com.au
Hi Chris HB, we are also considering the Alpha. How did the trip go and how did the Alpha go? Very interested in hearing about it as we’ve been trying to decide what we want for the last few days.
Amie.
I think I need to get Chris to do his own post here with his thoughts and some pics!
Hi again. Trip was great but I’m struggling a bit on work catch up…. Insert sad face here… 🙁 I will try and post a reply asap and yes with a few pics. Not today but hopefully by Friday. I want the post as honest and up front as I can make it, please bear with me. I’m not ignoring you….
Great, thankyou. Looking forward to it. 🙂
Just bought a second hand 2012 model gic all looks good so far. two rooms, so plenty of space for us and the kids. Trailer looks solid and all welds look good. Canvas is better than some other brands i have looked at. For a good entry level trailer i think it will be great. Also duel batteries and water pump.
Note from the 4×4 Fever team: Chris’s comment here was so good, we thought it better as it’s own article.
Hey Chris,
darren.petersen@radio-rentals.com.au
Bought a second-hand 2016 extreme commando with battery and basic CTEK 12V distribution system already installed a few months back after planning a move to NT. Grafted a easily fitted and removed 250W solar panel to the stone deflector and a CTEK 25A battery charger to it.
Took it for a quick overnight a few weeks ago at Hawks Nest, went up well (after we found where to put the annex poles with the hook-ends), towed and performed perfectly. The only downfall was the top of the water hand pump on the sink came off. Nothing some Loctite 401 wouldn’t fix.
Since then I’ve installed a 12V water pump to the kitchen pump and a second 105AH battery.
Tomorrow we’re taking it for its maiden run with the whole family of wife and two kids. Will report back with any issues.
So apart from the tent not concertina-ing back down properly on pack up (forgot to take out the number 6 poles – duh) the whole kit performed flawlessly even when setting up in gale force winds. Lots of pegs. Lots of ropes. No problems. 3 awesome nights even though the first one had me concerned we were going to blow away.
i have dealt with GIC in the past but didnt buy, weren’t ready at the time. but did have have a look around to the competitors also we went back and forth looking at our options. We did end up buying a black series Patron around 10 months ago and so far we are happy with it. We were scared off by reading some reviews but i think you will always hear the bad and never the good. So far i am very happy and love my black series, only complaint is i dont get to use it as much as i would like 🙁
Hi,
I’m thinking about buying a Brand New Black Series Patron.
$20k is a huge amount of money for me.
I’m a bit worried when I read Negative reviews.
Any Patron owners can you please let me know how the Camper is
Both Good and Bad please
Thanks
Hey Adrian. $20K is a big wad of cash. At that sort of $ your options do really open up. More so if you don’t have to buy new. There’s a lot of good comments here for you to look through — both good and bad, and be sure to have a look through Chris’s post – I think it might be helpful.
Hi Adrian. i was in the exact same position as you just under a year ago. Needles to say, we bought our Patron and are very happy with it! i was worried about the reviews also but at the end of the day, you will rarely hear from happy customers
well now I’m terrified just payed yesterday for delta ,
we are just about to buy the dominator and feel they are good value for money. how ever im not to keen on not being able to zip up the windows from the inside. has anyone found this a issue in the campers ? any info would be great
Hi Molly, I’d be keen to see how you went with the Dominator and if you ended up buying one. Like many other people here, I’m a little concerned by some of the comments but see that the majority are well-balanced and informative. AT $17k for a new one, I’d have to expect some attention to detail when it is built.
I am looking at a camper to go with friends to Karajini National Park next year. We often stay in Caravan Parks in on site vans but thought for this one we’d hire and try a camper with a view of buying one in the (used) $10K bracket.
Then I saw what looked like a bargain, a 6 year old GIC campers for $2000. It has a little rust and hasn’t been really looked after but at the price, until I red the reviews, I thought it was a bargain?
That’s not a bad price Clayton.
We bought a brand new GIC Black Series Emperor in April, 2015. We drove from Melbourne up to Sydney very excited to pick it up. When we arrived the staff were very friendly, once the paperwork was finished and we were taken out to our camper we asked one of the “friendly” staff if we could open the trailer and have a look only to be told no, we don’t have the time. We noticed straight away bolts were missing and draws and doors did not align, and the draws did not slide out easily. We started to mention these issues with one of the staff and started to wonder if we had been given a demo model when we opened the end door and saw the mattress was not covered in protective plastic and the end of the mattress was dirty. The staff person assured us it was new and suggested we go across the road and have some lunch while they fix these items, we”d already been there for 2 hours. 4 hours later we finally left the factory in Revesby. We stopped on our drive back to Melbourne to camp overnight and discovered the tent poles were rusty. We were still excited with our new camper and started to have some great camping adventures, we were hesitant about the tent as it was made in China but I have to say it was amazing and stood up to some awesome storms and heavy rain. About a month later we noticed when we opened the camper that there were rust spots on the mattress and it was wet and partially mouldy, we took photos as advised and emailed them to GIC. We kept emailing and calling GIC for a couple of weeks only to be told they haven’t received the photos so couldn’t do anything about it. We couldn’t find the source of the leak and bought a tarp to protect it and got on with life while quietly wondering if we bought a lemon and feeling very unsatisfied with the “customer support”. It was around this time we stumbled upon some review websites that included the letter above about GIC, we dug a bit deeper and after reading so many negative reviews about the lack of after care customer support, we felt lucky we didn’t have anything major happen to us, just rusty tent poles. Fast forward 6 months and after a great holiday to Fraser Island and across to Emerald in Qld, my partner was cleaning out the camper and noticed the welding had come apart around the base of one of the drawers the fridge was in and after opening up the tent, the corner of the hard floor had a puddle of water and the middle of the hard floor was soft. On closer inspection the top layer of lino just started to peel off revealing a totally rotted floor beneath. My partner made sure to make a video of what he was doing to show GIC as they don’t do repairs themselves in Melbourne. We called GIC and they asked us to send the video which they didn’t receive like the last photos we sent until we mentioned taking further action. We were initially told, and yes this is the salesmans words, that we must have kept it stored in water. What followed next was my partner calling GIC every day for 3 months as he was constantly told someone would call back and no one did, thankfully he was relentless. In the end we emailed GIC letting them know we will take this further if needed as we just wanted what we paid for. GIC finally responded by telling us to go somewhere local and get a quote. We found a place in Melbourne and they were horrified at the gaps where there was no silicone and how poor the finish was saying it would have been leaking the minute it was finished, sitting in their lot, the repair quote was for $3000. After 3 relentless months GIC Finally sent us a cheque for the repair but not before letting us know it was a “Good Will Gesture”, not an actual repair under warranty. As soon as we got it fixed we decided to get the draw weld fixed and sell it but not before the powder coating started to flake off. We contacted GIC and to there credit they sent us a check to get it resprayed. We sold it not long after and were glad to cut our losses and move on. I know lots of people have purchased a GIC camper and had no issues as well and that’s great, I wouldn’t want anyone to go through our experience, it wasn’t the camper, that can be fixed, it was the after sales support that was non exsistant and rude, they where happy to take our money but didn’t want a bar of us when it became apparent how faulty the camper was, it was only once legal action was mentioned they came to the party.
Son bought a GIC Black Series off road Camper….supposed to be the top of the range Dominator….took it to Double Island Pt and a couple of caravan parks on the coast and now the annexe zipper keeps giving way, there is a crack in the weld on the a frame, the canvas is being cut by the track and this is on a 7 month old camper. Paid $18000 for it and its definitely not worth it.
i bought a dominator as well ordered may 26 2016 finally arrived nov 2016 after being promised it would arrive before the family camping trip during september school holidays anyway had to cancel the trip but upon delivery i went over it very closely and found many issues such as surface rust around all the storage door openings,powdercoating on independant suspension chipped and peeling,the silver paint had been touched up a with a different colour silver not even supplied with gas certificate as stated
lots of small issues with rusty hinges and crappy 3 inch tech screws holding bits together
i contacted gic only to be told i would have to fill out paperwork online and would not be dealt with over the phone so i sent through info about 3 days later i had no reply for a week so i rang again told me to resend as the person was away on holidays etc
this went on for weeks they did not contact me the whole time i had to keep chasing them
after many weeks i have fixed several problems
i have used it twice since and now just sits in my garage until i repaint the camper and order some hinges and a few other bits then it will be up for sale
when i bought mine i paid nearly $21000 with alloys/boat rack/extra battery and other non standard options which are now standard and can buy for $17000
the whole experience left a sour taste and i would not recommend gic to anyone due to lack of communication from gic and the quality is ordinary
one positive is that it tows well and functionally is ok
but finish is ordinary at best
HI All,
I must say very interesting read, hope I am not to late to add in. I bought a trailer a few years ago, off road, once I set it up the first time had a couple of issues with the stitching, customer service was shit house and they refused my warranty claim. Just took it myself to get fixed.
Have now ripped off the shitty little sink and about to upgrade with a drifta kitchen. Otherwise happy good tent and with a tarp all the way over the tent we always stay dry.
Lee
Im about to buy my 2nd GIC camper. I bought one 5 years ago and now Im about to sell it after ordering the Patron. You only have to visit the Revesby factory to see the sheer number of campers going out the door everyday. I was absolutely amazed at the amount of people that were picking them up when I was there. I cant speak for the Patron as I don’t have it yet, but my last GIC had no issues at all. All welds were fine, no leaks and towed perfectly, I did replace some dust seals but that’s about it. We did a lot of camping with it (some in really bad weather) and was all good. For people worrying, I wouldn’t. I think as a percentage there is more positive than negative out there in the real world. Ill let everyone now how I go with the Patron.
We purchased a second hand forward folding GIC (Black Series) Dominator about 10 months ago. It was 18 months old when we bought it. We have found it very versatile, easy to tow (Toyota Prado) and of pleasing quality overall for the price range that they are sold for. We have no real complaints. I did however replace the rubber seals around the external storage door openings as drops of water appeared inside when it rained hard ($70). I will also need to replace the hinges to the external storage doors too, as the steel hinge bolts have totally rusted on (and I can’t get them off) , yet the hinges themselves are stainless steel ($60). The clear coat is also coming off on the paintwork ($??). But, in saying this, they are small issues – possibly seems a little like a “Friday afternoon build quality camper”. Would I buy another one though? – yes! It’s still comfortable, affordable, easy to use, easy to tow and fun to use! 🙂
I do like your approach to this. If I want to get serious about reviews I’m not going to find anything negative in Australian magazines, so I have to look at overseas ones. In some ways I understand GICs position. You want to end a business, just get a few people to post bad reviews, hit all the right buttons, and sales go down.
Anyhow, the real facts are that there are only about three factories producing these trailers. They are in China. So a GIC or Black Series maybe better seen as a Rongcheng. Now look that up on AliBaba. The company is improving all the time, look at their earlier stuff and compare with today’s. So my thinking is that there is a pretty slim profit margin on a lot of this stuff, just add showroom rent, salespeople, some sort of aftersales, promotion, import duty and certification, assembly and transport costs. Black series come from the same factory as many others and are probably just as good as the more expensive. I would say that how a company conducts itself in the Australian market place is the number one decider.
I’ll let you know how I get on with my purchase. Hope I’m not going to be tucking into word salad.
Phil,
There are more than 5 factories in the city of Rongcheng alone; producing camper trailers and caravans.
The images you have found to track down the company producing camper trailers are more than 2 years old. GIC have “burned” two of the best three manufacturers in this city by using a clause in their supply contract that indemnifies their responsibility of payment should certain warranty concerns occur – that is why their product support (not customer support) is difficult to say the least. It also allows them to run margins below that possible to keep the doors open – by ripping millions of dollars (trading in US) off suppliers.
Now Hengli is at the risk of collapse because GIC have once again flooded the industry with low priced products by skipping on build quality and local services. It has resulted in Hengli loosing several customers in an effort to supply to the unreasonable demands of GIC. The next 6 months will see a further decline in product quality as Hengli struggle to pay their bills and meet the demands of cash flow imposed by GIC’s despotic business model.
That will be 3 suppliers in 4 years. At least they now have a new supplier building their caravans which should keep them surfing for another year. Maybe next year they will move further south and start dealing with the umpteen different manufacturers in other Provinces.
Really interesting comment. Thanks for sharing that.
Thanks for that excellent reply Jack. I take it that you must have some serious insider knowledge to write this. I would love to read a serious business article written by you about this trade. There is a whole lot of smoke and mirrors and less than truthful exchanges happening out there at the consumer end of things.
i Can tell you this above comment is exactly the way it is and the way they have operated
I’ve just read all the comments, I was particularly interested in those written in the last 6 months as we are considering purchasing the Dominator. What has caught our interest has been the ‘options now fitted standard’ deal that Black series & MDC have been advertised at present. Solar panel, hot water shower system, ensuite room,dual battery, toilet & boat rack included as standard. It looks like being an interesting weekend for us as both MDC & Black Series are just down from one another.
I’m really new to Camping, so new in fact I haven’t actually taken my Camper away! The love affair started with a holiday staying in on-site vans in Busselton, Exmouth and Coral Bay. We decided we wanted our own.
We bought a second hand 2010 GIC semi off-road Camper and despite being bought private the people at Black Series Campers have been fantastic with their advice and support that included helping me get a tow bar receiver fitted to carry a bike rack.
I’m very surprised to read any negative comments. I would hesitate to have Black Series Campers at the top of my list should I decide to upgrade.
Sorry. Typo. That’s WOULD NOT HESITATE to have……
Bought a 2nd hand Black Series Commando in July 17. Was manufactured Aug 16, orig owner bought Dec 16 and used it 3 times.
We put it up in back yard twice before our camping trip to a caravan park. As we packed up we noticed one side was sitting lower than other, we were only 1 1/2hr away from home so once we got home on Saturday looked underneath and noticed the weld on the eye to eye bracket on leaf spring had snapped clean of the trailer.
We haven’t rung anybody yet but my issue is going to be that it states that the warranty is only valid to the original owner. This is bullshit as a warranty is for a product not the person purchasing. Now if it was 4.5yrs old I would cop it on the chin but this Camper is just over 12mths from manufacture and only 9mths old from purchase.
Has anyone had anything similar happen or any advice on where to go from here?
This just isn’t a leaky canvas or a pop rivet missing this is a structural issue.
As hubby said we don’t know where previous owners took the trailer but my argument is it’s been camping 4 times in 9mths and as a semi off-road trailer the weld should last a little more than it already has.
So these certain foreign companies can control online comments now and in Australia we are not allowed to voice our opinion as it is defammatory? We can view our experience to anyone we want and they have no right to stop us. Good to see do-gooders sticking up for the wrong people. The country is beyond saving. So sad. Thanks for the article. I will not buy these campers now, will tell everyone i know not to buy one, and do my best to let people know. Dispicable!
They are not foreign owned. And why would you tell people not to buy them when you have no experience to base it on. This is part of the issue. People that have never owned a product giving other people advice on it or bad reviews.
My family and I purchased a Black Series Alpha about 2 months ago, the whole purchasing process was terrific, We drove it home, unpacked it the same day, and had it set up in about an hour (we were shocked at how many poles there are!), The canvas is quite heavy compared to other camper trailers we have used in the past, the trailer towed beautifully the whole way home, and on each of our trips since buying it. We fitted it out with most of our own gear, the only complaint i really had was there wasn’t any wiring diagrams available, as I had to add my own wiring for the fridge and electric water pump, it would have been awesome to run them thru the integrated 12v monitoring system. The skylight/clear roof makes for an amazing nights sleep as you either watch the twinkling stars, or the rain drop, we are in love with our Alpha!
I have purchased a new camper trailer the sergeant from blackseries and have had nothing g but trouble and heart ache. No kids room. They state their clerical fault. 2 weeks later and we had to chase it down. Now LED lights and 1 week later and still no replacement. The reflectors are all falling off. 2 at home and one on site. We were told you could connnwwcr mains power to the power source and now we are told you can’t. The instructions sent to us were for a hard floor camper and the soft floor. You call them and they promise to o call back and then don’t. You message them and they promise you replacement and done send them for 3 was. They were great when we were thinking of buying by chasing us every day. Now we have paid and the service leve is not to been seen. One of the staff at the Sydney office is rude and agessive and has no after service skills and tells customer bad luck. We could you have to leave the tool box open to be able to power you battery? We are worried if it rains everything in there will be wet or that the power will get water damaged. There is no instructions to put up the kids tent you can purchase. You have to use the annex set up and modify. No instructions on how to put the walls up. No instructions on how to set up the water supply and pump. We are lost and have no support from the company. No on wants to help. Wish we went to another company.
Thanks Shayne and everyone else for putting in your 2c. I’m looking at getting a trailer from Black/MDC and while the information in here is interesting. It’s a shame that customer server seems to be lost, but issues getting fixed (eventually) is at least a good sign. The comment around the sheer numbers that Black sell means that there will inevitably be issues with some.
The comments haven’t deterred me from buying one, the price point that these come in mean that i’ll be expecting some imperfections, and since I’ve read the below i’ll know what to look for.
Yep it’s an old thread but I will add my two cents.
There are multiple camper companies that make trailers that are remarkably similar and that is because they all come from the same place in China. The only difference is if they make any real changes once they arrive here in Australia. Some change out the suspension etc and some do nothing bar sell them.
The issue is the lack of regulation and legislation around camp trailers and caravans.
We have had our Dominator (2016) for 2 years, 20,000k’s+ and we love it. It was not perfect but due to a few mods and small fixes we are extremely happy. Do people remember the saying “buyer beware”? If you dig hard enough you will see horror stories right across the board with these (Chinese) imported models. People buy them because they are much cheaper than the Australian made campers. It’s true, don’t deny it.
There are only a small number of real Aussie made campers and caravans and they are not as cheap as the imports. Why you ask? It’s because our wages and materials are better. So why aren’t we supporting AUssie made? It’s all about cost and wages…thats a discussion for a whole other group.
So before black tagging a company do due diligence on all of them. You’ll see that they are all as bad/good as each other.
Black Series has made it to the USA and has really caught my eye. We have nothing like your caravans here. Your off road trailers are amazing. Here the only quality trailer is Airstream and even those have had some QA issues lately because they are making them so fast. Seems so sad that the Black series is so much better than our normal trailers and you say there may be some issues. Can you recommend any other brands that I could get in the USA?
I’m really considering taking the risk to see for myself and reporting back to the off-road community my experience. I almost feel like taking one for the team so others can be informed and can make a wise decision.
Does anyone have any experience with the HQ19?
Nate, if the black series is better than your normal trailers, you should see some of the actual high-end units! They unfortunately also come with an insane price tag.
Nate, did you purchase a Black Series HQ? I just discovered it online after thinking for months I’d be purchasing a 5th wheel. I was intrigued by the “off road” suspension but the interior is rather smaller than I prefer. I figured if they are as ‘rugged’ as they appear to be, that might make up for the smaller size but I’ve either only found negative comments online or LACK of information online for this product. I also am interested in the HQ19…but for $60k, I need to know the company stands behind their product warranty. Do you have more insight? Nearest HQ for sale is 750 miles from me and the authorized US dealers (MT and CO) sounded clueless on the phone as I asked about some of the specs and wwty. Disappointed here!#@!
Crux has a very similar product aka Crux2700.
Without spending another couple of wasting more hours providing a written experience of my dealings with Black Series I’ll make it simple. The Dominator is a fair price point for what you get but that’s about it.
After sales service is the worst I have ever experienced, my bullshit filter was full very shortly after trying to get my issue sorted (at my cost, not even a warranty issue).
If your considering purchasing a camper that in any way needs after sales service this is NOT a camperer for you.
Do your research in relation to afteraales service as there is a very common theme….