From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Accuracy and usefulness of the Bentley quarterly complaints list.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 130\1\ scan0173 | |
| Date | 8th November 1934 | |
| <117? To Hd.{Mr Hayward/Mr Huddy} from HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} c. to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} c. to E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} c. to EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} c. to MX.{John H Maddocks - Chief Proving Officer} Bentley Quarterly Complaints. We think that EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer}3/WH.6.11.34 does raise a useful point. Presumably the object of the Quarterly Complaint lists is to concentrate design and experimental work on the features which are causing the most annoyance to customers. We have come into contact with a lot of Bentley customers and they have without exception complained of the gear lever vibration. Judging by the Quarterly Complaint list this would appear to be a very minor source of annoyance to the customer, whereas actually this is not so. Again, front wing and lamp movement is probably commented upon unfavourably by 50% of Bentley owners, but this is not even mentioned in the Quarterly Complaint list. On the other hand, 54 complaints of brakes being fierce and out of adjustment are tabulated, whereas the only objections to the Bentley brakes which we have had first-hand from customers have been due to them being ineffective and noisy when wet, and an isolated case of high speed jaggers. We think that there should be some way of ensuring that the Quarterly Complaints are more representative of the actual faults of the motor car. Possibly the present situation is due to the fact that if there is no cure for a trouble, it does not apparently cost the Company anything and therefore does not appear in the complaint list. We do not know whether the reports of outside Inspectors are ever summarised with a view to thus obtaining a condensed conception of customers' opinions on the car, but this might be one method of improving the information contained in the Quarterly Sheets. | ||