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).
Purpose of the Bentley Quarterly Complaints list and addressing a specific issue of front wing and lamp movement.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 130\1\ scan0177 | |
| Date | 12th November 1934 | |
| 4117 To Hd.{Mr Hayward/Mr Huddy} from Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} c.c. to WOr.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} c.c. to E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} c.c. to EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} c.c. to EX. HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}18/KW.12.11.34. Bentley Quarterly Complaints. Replying to Hd.{Mr Hayward/Mr Huddy}19/HR. 8.11.34. We note you agree that the object of the Quarterly Complaint List is to draw the attention of the Design and Experimental Departments to the features which are causing the most annoyance to customers. Furthermore, you will agree that as this is the only official list of customers' complaints it must represent the relative importance of each complaint or it is misleading. This list is composed partly for our benefit; as it stands we state definitely that either we are giving attention to the wrong complaints or the list is misleading. You say in effect that the majority of the complaints which are not recorded on the Quarterly List have been brought to our notice in some other way. We agree but surely the main object of the Quarterly Complaint List is to deal with these very matters. We at present have two outstanding features on the Bentley which are receiving our attention. These are - (1) Front Wing & Lamp Movement. You say you receive remarkably few actual complaints. Presumably therefore you have received some complaints and yet none appear in the Quarterly List. At the moment there is a customer who took delivery of a Bentley some months ago and has since refused to drive it because of the excessive front wing movement. He has ordered another Bentley but refuses to take delivery of it until the wing movement is cured. We have Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}'s instructions to fit up experimental parts to induce this customer to take delivery of his car. Eleator in Paris says "I and everyone else have noticed a tremendous amount of lamp and wing movement.....Continental owners do not like it". Richard Summers is buying another car in the hope of getting steadier wings. We have a further complaint from EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} that this is causing wing cracking. | ||