getting disapointed in caravaning

[fordwillys]

i brought a new caravan just over 2 yrs ago thinking me and the wife can tour all over the place but all we have had is bad luck with it.
it had to be taken off road for 4 months as the door and window and stereo been stolen.
now we had all this bad weather went to check on caravan and found cracks above left hand window so i contacted the company who i bought the caravan from they told me it has a 3yr warrantry but 1yr body so i was to contact manufactor so i did they told me to send pics so i did and now i got a replie from them and this what it said.
Further to your email of recent date regarding the cracking of the panel on your 2009 Corona 505 caravan, please accept our apologises for the delay in responding.

Firstly we are sorry to learn that you have experienced issues with your caravan and we can understand the unforeseen circumstances you have encountered with your vehicle, which must have lead to some frustrations and anxiety. Please be assured that as a company we do take your concerns seriously.

I would like to confirm that photographs which you kindly sent to us regarding the cracking above the window were sent to our suppliers for investigation and it is with regret that they have advised us that the surface cracking on the panel is only superficial and seems to be caused from some sort of impact or pressured stress, this can be easily rectified from your local retailer or service centre. Unfortunately this would not be something that would be covered under warranty as per the terms and conditions of your warranty agreement.

Sorry we are unable to assist you on this occasion.

i would like to know if anyone out there as had the same prob and what did you do next as the caravan is just over 2 yrs old.
if you did please let me no you can email me on wearmouthy@aol.com

 

[Steve L]

Hi Paul & Mel.
On the face of it, this sounds like a realy pathetic excuse from your supplier/manufacturer of your caravan.
Under trading standards guidelines you can expect any item bought to last a reasonable time with or without any written Warrantee. By a reasonable time I would expect 3 years to be a minimum time for the body of the caravan to exist without any defects. If I were you, I would go and chat to Citizens Advice and see what they say. It's free advice and quite often a stiff letter from one of their advisors will bring the correct outcome.

You don't mention what raw material we are talking about, but if it's aluminium, any crack will continue to get worse especially in thin sheet of less than 1mm. Cracks in fibreglass can stay quite stable so long as there isn't load stress on it. Of the two fibreglass is the easyest to repair. But that's by the by in a 2 year old van.

If you have purchased the van using a credit card, you have recoarse through the card company to seek repayment under the sale of goods act where, the goods sold should be of a saleable condition and of a reasonable lifetime expectancey. But again, I'd check with Citizens advice first.

I do hope that after getting the van repaired or better still replaced, it doesn't put you off caravanning.

Good luck.

 

[Dustydog]

Hi Paul & Mel
From what you say the real issue here is one of material facts.
Compass appear to have consulted their panel manufacturer who is saying the panel has not failed but suffered from extraneous damage causing the "surface" crack. "Pressured" stress implies to me either someone leaning heavily on the panel or it was stressed during assembly.
IMO you now need to find a caravan panel expert who can give an authoritive explanation which may or may not prove the Compass expert is wrong.
What does your own Dealer have to say?
Otherwise I'm in support of everything Steve in Leo has said.
Good luck.

 

[MichaelE]

Agreed it does sound like an easy copout.
The gel coat on fibreglass does crack and is an easy repair, but to diagnose the cause by photographs? If it is stress then it is pointless to repair until the cause is recified and this sounds like a bodywork issue
Impact cracks tend to star out from the centre.
Others know the law better than me but i would reply saying you dont accept their findings and i am very concerned that is could be pressurised stress which would indicate a bodywork issue?
I believe your warranty/contract is with the seller?

 

[LMH]

It never ceases to amaze me when I hear about people buying new vans and they get treated like the poster has.

It seems once they've got your money, that's it.

I would like to comment about the CAB, I don't know where abouts in the country you are but round my way, it's almost impossible to get an appointment to see anyone. They are inundated with people seeking advice for debt.

I hope you get it all sorted, good luck to you.

Lisa

 

[Surfer]

Your contract is with the seller and not the manufacturer. Under Sale of Goods Act the seller is responsible for sorting out all problems and their excuse of 1 year does not wash at all. Here is SOGA;
Subject: Sale of Goods Act, Faulty Goods.
Relevant or Related Legislation: Sale of Goods Act 1979. Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982. Sale and Supply of Goods Act 1994. The Sale and Supply of Goods to Consumers Regulations 2002.
Key Facts:
• Wherever goods are bought they must "conform to contract". This means they must be as described, fit for purpose and of satisfactory quality (i.e. not inherently faulty at the time of sale).
• Goods are of satisfactory quality if they reach the standard that a reasonable person would regard as satisfactory, taking into account the price and any description.
• Aspects of quality include fitness for purpose, freedom from minor defects, appearance and finish, durability and safety.
• It is the seller, not the manufacturer, who is responsible if goods do not conform to contract.
• If goods do not conform to contract at the time of sale, purchasers can request their money back "within a reasonable time". (This is not defined and will depend on circumstances)
• For up to six years after purchase (five years from discovery in Scotland) purchasers can demand damages (which a court would equate to the cost of a repair or replacement).
• A purchaser who is a consumer, i.e. is not buying in the course of a business, can alternatively request a repair or replacement.
• If repair and replacement are not possible or too costly, then the consumer can seek a partial refund, if they have had some benefit from the good, or a full refund if the fault/s have meant they have enjoyed no benefit
• In general, the onus is on all purchasers to prove the goods did not conform to contract (e.g. was inherently faulty) and should have reasonably lasted until this point in time (i.e. perishable goods do not last for six years).
• If a consumer chooses to request a repair or replacement, then for the first six months after purchase it will be for the retailer to prove the goods did conform to contract (e.g. were not inherently faulty)
• After six months and until the end of the six years, it is for the consumer to prove the lack of conformity.

Note the underlined sections. The last sentence may be a bit confusing, but in reality it is easy for you to show that the goods do not conform to quality etc.
For further information please read the FAQs at http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.dti.gov.uk/consumers/fact-sheets/page38311.html
If the dealer refuses to deal with it, get a deadlock letter off them and hand it over to Trading Standards but in the meantime you could contact Consumer Direct at http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/
Don't let them walk over you!

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Paul and Mel.

I am sorry to read of your woes, and the responses you have so far received.

A number of things concern me about your posting, and I get the distinct impression that the people who have been involved so far either do not know what their obligations are, or they are deliberately playing on your inexperience and lack of expertise in such matters and trying to limit their liability.

I do not believe it is possible to make an accurate assessment of a body work problem, yet alone any possible underlying causes from a photograph. It needs to be properly assessed by a knowledgeable person who can physically touch and look at the problem and produce an authoritative report.

I fully support the suggestion that you contact either the CAB or get professional advice on your best course of action.

 

[Philspadders]

you mention that you had a break in. is it possible that the damage was caused by the thieving toerags that broke in?. If it was, then there may be a case for claiming from your insurers.
Is there any possibilty that the damage is a location that is easily accessable, such as shoulder height, or possbily something hitting hit.

If the gel coat cracks under prseeure or stress it tends to "craze" and even chip off. If it the Alumnium skin then it is unlikley to simply to simply crack unless something has impacted the area first. However, does the crack start from the edge of the skin, at a joint or corner? as this could indicate an area of increased stress and could be a work related fatigue.
Either way your selly was incorrect to tell you to contact the manufacturer, your contract is with the seller.

 

[jupiter53]

Hi Paul & Mel
Sorry to hear of your problems. I have a compass omega caravan a 2008 model bought from new. Last year we noticed that the walls were seperating from the furniture. Because my 3year warranty was going to be up at the end of this month (28th feb 2011) I wanted to get the caravan seen to as soon as possible. It also got floor delamination in the middle of the 'van and not near the door area which is normal.
We took the 'van to our dealer to be accessed. While we there we had a look at another 'van with a view to trading the omega. Whilst negociating with the salesman the service engineer came in and told us he had bad news. He said it wasn't covered under the warranty because it looked like it had hit somthing hard because the axle was bent. It was a shock because I'd let my insurance lapse

during a bad patch and we were told it would cost us £2,000. They never showed us how bad the damage was.
In the meantime the salesman was still pushing for a sale. He said we could either pay and have the work done ourselves or have it knocked off the value of our trade-in. We left saying we had to think about it, the salesman phoned me another four times for a deposit even suggesting taking my caravan as deposit. I said NO.
I tried to put it to the back of my mind until after Christmas, once we were into the new year I knew I had to do something. My son-in-law had a look for me and he thought it was a manufacturing fault.
I decided to try and get a second opinion. I found a mobile 'van servicer online and emailed him with the details, he put me onto another dealer who was part of the explorer group (manufacturer of compass caravans.
After a chat on the phone explaining what we'd been through since November 2010 we arranged to take our 'van through for him to have a look at.
As soon as he saw it he said straight away that the axle WASN'T bent and it definately was a warranty claim. My caravan is booked in for the work doing on 17th Feb. I'll let you know what it's like when completed.

SORRY it's such a long story but needed to explain fully. It seems a common event that a lot (not all) of dealers don't want to know.
I suggest you try and get a second opinion. Find another dealer who is part of the explorer group that will take it on, like we did.
I don't know where you are situated but I bought my 'van at Knottingly who didn't want to know and I'm having the warranty done at Mirfield.
Hope things work out for you and doesn't put you off caravanning.
Hope this helps and at least you now know your not the only one some of us other caravanners have problems with dealers.

 

[Surfer]

In this case I think the thieving toerag is the dealer!