Aaaarrgghhhh!!! Nightmare!!! Loading up our lovely 3 week old caravan to go away, opened up the kitchen cupboard and the shelf edging had come off in transit, a tin of tomato soup (flavour irrelevent!!) fell out and made a hole in the worktop. Husband thinks we should contact manufacturer (Bailey) as the shelf edging wasn't doing it's job in preventing things falling out, I'm slightly sceptical that they will be interested at all so just after advice, contact manufacturer or supplier or attempt a repair???
Hole in worktop!!!
- Thread starter eatonl
- Start date
Hello Eatoni,
I'm sorry to read of your mishap. Its always so annoying when something so new gets accidentally damaged.
Being realistic about it, I don't think you will be able to prove the edging is at fault, It could be equally argued that you may have towed the caravan over a bump which caused the tin to jump off the shelf. Its six of one and halve a dozen of the other. The fact that the tin did escape is not proof of a design or manufacturing fault.
However If you have any intention of pursueing a faulty design claim, then I have to advise you that your claim is against the seller/dealer not the manufacturer. It comes under the Sale of Goods Act which confirms any design faults are the responsibility of the seller with whom you have the contract of sale. You have no contract with the manufacture.
I'm sorry to read of your mishap. Its always so annoying when something so new gets accidentally damaged.
Being realistic about it, I don't think you will be able to prove the edging is at fault, It could be equally argued that you may have towed the caravan over a bump which caused the tin to jump off the shelf. Its six of one and halve a dozen of the other. The fact that the tin did escape is not proof of a design or manufacturing fault.
However If you have any intention of pursueing a faulty design claim, then I have to advise you that your claim is against the seller/dealer not the manufacturer. It comes under the Sale of Goods Act which confirms any design faults are the responsibility of the seller with whom you have the contract of sale. You have no contract with the manufacture.
If you are not sucessful in getting any support from your dealer they may offer a split cost approach where they fit a new worktop. Alternatively there are companies who specialise in repairs to worktops for kitchens/bathrooms etc and who could probably make a good job of it.
We carry all our heavy groceries in the car or low down in the van as we have experienced cupboards coming open at times. But fortunately we did not suffer damage like you diid.
Good luck.
We carry all our heavy groceries in the car or low down in the van as we have experienced cupboards coming open at times. But fortunately we did not suffer damage like you diid.
Good luck.
I had the same thing on my new Lunar, a glass fell out of the cocktail cabinet, the door clip was badly fitted and the door sprung open , Lunar replaced the damaged worktop under warrentee.
So sorry to hear of this accident in your brand new caravan. I can just imagine how you must feel.
You may have to bite the bullet and bear the cost of having it replaced yourself.
The only good thing to come out of this is that you and others reading of this mishap, have learnt to never, ever put anything heavy in the top lockers when towing.
If you can't transport heavy foodstuffs in the towcar, a good tip is to get one of those sturdy lightweight crates and put anything like tins, cooking/olive oil/squash bottles (tied in a large freezer bag) and any other groceries in the crate and put it on the floor, over the axle with something like an old curtain to protect it coming into contact with anything. We fit our crate on the floor, over the axle, between the awning and poles, which holds it secure. It collapses flat and tucks away when we've unloaded, once on site.
Most places have a shop within striking distance of a site and over the years we have learnt to take only essentials for our immediate needs and anything special we like, which we know we won't get elsewhere, then we do a quick shop for the other stuff in the area where we are based. You can also get a computer list of where any major supermarkets are situated in the area you'll be going to, before you leave home.
You may have to bite the bullet and bear the cost of having it replaced yourself.
The only good thing to come out of this is that you and others reading of this mishap, have learnt to never, ever put anything heavy in the top lockers when towing.
If you can't transport heavy foodstuffs in the towcar, a good tip is to get one of those sturdy lightweight crates and put anything like tins, cooking/olive oil/squash bottles (tied in a large freezer bag) and any other groceries in the crate and put it on the floor, over the axle with something like an old curtain to protect it coming into contact with anything. We fit our crate on the floor, over the axle, between the awning and poles, which holds it secure. It collapses flat and tucks away when we've unloaded, once on site.
Most places have a shop within striking distance of a site and over the years we have learnt to take only essentials for our immediate needs and anything special we like, which we know we won't get elsewhere, then we do a quick shop for the other stuff in the area where we are based. You can also get a computer list of where any major supermarkets are situated in the area you'll be going to, before you leave home.
There is nothing to lose in making a warranty claim but if it is turned down I doubt it is worth taking it further.
Like the previous post we do not put foodstufs high up but in a Tesco Big Green bag which fits in a floor level cupboard.
Like the previous post we do not put foodstufs high up but in a Tesco Big Green bag which fits in a floor level cupboard.
Hi Eatonl
I also know the feeling well ! We had a jar fall out of a cupboard and made a hole in our worktop. As a result I have done a couple of things.
Firstly I have cut a piece of hardboard about 3" wide with the length being the width of the cupboard. This is springy enough to bend and put in place just whilst we are travelling. The cupboard design has plastic supports internally at each end which have a slot in the edge which the hardboard slots in to. It is held in the correct vertical position by a small L shaped bracket that I screwed under the shelf and two small screws inserted out of sight in the slot in the plastic support. The ends of the hardboard just rest on these. It seems to work perfectly. We just take the hardboard out and put it on the shelf below when we get to our destination. Simples !
I have filled the hole that the accident created with clear epoxy resin adhesive but coloured with the addition of a small amount of coloured chalk dust. I had to experiment a bit with the amount and colours of chalk that I needed to get the colour somewhere near that of the worktop laminate. I carefully masked the area surrounding the hole with sellotape as it is much thinner than masking tape and applied the adhesive little by little until the level was correct. Yes you can still see the area, (about three quarters of an inch diameter), but at least it won't get any worse
I have had a quote for it to be professionally repaired but at at £150 + VAT I think my repair will suffice, (our caravan is 6 years old).
I also know the feeling well ! We had a jar fall out of a cupboard and made a hole in our worktop. As a result I have done a couple of things.
Firstly I have cut a piece of hardboard about 3" wide with the length being the width of the cupboard. This is springy enough to bend and put in place just whilst we are travelling. The cupboard design has plastic supports internally at each end which have a slot in the edge which the hardboard slots in to. It is held in the correct vertical position by a small L shaped bracket that I screwed under the shelf and two small screws inserted out of sight in the slot in the plastic support. The ends of the hardboard just rest on these. It seems to work perfectly. We just take the hardboard out and put it on the shelf below when we get to our destination. Simples !
I have filled the hole that the accident created with clear epoxy resin adhesive but coloured with the addition of a small amount of coloured chalk dust. I had to experiment a bit with the amount and colours of chalk that I needed to get the colour somewhere near that of the worktop laminate. I carefully masked the area surrounding the hole with sellotape as it is much thinner than masking tape and applied the adhesive little by little until the level was correct. Yes you can still see the area, (about three quarters of an inch diameter), but at least it won't get any worse
I have had a quote for it to be professionally repaired but at at £150 + VAT I think my repair will suffice, (our caravan is 6 years old).
I had the same problem with a worktop in a motorhome. Found some worktop repair stuff from Wicks and the match was near perfect and after a few weeks you would not know it was there. It only cost a few pounds. Worth a look.
This is the difference between UK & German built caravans
We had a small tin fall out of a locker onto the table, it bounced with no damage to the table
We had a small tin fall out of a locker onto the table, it bounced with no damage to the table
Once again we have someone taking a swipe at the quality of UK caravans. Surely a lot depends on how the tin fell - if it fell on a corner of the tin then it's a sharp edge and I bet most surfaces would be damaged, if it fell flat then it would probably leave no damage. We've recently sold our (English) caravan in France and had French people almost fighting over it because they said that the quality and equipment was far superior to continental caravans. Also forget all the rubbish about "the door being on the wrong side" and "the power points being wrong" - the French didn't care, they wanted quality.
Parksy
Moderator
It's been ages since anybody overstated how good they think that German caravans are compared to UK built models but it's all a load of old rubbishWilli-Wonti said:This is the difference between UK & German built caravans
We had a small tin fall out of a locker onto the table, it bounced with no damage to the table
I've seen leaky Hobby's, the window fell out of one which was on a seasonal pitch when I was there, and if I remember correctly there was a massive problem with the laminate on Polyplastic windows fitted to Burstner caravans in 2008 and this was compounded for British owners by the fact that Burstner are difficult to contact and there are few if any Burstner dealerships here.
The reason that we don't read forum gripes about German caravans is that this is a primarily British caravan forum, if the forum was German based there would be the same sort of posts about various caravan problems as we have here.
On my last visit to the caravan show at the NEC there was a Hobby on display on which the hollow plastic chrome effect cupboard handle had broken in two, which completely destroyed the idea of German build quality and durability being superior to current British manufactured caravans.
Parksy said:It's been ages since anybody overstated how good they think that German caravans are compared to UK built models but it's all a load of old rubbishWilli-Wonti said:This is the difference between UK & German built caravans
We had a small tin fall out of a locker onto the table, it bounced with no damage to the table
I've seen leaky Hobby's, the window fell out of one which was on a seasonal pitch when I was there, and if I remember correctly there was a massive problem with the laminate on Polyplastic windows fitted to Burstner caravans in 2008 and this was compounded for British owners by the fact that Burstner are difficult to contact and there are few if any Burstner dealerships here.
The reason that we don't read forum gripes about German caravans is that this is a primarily British caravan forum, if the forum was German based there would be the same sort of posts about various caravan problems as we have here.
On my last visit to the caravan show at the NEC there was a Hobby on display on which the hollow plastic chrome effect cupboard handle had broken in two, which completely destroyed the idea of German build quality and durability being superior to current British manufactured caravans.
Hear hear Parksy - well said!
I am only stating the facts that there was no damage to the table as it is a solid piece of wood
Ours is a 2007 model with no problems to date. Ohh sorry I forgot we had to have the kitchen tap replaced after water froze causing it to split. We bought it because our last UK built van had to go back to the dealer 3 times to have the rear offside corner resealed
Steve we have our new Tonka toy at the station now
Ours is a 2007 model with no problems to date. Ohh sorry I forgot we had to have the kitchen tap replaced after water froze causing it to split. We bought it because our last UK built van had to go back to the dealer 3 times to have the rear offside corner resealed
Steve we have our new Tonka toy at the station now
Parksy
Moderator
Only stirring it up Graham, I'm always very pleased to read of an owner who is happy with their caravan no matter where it was made
I'm glad that you got away with the tin incident with no damage.
Is the Tonka toy a red and yellow chequered Japanese 4x4? If so I've seen it outside our local fire station
I'm glad that you got away with the tin incident with no damage.
Is the Tonka toy a red and yellow chequered Japanese 4x4? If so I've seen it outside our local fire station
Thats the oneWe have had to reduce the watch by 1 (govt cut backs) so instead of a fire engine with 4 / 5 riderers, we have a tonka toy that rides with 3
We had the same problem, in our case it was a pull out table on a drawer unit at the front of the van.
My solution was to remove the table top and cut an access hole in the bottom surface with a Dremel. This gave access to the damaged area which I was able to push back to more or less level. I then coated the area with Araldite and pressed a piece of polystyrene into it. The outer skin that I had cut was then glued back to the polystyrene.
When refitted the table shows very little sign of the repair, just a little surface imperfection that you have to look for.
I realise that not all surfaces can be repaired this way, as you need good access to the other side and it must be somewhere where the underside is not seen
My solution was to remove the table top and cut an access hole in the bottom surface with a Dremel. This gave access to the damaged area which I was able to push back to more or less level. I then coated the area with Araldite and pressed a piece of polystyrene into it. The outer skin that I had cut was then glued back to the polystyrene.
When refitted the table shows very little sign of the repair, just a little surface imperfection that you have to look for.
I realise that not all surfaces can be repaired this way, as you need good access to the other side and it must be somewhere where the underside is not seen
I am sorry to hear that you have damaged your work surface. Things falling out of cupboards does not only happen whilst travelling,some years ago I dropped a tin (butter fingers was the remark aimed at me) and damage occurred. However the problem was cured by a carpenter who inserted two 6 x 6 ceramic tiles in the offending hole. These tiles made a suitable surface to place any thing hot that would damage the surface I have missed this facility ever since changeing that van. It worth a try to use the warranty, you never know
Lulubelle
Lulubelle
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