Went to drop off the van for repair yesterday. Got there to find 2 police cars there. It seems that they were visited during the night by a group intent on acquiring a 1 year old double axle Swift which had been left for it's service. The thieves disabled the barrier ( the dealer is on a touring caravan site), cut the bolt on the gate to the dealers, moved another van out of the way ( this van was worth much more than the Swift) disabled the tracker on the van and towed it away. All this under the gaze of the CCTV cameras which clearly showed the whole thing. All the thieves wore balaclavas and the tow vehicle No plates also covered up. Dealer unaware until morning when he arrived to work. A well planned crime:-(
Missing Swift
- Thread starter Grahamh
- Start date
Our local golf course, was raided last summer, Theifs with a slope loader and a hiab grab arm, ripped the gates off the courses vehicle area, and loaded three Tractor And Grass cutting units, CCTV etc. In out and away in under 15 minutes. They want it they take it.
Sounds a well planned theft. Given they moved a more expensive caravan to get the Swift it sounds as if it was stolen to order.
Grahamh said:
Maybe a clue to the county where the dealer is located would be nice however as you are not bad mouthing the dealer I wonder if it would be against the T&Cs to give the dealer's name if a mod approves it?
Most times when you leave a caravan for servicing they never fit the locks or set the alarm and this is contrary to what your insurance requires. Our caravan goes to a dealer who is attached to a touring site so obviously have a bit of a concern.
Parksy
Moderator
Buckman said:
I don't think that it would be a good idea to name the caravan dealer involved because the forum could be accused of damaging their future trading prospects.
This thread throws up a good point however.
It might be a good idea not to leave the caravan at any dealership for servicing overnight unless their T&Cs have been checked to see if they accept total responsibility for your caravan when it's on their premises unattended by the owner.
But surely once the dealer has taken possesion of the caravan whether it be for service or warranty work, he is then responsible for it and you would claim off his insurance??
Yes, he would be responsible as Bailee, and can (should) arrange his insurance to cover items which are in his custody or control. Of course, unless you ask you cannot be sure that this has been done, however I would think that it would be safe to assume that most reputable dealers would have adequate insurance in place.
Well this could open a can of worms...
A dealer who has a caravan to do service work becoming responsible to his customers for the safe keeping of the caravan? really??
hmy: Then how is it that businesses that as the prime part of their product to provide a storage service can get away scott free of liability if your caravan is damaged or suffers a loss where you are advised to claim of your own insurance.
A dealer who has a caravan to do service work becoming responsible to his customers for the safe keeping of the caravan? really??
hmy: Then how is it that businesses that as the prime part of their product to provide a storage service can get away scott free of liability if your caravan is damaged or suffers a loss where you are advised to claim of your own insurance.An interesting topic ...
When I took my van in to the local dealer for its first service last year, despite it being a same day turnaround, they insisted on me leaving whatever security devices I would normally fit with them as they correctly stated that in the event of an incident, any insurance claim would have to be made against MY insurer, and subsequently subject to the terms and conditions of my policy, which include the fitting of the approved wheel lock and hitch lock.
When I took my van in to the local dealer for its first service last year, despite it being a same day turnaround, they insisted on me leaving whatever security devices I would normally fit with them as they correctly stated that in the event of an incident, any insurance claim would have to be made against MY insurer, and subsequently subject to the terms and conditions of my policy, which include the fitting of the approved wheel lock and hitch lock.
When we took ours in last year for its first service to the main dealer they never mentioned anything like that regarding leaving our locks and security with it and as far as I can remember I can't remember seeing any more caravans in the compound storage area with wheel clamps or hitch locks on because they just Hook the front hitch with a little mini tractor and pull it to where they need it !
Sorry was going to edit the first bit but beaten to it !
We've also had it in for warranty work a few times and not once was security mentioned either !
Sorry was going to edit the first bit but beaten to it !
We've also had it in for warranty work a few times and not once was security mentioned either !
The dealer would only be responsible if he was negligent. As a bailee he is required to take the same level of care of the goods in his possession as would a sensible owner. Without far more detail of the loss it is not possible to say for certain if he is responsible, but on the brief details given I doubt it.
Dealers do vary as to fitting wheel clamps and the like but given the lengths the thieves went to for this specific caravan I do not see that one would have affected the outcome.
The dealer does not have absolute liability for goods in his possession and will normally have insured only against legal liability.
Dealers do vary as to fitting wheel clamps and the like but given the lengths the thieves went to for this specific caravan I do not see that one would have affected the outcome.
The dealer does not have absolute liability for goods in his possession and will normally have insured only against legal liability.
I did ask the dealer and he said that his insurance was sending out a loss adjuster that day. he also assured me that HIS insurance would cover it. I fitted hitch lock before I left anyway as my van will beb there for a couple of weeks. The site is in Hampshire.
Raywood said:
The dealer may accept responsibility as part of their normal terms and conditions (or usual market practice) and this would enable him to arrange insurance for property in his custody or control. Theft insurance, for example can include property in the insured's custody or control. Wider cover, on an All Risks basis is also available.
Niall_McIntosh said:
Then why don't storage sites do it. You are paying them to look after your caravan for protracted period. Storage is the main part of their trading business, yet if they fail to look after your property (for example, they allow someone on site who damages your van, or their security is breached and you suffer a loss, how can they exclude themselves from liability.
For a dealer doing a service or repair, storage is not their main stock in trade, yet they accept the burden of liability for customer loss or damage. Its a mad world we live in. :S
they ?
ProfJohnL said:
I would guess that in the case of a dealer the access to your caravan is principally their staff. Whereas with a storage site it is very difficult to control access to your van as other users of the site will have access. The site I will be using stores 500 units. Access is via key fob and pin as is exiting. There is cctv. Via the. access and exit controls the data on who is/has visited is logged. But it is still possible for someone to damage your unit, or to try and steal something from. a locker or inside. Hence the reason I remove nearly everything except cutlery, and kitchen ware. Battery, gas, and aqua roll are also removed. I could still suffer damage via someone trying to access lockers or door but having used this site since 1999 up to 2014 I’ve had no problems.
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