New Caravan in workshop for 6 months for repairs.

[nickmessitis]

Hi I would like some guidance on a consumer related issue concerning a new caravan we bought in April 2024 from a dealership

We rejected the caravan within 14 days of purchase because it had faults. The microwave and decorative kitchen panel were damaged. The tracker required for insurance purposes wasn't working. The radio housing inside an internal locker was damaged. The lock on the external front gas locker was broken. The alarm wasn't working correctly.
Dealership agreed to take the caravan back, after approx 2 weeks from purchase but found
scratches under the rear of the caravan, not caused by us. We got an estimate to repair the scratches from an NCC registered repairer, who said the damage,which was very minor would have been caused by the caravan being offloaded from a trailer. He called it gravel rash. The scratches were going to cost at the most £250 to fix. Dealer refused to take it back.

We went through a solicitor, who were prepared to take it court but the counsel said we didn't have a 51% Chance of winning so the case was drops.

All the time the legal work was going on we couldn't get to use the caravan.

There were alot of issues that needed fixing, we found a good local NCC registered Swift approved repairer, ( let's call them N) to carry out the repairs, including the scratches that Dealer refused to do. which were all paid for under Swift warranty and cost us nothing. The caravan was with N for about 4 weeks in March this year

No sooner did we get the caravan back but we found other problems with the heating which wouldn't work and an operating panel that controls sensors and timers wasn't working either. We were told by Sargent who do the electrics to have the software on the panel updated, something the dealership should have done back in April 2024.

N did more repairs again under warranty and had to send the panel back to Sargent for a software update as they had problems doing this themselves. They fixed the heating, the alarm and main door which wasn't closing properly.

N had to chase Alde in respect of the heating system as well as Sargent. Obviously I am not their only customer.


To city a long story short. We took our caravan back to N and it was with them from 15th may 2025 to 11th September 2025.

We got the caravan back on 11th September but the heating failed again,and the sensor failed again.

We took the caravan back to N where it has been since 15th September. They have been informed by swift that the power supply unit needs to be swapped out.

Since March our caravan has been in the workshop for a total of 6 months. In that time we have been unable to use it. This is not the fault of the workshop, they are trying to fix faults and have other customers to deal with.

Where do I stand legally. We haven't had to pay for any of the work.. all done under warranty, but we have a caravan we can't use as it is constantly in the workshop.

We haven't gone back to Dealer because of the terrible customer service. They have also relocated their premises. Where would we stand in rejecting the caravan as not fit for purpose.

We paid £450 to store our caravan on a site local to us where it hasn't been as it's spent more time in workshop

We paid £525 to stay in lake District for a 5 day holiday as the caravan wasn't available to use.

We had booked several caravan sites for 2025 but had to cancel as we didn't have the caravan and lost deposits.

We have had caravans for years,both new and used, and have never had issues before like this.

Appreciate any feedback.

 

[otherclive]

Sorry to hear of your long history of issues. Did you use any dealership finance to purchase the caravan, or a credit card to pay for the deposit perhaps? Either would help you under Consumer Rights Acts 2015 in rejecting the caravan. Your solicitor didn’t sound to be of much use. I would talk to Which Legal Services a free initial helpline and gain their advice. Then you can pay their annual subscription (deal on at present) for unlimited advice if you seek to reject the caravan. One member on here has had two caravan issues and one car issue where Which was supportive. Don’t forget though that the “ claim” has to be between you and seller which could be dealership, card provider or loan provider.

Good luck and please keep us informed as other will doubtless benefit from hearing of your progress.

PS you should remove the dealership name as it breaches forum rules. So just Dealership A etc.

Consumer Rights Act 2015 - Which?

The Consumer Rights Act protects you in almost all purchases you make. Here we explain what it means when buying goods or services

www.which.co.uk

 

[Mr Plodd]

You clearly require Professional legal advice on this sorry matter rather than forum members views and opinions (which I am sure will be well meaning and heartfelt, but NOT from professionaly qualified experts)
I wish you well.

 

[Dustydog]

We rejected the caravan within 14 days of purchase because it had faults. The microwave and decorative kitchen panel were damaged. The tracker required for insurance purposes wasn't working. The radio housing inside an internal locker was damaged. The lock on the external front gas locker was broken. The alarm wasn't working correctly.

LWG agreed to take the caravan back, after approx 2 weeks from purchase but found
scratches under the rear of the caravan, not caused by us.

If this is demonstrably true then there may be some hope.

Yours is a complex case and whilst I and others have a lot of good ideas and thoughts the solution is not simple.
I’m with Mr Plodd. You need a legal advisor well versed in Consumer problems.
Which? legal is a good start. Or find a Consumer Law expert.

Sorry to ask but when you rejected within 14 days was that in writing? Was it accepted or declined?
Did you pay with a Credit Card or Finance?

Don’t delay. I hope you achieve a satisfactory outcome. It won’t be easy but don’t lose heart👍

 

[ProfJohnL]

I strongly suggest you should join Which's legal support and take their advice, they are Professional in Customer Rights.

 

[IanB1485]

Nothing to add re your troubles other than to add my sympathies. There was a person on TV (on a show about car reliability) who having bought a top of the range Range rover vogue SE and after having it in the dealers workshop for nine months out of the 12 months he owned it , just took it back and parked it outside the front doors of the dealership, with a letter citing the events with dates and stating it was not fit for purpose.I suppose his solicitor had a stronger backbone than the one you used.

 

[Buckman]

Are you aware that you are probably still in a position to reject the caravan? If you reported a fault within the first 6 months and it still has not been resolved, the time frame for the 6 months since delivery is suspended. When we rejected a caravan in 2017 after 11 months as technically it was still within the 30 day window.

As suggested, we used Which Legal Services for advice and took on the dealer and the finance house. If the caravan is on finance, then your contract is with the finance house as they supplied the caravan. We were successful and also got compensation for lost holidays, awning purchased for the caravan plus a few other things. The compensation was in addition to the full deposit and majority of repayments made in that 1 months. We never used a solicitor which saved us thousands.

See https://legalservice.which.co.uk/our-service/contact-us/

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hi I would like some guidance on a consumer related issue concerning a new caravan we bought in April 2024 from leisure world group in Newcastle

We rejected the caravan within 14 days of purchase because it had faults. The microwave and decorative kitchen panel were damaged. The tracker required for insurance purposes wasn't working. The radio housing inside an internal locker was damaged. The lock on the external front gas locker was broken. The alarm wasn't working correctly.

LWG agreed to take the caravan back, after approx 2 weeks from purchase but found
scratches under the rear of the caravan, not caused by us. We got an estimate to repair the scratches from an NCC registered repairer, who said the damage,which was very minor would have been caused by the caravan being offloaded from a trailer. He called it gravel rash. The scratches were going to cost at the most £250 to fix. LWG refused to take it back.

We went through a solicitor, who were prepared to take it court but the counsel said we didn't have a 51% Chance of winning so the case was drops.

All the time the legal work was going on we couldn't get to use the caravan.

There were alot of issues that needed fixing, we found a good local NCC registered Swift approved repairer, ( let's call them NCS) to carry out the repairs, including the scratches that LWG refused to do. which were all paid for under Swift warranty and cost us nothing. The caravan was with NCS for about 4 weeks in March this year

No sooner did we get the caravan back but we found other problems with the heating which wouldn't work and an operating panel that controls sensors and timers wasn't working either. We were told by Sargent who do the electrics to have the software on the panel updated, something the dealership should have done back in April 2024.

NCS did more repairs again under warranty and had to send the panel back to Sargent for a software update as they had problems doing this themselves. They fixed the heating, the alarm and main door which wasn't closing properly.

NCS had to chase Alde in respect of the heating system as well as Sargent. Obviously I am not their only customer.


To city a long story short. We took our caravan back to NCS and it was with them from 15th may 2025 to 11th September 2025.

We got the caravan back on 11th September but the heating failed again,and the sensor failed again.

We took the caravan back to NCS where it has been since 15th September. They have been informed by swift that the power supply unit needs to be swapped out.

Since March our caravan has been in the workshop for a total of 6 months. In that time we have been unable to use it. This is not the fault of the workshop, they are trying to fix faults and have other customers to deal with.

Where do I stand legally. We haven't had to pay for any of the work.. all done under warranty, but we have a caravan we can't use as it is constantly in the workshop.

We haven't gone back to LWG because of the terrible customer service. They have also relocated their premises from Newcastle ( where we bought the caravan) to Catterick. Where would we stand in rejecting the caravan as not fit for purpose.

We paid £450 to store our caravan on a site local to us where it hasn't been as it's spent more time in workshop

We paid £525 to stay in lake District for a 5 day holiday as the caravan wasn't available to use.

We had booked several caravan sites for 2025 but had to cancel as we didn't have the caravan and lost deposits.

We have had caravans for years,both new and used, and have never had issues before like this.

Appreciate any feedback.

I note you still have not edited your opening post to remove all mentions of the companies which you have a dispute with. I am surprised the Moderators have not been in touch with you. The forum rules can be found here

 

[borderbilly]

I note you still have not edited your opening post to remove all mentions of the companies which you have a dispute with. I am surprised the Moderators have not been in touch with you. The forum rules can be found here

You are 100% correct about the forum rules, but IMHO I think they should name and shame.

 

[Buckman]

I note you still have not edited your opening post to remove all mentions of the companies which you have a dispute with. I am surprised the Moderators have not been in touch with you. The forum rules can be found here

Surely it is up to the moderators to decide and not for another poster unknown to the OP to highlight the minor transgression? This person is new to the group looking for help and may not be aware of all all the guidelines at present. hopefully we can offer advice and steer them in the correct direction rather than picking holes in their first post?

 

[otherclive]

Surely it is up to the moderators to decide and not for another poster unknown to the OP to highlight the minor transgression? This person is new to the group looking for help and may not be aware of all all the guidelines at present. hopefully we can offer advice and steer them in the correct direction rather than picking holes in their first post?

I did actually gently point it out to the OP in a PS to my post at #2 to save the Mods time and effort.

 

[nickmessitis]

If this is demonstrably true then there may be some hope.

Yours is a complex case and whilst I and others have a lot of good ideas and thoughts the solution is not simple.
I’m with Mr Plodd. You need a legal advisor well versed in Consumer problems.
Which? legal is a good start. Or find a Consumer Law expert.

Sorry to ask but when you rejected within 14 days was that in writing? Was it accepted or declined?
Did you pay with a Credit Card or Finance?

Don’t delay. I hope you achieve a satisfactory outcome. It won’t be easy but don’t lose heart👍

Hi thanks for your reply I put the rejection in writing, they accepted but found minor scratches on the underside of the caravan rear. You had to go down on your hands and knees to see it. Almost probably caused when the caravan is offload from trailers. We hadn't actually used that caravan, it was only 2 to 3 weeks old when we returned it

 

[birdman101]

Sorry for you predicament but as the grazes could not of been caused by you as you had not used it,the only way it could of happened by tipping right up if someone had got in it without the rear legs down. If this had happed there would not of been graze line marks, only possibly touch spots. If there were lines this was undoubtedly been caused when the Caravan was loaded or unloaded on transport. I think it is probably now to long since delivery, but if you have a picture of the damage I would send a copy to Swift and details of the way the dealer has treated you and se what their response is.

 

[Buckman]

Hi thanks for your reply I put the rejection in writing, they accepted but found minor scratches on the underside of the caravan rear. You had to go down on your hands and knees to see it. Almost probably caused when the caravan is offload from trailers. We hadn't actually used that caravan, it was only 2 to 3 weeks old when we returned it

However they still cannot refuse your rejection. The way I see it is that they knew about the scratches which is why they were able to pick them up so quickly.

If there were issues they should have accepted the rejection and deducted the amount it would have cost to do the repair. Did you get a report from the engineer who stated that the scratches were probably due to off loading from a trailer? That statement could be very important if it was the opinion of a registered technician.

Either way your best bet is to contact Which legal services who are experts in consumer legislation. It cost about £90 annually for as much legal information as required. You need to do the legwork, but it saves you a fortune as many solicitors are not used to dealing with Consumer legislation.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, if on finance you need to take it up with the finance house as your contract is with the finance house who supplied the caravan and not the dealership. If the value of the caravan was under £30k and you paid a small deposit using a credit card, the S75 is there. I have been down this route and well aware of the issues challenging the finance house and the dealership.

 

[Mel]

I note you still have not edited your opening post to remove all mentions of the companies which you have a dispute with. I am surprised the Moderators have not been in touch with you. The forum rules can be found here

Sorry everyone. Thanks for the heads up. Missed that one. Post now edited. Feel free to report directly to moderators if we let something slip through
Mel

 

[ProfJohnL]

Surely it is up to the moderators to decide and not for another poster unknown to the OP to highlight the minor transgression? This person is new to the group looking for help and may not be aware of all all the guidelines at present. hopefully we can offer advice and steer them in the correct direction rather than picking holes in their first post?

There have been forums which have been closed down becasue such "minor transgressions" have occurred, becasue poster had not checked the rules about posting.

The rules are there to help posters and the forum owners avoid serious issues.

Enforcement of such rules is down to the moderators/ forum management but its not improper for the poster to be forewarned by other members so they have a chance to edit the posting to remove the non conformity as soon as possible.

 

[Dustydog]

There have been forums which have been closed down becasue such "minor transgressions" have occurred, becasue poster had not checked the rules about posting.

The rules are there to help posters and the forum owners avoid serious issues.

Enforcement of such rules is down to the moderators/ forum management but its not improper for the poster to be forewarned by other members so they have a chance to edit the posting to remove the non conformity as soon as possible.

It makes you wonder how Which? get away with it😉🤪

 

[otherclive]

It makes you wonder how Which? get away with it😉🤪

Don’t they have a decent budget and on board legal eagles, plus their advice/ recommendation wrt testing of equipment is objective and supported by collected data, and they are not a third party like a poster on to a Forum.

 

[RogerL]

It makes you wonder how Which? get away with it😉🤪

Because factual statements, backed up by evidence, aren't regarded as slander or libel, regardless of how harmful it is to the complainant - the issue for forums is they don't have the evidence, just a contributor's posting.

 

[Buckman]

Because factual statements, backed up by evidence, aren't regarded as slander or libel, regardless of how harmful it is to the complainant - the issue for forums is they don't have the evidence, just a contributor's posting.

Spot on!