second hand caravan

[chazchas]

Hi, I have bought a second hand caravan, from a trader which was sold as seen, now I have no problem with the van I knew what I was in for, but my beef is that when I got the caravan home and did the checks I found the mains electric sockets had been removed ok fair enough, but the wires were left loose and dangerous that i cannot except, also they advertised it with a whales water system which was also removed, I have been in touch and they deny leaving the wires bare, and say the add was a misprint, ok nothing drastic, but I asked them to pay for the water system which I bought second hand so not ripping them off, which I think is fair,but I have been ignored. so now it's principle, do you think it's worth the fight, hate to let him get away with it. the van is now great, all electrics done, bodywork done, , just the brakes and bearing to check, and looking forward to our first outing

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

You say you bought it 'sold as seen', so unfortunately you have no comeback on them whatsoever.

 

[Dustydog]

"Sold as Seen"???

You did see the caravan BEFORE you paid your cash over ?? Or did you buy on line without viewing??

Quite frankly I don't think you have a chance of any come back. Sorry.

 

[Sproket]

You could have a read of this as it may be of some use.

Your rights when buying second-hand goods

 

[Raywood]

I think the bit about the Whale system is possibly fraud as I do not see how it could be a misprint but if this is a private individual and they won't pay getting the money can be difficult. You can use the small claims court but if they do not pay then you may have to resort to bailiffs. Not sure how much you spent so may not be worth the trouble. Might be worth asking local Trading Standards what they have on this person.
It does show just how careful you have to be though and taking someone with you who knows about caravans is a must.

 

[ProfJohnL]

The OP has told us he(she) bought the caravan second hand from a 'Trader' Traders are carrying on a business and thus are fully responsible for their advertising and the description of the goods they have on offer.
The concept of 'Sold as Seen' is an appropriate element of a contract of sale but that does not cover any specific items they refer to in their description or advertising which forms the basis of the purchase contract.

In this case, if the caravan was described as having a whale water system, then that is part of the contract. It cannot be removed and covered by the 'sold as seen'. Of course the whale system should be present but there is no guarantee it would be working.

Seek advice from 'trading standards' as the trader may be in breach of the advertising standards as well as breach of contract by not supplying what was contracted.

However whilst on the basis of the information we have been given there is a clear breech, it is really questionable if it is worth the effort and possible costs to try and get it rectified through the legal action.