It really is time these issues were addressed. A leisure vehicle that cannot be used because the dealers and manufacturers cant or wont stock a modicum of spares is not really acceptable. Sure, therre are all the arguments from those feeling sorry for them, but they make the caravans, the have a duty of care to support them properly.
Do you remember the "tell Sid campaign" when British Gas was privatised in the 1980's? during its days as nationalised business, all suppliers to BG had to ensure that spare parts for all the models BG took from them had to be kept fully available on the shelf for 10 years after production stopped. I was involved with a Liverpool company that supplied BG, and their stores maintenance costs were about 25% of the companies turnover spent on having to keep parts sitting on shelves just in case Mrs T's gas knob on her 10 year old cooker broke.
After privatisation BG reorganised massively and the policy changed, from keeping parts on shelves to being able to manufacture on demand with negotiable lead times, and a quicker point of obsolescence. This freed up storage space no end, and stock didn't deteriorate by being stored.
There were other BG policy changes also that affected OEMs and the quantity of product BG purchased for their own stores and shops was slashed and several OEMs went to the wall
Holding increasingly obsolete stock on the off chance someone will want it is commercially very expensive. It is often the case now that the designs of older products are retained so that if necessary a specialist producers can recreate the parts on demand. Generally this service will only last as long as the products warranty period, and for all I know now that might have changed again.
It's one thing holding a gas valve in stores, but the whole body of every model of caravan and in each colour simply isn't going to happen.
There are of course other reasons that might delay the availability of spares, but I do thing that were an order has been placed and an unforeseen delay arises the supply chain aught to be proactive enough to pass the notice of delay and its reason on. It at least gives the end-user the opportunity to re-evaluate the situation and possibly take another solution.
As for going direct to the manufacture circumventing the contract chain through the dealer, I'm afraid I can recall a number of sticky situations where end users demanded to know whether a dealer had ordered certain items and we were plainly told that giving that information would breach commercial confidences.
If you want to know whats happening you have to follow the contract train and ask your dealer.