mandyphil39 Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Hi All Myself and my husbands first experience with buying a motorhome was in July 2010. Saleman very nice polite and helpful oh yes he will be he has just sold a £57,000 motor home and oh what you get as a package 3 year warranty @ a tiny price of £495 extra OK. Off we go and what a nightmare to follow the M.O.T had not been carried out as promised it would be. It took me 2 weeks of chasing before they admitted they had made a mistake but then expected us to take it to a local garage at our expense and time for them to reinburse ( no way ) Service book had not been stamped another mistake, oh what else the fridge freezer didnt work....The list goes on. We had the motor home parked on the drive over winter with our plans to travel to Europe in May 2011 for 12 months. The motorhome although had been started at regular intervals on the driveway had not been taken further than back to the service department from where we purchased it. We had arranged to go off in it and it wouldnt start. We ended up paying over £4000 in repairs for a fault we inherited and to which the diesal specialist has confirmed but who wants to cough up the costs, not the warranty company nor the company we bought it off. So the motorhome is now for sale and at least we know it is perfect.....sad but our motor home days have come to a short end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 None of my business, Mandy, but have you taken legal advice on any of this? Its just that I'm struggling to understand what van you can have bought used at £57,000, that was over three years old (the "normal" duration of a UK manufacturer's warranty), how it was not clear the MoT had not been carried out and the van not serviced at the time of sale, why it was sold with a three year (presumably insurance backed) warranty at extra cost (when it was dealer himself who was legally liable to rectify any faults) and how £4,000 of (presumably) engine repairs were not reimbursable by either dealer or warranty. On the face of it you have been cruelly stitched up and should have a strong case against the dealer for at least the £4,000 engine repairs using the small claims procedure, and possibly for reimbursement of your insurance premium as it was clearly a) unnecessary and b) relatively valueless in practise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolandrat Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Mandyphil39, your situation is a classic for naming and shaming, it seems that the dealer was laughing all the way to the bank with your hard earned cash. If you aren't prepared to name them what area or town do they trade from and what is the make of your motorhome? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Yep:D better not name them or else this thread will disappear quicker than me with a pork pie(lol) You could drop some subtle hints though;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 rolandrat - 2011-08-03 8:37 PM Mandyphil39, your situation is a classic for naming and shaming, it seems that the dealer was laughing all the way to the bank with your hard earned cash. If you aren't prepared to name them what area or town do they trade from and what is the make of your motorhome? No, it is not! Were they to do so, and then decide to sue, it could well prejudice their case. Others may be bursting to know the culprit but I would not, for now, name the dealer. Name the van by all means, but keep the dealer's name to yourselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazdog6007 Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 thanks brian,having had six campers i am used to dealers attitude on warrenty claims.as its just the awning i am pretty laid back on this one,and having read the £57,000 problem,even more so.I would be camping outside that dealer with appropriate signs in every window if it was me 8o| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ips Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 Like Brian I too am wondering what kind of gold plated van this is at 57k over 3 years old :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 ips - 2011-08-04 1:24 PM Like Brian I too am wondering what kind of gold plated van this is at 57k over 3 years old :-S See the thread here for details ;-) http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=24172&posts=5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ips Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandyphil39 Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Hi The gold plated van is a Mercedes, Frankia Luxury A Class. Yes the dealers may have seen us coming and believe me I have fought and also taken in to account that consumer rights advised us we would have a good case. We have paid the price for being nice honest and some would say naive people and no we would never rip anyone off but others seem to be drawn to us like magnets we must have mug tattoed on our heads. There was found to be contamination in the tank and although we had only filled up once ( at a reputable company ) the dealers have said we need to go back to the garage we filled up at and claim off them, but the diesal specialist stated in his report the problem must have been there when we bought it for the jets to be so rusted and corroded. The dealer wont even repair the fridge freezer as a good will gesture as they say we had enough time to test it. Never mind the next owner will be getting an absolute bargain because we know everything is A1 we have the bill heads to prove it. :'( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandyphil39 Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Hi The gold plated van is a Mercedes, Frankia Luxury A Class. Yes the dealers may have seen us coming and believe me I have fought and also taken in to account that consumer rights advised us we would have a good case. We have paid the price for being nice honest and some would say naive people and no we would never rip anyone off but others seem to be drawn to us like magnets we must have mug tattoed on our heads. There was found to be contamination in the tank and although we had only filled up once ( at a reputable company ) the dealers have said we need to go back to the garage we filled up at and claim off them, but the diesal specialist stated in his report the problem must have been there when we bought it for the jets to be so rusted and corroded. The dealer wont even repair the fridge freezer as a good will gesture as they say we had enough time to test it. Never mind the next owner will be getting an absolute bargain because we know everything is A1 we have the bill heads to prove it. :'( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandyphil39 Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Hi The gold plated van is a Mercedes, Frankia Luxury A Class. Yes the dealers may have seen us coming and believe me I have fought and also taken in to account that consumer rights advised us we would have a good case. We have paid the price for being nice honest and some would say naive people and no we would never rip anyone off but others seem to be drawn to us like magnets we must have mug tattoed on our heads. There was found to be contamination in the tank and although we had only filled up once ( at a reputable company ) the dealers have said we need to go back to the garage we filled up at and claim off them, but the diesal specialist stated in his report the problem must have been there when we bought it for the jets to be so rusted and corroded. The dealer wont even repair the fridge freezer as a good will gesture as they say we had enough time to test it. Never mind the next owner will be getting an absolute bargain because we know everything is A1 we have the bill heads to prove it. :'( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 I was under the impression the dealer had serviced the van? You said earlier they had forgotten to stamp the service book. It is common for the service schedule to specify that the fuel filter should be checked for water, and drained. Water in the filter would indicate water in the tank at that point so, if no water was found, the water can only be presumed to have got in later. Might it have it come from the service station where you bought the fuel? If your fuel was contaminated, so would many other people's fuel have been. That would have resulted in a number of instances of breakdowns/damage to engines/injectors/pumps. Trading Standards should have heard of this, so it may be worth checking if they have had a number of notifications of fuel contamination around the time you filled your van. If you paid by credit card, you may still have the statement showing the transaction. That, coupled with the garage bill and diesel specialist's report, should be sufficient to establish liability. The alternative possibility is that the water (I assume the contamination was water, it is commonest, and rusted injectors seem to point to water in the fuel). However, I'm puzzled by this because for the injectors to have been damaged by rust, the filter must have had a lot of water in it - it is designed to trap the water and prevent it being fed into the engine. So, did anyone identify that the fuel filter was full of water after the engine failed? The fridge has to work, and go on doing so reasonably and reliably. It is not good enough for the dealer to say you should have tested it. Failure within a year of purchase is not reasonable performance, so legally, the repair is his liability, though he could reasonably claim some of the cost should be borne by you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
postnote Posted August 9, 2011 Author Share Posted August 9, 2011 Brian Kirby - 2011-08-03 9:25 PM rolandrat - 2011-08-03 8:37 PM Mandyphil39, your situation is a classic for naming and shaming, it seems that the dealer was laughing all the way to the bank with your hard earned cash. If you aren't prepared to name them what area or town do they trade from and what is the make of your motorhome? No, it is not! Were they to do so, and then decide to sue, it could well prejudice their case. Others may be bursting to know the culprit but I would not, for now, name the dealer. Name the van by all means, but keep the dealer's name to yourselves. Nice response Brian, wouldn’t like your position with MM to be compromised. Yes folks name those dealers where you have had a good experience, great for the publishers of MMM. But please don’t name and shame the ones that you get a bad experience from. Let them do to others as they have done to you, they might pull their advertising.. ;-) Brian, when will you get your head out of the sand and realise these dealers are not what you paint them to be and STOP making excuses for them. It’s OK if you an old experienced hand like you, but some people are entering the MH experience for the first time. Yes as you know I did earlier this year and have been around the block a few times in life, but they tried to meteorically screw me. Looking at the posts the dealers never respond, is this a sign of guilt? Be brave Brian, officially ask the question that we all want asked. Are the dealers as this thread suggests. Have a poll on the forum and in MMM magazine. Help clean up the industry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolandrat Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 Very good point Postnote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 Strangely I find myself agreeing with Postnote8-).............I thought when John Hunt started the MMM it was for the benefit of motorhomers:D................Now I wonder if its for the benefit of motorhome salemen*-).............and their companies;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 postnote - 2011-08-09 4:37 PM Brian Kirby - 2011-08-03 9:25 PM rolandrat - 2011-08-03 8:37 PM Mandyphil39, your situation is a classic for naming and shaming, it seems that the dealer was laughing all the way to the bank with your hard earned cash. If you aren't prepared to name them what area or town do they trade from and what is the make of your motorhome? No, it is not! Were they to do so, and then decide to sue, it could well prejudice their case. Others may be bursting to know the culprit but I would not, for now, name the dealer. Name the van by all means, but keep the dealer's name to yourselves. Nice response Brian, wouldn’t like your position with MM to be compromised. Yes folks name those dealers where you have had a good experience, great for the publishers of MMM. But please don’t name and shame the ones that you get a bad experience from. Let them do to others as they have done to you, they might pull their advertising.. ;-) Brian, when will you get your head out of the sand and realise these dealers are not what you paint them to be and STOP making excuses for them. It’s OK if you an old experienced hand like you, but some people are entering the MH experience for the first time. Yes as you know I did earlier this year and have been around the block a few times in life, but they tried to meteorically screw me. Looking at the posts the dealers never respond, is this a sign of guilt? Be brave Brian, officially ask the question that we all want asked. Are the dealers as this thread suggests. Have a poll on the forum and in MMM magazine. Help clean up the industry. I'm afraid you misunderstand - again! :-) If Mandy considers she has grounds to sue the dealer, and wishes to do so, it would be very unwise for her to identify the firm in public. This is a public forum, so Mandy's case could easily be compromised depending on what was said, and how others responded. This was well understood by Mickydripin during his long legal struggle with the dealer who sold him a duff van. He eventually won, but was gagged as part of the settlement. So, my advice to Mandy not to "name and shame" has nothing to do with whatever you imagine my "position with MMM" to be, or with concern for Warner's Group advertising revenues, and everything to do with encouraging someone, in her own interest, not to ruin her chances of success should she eventually decide to sue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 And here's me thinking that 'Gagging order's' were only for Corrupt Ex Bank CEO's,adulterous Millionaire Footballer's and the Like ! Oh NO Motorhome Dealers can call for them too !! I suspect that is what happened to our Irish friend 'Moyle' who posted on here long and hard about his 'Not fit for purpose' Sevel based motorhome. ??? then just 'disappeared' ! Justice is not Served by 'Gagging Orders' they just mean that some other 'poor sod' will fall into the same trap. this Threads Title is Vindicated and proved to be the truth. ( 8-) Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
postnote Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 I have just upgraded to another motorhome, first part the sale went well no complaints. But I will take Brian’s advice and not name the dealership as we must be fair. If you can’t name the bad, you can’t name the good! *-) We will see how good they are if anything goes wrong, but I’m hopeful. Sorry you will never be able to know what a good one this dealer was. OK Brian? ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 If that is all you feel you can cope with, who am I to argue? :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
postnote Posted August 16, 2011 Author Share Posted August 16, 2011 Brian Kirby - 2011-08-14 9:43 PM If that is all you feel you can cope with, who am I to argue? :-D Thanks for your blessing Brian :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazdog6007 Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 just had a barny with brownhills, after two months wait on my awning repair ,claim rejected.auto-sleeper put it down to abuse.used it twice.twenty years of awning use,so know the ins and outs of awning use.have to sort it myself i suppose,but no more brownhills and no more autosleeper and no more bloody campers! 8o| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 tazdog6007 - 2011-08-18 5:20 PM just had a barny with brownhills, after two months wait on my awning repair ,claim rejected.auto-sleeper put it down to abuse.used it twice.twenty years of awning use,so know the ins and outs of awning use.have to sort it myself i suppose,but no more brownhills and no more autosleeper and no more bloody campers! 8o| Suspect Brownhills along with many other Dealers are 'feeling the pinch', my 'local' Brownhills branch Swindon, closed down a couple of weeks ago. Meaning I had the choice of getting an imminent service done locally OR a 350 mile round trip to Newark (all of their other branches in the South of the Country also being closed down, Same with Discover Leisure.) So, no choice at all really. AND I won't be buying from or using them again either. Must say that i only ever received very good service from the Swindon branch though, a Shame, all the good people that i used to deal with are now all gone. Good luck to them all ! ;-) Ray And the 'Club Brownhills' card is no longer much use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 tazdog6007 - 2011-08-18 5:20 PM just had a barny with brownhills, after two months wait on my awning repair ,claim rejected.auto-sleeper put it down to abuse.used it twice.twenty years of awning use,so know the ins and outs of awning use.have to sort it myself i suppose,but no more brownhills and no more autosleeper and no more bloody campers! 8o| What happened to the awning, that was deemed abuse as opposed to a defect in the awning? It really doesn't matter a hoot what Autosleepers think is covered by their warranty. Autosleepers didn't sell you the van: I understood Brownhills did. So, if the awning is defective it is Brownhills liability. The warranty is just a legally unenforceable offer by a manufacturer to carry out repairs, or replace, items they deem to have been defective, on whatever terms are stated in the warranty. It is their offer, there is no contractual obligation to include anything not specifically covered by the warranty, it means just what the manufacturer says it means, and reasonable interpretation is not required. On the other hand, consumer legislation makes the retailer responsible for defects in items they sell, which have to be suitable for their intended purpose: i.e. "fit for purpose". Under consumer law, it is the retailer who must make the repairs, or replace the item, within a reasonable time, and must make a reasonable interpretation of whether the item is defective, or has been subjected to abuse. If it has been used strictly for its intended purpose, and in strictly in accordance with any instructions provided, and it then breaks or malfunctions, it is either defective, or it is not fit for purpose. If unsure, take the van to a specialist fitter for whichever make of awning was supplied, and ask them if they would be prepared to give an opinion on why the defect has occurred. If they agree that it is a defect, see if they will repair it under the supplier's warranty. Strictly, they should, but read the supplier's warranty first. If they will not, go back to Bh and say you are not interested in Autosleepers' opinions, that you bought from Bh, that you have taken specialist advice, that the item is defective, and you want it fixed by Bh. If they won't play ball you could then get the specialist to repair the item at your expense and recover the cost from Bh via the small claims procedure. You will need to write to Bh along these lines, and it may be wise to consult your local Trading Standards people (you'll have to go through Consumer Direct to get to them) before putting pen to paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazdog6007 Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 thanks brian wrote to bh quoting sale of goods act as the defect was apparent within six months of purchase,waiting for their reply.sent similar to autosleeper,watch this space! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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