We recently purchased a used van 18mths old with a Webasto freezer that has a 2 year warranty.
The freezer is not running anymore & we are now being told by the freezer manufaturer that the purchase date & 2 year warranty expired 9 mths after the original owners purchased their van because the van builder had purchased the unit way ahead of time.
The van manufacturer gives a typical 12 mth warranty, but this has also expired, so we are now here with an 20 month old van & a freezer that doesn't work.
Just 1 more of those items that prove the general caravan industry needs regulating - every new van should come with full manuals, warranties (not sending you to deal with the appliance people) - the van manufacturer should deal with it all.
Imagine buying a new car & the A/C dies....and being told to deal with whomever built the A/C system that was fitted.....that's what we allow the caravan industry to do to us.
I wonder how many others have been caught out like this where the van manufacturer has pre purchased the items way ahead of time
Not happy Jan
__________________
Remember, the greatest gift is not found in a store or under a tree, but in the hearts of true friends.
Can't say I blame you for not being happy, I wouldn't be either but you shouldn't take the caravan manufacturer's word for this. Have checked with the government's consumer protection department in whatever state you bought the van? Have you checked the ACCC web site about Commonwealth consumer protection legislation and what rights you have? You may find that you have more rights than you think and probably more than the caravan manufacturer would be willing to tell you.
Thanks for the advice Dave & Oldtrack123 - will do this.
We already had the original owners release their details (under privacy act) so the warranty could be transferred as per the freezer manufacturer.
After we get the freezer fixed ourselves, we are going to also approach the van manufacturer with our costs & give the a last chance before going to consumer protection and have been ensuring everything is now via email rather than phone calls. Again for this reason.
Thanks again for the advise
__________________
Remember, the greatest gift is not found in a store or under a tree, but in the hearts of true friends.
It seems in the RV sector, supplier, manufacturers and Dealers (the people who actually sell the unit) don't want to acknowledge that the buyer has statutory consumer rights and they certainly don't want to abide by them (in the main, anyway - I have struck a few exceptions, Dometic being one good company that provides great warranty backup).
Sellers must abide by the Trade Practices Act (the primary consumer protection statute) and a raft of later laws and regulations.
The Dealer is responsible for the warranty and in 2013 Apple, Harvey Norman and Navman were all prosecuted by the ACCC for breaching consumer laws, especially by limiting the length of time the warranty lasted for (goods must be fit for the purpose it was designed and made for. For example a one year warranty on your new RV wont hold water with the ACCC saying the overall warranty is about 5 years)
I realize you want to be able to use your fridge-freezer now, but you may negate your warranty claim by getting the work done yourself and then presenting the bill to the Dealer or manufacturer.
You are doing the right thing in putting up correspondence in writing - email. If the manufacturer of the fridge (and that bull about its out of warranty because the manufacturer used some of it up before it was sold to the end user just wont hold up at all), the Dealer (and he is the primary one to look after warranty) and the manufacturer have all declined by return email (or not answered your emails - and give them 14 working days to reply to your request), then youre probably ok to get it fixed and seek re-compense.
But phone the ACCC and your State consumer protection agency - they DO NOT like this sort of stuff and the ACCC has had a lot of complaints from owners of RV's about warranty non-compliance.
I had trouble with getting a multitude of mostly minor faults fixed on my then brand new van last year. I told the Dealer by email that if they refused to repair/replace these in "good time" (in other words, what is a reasonable time) I would complain to the ACCC. The Dealer is the biggest in WA and been in business for 22 years and it was amazing how their attitude suddenly changed. They don't like me at all - but the warranty work gets done (up to fault number 34 on a van that cost me $73K). Thankfully think we're seeing light at the end of the faults tunnel.
__________________
Cheers Bruce
The amazing things you see when nomading Australia
Just an update....go figure, the caravan manufacturer won't warrant the freezer, but is replacing all 9 solar panels & the reclining lounge!
We have only just tested the solar panels (we have a lot to learn as new to caravanning & it took us 3 small trips to realise the solar panels were not working properly)
After emailing the recommended repair agent (who we have been dealing with the freezer as well) about the solar panels, they have already received notification to replace all panels under warranty & also advised us that the reclining lounge is being replaced because they had a problem with the first design & have now improved it.
So.....go figure.....the freezer will be the cheapest probably to repair, they have also now asked us to keep them informed about the freezer...so perhaps they may pay our costs.
At the moment we are somewhat baffled with it all, but hey these 2 items are worth untold more than the freezer parts we ordered.
We have also had some feedback from other owners to say they were suprised to hear we were having problems as the manufacturer has a proven track record within the owners community of coming forward to replace faulty items or replace items with a more current design....so for now....we are back with a smile on our faces.
Looking forward to our next weekend away.
__________________
Remember, the greatest gift is not found in a store or under a tree, but in the hearts of true friends.
