Mugged or Policy?
We placed an order for a Sterling at the NEC having met with our local dealership and obtained a reasonable cost to exchange. We described the condition of our 2008 ‘van as “good”. This was done in good faith particularly as I carry out my own regular damp checks using my own Protimeter.
Wind forward some weeks and our caravan is delivered, a date for handover arranged and we deliver our part exchange the day before handover.
On the day we receive a call at 09.30 a.m. to inform us that our part exchange is being assessed at that moment and confirming handover time as 2.15 p.m.
At 3.00p.m we are 30 minutes into handover and we can now virtually smell and taste it! It’s ours! Well. Not quite!
The salesperson interrupts to tell us that assessment of our part exchange has been done (what happened to 09.30?) and that the cost to us of damp being found would be just over £900.00. We state that we can’t pay that amount and are offered the opportunity to meet the Sales Manager.
We meet and there are to be no compromises or negotiations. We must pay the full amount. We don’t question the findings of damp however having been given an opportunity to see the report we note that damp has been found in 4 places. The internal surfaces of all 3 external locker doors are showing 60 to 70%. There is also a 3 inch by 3 inch patch on the ceiling adjacent to the external flue. We argue that £200.00 for parts plus £700.00+ for labour is excessive and that any decent DIYer could make good the repairs. Seems not for the manager tells me that they have apprentices of 3 years standing who still couldn’t possibly carry out this work……….I think they need to review their apprentice scheme!
We now are in complete stalemate…….the dealership refuses to budge on the repair figure and we state that we can’t pay. We ask that the deal be cancelled. This is agreed however only after we express our extreme disappointment at our treatment. My argument went thus:
1. We live 10 miles from the dealership. Why didn’t they ask us to bring our caravan in for assessment just after we placed to order?
2. If we had carried out the above then both parties would not be sitting in the office having this conversation.
3. Why isn’t there a policy of early assessment? Would that mean the cancellation of more agreements as purchasers walk away?
4. Had the assessment been carried out earlier then we would have had the opportunity to carry out our own repairs or obtain other quotes for the work.
5. The assessment was carried out a.m. and long before the handover time. Why hadn’t the dealer called us? The handover was then interrupted; effectively in an attempt to “mug” us.
We leave with our own caravan having had to refit our own battery and are given the number plate to fix back on ourselves. The damp? Repaired by replacing the inner faces of the battery locker door, the wet box door and the toilet cassette door. The 3 inch square patch near to the external flue is also repaired. I cut a hole to the rear of the patch (covered up by the shelf unit in the toilet), dried out the area and replaced the cut out. Also the external flue was resealed at the roof. Cost? £18.00 for new 3mm caravan wallboard (8 by 4) plus £6.00 for sealant plus my own time of 3 hours and note, not the 12 hours quoted by the dealer.