Electrical issues with brand new caravan
Hi all
in need of some advice as to where to go for help with issues with brand new caravan purchase.
we bought a Buccaneer Commodore and it has had problems with the electrics since we purchased it in July.
the latest issue is the battery boiling up and the retailer not seeming to be bothered much about it,
we had to have the radio and fridge electrics fixed within 2 weeks of purchase and took Greentrees in Dereham 2 weeks to book it in and then I had to constantly chase them to get it fixed and back (10 days)
this was our first trip out since getting it back and we smelt a strong electrical burning smell when I switched the fridge to gas which we think came from a fan which kicks in at the back of the fridge, I switched it to gas as the electric tripped out and as we were packing up I couldn’t be bothered to fetch a site warden.
after we smelt the smell we got the electric back on and switched the fridge back to electric.
when hubby unhooked the electric from the van he found the battery was red hot.
its frustrating as I have to use the retailer for repairs but there is no urgency and yet again we can’t use the caravan as have been advised it could be the battery charger and it’s a fire risk.
anyone know our rights here as clearly this van has a big issue with the electrics.
Comments
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Your contract is with the dealer who supplied the van. It’s his responsibility to sort it out.
You could speak to the club's legal team for further advice.
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Your local trading standards department at the council may well be able to help, as will the Citizens' Advice Bureau. It is up to dealer to sort this out.
Also, did you pay part of the price with a credit card? If so, then credit card company has an obligation to help.
Perhaps threatening the dealer with all of the above will be enough to prompt action.
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From what you describe it sounds as though the 12 Volt power supply/charger circuit may be faulty. The dealers appears to be pretty inept at resolving the fault. I suggest you get an independent auto electrician to look at both the leisure battery changing circuit and and the 230V circuit too. If you can get an independent report from him you can then present that to the dealer as part of your complaint.
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Quote your rights under Consumer Rights Act 2015 to the dealer.
You have to reject the goods bought, namely the caravan, within the first 30 days from purchase to get your whole money back straightaway. After that , if its still within 6 months of the purchase date,, you have to give the dealer one opportunity to rectify the problem. If he doesn't then you could ask for your money back as the vehicle is not fit for its intended purpose. BUT definitely speak to the CAMCs legal team. It's free to talk to them and they will give you excellent advice.
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Thank you to all that have offered advice, this afternoon I did speak to the Citizens advice bureau who were extremely helpful and opened a case file. I have emailed all parties involved and quoted the 2015 act and my rights as the buyer.
i have received confirmation from my finance company and the manufacturer that they have received my email but nothing yet from the retailer.
if the retailer doesn’t respond or fail to repair the van within a reasonable time I have to contact Citizens Advice who will at that point involve Trading standards.
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Sounds like the cavalry are all getting into place.
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Wow just wow, look at this for a response from Greentrees Adventure Store, Dereham!
Hi Sarah,
Apologies you did not receive a call yesterday but as the staff correctly advised we have a 24hr callback expectation to avoid customers calling multiple times a day, we have to deal with all enquiries in an ethical way ie chronological order not based upon who calls the most or has spent the most money etc.
I am more than happy to look at your caravan today if you wish to pop it down before 4pm, the battery overheating COULD be the charger but more likely the battery itself having a fault - nothing to do with the caravan, when a charger faults it tends to send out less than 12v not more in most cases.
Either way a simple resolution, as I said before we or no dealer can stop things going wrong and these are warranty issues of failure not manufacturer defects or anything present at point of sale, so please work WITH us to address as and when you need us, the talk of third parties, trading standards, citizens advice, legal etc does not interest me at all and will not change our approach, we are here to help, but allow us to do so instead of making threats of action as we wish to work with you not against you
Kind Regards
Marc
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As expected from a bad company(as OP pointed out) the use of a passive/aggressive attitude is never helpful. An apology without the rest would be the intelligent choice. It’s always surprising when these people are excellent at psychology but remiss at good customer relations☹️
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Hmm. Reads a bit like they are quite practiced in producing such a reply.
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Sarah, I think Rocky has said it all. If I received a mail in that tone, it would immediately raise my hackles. That’s not good customer care.
However, at least you seem to have made some headway.
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Not the best reply but in practice the problem is almost certainly the charger or the battery. Neither is a big issue but delay by the dealer can be annoying and you should ask for compensation if you lose holidays due to delay. This looks like a simple problem which they could deal with fairly easily.
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See a solicitor straight away, and reject the caravan. You obviously will not get anywhere with a company like that. Just get on with it. Contact your credit/debit card company if you used one for part or all of the transaction. Best of luck.
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When we arrived at Greentrees I had received a further email in a much nicer tone saying they would repair the caravan whilst we waited if possible and whilst we were there the Manager was really nice, so guessing he may of got his knuckles rapped! They did as stated repair whilst we were there, it was a loose connection from the solar panel surging the battery.
We had another trip this weekend and all was good until we got back to the storage compound and the self levelling system failed. (Centre jack not coming down)
to be fair Greentrees came back to me straight away with some advice but in the meantime have raised a claim with Erwin Hymer and gave me details for the authorised repairer and a reference number to use. I have booked it in for next Monday but will head over to the caravan today to see if the instructions given by Greentrees will sort the issue, fingers crossed it does but if not we’ll have to take it further afield this time to Banham.
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Good that your issue seems to be resolved, but it’s a sad incitement of the industry that it took so much hassle to get the attention you required.
I had a read of some of the reviews for the dealer. Very mixed, seem to be good in terms of folks who pop in for a look, and for spares. However, as with many dealers, the after sales service is where they struggle. Some of the responses back to those who review in less than favourable terms are not very nice, very defensive.
Most dealerships will clamour and fall over backwards to obtain a sale, but after that, you are in the hands of the service section, and this is where the hassle starts. Hope it all works out for you🙂
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I too have now had problems with Greentrees Caravan Store. I have just bought my second van from them as they have an excellent selection of vans. However when trading in my old van for new they are supposed to then settle the finance for it. They did not do this!! So I was responsible for the finance of my old and new van!!! And they had my old van!! When sorting out the finance for the new one they made a mistake and could not settle the old one, unfortunately it took me a few weeks to realise I was paying for two caravans. The salesman had made a mistake with the finance amounts on the new vehicle which meant the process could not be completed and I had to pay even more. I would have expected an apology for this but all I got was an arrogant reply saying it was up to me to spot the mistake even though it was them sorting out the finance!!! I am very disappointed with them as I have been a good customer. They are excellent at selling you a van but be warned their after sales service is insulting.
When I was there I saw the owner go into the showroom with his dog and he was kicking a ball with his dog around the place and behaving as everyone was beneath him, he walks around with an arrogant "swagger" I understand he inherited this business from his father and it really shows.
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If the existing finance on your part-exchanged caravan wasn't settled, then that is the fault of the sales department, not something you can blame on after sales. Its a naughty practice what they have done. If they'd gone bust in-between you part-exchanging the 'van and having the finance settled, you'd have been liable for both finance agreements. Its practice in the motor trade now to settle the existing finance agreement while you are sat there doing the paperwork for the new vehicle.
As for the opening poster's electrical fault, it was either a manufacturing defect (unlike what the email from Greentrees was suggesting) or Greentrees put the fault on themselves when fixing the other faults (more likely). Eitherway, an apology is what is required, not a rude email.
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