Lunar Caravans Liquidation
We only found out about the Lunar Caravans collapse when we took the van for its first year service. When booking the service on the phone there was no warning given or any hint of “issues”. We did have a list of about half a dozen niggly items plus a rather worrying water ingress problem to be addressed “under warranty”. It was the technician checking the damp that let slip about Lunar going bust. We went back to the service receptionists and asked what was this all about and then we got the full story, rather sheepishly (hmmmm). We asked to speak to someone in senior management but ended up with the sales manager who gave us the full story.
The dealership is Leisure World, Catterick Caravans and we were told that they had no obligation to honour Lunar warranties but would, on vans within the first year of the sale, carry out any warranty repairs. However, any parts needing to come from Lunar will not be able to be obtained so any such related issues cannot be addressed.
Leisure World (as will other dealers) have some Lunar vans in stock to sell and, we are told, LW will sell these with a 3rd party warranty included, the type that can be bought as extended cover.
However, in our case, if we now wanted the “extended cover” we would have to buy it.
Leisure World seem to be doing their best under the circumstances, but I would be interested to find out if there are any Consumer Law issues involved with dealership responsibilities (maybe some legal beagle would know – any out there?)
As for our caravan, apart from the above-mentioned issues, we have been very happy in our first year of ownership in which we have covered more than 3000 miles visiting various campsite in U.K and France. I can only take all the negativity that I read towards Lunar Caravans as “Monday morning” scenarios. Our previous van was a Swift Charisma which we had for 12 years complete with recurring damp issues and niggles so maybe there is common ground here that can be read across the industry?
We’ll keep the Lunar that we have and hopefully will get another 12 years happy caravanning even if we have to put up with the niggles along the way, after all, like any other appliance you buy not much in life is trouble free. The old Charisma didn’t develop any costly issues so fingers crossed neither will the Lunar.
The reports of a bad workplace at Lunar may sadly be correct but at the end of the day people were employed and a product was being rolled out.
Lunar Caravans is, apparently, now under new ownership, hopefully improving the workplace, but it sounds like existing warranties will not be honoured by the new ownwers, we are told.
Moderator Edit:
As this topic is already being discussed >>> here <<<, I'll lock this thread and invite you to continue the discussion in the original thread.
Many Thanks.
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We found out on the day that it was announced and I managed to rip a wheel spat off the following day
(felt a right idiot)! Luckily I was online 2 hours later and after 15 mins and a phone call I had a secondhand one ordered to be dispatched the day after my arrival home.
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You are right in believing you need legal advice and there ought to be provions in the Consumer's Rights Act 2015 that places some pretty powerful obligations on the seller, that are applicable in your case.
If advice on this is not forthcoming here, and anyway, I would be having a word with your local Citizens Advice Bureaux and Trading Standards. Plus if a subscriber to Which their legal team, even this Club's legal people might help. You need to get yourself well informed of your rights and how to use them.
Even though the van is obviously over one year from time of sale the CRA 2015 I would expect takes a pretty positive view that water leaks would be something that ought to be rectified.
Be guarded, whatever the seller might want to kid you, despite the demise of the origninal Lunar and with it their warranty, that makes zero difference to the CRA 2015's requirements on them the seller. Remember the Lunar Warranty was only ever in addition to your legal rights, not in place of them.
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