70% damp on caravan just purchased!
Hello everyone!
im looking for some help, we purchased a used caravan approximately 2-3 months ago from a leisure vehicle dealer. I have had the van serviced today and it is showing 70% damp in places and we are absolutely gutted. The dealer has said the van had been tested by them when we bought it and showed no damp whatsoever which obviously was not the case. The van is a 2017 so not old and cost the best part of £20k.
i am not sure where we stand now do we have anywhere to go with the dealer we bought it from? And is that level of damp something that can be dried out with de humidifiers as this has been suggested by the service centre as an option to try?!
any help and advice would be appreciated.
many thanks
Jack
Comments
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I think you need legal advice so I'd advise phoning the relevant department in the club.
You said 70% in places, so not an isolated incident that you could be blamed for by the dealer, such as leaving the door or a window open.
Best of luck.
Colin
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That’s real bad luck. 70% is serious and you’ve been given good advice by EM.
If you end up threatening the dealer with court action, be sure to follow it through.
https://www.webuyanymotorcaravan.com/how-to-check-your-motorhome-or-caravan-for-damp/
https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/what-do-i-do-if-i-have-a-faulty-product-aTTEK2g0YuEy
Good luck!
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“The dealer has said the van had been tested by them when we bought it and showed no damp whatsoever which obviously was not the case”
The dealer is trying it on, I’m not surprised. I think you need to be ruthless and see it through, following legal advice.
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You need to get a report from whoever checked for damp provided they are qualified to say the damp dates back before the date of purchase. If you can show this then the Consumer Protection Acy 2015 gives you the right to proceed against the dealer. You can google the act for more information or try the clubs helpline. The claim though is only as good as the dealer so you need to be sure they are solvent.
If you used either HP or a credit card for all or part of the purchase you can also claim against the provider so you should notify them if you used either. A bank loan would not work though.
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While not specifically damp related I do wonder if our potholes may be playing a part in this. We have noticed that during the past two years when towing that there has been a fair amount of minor damage due to bouncing over potholes. Cupboards coming open, cooker moving slightly etc. We even had a connector come adrift on the Alde unit. Its just possible I guess that bouncing around may cause a breakdown in the bonding on windows and rooflights. I realise this doesn't help but just maybe a contributing factor between low damp reports and suddenly high reports
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You need to claim against the dealer under the Consumer Relations Act 2015. This allows you to get your money back if you discover a fault within a month of purchase but this has passed. Faults discovered within six months allow the dealer to have one go at repairing the fault and if they cannot do this satisfactorily you can get your money back. I would have a word with the clubs help line or Citizens Advice for more information. At the sum involved you need legal advice and an independent engineers report on the problem confirming the damage precedes the sale.
Do not be put off by the dealers assertion it looks to be a clear lie but at the same time do be wary if they look dodgy. Many will fight until they realise you are serious and know the legislation. Will they be able to pay a claim if you win is a question you need to ask though if hey look a problem.
If you used a credit cars or HP for any part of the purchase you will have a claim against the finance provider so advise them of the problem if this is the case.
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@Jack PB so very sorry to hear about this. Sadly, it’s not uncommon, but you have had some good advice on here. The Club’s legal Dept are usually very helpful, but I agree, don’t be fobbed off by the dealer. There aren’t many that have a truly good reputation, and some are notorious. But get all your facts and evidence into hand, and then take it from there. So sorry that you have had such an awful experience, and I hope things get sorted for you. Make notes on any interaction you have with the dealers from now on, who says, what they say, etc…… take it as calmly and as clinically as you can, but see things through. Don’t be tempted to write any kind of dealer review at the moment, and at this stage wiser not to name the dealer. But, once you get things sorted, that’s another matter.😉
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It's a shame Jack hasn’t been back with an update. It looks like he’s not a CAMC member so won’t be able to use the legal dept for advice.
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I hadn’t noticed that. Hope they can get it sorted. It’s quite an old post as well, hey ho🫣
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I'm always surprised, no to be honest, annoyed, when somebody makes a post requesting advice and fails to return.
Colin
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It happens again and again and is common on all forums.
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From my experience of forums and Facebook Groups if someone, who doesn't usually use social media much, has a problem they often cast the net wide by posting everywhere. I expect as soon as they get an answer that meets their original question they just move on and it probably doesn't cross their minds to go back and look at the replies from all the places they posted?
David
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I think you have a very valid point, however, I have a 2008 Coachman 5 berth and was looking to down size, i searched around wanting to purchase near to home, just in case things went pear shaped, i looked at a Baily 2017 at a local dealers, priced at £5k but clearly marked as seen, on further inspection this caravan had damp at 30%+ in all four corners and around the wheel arches and the dealer quoted £2-3k for repairs, on further inspection i could see that the build quality of the Baily was very much inferior to that of my Coachman and would not be suprised if cupboards sprang open etc whilst traveling, needless to say i still have my Coachman.
It has travelled many miles in France and Spain using some roads that are as smooth as glass and others not so smooth, on last inspection it showed a damp reading of 25-30 % but only across the front remainder of van was less than 15%, engineer found 2 small cracks above the front windows, he quoted me £500 to fix which included re-fitting all 3 windows using slightly larger screws to give better support, I agreed for work to be done and caravan is still sitting on my hard standing waiting for the weather to improve before we venture out and hopefully next damp meter reading will show less than 15% . A lot has been said about how caravans are now constructed and should be less prone to damp, but i am yet to be convinced.
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