Denise Tiyse used her inheritance to buy a new caravan in October last year to enjoy a much-needed break with her husband.
Key Points:
- Caravan customers report significant problems with vans and poor treatment by suppliers
- The ACCC says it has received 1,300 complaints over the past five years and the industry is on high alert
- Watchdog calls for tougher laws and tougher penalties for non-compliant suppliers and manufacturers
But instead of a beach holiday and new memories, Ms Tiyse said the caravan was plagued with problems from the start, from the vehicle itself to disdainful suppliers unwilling to fix its problems.
According to the Australian Caravan Industry Association, one in 13 Australian households owns a caravan, but the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says the industry has treated many buyers badly.
Ms Tiyse says she was called a liar, refused help, lost large sums of money and put her family’s life in danger, all because of a purchase she now completely regrets.
“We bought the caravan in October last year with my inheritance – we paid $75,000, straight up front, for the van,” he said.
“And they treated us like garbage from day one, once they got our money.”
He claims that in the first few days the supplier scratched his car when hooking up the caravan and then denied it before promising to “do the right thing” if he didn’t cancel the sale.
After hitting the road in their new van, Mrs Tiyse and her husband dealt with numerous broken fittings, including an oven, which was a non-negotiable feature due to her husband’s strict diet, which had salivary gland cancer.
He said that after initially dragging his feet to fix or replace the oven, the supplier failed to hire a gas fitter to oversee its repair, resulting in two nine-kilo drums leaking gas into his caravan
“Later a gas fitter came out and said, ‘This has a major leak… we had been trying to turn it on and left the gas on,'” Ms Tiyse said.
“Thankfully we weren’t sleeping in there…it could have killed us.”
He said he had also lost large sums of money in wages and three spoiled holidays because of the ongoing problems.
“It’s not just the holidays, it’s the money – we’re on a farm, we need to hire someone to do our work while we’re away,” Ms Tiyse said.
“So we’ve paid someone a salary on three separate occasions and each time we’ve had to turn around and go home.”
Ms Tiyse said she made an official complaint to SafeWork NSW, which issued a notice to the provider.
The CBA has contacted SafeWork NSW and the provider did not respond to requests for comment.
Patricia and Ian Jackson paid for a caravan earlier this year with plans to live in it after selling their house. (Provided by Patricia Jackson)
“Now I have nowhere to live”
Meanwhile, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, Glasshouse Mountains resident Patricia Jackson said she and her husband Ian sold their house and bought a caravan earlier this year.
They planned to live in the van while they built their new home.
He said he spent weeks dealing with a manufacturer in Melbourne who promised the caravan would arrive in March.
Four months later and the caravan still hasn’t arrived.
She said after constant phone calls and delays, her husband offered to drive to Melbourne to pick up the van but was assured it would arrive within days.
“I called in the afternoon to confirm once again that our caravan was on its way, and he said no, it wouldn’t be loaded until Sunday or Monday because the drivers had to sleep,” he said.
“That was the last straw for my husband, and he was planning to go to Melbourne to find out what was going on.
“He was so upset that night that he had a heart attack and had to be taken to Sunshine Coast Hospital where he died on April 4, 2022.
“The stress was too much for him – we had just sold the house and were going to move into the caravan.
“Now I have nowhere to live.
“I still live with my son, which is not fair to them.”
Mrs Jackson said she was still dealing with phone calls from the manufacturer of her caravan on the day of her husband’s funeral.
He claims the company continued to lie about the arrival date, the current location, the reason for the delays, before admitting the caravan had never even been built.
“It was just the lies, if only they had told the truth from the start,” Ms Jackson said.
“My daughter doesn’t even want to see the caravan now, because she said it will only remind her of her father’s death.”
The manufacturer was contacted for comment but did not respond.
Caravanning grew during the pandemic. (Provided: Beach Retreat Tourist Park Wynyard)
“Harm may be significant”: ACCC
The consumer watchdog has issued a stern warning to the caravanning industry for its “mistreatment of consumers” and said it had received more than 1,300 complaints in the past five years.
In a survey conducted by the Australian Consumer Affairs and Consumer Commission (ACCC) of thousands of respondents, 80% reported experiencing problems with a new caravan.
According to the ACCC, the most common complaints were those relating to “breach of consumer guarantees, misrepresentations by caravan suppliers and unexpected delays in the delivery and repair of caravans”.
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“It is the ACCC’s view that it is reasonable to expect that a new caravan will not develop a major fault within the first few years of use,” ACCC deputy chairperson Delia Rickard said.
“Consumers need to be confident that, when making a major financial purchase like a caravan, they will be able to get a refund, replacement or repair if there is a fault.
“A caravan can represent a significant financial and emotional investment.
“Some people save for years in anticipation of buying and traveling in a caravan, if something goes wrong the damage can be significant.”
Ms Rickard said caravan owners with expired warranties could still be entitled to refunds, replacements and repairs.
Australian consumer law states that a supplier must repair, replace or refund a caravan if it fails to meet one or more consumer guarantees, such as not matching a description or being of acceptable quality.
According to the ACCC’s survey, around 40 per cent of caravan suppliers also reported problems with manufacturers refusing to refund them if they fixed a customer’s problem.
The ACCC said it would investigate and take action against suppliers and manufacturers believed to have misled consumers.
The watchdog said it would like to see consumer law strengthened to allow tougher penalties and enforcement action for those who do not comply.