RV FEATURE

In my opinion , it ’ s more important to find a manufacturer with a history of bending over backward to help their customers out in the field , whether it ’ s Lawn Hill or Lane Cove , than one which has never made a mistake . We have all made mistakes . But I ’ d rather give my money to a company that owns theirs , and then does whatever is necessary to fix it .

This certainly would constitute a major failure , though whether this failure occured during the van ' s warranty period is unknown .

In 2022 , the ACCC put out the following advice in relation to the rights of caravan customers and suppliers / manufacturers within the caravan industry . Within the context of this article , it bears re-publishing …

CONSUMERS

1 . Consumers have automatic consumer guarantees that apply to all eligible goods and services , including caravans . Any term in a contract which purports to limit or exclude consumers ’ rights under the consumer guarantees will be void . The consumer guarantees include a guarantee that goods must be of acceptable quality .

2 . Where a failure to meet one or more consumer guarantees occurs , consumers are entitled to remedies . These include repair , replacement or refund . The type of remedy available , and whether the consumer is entitled to choose the remedy , depends on whether the failure or failures are minor or major .

3 . The consumer guarantees apply regardless of any warranty offered by the supplier . In the ACCC ’ s view , it is reasonable to expect a caravan will not exhibit a major defect for several years .

If the supplier refuses to provide the consumer with the appropriate remedy for failure to meet one or more of the consumer guarantees , the consumer can take the supplier to a court or tribunal to seek a remedy . They may also contact the ACCC or their state and territory office of fair trading .

*( Editor ’ s note : the term ‘ several years ’ in this context seems subjective . Several years could mean two , three or five . Which is it ?)

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