We have a new Caravan

So, after much deliberation, no not really, we went to the NEC show in February to buy some accessories, and came away with a new Lunar Quasar 564!!
Got a good Part Ex on the Quasar 464 we had, so a deal was done.

We collected the new van in late April 2014, and the first trip was planned for the Easter Bank Holiday.

Off to Dorset to see friends who live out on Portland, and in Weymouth.
Weather was fantastic, until the Sunday night, when the heavens opened, not a problem I thought, until my Grandson woke us up with "Granddad it's raining in the caravan".

Spring into action, did I leave the Heiki open too much, no checked, the water ingress was all along the front window shelf, inside the top lockers, tops of the ceiling / wall joint and dripping from the ceiling onto the work surfaces, and of course, the Grandkids in the front beds.

By the morning the carpets were wet, damp patches on the front seats and water had made its way across the ceiling to the nearside, where it was running down the lockers into the Microwave locker.

OK, pack up and home we go, during which time we made a call to the dealer, who did sound surprised when we told him the story.

I had taken photos of the water damage on arriving home, sent them to the dealership and found the point of ingress myself, which was the solar panel not being sealed correctly, in fact, in several points, not sealed at all

I then called my insurer for legal advice, explained the scenario, and got confirmation that the caravan was not fit for purpose, and I was within my consumer rights and sale of goods act to ask for a replacement or a full refund plus compensation.

Anyway, they collected the van within a couple of days, and took it straight back to the factory for investigation. I received a call from them telling me they would be inspecting the van that morning, and to expect a call by the end of the day. In actual fact the call came within 30 minutes!! Confirming to me that the Solar Panel had not been sealed correctly and this was the point of entry for the water.

The service manager, then said, and I quote, “I guess you won't be wanting this repaired and returned to you" to which I replied "you guess correctly"

So two options, replacement or full refund, as we loved the layout, and only two other manufacturers have a similar layout, but with compromises, we went with a replacement van. Of course, they didn't have one immediately available as the next production run was scheduled for beginning of June.

I then insisted that in view of the faults, delays and lost bookings, we were looking for compensation in the form of having them fit FOC, the Alko ATC system, shock absorbers, and several other extras, plus loss of deposits etc, to which they agreed.

Well, we collected the van on the 20th June, stayed on a site close to the dealer to shake down the new van, and I'm pleased to say it is all good; needless to say, we went without the Solar Panel option!!