Some old caravans may develop issues ... but the ACCC is really interested in 'faulty' vans that were bought new.
The rise in the popularity of caravanning has been accompanied by a rise in the number of issues with caravans … and Australia’s consumer watchdog wants to know more.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has launched a survey into potential consumer law issues surrounding the caravan industry.
The organisation says it has received more than 1,300 reports about the industry in the last five years, with common issues including retailers selling caravans that do not meet guarantees, and disputes around who is responsible for paying to have faults repaired.
ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said caravans had seen significant sales growth in recent years as Australians choose to travel domestically rather than overseas.
“We are looking for further information from consumers and industry about the issues they have had with their caravans and their experience trying to get their concerns fixed,” she said. “This information will help to inform our future work, including possible enforcement action.”
The ACCC survey will focus on the purchase of new caravans, as defined by the Road Vehicle Standards Act as having a low aggregate trailer mass of 4.5 tonnes or below. It says the survey should take about 15 minutes to complete.
It can be completed here.
The Caravan Industry Association of Australia (CIAA) has said more than 800,000 registered RVs will take to the road this summer, and it predicts more than four million trips will be made.
The ACCC really need to get into this as in 2012 we paid $65000 for a brand new Van and discovered that the vents on the roof were not sealed at all with the damage done water through the entire roof and down the walls, we ended up having to repair our van of rot through the walls and door replacement etc . The van could of fallen apart on the road whilst driving if we hadn’t of repaired it as the builder of our van didn’t want to know us at all and the warranty ran out, we are so disappointed with them and wouldn’t recommend this van to anyone.
The ACCC & or ACL website are the hardest sites to manoeuvre, I have tried & tried to contact them through their web site to no avail, even the site above this message OPENED NOVEMBER 1921 & CLOSED DECEMBER 1921 these organisations DON’T want people to contact them as it would mean they would have to get OFF their bums and do some work..
Well said
What I don’t understand is why a new caravan does not have an electrical certification in all states of Australia and why they are not audited for Australian compliance. I have worked on a lot that were never wired as per as 3000 and 3001 and other relevant standards from new.