Hi all,
It’s been a very very long time since I posted anything of potential interest on MHF, but I thought you may be interested to hear of the predicament we now find ourselves in (whether through ignorance or naivety), regarding the purchasing of a new (to us) Motorhome, in the hope that no one else will make the same mistakes that we have.
We are currently the owners of a large ish (7.6m) Motorhome, plated at 4250kg, which is coming up to eight years old. Everything is still good with her and works as it should, but we have been discussing the possibility of downsizing to a panel van conversion for some time now. Our main reasoning for this is that we find it increasingly difficult to find anywhere to park the m/h in most if the towns or villages in this Country, unless you can find a supermarket somewhere, so thought a smaller van could be a solution to the problem. We have looked at several over the last few months but had failed to find one with a layout that might work for us.
A couple of weeks ago I was looking online at Autotrader where I came across a vehicle advertised around three hours away from us, that we though could work for us, so I called the dealer selling it (no names at this stage as things are still ongoing) in order to make an appointment to view it the following weekend. Upon making the appointment I was asked to make a ‘reservation deposit’ of £500, in order for them to take the vehicle off sale until we had seen it. The deposit was ‘fully refundable’ if we didn’t go ahead with the purchase.
The following weekend we drove off to the dealer in our current m/h so the dealer could look at ours with a view to part exchanging ours against the panel van, if we liked it. So far, so good. The panel van was very nice and had obviously been well looked after by the previous owner, but we did find ourselves asking how we would get on trying to fit all of the clobber we gained over the years into the van. After much discussion and lots of coffee, we said that we would give it a go. We agreed a part ex price for ours with a reduction in price for the panel van and agreed to buy it. The paperwork was duly completed, and we were asked to pay a further £1500 deposit, with the full balance due just before we collected the new van some two weeks later.
After leaving the dealership, we decided to spend a couple of nights away in our m/h at a site in the area which had availability, so off we went. By pure coincidence, the day after we arrived a couple who looked to be of a similar age to ourselves pulled onto a pitch three down from us in exactly the same model panel van as we had ordered. Later the same day, we went over and said hello and took the opportunity to ask them what must have seemed like endless questions about living with the van. Overall, they were pleased with their van, but just wished that it had more storage space to use. We noticed that most of their equipment had to be carried in plastic storage boxes, which were then taken out of the van when arriving on site and stored under the van. They also had to store their outdoor chairs and table under the van when not in use. This is ok if you intend to stay on the same site for a few days, but that’s not what we like. We like to get out and about and visit places, so we would be forever unpacking and repacking the van. It very quickly became apparent that we had made a big mistake, and a panel van was not going to work for us.
The following morning (3 working days after visit to the dealership) I rang the dealer and spoke with the salesman who we had dealt with us. I explained our predicament, offered our sincere apologies for any inconvenience, but that we had decided not to go ahead with the purchase of the new van, and we would like our deposit back please. Obviously, he was not happy, but asked me to confirm our decision in writing to him, which I did immediately after ending my call.
Later that day, I received a rather curt response from the sales manager, who said that whilst they could not ‘force’ me to complete the purchase, they were legally entitled to keep my £2000 deposit until such time the vehicle is sold to someone else. Furthermore, if the vehicle is sold at some point in the future for a price that is less than the price we agreed to pay, they can also come to us to make up the difference. They would also deduct additional money for admin and stocking charges. When I questioned this I was told it all in our terms and conditions.
At this point, I should say that at no point during the purchasing process were these terms and conditions explained to us. We were not offered a copy of them, nor were we given them. T’s & C’s were never mentioned.
The following day, I received an email from the salesman asking me to log in to our customer portal, where I could upload a copy of the documents they require us to sign and submit, and where we could find a copy of their T’s & C’s. So, access to the T’s & C’s not being made available to me until the day after I cancelled our order in writing. Having read them, things remain unclear to me as everything is written in legal terms, but I can’t see where it explicitly states where they can do what they are saying they will do if we now default on the contract. Perhaps we should seek professional legal advice?
All in all, a very difficult and potentially expensive situation for us now, as we both know that the van isn’t going to work for us. Please don’t make the same mistakes we have.
Apologies for the long ramblings.
Good luck!
It’s been a very very long time since I posted anything of potential interest on MHF, but I thought you may be interested to hear of the predicament we now find ourselves in (whether through ignorance or naivety), regarding the purchasing of a new (to us) Motorhome, in the hope that no one else will make the same mistakes that we have.
We are currently the owners of a large ish (7.6m) Motorhome, plated at 4250kg, which is coming up to eight years old. Everything is still good with her and works as it should, but we have been discussing the possibility of downsizing to a panel van conversion for some time now. Our main reasoning for this is that we find it increasingly difficult to find anywhere to park the m/h in most if the towns or villages in this Country, unless you can find a supermarket somewhere, so thought a smaller van could be a solution to the problem. We have looked at several over the last few months but had failed to find one with a layout that might work for us.
A couple of weeks ago I was looking online at Autotrader where I came across a vehicle advertised around three hours away from us, that we though could work for us, so I called the dealer selling it (no names at this stage as things are still ongoing) in order to make an appointment to view it the following weekend. Upon making the appointment I was asked to make a ‘reservation deposit’ of £500, in order for them to take the vehicle off sale until we had seen it. The deposit was ‘fully refundable’ if we didn’t go ahead with the purchase.
The following weekend we drove off to the dealer in our current m/h so the dealer could look at ours with a view to part exchanging ours against the panel van, if we liked it. So far, so good. The panel van was very nice and had obviously been well looked after by the previous owner, but we did find ourselves asking how we would get on trying to fit all of the clobber we gained over the years into the van. After much discussion and lots of coffee, we said that we would give it a go. We agreed a part ex price for ours with a reduction in price for the panel van and agreed to buy it. The paperwork was duly completed, and we were asked to pay a further £1500 deposit, with the full balance due just before we collected the new van some two weeks later.
After leaving the dealership, we decided to spend a couple of nights away in our m/h at a site in the area which had availability, so off we went. By pure coincidence, the day after we arrived a couple who looked to be of a similar age to ourselves pulled onto a pitch three down from us in exactly the same model panel van as we had ordered. Later the same day, we went over and said hello and took the opportunity to ask them what must have seemed like endless questions about living with the van. Overall, they were pleased with their van, but just wished that it had more storage space to use. We noticed that most of their equipment had to be carried in plastic storage boxes, which were then taken out of the van when arriving on site and stored under the van. They also had to store their outdoor chairs and table under the van when not in use. This is ok if you intend to stay on the same site for a few days, but that’s not what we like. We like to get out and about and visit places, so we would be forever unpacking and repacking the van. It very quickly became apparent that we had made a big mistake, and a panel van was not going to work for us.
The following morning (3 working days after visit to the dealership) I rang the dealer and spoke with the salesman who we had dealt with us. I explained our predicament, offered our sincere apologies for any inconvenience, but that we had decided not to go ahead with the purchase of the new van, and we would like our deposit back please. Obviously, he was not happy, but asked me to confirm our decision in writing to him, which I did immediately after ending my call.
Later that day, I received a rather curt response from the sales manager, who said that whilst they could not ‘force’ me to complete the purchase, they were legally entitled to keep my £2000 deposit until such time the vehicle is sold to someone else. Furthermore, if the vehicle is sold at some point in the future for a price that is less than the price we agreed to pay, they can also come to us to make up the difference. They would also deduct additional money for admin and stocking charges. When I questioned this I was told it all in our terms and conditions.
At this point, I should say that at no point during the purchasing process were these terms and conditions explained to us. We were not offered a copy of them, nor were we given them. T’s & C’s were never mentioned.
The following day, I received an email from the salesman asking me to log in to our customer portal, where I could upload a copy of the documents they require us to sign and submit, and where we could find a copy of their T’s & C’s. So, access to the T’s & C’s not being made available to me until the day after I cancelled our order in writing. Having read them, things remain unclear to me as everything is written in legal terms, but I can’t see where it explicitly states where they can do what they are saying they will do if we now default on the contract. Perhaps we should seek professional legal advice?
All in all, a very difficult and potentially expensive situation for us now, as we both know that the van isn’t going to work for us. Please don’t make the same mistakes we have.
Apologies for the long ramblings.
Good luck!
