Travelling to collect new Motorhome.

[minesapint]

Hi all, I have bought a new to me motorhome but its a four hour drive away. I have all the invoices etc from the dealer to prove my journey is legit.
With all the restrictions on travel due to the chinese flu, can anybody tell me if I can legally travel to collect it, as its a business transaction.
Thanks

 

[Mr porky]

If the motorhome is essential to running your business which I’m Assuming is allowed to be operating out and about in these restricted times then it’s absolutely fine to pick up. If the reason is just to get it prepared so you are ready to use it when restrictions are lifted then I would say no not an essential journey.
sorry bummer I know.

 

[minesapint]

I assume from this you have paid for it in full? If so, has the dealer registered it in your name yet? If not, get him to do it and showing as yours on line then you can insure and tax it, that way if he goes 'pop' you have clear ownership of it ...

Personally I wouldn't do it myself but if you HAVE already paid for it go and get it, just ensure you take everything you need with you to prove it's a legitimate journey to collect purchased goods.

One other thing ... how are you getting there?

I will probably drive my toad up to the van and hook it on and drive back.

 

[The Dotties]

I will probably drive my toad up to the van and hook it on and drive back.

View attachment 464776

Unless I’ve misunderstood, you are taking a toad to fetch the van, and hooking up for the return journey?
You also mention collecting to enable you to fit a tow bar.

 

[minesapint]

Unless I’ve misunderstood, you are taking a toad to fetch the van, and hooking up for the return journey?
You also mention collecting to enable you to fit a tow bar.

The bar will now be fitted by the dealer, to enable towing the toad. Simples. The self levelling will be fitted when it gets back.

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[DMC65]

Is the dealer even open? I thought they were all closed to the public.
I understand your excitement to pick up your mh but I think it's illegal for him to even open.
I'm in a similar situation. I've got a deposit on a mh from Preston's pending viewing of course and would love to go view and collect but it's just not possible. As mentioned previously, you can't use it anyway.

 

[Minxy]

Is the dealer even open? I thought they were all closed to the public.
I understand your excitement to pick up your mh but I think it's illegal for him to even open.
I'm in a similar situation. I've got a deposit on a mh from Preston's pending viewing of course and would love to go view and collect but it's just not possible. As mentioned previously, you can't use it anyway.

Sales are allowed, you can't just go and browse in the showroom though as that has to remain closed, so purchasing a vehicle and collecting it is permitted.

 

[mikebeaches]

If its not an essential journey to go and collect it how can it be an essential journey for someone to deliver it?

It is the way the current rules operate. Transport businesses are allowed to keep working?

How many Amazon and eBay, online clothes parcels delivered by courier are 'essential' purchases?

But they are allowed. Helps keep the economy going....

 

[The Dotties]

Just another thunk. Won’t having a toad on the back for the homeward leg attract attention from interested parties?

 

[DMC65]

Sales are allowed, you can't just go and browse in the showroom though as that has to remain closed, so purchasing a vehicle and collecting it is permitted.

I get that. I'm in a different scenario and want to view before they do a full habitation and mechanical service. Then I'll go and collect and pay for it. Until then I've only paid a deposit.

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[Hagstrom]

​

If you decide to click and collect your motorhome, you may find this extract form the UK government's Covid website useful if challenged:-

Living safely with respiratory infections, including COVID-19

Guidance for living safely with respiratory infections, including coronavirus (COVID-19).

www.gov.uk

<<​

Businesses required to close​

Any business or venue that provides goods for sale or hire and is not listed above must close (other than where there is an explicit exemption for a specific purpose). They may continue offering delivery and click-and-collect services (where items are pre-ordered and collected without entering the premises). People can also leave home to collect or return orders from these businesses.

These closures include, but are not limited to, the following premises:

• clothing and fashion stores and tailors
• retail travel agents
• homeware stores
• carpet stores
• kitchen, bathroom, tile, and glazing showrooms
• tobacco and vape shops
• electronic goods and mobile phone shops
• charity shops
• photography studios
• antique stores
• homeopathic and naturopathic medicine, traditional chinese medicine, and ayurveda
• markets (except livestock markets or stalls which fall under the list of essential businesses above, for example those selling food)
• car and other vehicle showrooms and other premises, including outdoor areas, used for the sale or hire of caravans, boats or any vehicle which can be propelled by mechanical means. However taxi or vehicle hire businesses can continue. For example a customer could order a rental vehicle online and collect it in person.
• car washes (except for automatic car washes)
• auction houses (except for auctions of livestock or agricultural equipment)
• betting shops
• >>

PS Apologies to RGCH999 who has already quoted from the above.

 

[minesapint]

Is the dealer even open? I thought they were all closed to the public.
I understand your excitement to pick up your mh but I think it's illegal for him to even open.
I'm in a similar situation. I've got a deposit on a mh from Preston's pending viewing of course and would love to go view and collect but it's just not possible. As mentioned previously, you can't use it anyway.

The showrooms etc are not open, but they will allow social distancing collection. I cannot use it but I want to get all of the new toys like levelling etc on it. The parts dept, service dept are open. as allowed by the rules if the public do not enter the departments.

 

[Billylyne5]

would love a couple of these but can't find them for sale.

​

If you decide to click and collect your motorhome, you may find this extract form the UK government's Covid website useful if challenged:-

Living safely with respiratory infections, including COVID-19

Guidance for living safely with respiratory infections, including coronavirus (COVID-19).

www.gov.uk

<<​

Businesses required to close​

Any business or venue that provides goods for sale or hire and is not listed above must close (other than where there is an explicit exemption for a specific purpose). They may continue offering delivery and click-and-collect services (where items are pre-ordered and collected without entering the premises). People can also leave home to collect or return orders from these businesses.

These closures include, but are not limited to, the following premises:

• clothing and fashion stores and tailors
• retail travel agents
• homeware stores
• carpet stores
• kitchen, bathroom, tile, and glazing showrooms
• tobacco and vape shops
• electronic goods and mobile phone shops
• charity shops
• photography studios
• antique stores
• homeopathic and naturopathic medicine, traditional chinese medicine, and ayurveda
• markets (except livestock markets or stalls which fall under the list of essential businesses above, for example those selling food)
• car and other vehicle showrooms and other premises, including outdoor areas, used for the sale or hire of caravans, boats or any vehicle which can be propelled by mechanical means. However taxi or vehicle hire businesses can continue. For example a customer could order a rental vehicle online and collect it in person.
• car washes (except for automatic car washes)
• auction houses (except for auctions of livestock or agricultural equipment)
• betting shops
• >>

PS Apologies to RGCH999 who has already quoted from the above.

So on one government web page we are told no essential travel and on another it’s absolutely fine to click and collect, how are we supposed to know which guideline to follow

 

[nicholsong]

If it is a pre-arranged sale(i.e. before lockdown) and purchase is that not a business transaction and the performance of which happens to fall inside the lockdown, but is still a business commitment that you have to collect by a certain date or you forfeit delivery under the contract. I demonstrate this get an e-mail from the dealer to this effect to show to any police, if stopped.

Alternatively get the dealer to hire it to you for a one-way hire. Then in a separate. Paperwork to show that title to it does not pass till it is at your address,

Third way would be for dealer to employ you as an agency driver for the delivery trip, on behalf of his business.

Just my ideas.

Geoff

 

[Minxy]

I get that. I'm in a different scenario and want to view before they do a full habitation and mechanical service. Then I'll go and collect and pay for it. Until then I've only paid a deposit.

Not sure I'd risk going in your case as you haven't got a 'fully paid' purchase agreement with them, only that they will hold it for you to view. Viewing isn't allowed for cars so I wouldn't think it would be allowed for MHs either; of course you'd then have to go back to collect it later.

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[pandas]

The bar will now be fitted by the dealer, to enable towing the toad. Simples. The self levelling will be fitted when it gets back.

sounds like a lot of variables here: check your okay with the vehicle, go through a hand over procedure, once payment has gone through he will have the tow bar and electrics fitted, hook up the toad and off you go! Quite a long day in normal times let alone now.

 

[DMC65]

Not sure I'd risk going in your case as you haven't got a 'fully paid' purchase agreement with them, only that they will hold it for you to view. Viewing isn't allowed for cars so I wouldn't think it would be allowed for MHs either; of course you'd then have to go back to collect it later.

Definitely. As much as I'm desperate to go, view and ultimately buy. I can't do anything but sit it in the drive anyway.
The dealer's proposition sounds good anyway. Basically we go and view and if we're happy it gets a habitation & mechanical service along with a valet. Then when we go to collect he arranges an overnight at a local site to let us check everything is ok at our own leisure. Any issues we go back the next day.

 

[IRHP]

Dealers should really be offering delivery service in these times. After all we are keeping them afloat. A friend of mines recently just got delivery of their new van from a dealer 90 miles away with a handover video.
BC motorhomes will deliver anywhere in the UK for free.

 

[eddie]

It is when you crash on the way home and write it off that you'll find out if the legal team of the insurance company consider a long journey to collect a vehicle that your not allowed to use from a business that should be sold!

Just playing Devils Advocate

 

[nicholsong]

It is when you crash on the way home and write it off that you'll find out if the legal team of the insurance company consider a long journey to collect a vehicle that your not allowed to use from a business that should be sold!

Just playing Devils Advocate

I am reading it that if he does not pay and collect, by whatever means, the dealer might rescind the contract, return the deposit and sell the MH to another buyer. Although the dealer might have to give notice to rescind, which he seems not to have done so far.

Just on another point, if it is delivered by transport company or the dealer's driver before he has inspected it, then he has the right to reject within a reasonable time from receipt of the goods (MH), hopefully not needed if a new MH.

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[pandas]

It is when you crash on the way home and write it off that you'll find out if the legal team of the insurance company consider a long journey to collect a vehicle that your not allowed to use from a business that should be sold!

Just playing Devils Advocate

Interesting you should mention that. When we wanted to travel from the dealership to yourselves to have a trackstar installed the insurance company would not initially insure us for the journey to yourselves. Six phone calls and many emails later they agreed we could for that one journey and stayed overnight in the vehicle (installation the following morning) - which we were, at your camp site. What goes around...

 

[Realist]

They should not be trading end of not even to collect.
Not an essential journey sorry.

As suggested above get them to deliver it, make them take the flack if stopped not worth a fine to be honest and I don’t expect any activity MoHo wise this year.

 

[minesapint]

Dealers should really be offering delivery service in these times. After all we are keeping them afloat. A friend of mines recently just got delivery of their new van from a dealer 90 miles away with a handover video.
BC motorhomes will deliver anywhere in the UK for free.

sounds like a lot of variables here: check your okay with the vehicle, go through a hand over procedure, once payment has gone through he will have the tow bar and electrics fitted, hook up the toad and off you go! Quite a long day in normal times let alone now.

I will not be going until the end of Feb poss early March. It will be a long day but hey. I once bought a caravan in Liverpool it was on an auction site, after the euphoria of winning the Hymer on auction my wife pointed out we had sold the Land Rover. I went back on line to another vehicle auction site made an offer on a Suzuki Vitara which was in Doncaster. Won that, took a train to Doncaster to collect a vehicle I had never seen, drove to Liverpool, collected the van and drove home to Essex. Life must not get boring.

 

[Realist]

I will not be going until the end of Feb poss early March. It will be a long day but hey. I once bought a caravan in Liverpool it was on an auction site, after the euphoria of winning the Hymer on auction my wife pointed out we had sold the Land Rover. I went back on line to another vehicle auction site made an offer on a Suzuki Vitara which was in Doncaster. Won that, took a train to Doncaster to collect a vehicle I had never seen, drove to Liverpool, collected the van and drove home to Essex. Life must not get boring.

But that was not while under lockdown.

But best of luck and I hope you get it resolved and we all get back to normal, that is if normal will ever come.

 

[eddie]

Interesting you should mention that. When we wanted to travel from the dealership to yourselves to have a trackstar installed the insurance company would not initially insure us for the journey to yourselves. Six phone calls and many emails later they agreed we could for that one journey and stayed overnight in the vehicle (installation the following morning) - which we were, at your camp site. What goes around...

But that wasn’t during a National lockdown.

I’m not commenting whether the journey is essential or not

I am suggesting that it may be worth checking the underwriters opinion about legality as the OP is collecting a brand new motorhom.

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[Late Starting]

If you read the OPs 1st post it is “a new to me motorhome“ I would read that as a used motorhome.
Cliff

 

[pandas]

But that wasn’t during a National lockdown.

I’m not commenting whether the journey is essential or not

I am suggesting that it may be worth checking the underwriters opinion about legality as the OP is collecting a brand new motorhom.

Exactly. I am making the same point that you should inform the insurance company, the answer you get may not be the answer you were expecting.

 

[Minxy]

I don't see why the insurance company will be bothered about this - they are insuring the 'risk' ie the MH, driver etc, nothing to do with travelling to/from a dealer. If travel was completely banned it may be a different matter altogether but it isn't.

As for pandas issue with his insurer, that was nothing to do with travel at any time, it was to do with the fact that he needed to have the Trackstar fitted as part of his insurance policy so that it was covered, completely different situation.

 

[JRVC]

Suggest that if you do decide to collect then you go on your own. Two in the cab are far more likely to be stopped.

 

[Sue]

I feel for you, to have a new motorhome and to not be ‘allowed’ to even collect it. Your only compensation is that , at least, you are protecting our precious NHS.
So many different view points on here, just demonstrates the mess the ‘rules’ are in

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[Claire Ambler]

Just add any fine you get to the purchase price.
Just a thought