Company finally tows the line
ADREAM of happy holidays in a brand new caravan was something that Brian and Nicola Williams were prepared to pay £25,000 for. But almost five years on they’ve had barely six months enjoyment from the tourer they bought in 2013.
Water damage and a long-running dispute over a warranty claim leading to repair delays have, they say, turned the major investment into a deteriorating burden of misery.
“If this continues all we’ll be left with is a ruin,” Brian told Crusader late last year when he asked us to investigate his contract rights.
The couple bought their Lunar Lexon model through a dealer on a finance agreement, for which they continue to pay more than £200 a month, and parked it on a holiday site in Pembrokeshire.
“Ill-health meant there would be no more holidays abroad so the caravan seemed a perfect solution,” explains Nicola.
Early troubles such as leaking windows that needed replacing and missing small parts were dealt with under the van’s five-year warranty. During this time the van was also serviced, a requirement of the cover.
“We used the caravan for several months in 2015 and then covered it for winter,” recalls Brian. “It was only when we returned the following summer, we discovered it was full of water. Every part was soaking so we couldn’t do the annual service. After an emergency repair, the caravan was put into storage while we tried to sort what was covered by the warranty.”
Brian adds: “The van went to and from two repairers, who submitted our claim. We supplied our service records for two years and explained the flooding had ruled out the third service. But the claim was rejected twice for lack of the full record.
“The finance company told me it is for Lunar to sort out. But after its rejection the van is back in storage.
“The extra tows and storage costs alone have come to £700 and the warranty issue just goes round in circles.”
At the time we asked Lunar Caravans Ltd to review the Wilsons’ warranty, the company was telling customers to deal directly with their distributors as their contracts were between them and any finance partner. But Brian’s dealer was no longer trading in this sector which is why he went to Lunar first.
The firm rejected any accusation that Brian had been passed from pillar to post as “pure exaggeration”, citing his claim history as proof.
It claimed it had not received an answer from the repairers following requests for the missing service history, “therefore warranty [was] invalidated and nothing authorised during communication with our sales team and customer”.
But Lunar’s head of commercial services Roy Hammond eventually proposed Brian reboot his claim. The paperwork was completed by a repairer and the explanation for the missing service record made clear.
The claim has now been accepted, and the Wilsons’ van is on the move again as Lunar says it wants the work done by “its factory”.
In January the company started its own customer care feature within its after-sales service, giving clients another contact option as well as their dealer. Finally, with an end to the costly, vexatious process in sight, Brian thanked Crusader for the support. “Let’s hope we reach journey’s end before summer,” he added.