Caravan firm pays up after conning couple

COURT: Arbroath company claimed £37,500 holiday home was ‘nearly new’ – when it was really 12 years old

A caravan company has been caught out selling “nearly new” caravans which were actually as much as 12 years old.

Crown Park Sales duped a couple into paying way over the odds for a static caravan by telling them it was only 12 months old.

But after paying £37,500 for the Willerby Vogue caravan, Martin and Senga Burke made the shock discovery that it was actually built in 2006.

The couple took the company to Perth Sheriff Court to claim repayment of the £37,500 they were conned into paying for the caravan in November 2018.

After hearing part of the evidence, Crown Park reached an out-of-court deal to pay the couple off and bring the action to an end.

Mrs Burke told the court that company director Cresswell Welch, 56, had clearly claimed the caravan was a year old and represented a good deal.

“They told us it was a year old. He told us it was in an excellent part of the caravan park with views to St Andrews,” she said.

“We specifically mentioned that we were pleased the purchase was going ahead and that the caravan was only a year old.”

She said Welch tried to claim the van was already insured, but when the couple made further inquiries after the completed sale they found out its true age.

“He said we didn’t need to bother because he had it insured,” she said.

“We weren’t exactly sure what to expect but we thought we should have been given more documents than we got.”

The couple’s writ against the Arbroath-based company stated: “He represented to them that the caravan was only one year old.

“The pursuers agreed that the price was an attractive one, given that the caravan was only one year old, and agreed to purchase the caravan at the price of £37,500.

“They paid a deposit of £3,500 by credit card. Later the same day they made a bank transfer of £34,000. There was no documentation to prove the date of manufacture.”

Several attempts by the couple to get the van’s full details for insurance purposes were blanked by Crown Park and they resorted to checking the serial number plate.

“They checked the identification plate on the caravan and made further inquiries which revealed that the caravan was not built in 2017, but in 2006,” the writ said.

“The defenders engaged in a prohibited practice. They engaged in an unfair commercial practice by undertaking a misleading action.”

Crown Park, which had initially denied the claim before reaching a settlement, has been asked for comment on the court case.

“We weren’t exactly sure what to expect but we thought we should have been given more documents than we got.

SENGA BURKE

Cresswell Welch, director of Crown Park, leaves Perth Sheriff Court with his lawyer.