A number of RV consumers who lost their life savings after the collapse of a motorhome conversion business last year, will be repaid under a government compensation scheme.
According to an ABC report, the Queensland Office of Fair Trading has awarded nine grey nomads a total of $700,000 in compensation after the Brisbane-based Motorhome Conversion Company went bust in 2019 owing $3.6 million.
More than 100 people were left “out of pocket”, including losses of up to $100,000, after the Queensland motorhome conversion business, founded by John Jeffreys, went into liquidation in July last year.
The affected buyers lodged claims with the Queensland Office of Fair Trading (OFT), although not all claims were successful.
According to one woman quoted by the ABC, the Motorhome Conversion Company “sold her motorhome on consignment, or on her behalf, and did not pay her the full amount”.
She said it was a “great relief” to be repaid almost $36,000.
"It was a great relief I can tell you, because I'd given up, I'd absolutely given up on ever getting it again or ever seeing it. And to get it, it was like Christmas."
The compensation is part of a claims fund run by the Office of Fair Trading which “helps consumers recover losses from motor dealers if they can prove, on the balance of probability, that a breach of the law occurred.
"Claims are treated as a civil matter and a payment of a claim is not evidence of a breach of legislation.”
Click here for the full report.