Lemon caravan study announced

A Canberra university is conducting Australia's first formal research into the high-profile issue of ‘lemon’ caravans.

The Australian National University, ANU College of Law is seeking owners of poorly built or ‘lemon’ vans to complete a 21-question survey around their experiences.

The researchers said they are only interested in feedback from owners of caravans with serious defects related to safety, such as “gas and/or electrical installation as these must be certified as safe as part of the registration process and go to the question of whether the van is safe and fit for purpose".

"If you have relevant experience with defects and with trying to get those remedies corrected we invite you to complete this survey," the researchers said.

The aim of the research is “to identify whether the Australian consumer law and the Australian vehicle standards are ineffective in ensuring that only caravans that are fit for purpose are used on Australian roads”.

Apart from being reported in academic journals, the results of the survey will be used to “compare the lived experience of obtaining repairs and remedies against the stated aims of the Australian Consumer law… (and) will form the basis of recommendations to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the Federal Government for changes to the ACL and remedies".

The issue of poorly built ‘lemon’ caravans and lack of redress has been a hot topic in the Australian RV industry in recent years, driven by vocal online campaigners as well as some high-profile cases around rogue operators.

Further details about the study can be found here, or to complete the survey (which is voluntary and anonymous), click here.