Pressure mounts on rogue RV operators

A caravan compliance campaigner warns that "a lot of feathers are about to fly" in the Australian caravan industry as authorities continue to shine the spotlight on rogue RV operators.

The founder of the Caravan Council of Australia, Colin Young, claims that evidence from 'undercover operations' at caravan shows is currently being compiled for legal action being pursued by disgruntled caravan buyers.

"It is reported that caravans and camper trailers being offered for sale, are being discreetly inspected at various caravan shows by professional sleuths, in order to detect and obtain proof of non-compliances with the vehicles, and breaches of the Australian Consumer Law by sales personnel," Young said.

He said that this "critical information" including conversations with salespeople, will be passed on to lawyers compiling legal cases for aggrieved caravan buyers, as well as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

"There has been a flood of serious complaints of problems with both caravans and suppliers," Young continued.

"A high percentage of complaints relate to caravans being so-called accredited only to find that the apparent auditing was far from being professional and comprehensive.

"It is not known if non-compliant vehicles will be removed from the shows (but) it is hoped that this sort of professional auditing will go a long way to significantly benefit caravan owners and potential buyers."  

Young said he was unable to provide further specific details on any caravan show 'sting operation', as he was "under a contract with a prominent law firm who are in the process of commencing a number of class actions against some organizations and individuals in the caravan industry on behalf of quite a few very angry caravan owners". 

Non-compliant or poorly-built 'lemon' caravans is a hot topic in the Australian RV industry, with the ACCC recently releasing a report based on a survey of caravan owners that showed that 80 per cent had experienced problems with their new caravan.

Many buyers told the ACCC that when they experienced a failure with their caravan, they were unable to obtain a remedy or that the remedy provided did not fully address the failure.

Young also warned potential caravan buyers to be aware of recent reports of "widespread use of cheap, fraudulent, non-compliant ADR-related replica components used in the manufacture of 'vans, because of the unavailability of the usual compliant components".

Like other caravan consumer advocates, Young believes more action needs to be taken to 'clean-up' the industry, including a "much-needed royal commission into the caravan industry".

"Hopefully this will be the start of a much-needed clean-up of the industry," he said.