The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is calling on people who have recently bought caravans to take part in a survey about possible consumer law issues in the industry.
Deputy Chair of the ACCC, Delia Rickard said the Commission had launched the New Caravan Survey – Consumers in response to receiving more than 1,300 reports about the caravan industry over the past five years.
“Common complaints include retailers selling new caravans that do not meet consumer guarantees and faults leading to disputes between manufacturers and retailers about which party is responsible for the cost of repairs,” Ms Rickard said.
“The caravan industry has experienced strong sales growth in recent years and this is expected to increase as more Australians choose to travel domestically rather than overseas due to the ongoing pandemic,” she said.
“We are looking for further information from consumers and industry about the issues they have had with their caravans and their experience trying to get their concerns fixed.”
Ms Rickard said information gathered during the Survey, open until 10 December, would help to inform the ACCC’s future work, including possible enforcement action.
The Deputy Chair said separate surveys were available for purchasers and retailers of new caravans.
“The purchaser Survey focuses on the sales process and whether consumers had any subsequent faults with their new caravans and, if so, whether they were able to have these resolved under the warranty or the consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law,” she said.
“The retailer Survey focuses on any disputes with consumers about warranties and consumer guarantees, and whether retailers have had any indemnification disputes with manufacturers,” Ms Rickard said.
The ACCC’s caravan purchaser Survey can be accessed at this PS News link.