We traded and purchased a used coach while in Summerdale, Alabama before Christmas. Everywhere we read or heard that this is a great time to purchase an RV as the prices are low and people are unloading them and dealers making great deals. We have ended up in the middle of a big mess. The dealer did not comply with the purchase contract. They defrauded. They did not pay off the loan on the coach we traded. They did not provide a title to the company that gave us the loan on the coach we bought from them. They have closed their doors. We cannot make two coach payments. We don't know where the other one has been sold. We cannot transfer our plates to this coach without a title. This is our only home. We sold everything when we left. We thought we did the right thing by checking the Better Business Bureau site and finding them to be upstanding before dealing with this dealer. To make matters worse, the coach we purchased was on consignment to them. As I write this I can only imagine the outcome of this nightmare. My advice to anyone purchasing an RV at this time of economic crisis is to not accept a coach until you are sure that there is a clear title to it available to you and secondly be sure your trade in has been paid off before accepting another coach. Even though a dealer seems to be doing business normally they may be in the middle of their own financial crisis and getting ready to close their doors. We never suspected the smiling owner doing business with us was stabbing us in the back the whole time! Buyers Beware and don't let your RV Dream become a Nightmare!
Froggi said
02:25 PM Mar 15, 2009
Jan, sent you an email to your old Yahoo account, that's the only one I have. I also blogged about your blog today... I am heartsick for you guys...I hope the State Attorney General is going to help straighten this out. No telling how many others thsi person defrauded. This is the type of greed that is ruining our country. Love & hugs to you both..if you don't get my email, let me know what addy to use.
Dixie said
02:49 PM Mar 15, 2009
Hi Jan and GC
We feel so bad that you have been treated like this and hope everything will work out for you in a positive way. It is terrifying to think that this is happening a lot. I saw another post on the Escapees forum about another couple who was taken by the same dealer.
We are excited and hoping to sell our house this year to go fulltiming. We do not have an rv and we are now wondering how we can protect ourselves when we do purchase one.
Does anyone have any suggestions as how to do that?
Are you able to post the name of the dealership? Somehow, the laws need to be changed to protect the buyers not the businesses.
We will be praying for you.
Mel and Frank
Luvglass said
03:12 PM Mar 15, 2009
If you don't have a title to the coach you purchased, you don't own it and therefor can't be liable to pay for it. I've never heard of a bank giving a loan without a lien on the title. You need to consult an attorney.
As far as protecting yourself up front, I don't know what you do to protect yourself from a real crook. A lawyer can tell you though.
Good luck,
Fred Wishnie
Blog at http://mytripjournal.com/wanderingwishnies
Full time since Feb 06 in Carriage Cameo 35KS3 and Ford F350
“If all you ever do is all you’ve ever done, then all you’ll ever get is all you ever got.”
Judy said
04:24 PM Mar 15, 2009
I am sure you are not alone, I think many will find shady deals with the way things are right now. Like Fred said you need a good lawyer. southwestjudy
RVDude said
05:34 PM Mar 15, 2009
OMG! What a mess... Entangled in a dealer failure.... I hope this will work out for you without a lot of legal wrangling...
One other thing to look out for. Beware when buying a rig from a dealer who got the rig from another failed dealer. If the final selling dealer is NOT an official rep for that manufacturer, the manufacturer may not honor the warranty.
With the flurry in rigs being bought/sold/moved to other dealers due to business failures, you would be well advised before buying any new rig to call the manufacturer directly and get a letter from them assuring that they will honor the warranty if purchased from your chosen dealer. This little “issue” is becoming a biggie.
Like Fred said you need a good lawyer.
southwestjudy
One other thing to look out for. Beware when buying a rig from a dealer who got the rig from another failed dealer. If the final selling dealer is NOT an official rep for that manufacturer, the manufacturer may not honor the warranty.
With the flurry in rigs being bought/sold/moved to other dealers due to business failures, you would be well advised before buying any new rig to call the manufacturer directly and get a letter from them assuring that they will honor the warranty if purchased from your chosen dealer. This little “issue” is becoming a biggie.