A Taunton, Massachusetts, man did not read the fine print when he purchased a motorhome last year.
When problems arose, he reached out to NBC10 Boston Responds for help.
Nate Daniels traded in his small travel trailer and upgraded to a larger bus style motorhome last June.
“When I stepped foot inside of it, I fell in love with the layout. It's exactly what I was looking for in a Class A Motorhome,” Daniels recalled. “Plenty of space inside, lots of sleeping room to bring people with us.”
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He and another family member purchased the pre-owned 2006 motorhome for $50,000. But once he got it on the road, he says he realized there were problems.
“That same first trip there was a real bad shake that was starting to happen when we were going down the road,” he shared. “I said, that just doesn’t feel right to me. They didn't disclose any issues that we discovered later on.”
Daniels says among the problems, the motorhome needed six brand new tires, the front windshield leaked, the passenger thermal pane window was fogging up and he couldn’t see the side mirror, storage areas were rusted out, a stabilizer jack needed to be replaced and the refrigerator was broken.
He says he contacted the company and they agreed to replace the refrigerator and the jack, but not the other repairs.
That’s when Daniels realized that he bought the camper “as is.” It says in the contract it comes with no dealer guarantee or warranty.
“I didn't see that until afterwards when I was combing through it, reading all the fine print, which again, lesson learned,” Daniels said. “Take it home, take a couple of days, read through it before signing it. But sometimes in the excitement of the whole process, it's like, let's just get this done. We want to get it.”
Daniels reached out to NBC10 Boston Responds because he felt potential safety issues with the vehicle should have been disclosed to him before the sale.
NBC10 Boston contacted the company about his concerns and Daniels tells us they reached out to him directly, agreeing to cover window repairs on the vehicle and they also gave him a $300 gift card.
A company representative told NBC10 Boston that they worked with Daniels to resolve the issue.
He ended up shelling out $5,000 for new tires and says he would do things differently next time.
“Do your homework, definitely do your homework,” Daniels said. “ Don't rush into something. It's ok to take your time.”
He also says he didn’t realize he could have hired a certified RV inspector to do a detailed inspection of the vehicle before he bought it.
“What I would do next time is I would hire the RV inspectors, would come out and take a look at it,” Daniels said. “And then if there was certain minor issues that I knew I could address on my own, I would be making an informed purchase.”
RV inspections vary in price depending on the size and type of motorhome you’re having inspected. But spending the money before you buy the vehicle can potentially save you a lot of money in the long run.
If you have a consumer problem you need help with, reach out to us at NBC10Boston.com/ContactResponds or call us at 1-888-521-NEWS.
