Dealer lied about soft floor!

I am new to the travel trailer community and just bought my first camper.  I bought a used 2003 Trail Lite 23qb travel trailer from a dealership on saturday.  I did buy the unit "as is". The dealer stated there was a soft spot in the floor due to the manufacture not putting enough supports in the floor, and all the Trail Lite models were this way. I took his word for it and I checked for leaks and made sure every thing was dry. It all seemed to be from what I could tell with the given lighting situations at the time. I asked him if it leaked he said "no" it was all dry.  I notice a little moisture in a storage compartment but thought nothing of it. Had them throw some caulk around that part of the trailer just to be safe and called it good. Upon further investigation when cleaning it out this afternoon (sunday) I found that the floor was soft there due to it being soaked and rotten.  Not due to a manufacture flaw in the design of the floor as stated by the dealer.  This is not a case of buyers remorse this is a case of being lied to by the dealer.  Can I get my money back? It has been 24 hours. will be 36 hours by the time I can get the trailer back to the dealer. Any advice would be great thanks!

I don't know of any "cooling off period" for RV purchases, but it would be worth researching.  Odds are that unless you got him to put it in writing, it's going to be your word against his.  Sorry....I know this probably isn't what you wanted to hear, and we've all (most of us anyway) been there at one time or another on some purchase.  Being blatantly lied to sucks. 

Most major purchases you do have a :"Changed my mind" period it varies from state to state and you will have to check with your state to find out wh at it is but I'd notifiy the dealer in writing (Hand delivered with a non family member to witness) of your desire to return the unit for refund ASAP.

Now... If you can PROVE the dealer lied,,, You can either get 'em to fix it or to perhaps a multiple refund.. that's kind of up to a judge.. but for that you might need an attorney.

Since I'm not one.... (Attorney that is) I can't get into details, but fraud, it is.

Also, copy your original post to the department of motor vehicles (Secretary of State in Michigan) for the state in which the dealer does business.. In this case you do not need to prove it..  They will seek proof if they decide to pursue.

Buying something "as is" implies a lot.  I have a feeling you are stuck with fixing it yourself.

Marsha~

Thank you for all of your input.  I appreciate it. I've been here on "as is" purchases before just nothing that was this major.  I will be attempting in the morning to return the camper and see how it goes.  Maybe just maybe the owner of the dealer will have a heart unlike his salesmen did! I do like the trailer and really don't want to see it go back but I'd rather give my money to an honest individual.  If I get stuck with it I'm pretty handy so I feel I could tackle it and chalk it up to a learning experience and not make the same mistake on my next travel trailer purchase! Instead of camping and fishing for memorial day I may be sweating tearing my camper apart! O the joys of owning toys! Will keep posted on the out come!

BrokenHorn said:

Instead of camping and fishing for memorial day I may be sweating tearing my camper apart! O the joys of owning toys! Will keep posted on the out come!

Click to expand...

Well, if you're stuck with it, you can always take it camping for Memorial Day and enjoy it....and start the work when you get back.  And if you really like the trailer and are able to do the work yourself, it really isn't a catastrope, just an annoyance that someone wasn't a straight shooter.  Maybe the karma wheel will come around and smack when and where he wants it least.

Truthfully, I don't know how some people sleep at night.  I'd rather be dirt poor than make a good living cheating people.

Without trying to defend anyone, let me say it may well be the sales person actually believed what he said. Few of them are experts about RVs and RVing, so it is unwise to take their word for anything.  It may also be common for that model to have a soft spot in the floor, but the "manufacturer defect" that causes it is a tendency to leak in that area and allow the floor to rot.

Once you accept delivery, returning anything purchased "as is" is a tough proposition. You are pretty much relying on the dealer's ethics rather than any legal recourse. Let us know how it goes...

I agree Frizle! A good friend of mine and I talk about that all the time.  People and how rude they are drive us nuts.  We don't see how so many business become so successful with the skum bags that run them. 

I can see what you mean Gary a lot of people take positions that they unqualified for or under qualified for.  My mistake for not knowing exactly what to look for I thought I did a pretty good inspection for my first time.  Researched what to look for and everything like that but he distracted me with his "that's how they all are." It won't happen again I will say that.

I just feel I bought the camper "as is" and "as is" was stated to be everything in working condition and no leaks/damage from leaks.  That was all stated by the salesmen.  So with that being said yes I bought it "as is" but with the thought that everything was in good condition. At least that will be my argument we will see if they care!

The way to tell if a salesman is lying, (His lips are moving) .

If they knew everything was in working condition and there were no leaks or damage, they wouldn't have to sell it "as is". And they could give a brief warranty and charge a higher price too.  "As is" means exactly that - you get it as it currently is. Aka "what you see is what you get".

I hope you get some satisfaction from the owner or manager. It might help if you offered to take a credit against some other RV on their lot (and this time ignore the sales speak).

If this were a safety issue like brakes or lights, you may have some recourse on the dealer. However, it may be a bit harder with wood-rot damage in the floor.

I would ask for a meeting with the Sales Manager (or owner) and ask for the salesman to be present that made the statements that you are talking about.

Tell the owner, in the salesman's presence, exactly what transpired. An "As-is" transaction is one issue, an inexperienced salesman making a wrong guess about the softness in the floor is another issue. Fraud is something totally different. If the salesman admits his error in front of the Manager, you stand a very good chance that they will resolve the issue. However, if the salesman claims that he never said any such thing, you'd better have another witness present because it could get ugly from there.

My 1st assumption would be that they acted in good faith, an error was made and the issue will be resolved peacefully....

Went to the dealer this morning at 9 when they opened.  Was very polite didn't see any reason in being rude.  That tactic I don't think works as well as kindness!  I asked to speak to the GM and he was not present.  Presented my issue to the Receptionist she had me go to the salesman that I dealt with. I explained the floor was rotten on the TT he sold to me on saturday.  He immediatly offered me a full refund with no argument.  We tried to negotiate a fair price off from there for me to fix it myself as my girlfriend and I really liked it.  But we couldn't come to a price that I thought was fair for the amount of damage.  So I took my full refund and was happy with that.  I was very happy with the way they resolved the issue. They left it up to me as what to do really.  The search continues!

I am glad you got your problem resolved. Remember when buying an RV, a salesman's word is only as good as the paper it was printed on. It also saves a lot of heartache to pay an independent person to inspect your RV before you buy it.

BrokenHorn said:

Went to the dealer this morning at 9 when they opened.  Was very polite didn't see any reason in being rude.  That tactic I don't think works as well as kindness!  I asked to speak to the GM and he was not present.  Presented my issue to the Receptionist she had me go to the salesman that I dealt with. I explained the floor was rotten on the TT he sold to me on saturday.  He immediatly offered me a full refund with no argument.  We tried to negotiate a fair price off from there for me to fix it myself as my girlfriend and I really liked it.  But we couldn't come to a price that I thought was fair for the amount of damage.  So I took my full refund and was happy with that.  I was very happy with the way they resolved the issue. They left it up to me as what to do really.  The search continues!

Click to expand...

Excellent....... my guess is, they may repair the problem and give you a call. If you really like the trailer, hold tight for a week. My guess is, they will be happy to sell you that trailer at the same price that was originally negotiated...... Trust me.... they won't let a good customer walk away empty handed if they have been in business for longer than a week.

Glad things worked out for you. See, there are honest salesmen in the world.

This is a nice development, all things considered. In a roundabout way you may have identified a pretty good place to do business with. You find out a lot more about people when faced with a problem and you get to see how they solve it. Everybody can be nice during the sales process, that's easy.

I too would not be surprised if they call you back in the next few days after they have a chance to look into repairing the damage.

BrokenHorn said:

Went to the dealer this morning at 9 when they opened.  Was very polite didn't see any reason in being rude.  That tactic I don't think works as well as kindness!  I asked to speak to the GM and he was not present.  Presented my issue to the Receptionist she had me go to the salesman that I dealt with. I explained the floor was rotten on the TT he sold to me on saturday.  He immediatly offered me a full refund with no argument.  We tried to negotiate a fair price off from there for me to fix it myself as my girlfriend and I really liked it.  But we couldn't come to a price that I thought was fair for the amount of damage.  So I took my full refund and was happy with that.  I was very happy with the way they resolved the issue. They left it up to me as what to do really.  The search continues!

Click to expand...

That's pretty impressive, glad they took care of you. 

Rick

Thanks all! I would do business with them again they did not scare me off a bit.  They handled it better than any place I've ever dealt with on anything! It was a great learning experience as this is my first time looking into RV's.  I now know a lot more of what to look for when inspecting and not to over look something because the salesman gave you an explenation for the problem.  Still investigate yourself! I have been looking for the one for a month now, that was it until the floor issue.  I'll continue my search in a couple days my head is still clogged from the last search. 

BrokenHorn said:

Thanks all! I would do business with them again they did not scare me off a bit.  They handled it better than any place I've ever dealt with on anything! It was a great learning experience as this is my first time looking into RV's.  I now know a lot more of what to look for when inspecting and not to over look something because the salesman gave you an explenation for the problem.  Still investigate yourself! I have been looking for the one for a month now, that was it until the floor issue.  I'll continue my search in a couple days my head is still clogged from the last search.

Click to expand...

It's important to understand that most business people are basically honest. In the case of car or RV salesman, there is high turnover in those positions. It's unusual to find a vehicle salesman that has more than a few months experience. It's a long hard road to become a successful salesman and it entails developing a reputation and clientele. Until then, it's a long dry road, often making minimum wage.

A successful salesman is hard to find but when you do, that person will have survived the road of "Hard knocks". If you point out an issue (like soft floor) to a successful salesperson, that person won't usually come back with a response like you got. He will either demonstrate the stability or find a technician to come check it out and give you an opinion.  The type of response that you got was just a lack of experience, hyped with over enthusiasm IMO. That doesn't necessarily translate to dishonesty (as you have now learned).

BrokenHorn said:

Thanks all! I would do business with them again they did not scare me off a bit.  They handled it better than any place I've ever dealt with on anything! It was a great learning experience as this is my first time looking into RV's.  I now know a lot more of what to look for when inspecting and not to over look something because the salesman gave you an explenation for the problem.  Still investigate yourself! I have been looking for the one for a month now, that was it until the floor issue.  I'll continue my search in a couple days my head is still clogged from the last search.

Click to expand...

Very glad it worked out, and the fact that they handled it like they did speaks volumes about the dealership.  But what REALLY sticks out to me is this:  YOU are the main reason it worked out so well.  You went in with a professional demeanor and not ranting and raving.  That alone may have swayed the odds in your favor.  Customers these days often want it free, perfect, and yesterday.....and throw a tantrum (complete with expletives)  when they don't get it their way.  I'm much more inclined to rule in favor of a customer that is rational than one who is obnoxious.