Tornado damage

[M&E]

So we really don't have any idea what we can do. Just brought our first rig on Tuesday. Paid the down payment. Filled out financing paperwork and left.
Had planned to pick up on April 2nd. Lakeview Oh.
I am fully aware that the loss of life is much more important than our RV.
We are praying for all of the folks there.Its very sad
We just want to know if we're going to be able to recover our down payment at some time and can we move forward purchasing another camper?
We will reach out to the dealer next week after they have had time to wrap their minds around all of this.

Just wondering if any of you had any ideas here?

 

[SeilerBird]

File a fraud claim with your bank.

 

[TheBar]

When I buy any vehicle I call my insurance agent the same day. But if you already have insurance on a vehicle your insurance may have a grace period. The dealer may have insurance that covers this situation but once you sign the papers it's yours.

 

[Rene T]

Welcome to the forum.
Do you even know if yours got destroyed? I would think there are provisions in the contract that allows you to back out up to so many days

 

[SpencerPJ]

It will all work out, might take a bit of time, but life will move on, and there are plenty of new campers that will have your name on them. I'd be certain if financing was involved, insurance was required.

 

[M&E]

Welcome to the forum.
Do you even know if yours got destroyed? I would think there are provisions in the contract that allows you to back out up to so many days

We do not know that for sure yet, but we have looked at the drone photos of where the damage was done and the RV company is right in the heart of where all the damage was done. So, we're pretty certain that they had damaged there. We looked at their website and listened to their voicemail and they have indicated that they're dealing with a" natural disaster and will contact people as soon as possible" So we're gathering that they had damage.

 

[M&E]

It will all work out, might take a bit of time, but life will move on, and there are plenty of new campers that will have your name on them. I'd be certain if financing was involved, insurance was required.

Yeah, that's where we're unsure. Since we've never purchased an RV before, we weren't sure how the purchase agreements work if it's the same as a car??
When we left we were told we needed to go secure our insurance, and we knew our list of things we had to complete on our towing vehicle before pick it up. However, we just aren't sure based on the docuSign, because it's not clear if we actually own it in its current state, or if we would own it. After we sign something on the day we pick it up. That's where the gray area is.

 

[M&E]

When I buy any vehicle I call my insurance agent the same day. But if you already have insurance on a vehicle your insurance may have a grace period. The dealer may have insurance that covers this situation but once you sign the papers it's yours.

Yeah, we did call that day for the insurance. We always do that too.

 

[Skookum]

What happens next I think depends on if you actually own the RV or not, and that's important to know. If you signed a purchase agreement/sales order, and the loan funded, then the rig is probably "yours" at this point. If all you did was put money down and apply for financing, and had planned to sign final paperwork at delivery, you should only technically be on the hook for the down payment. And the dealer should be on the hook to refund that if the unit you intended to purchase was destroyed.

I think this may take time to sort out. If the dealership was destroyed, it will be a while before they're able to recover data, paperwork, systems that support the purchase/sale of rigs. If you "own" the rig, then it's a good time to get on the horn with insurance.

 

[Sprucegum]

Maybe you can put a stop-payment on the check if there is still time

 

[gwinger]

Not sure how it works with a MH, but with the last two vehicles we bought, the final paperwork was signed when they handed over the keys.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The sales contract isn't complete until you take delivery. You probably haven't done that yet, but it's a crucial difference. The most likely scenario is that you have agreed to buy the RV but now the dealer cannot deliver it, so the two parties need to agree on a solution, i.e. accept a substitute or cancel the contract. The substitute you negotiate might be at a later time, a different make/model, and a different price - whatever you and the seller negotiate.
If you have already accepted delivery, the RV is technically yours and you need to file an insurance clam (if you have insurance). However, the RV was still in the dealers care and he has some responsibility to protect it. Even from natural disasters. You & your insurer can file a claim against him for that.

 

[Kirk]

Filled out financing paperwork and left.
Had planned to pick up on April 2nd.

The key is in the paperwork so read what you have carefully and contact your insurance agent ASAP.

File a fraud claim with your bank.

Why would they do that? Even if the RV was totally destroyed there was no fraud, but a natural disaster and the dealer was not at fault.

We looked at their website and listened to their voicemail and they have indicated that they're dealing with a" natural disaster and will contact people as soon as possible"

I would go ahead and contact your insurance agent and make them aware of the situation. You can be sure that the dealer also has insurance that he must deal with and even if your RV is there, completely intact and ready for delivery, they are just a little too busy to deliver it on schedule. April 2 is still more than 2 weeks away so give them some time to contact you.

 

[ziplock]

If you have already accepted delivery, the RV is technically yours and you need to file an insurance clam (if you have insurance). However, the RV was still in the dealers care and he has some responsibility to protect it. Even from natural disasters. You & your insurer can file a claim against him for that.

I like Gary's answer:

Their lot is insured......................you have a safety net and I hope insurance also

 

[ziplock]

File a fraud claim with your bank.

?????

 

[Onyrlef]

I think the last thing you need at this point is legal advice from armchair lawyers. Give the dealer the opportunity to get their bearings and proceed from there.

 

[John From Detroit]

You said you made the down payment. You had not yet taken delivery and signed the delivery papers so.... Laws vary from state to state but I BELIEVE (And I stress that is my belief I'm not a lawyer) but I believe the dealer owns the vehicle and must either refund or replace.

That said.. Might want to chat with an attorney....

And take a weather spotter class like I did this morning
You can find more on spotter training at National Weather Service
Do a search on spotter training.
(The full link I have is specific to S.E. Michigan area)

 

[Ray-IN]

You said you made the down payment. You had not yet taken delivery and signed the delivery papers so.... Laws vary from state to state but I BELIEVE (And I stress that is my belief I'm not a lawyer) but I believe the dealer owns the vehicle and must either refund or replace.

That said.. Might want to chat with an attorney....

And take a weather spotter class like I did this morning
You can find more on spotter training at National Weather Service
Do a search on spotter training.
(The full link I have is specific to S.E. Michigan area)

I was a weather spotter in the 1070's. It came in useful in April 2023 when a tornado hit Sullivan IN. I live 40 miles East and was watching the cloud cover slowly rotating CCW off to the West of my house; that, while listening to my weather radio.

 

[Larry N.]

I was a weather spotter in the 1070's.

Wow! I didn't realize you were THAT old...

 

[John From Detroit]

I was a weather spotter in the 1070's. It came in useful in April 2023 when a tornado hit Sullivan IN. I live 40 miles East and was watching the cloud cover slowly rotating CCW off to the West of my house; that, while listening to my weather radio.

I took my first Weather Spotter class in the70s as well Got my license (Novice and Tech) in 1968) now belong to the QCWA.. though I waited an extra QC to join