Lawyer in Florida for RV Dealer Issue?

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FloridaGuy

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Jan 13, 2020
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Hi all,

Long time lurker, first time poser  :)

Short version: After 2+ months of repetitive issues, we are trying to back out of our purchase of a fifth wheel. We are looking for a lawyer in Central Florida who can help with this, to the point of suing if necessary. We are curious if any forum members have any recommendations or experiences with any lawyer(s) in the Central Florida area (Tampa to Daytona) who tackle RV cases.

Long version:
At the beginning of November, we decided to purchase a fifth wheel trailer. We went to a large dealer about 2 hours from our house, and eventually decided on one. Next weekend, we went down for the walk through and to sign paperwork. During this time, we came up with a punchlist of items to be fixed. All cosmetic in nature other than the fireplace.

The dealer agreed to fix the items in a week or two after getting the parts, then would deliver (as we do not yet have our dually... waiting for fifth wheel to sell our house, using proceeds to buy the truck).
Around the week of Thanksgiving, the parts are finally ordered.

Fast forward to around the week before Thanksgiving, despite weekly calls, still no ETA and now being told +/- 6 weeks to get the parts. Dealer offers to deliver the unit and come back for it when the parts come in. During the attempted delivery, their delivery truck damages the unit. Unit goes back to the dealer.

No communication since this occurred and still no ETA or resolution within sight. Due to the issues to date, lack of clear communication and constantly shifting timelines, we are pretty much burnt and done. We want out of the deal. Even if they fix it, at this point the value of the trailer is already diminished due to the damage they caused. I know, it is a depreciating asset to begin with... but damages to the unit further push down the value.

I'm not yet naming the dealer as I'd like to seek legal advise to try and get out of this situation. So, I am hoping someone here can help point us in the right direction as we're struggling to find an attorney who will take on an RV case.

Thanks,
Florida Guy
 
I don't have a specific name to suggest, but I would think a Florida "lemon law" attorney would have the experience that would aid in resolving an issue with vehicle purchase. There are also attorneys that specialize in vehicle dealer fraud - you can find them via the FindLaw service.

https://lawyers.findlaw.com/lawyer/practicestate/auto-dealer-fraud/florida
 
File a free BBB report first.  Be specific about how you want this resolved to your satisfaction.
 
Below is a link to where you can file a complaint. Also, filing on BBB can help resolve issues as well. Since you never took possession, I believe they should refund you 100%. Can you send me the name of the dealer in PM if you don?t want to share it publicly? Looking to buy an RV and would like to know who to stay away from.

https://www.flhsmv.gov/safety-center/consumer-education/consumer-complaints/
 
We had issues with our (new to us - 1 year old) C class. Nothing like yours, radio & title problems. (They promised - in writing - to fix the radio, and the previous owner still owed about $25 to their lein holder. To me, both were items that should have been very easily rectified but they dragged their feet for over 2 months.)
I made out a BBB report and wrote to their company headquarters. Problem was solved within a week. That store's branch has since closed.
 
It's good that you decided to seek help from a lawyer. This way you can save both time and money. People do not fully know their rights and responsibilities. That is why sometimes it is difficult to solve any problems and issues. I think everyone has faced a situation where they needed to go to a lawyer. I didn't have issues as you did with transportation, but I had some problems with my neighbors. I decided to do the rational thing and not waste my time. I know almost nothing about condominium law, so professional help was essential. So, good luck finding a lawyer in the right field.
 
StephenShort said:
It's good that you decided to seek help from a lawyer. This way you can save both time and money. People do not fully know their rights and responsibilities. That is why sometimes it is difficult to solve any problems and issues. I think everyone has faced a situation where they needed to go to a lawyer. I didn't have issues as you did with transportation, but I had some problems with my neighbors. I decided to do the rational thing and not waste my time. I know almost nothing about condominium law, so professional help was essential. So, good luck finding a lawyer in the right field.
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum,
Just so you know, this is a 2 year old post. Also the OP only had this one post and hasn’t been back since
 
In today's environment I can understand why it's not fixed yet. Parts often times come in from the factory in another RV, saves delivery charges. But with the lack of work force the supply chain is in a real mess. Good luck getting anything resolved
 
donn said:
In today's environment I can understand why it's not fixed yet. Parts often times come in from the factory in another RV, saves delivery charges. But with the lack of work force the supply chain is in a real mess. Good luck getting anything resolved
Click to expand...
Well it was two years ago, but yes. Even at the best of times, part delays have always happened, especially in the RV industry.
 
Bobtop46 said:
File a free BBB report first. Be specific about how you want this resolved to your satisfaction.
Click to expand...
The BBB only contacts the offending party. They do not take any legal action. They only posts the complaints and degrade the ratings. This is only for companies that register with the BBB.
I had a problem with a large hardware type store and reported them to the BBB. They contacted the store and never received a reply after three notices. The BBB notified me that since the company never replied, to take it to Consumer Protection. That is part of the States Attorney Generals office.
 
We filed a lemon law claim in Florida without a lawyer about eight years ago. The procedure had us send the application to multiple folks in FL as well as to the dealership and manufacturer. For cars, the manufacturers go out of their way to avoid the lemons showing up in their statistics. We ended up with full retail credit towards any new car on a dealers lot, less some small mileage usage amount and plus $2K if we did not pursue the claim.

Having a lawyer may help OP - unless they have excruciating detail in writing/photos/service orders that show how many lost hours of use, how many failed repair attempts and all the participating parties identities. We didn't use a lawyer as the dealerships own service records detailed how many days of loss we had within a given amount of time.

Here's a good read on the subject;

--->> Click It! <<---
 
Sounds like an absolute nightmare dealing with all those issues and lack of communication. It's such a bummer when something you're excited about turns into a headache, especially when it involves a big purchase like a fifth wheel.
 
OebDowns said:
Sounds like an absolute nightmare dealing with all those issues and lack of communication. It's such a bummer when something you're excited about turns into a headache, especially when it involves a big purchase like a fifth wheel.
Click to expand...


As for finding a lawyer in Central Florida, I can't offer personal recommendations, but I stumbled upon this link to CFTC Whistleblower Attorneys that might be worth checking out: https://federal-lawyer.com/ . I know it might seem like a stretch to connect it to your RV situation, but sometimes legal experts can surprise you with their ability to handle various cases.
 
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