I posted this in Legal but it was mentioned I should put it here and see what people think and then send the thread to Camping World and Kampa
I wonder if anyone can give me advice please..
I bought a Kampa Filey Air 6 tent and have had nothing but problems with it, the zips get stuck and I have to get people to get me out and it leaks badly when it rains.
It has already gone back to the manufacturer who insist there is nothing wrong with it and its condensation therefore the shop is refusing to refund me the money or exchange the tent. They have stated I am not ventilating the tent. I am the back ventilation flap is always open regardless of the weather and if it is during the day then the inner door is also open (it has a porch area).
I went away in it this weekend and as soon as the rain started only light drizzle but went on for a few hours so did the leaks. It is leaking from the top seam and running down the poles and pooling there. If it rains really badly these are huge puddles extending under the carpet and the sleeping pods.
I have taken photo's of the puddles and the dripping from the seams but Camping World still insist its condensation. This only happens when it rains and no other time e.g. not after it has stopped raining, the sun has come out and then the temperature drop at night. I have taken photos at 06:00 after a day of rain to show that there is no condensation present which if it was a condensation issue there would be some evidence of this.
This is a huge tent with only myself and my 5 year old in it and so we are not creating much vapour and the sleeping pods inside never get wet like the rest of the tent does. I have never had this issue with tents not even the cheap ones and I have been camping for over 25 years.
I have sent the CAB letter to Camping World stating I continue to have this issue and that unless resolved I will be taking them to the small claims court. This tent package cost £1300 and so a lot of money for a tent that causes massive issues when it pours down and I have to take plenty of towels with me so I can mop up the water in the tent.
Camping World are still insisting there is nothing wrong with the tent because Kampa states its fine however are offering me sealant to seal all the seams. I am not happy with this because I do not think this will work well and I have spent an awful lot of money on a tent for it not to be fully waterproof. I also do not like the fact the zips are so difficult to get out of as the plastic trim on the outside, alongside the zip gets stuck in the zip mechanism.
I have friends who are all willing to state they have seen the rain coming in and the zips getting stuck and have also filmed and taken photos of the zip issue.
Do I stand a good chance of winning with my own evidence despite the report from Kampa? I really do no want to continue using this tent but I am having to to get evidence of the leaks. Its an awful lot of money to lose and I will have to buy another tent to use.
Hope someone can help advise me. Its bit out of my comfort zone tbh.
There is also evidence on forums that this is an issue with this tent as well and I wondered if I could use this as evidence in my case against Camping World