Caravan crisis

[Kathryn3471]

I purchased a used static caravan on a well known site in 2013. When we were given the keys we noticed our fridge freezer wasn’t working so the site replaced it with a brand new from another caravan of the same make. All good, however, 3 weeks ago I noticed the fridge wasn’t cold but warm, the freezer is still working. After maintenance had a look he recommended replacing the fridge door seal which I purchased. After waiting 3 weeks for it to arrive, I’ve been told today that it still isn’t working and therefore I need to purchase a new fridge freezer at the cost of £375. I’m sure a new fridge should not be broken after 3 years and the site have informed me that the warranty ran out at the end of April. Has anyone got any advice as I really can do without paying for another expense. I believe the site should replace it without charge. Am I correct? TYIA

The OP will have to pay for a professional to examine her fridge. If, after the inspection, it is decided that it was down to her misuse then that is further money she has thrown away. Meanwhile, we have some nice weather and rather than wait for an inspection and small claims the OP can buy a new one and get on with her life.

Crisis 🤣🤣🤣

I would also imagine, that being in a caravan, the fridge has got very cold in the winter. This is something that fridges do not like.

Buying a house is a little different if you are buying it from the previous occupants. They only requirements on any appliance they include in the sale are that they must be fit for purpose and match any description they have given. However, if you buy a new build house and it includes appliances, they must be of satisfactory quality and your consumer rights apply against the builder if they are not.

If OP had bought the caravan in a private sale, she would have no rights. As she bought it from the caravan site and a fridge freezer was included in the price, it must be of satisfactory quality.

As so often happens on threads when people come here with consumer issues, there are a lot of people on this thread who clearly don't know the law and are claiming, wrongly, that OP does not have any rights. She clearly does. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gave her those rights. The question is not whether she has any rights. The question is whether she can prove the fridge freezer was faulty when supplied and, if she can, whether she wants to enforce her rights.

Or the engineer who inspects it may be able to fix it, in which case the total cost may well be a lot less than a new fridge freezer.

Fridge freezers designed for caravan use should be able to handle getting cold in winter.

Something like a seal is subject to wear on tear so the lifespan of that doesn’t necessarily gave to match the appliance
she’s had 3 years so no disputing it was ok when she got it

It’s not a crisis. Buy a new one. Stop being silly. Sorted.

But they are not meant to be left on if the caravan is empty.

This is not remotely the same as buying a house or a new car, as there are additional conditions attached to purchasing a caravan on a maintained site.

I think your solution comes down to the small print in your caravan purchase agreement. P

Were the site owners obliged to provide brand new appliances as a condition of purchase or just confirm that they were in working order at the time of purchase?

Presumably the fridge freezer that was swapped over was already second hand when it was moved into your caravan when you purchased it in 2023? I wonder how old it actually was at that point?

Three years for a FF does seem a bit rubbish as I’d expect it to easily last 10 years normally.

Are you paying an ongoing maintenance fee that includes a contractual obligation on the site owners to service and maintain working appliances in the caravans?

I wiuld expect a fridge or other electrical type things to last a lot longer than 3 years. I'm pretty sure I heard on a Martin Lewis type consumer programme that you should expect at least six years of use before any issues arise

I thought you'd been stung for 50k or something. Get on with it and sort YOUR fridge

Agreed, but it appears that the seal is not the problem. It has been replaced and the fridge is still not working. And whilst she has had the appliance for 3 years, that does not guarantee it was of satisfactory quality when she got it. Durability is a requirement. If there was a manufacturing fault that meant a component failed after 3 years, the appliance was not of satisfactory quality notwithstanding the fact that it worked without issues for 3 years.

If the appliance was misused, e.g. by not following the manufacturer's instructions for care when it was not in use, OP does not have a case. I have been clear throughout that the central question for her legal rights is whether the problem is due to the appliance being faulty when supplied (e.g. a component failing due to an inherent manufacturing or design fault), or due to misuse, accidental damage or similar. If the problem was not due to an inherent fault in the appliance as supplied, OP does not have a case.

It was secondhand when it was given to you. It’s now broken, buy a new one like you’d have to at home.

I suppose it could be a crisis, as in someone may be holidaying in it right now and so they don’t have a fridge for their holiday, which wouldnt be ideal

It is obviously a problem and may feel like a crisis but I'd probably just replace it. My last fridge freezer broke down (the fridge part) 19 years ago during a heatwave and it was a pain. I was pregnant, dh was away and I had to ferry stuff to dm's so it wouldn't go off. I was a bit disappointed that it had only lasted 17 years but it had moved around a lot. Of course when one thing goes another likes to go so a few weeks later we needed a new washing machine.

I don’t understand how it’s only been three years if she bought it in 2013, the fridge was then replaced, and it’s only now malfunctioned.

If a fridge freezer at home breaks down after 3 years, you may have a claim against the supplier for a free repair or replacement or, failing that, a partial refund. You don't necessarily have to buy a new one and bear the entire cost yourself. It depends on the reason for the appliance failing.

You only have their word it was brand new when you got it……

If it was not, that gives OP another claim against the site.

DW has just melted the bottom of our air fryer as she didn't realise it was on the ceramic hob. Adulting can be a pain

Its not a crisis. A fridge dying after three years is built-in obsolescence so nothing to be done. I haven’t read the full thread, but I gather it may actually be 13 years old, not three.

It’s life, I would just replace it and not look to make a drama out of it.

If it is built-in obsolescence (i.e. the fridge freezer was designed to fail after around 3 years) OP definitely has a claim against the caravan site. Goods must be of satisfactory quality, and durability is part of that. How long a product should last depends on a range of factors, but the courts generally take the view that a fridge freezer should last 10-15 years. If it lasts substantially less than 10 years the consumer has a claim against the supplier unless the early failure is due to misuse, accidental damage or similar.

OP hasn't confirmed, but it seems likely that 2013 in her post is a typo and it should be 2026. I doubt she would be complaining about a fridge freezer failing after 13 years.

It's called a "typo".