A Word to the Wise About Rv Warranties and Their Tricky Attempt to Cut Off Your Right to Go to Court



Don't let that expensive Rv rip off your rights

New Rv buyers fall in love with the appearance of the new RV long before they ever see the sales paperwork or the factory warranty. That can end it up costing you a lot more than you think.



So, what should you look out for?



First, the warranty limitations. Many new RV warranties now come with a shorter time limit to file any kind of warranty claim against the manufacturer. That can cost you big money.



If, like many RV's, your Rv goes into the Rv dealer repair shop too many times and that one year warranty goes by quickly, you could find yourself with an expired warranty and malfunctions and defects that continue to exist. And if you wait too long to file a claim after that warranty expires, you may be stuck on your own - and stuck with the repair bills too.



Some new RV warranties have a sentence buried away in them which says that you have to file in a claim under the warranty within as little as one month or three months from when the warranty expires - or your legal rights are gone. Think it doesn't matter? Thank you again.



No one likes to rush off to a lawsuit or lawyer, but if you let the manufacturer or dealer drag out your repairs, you could find things never getting fixed. If the dealer does not get your defects fixed in time or the repairs are done late in your warranty, then you may have no choice but to go to a lawyer for help. If you don't act fast, the factory may try to use that short time limit in the warranty to avoid paying for any repair at all after that.



The moral of the story is simple – get to a lawyer quickly and file your claim fast. Most lemon RV lawyers will review your case for free (we certainly do). And the federal lemon law gives you the right to recover your attorney fees if you have to file a claim.



But wait, there is another problem lurking in the sales paperwork your dealer used to sell you that nice, new RV that can also cost you more big bucks.



When buying a new RV you almost always will get a warranty from the manufacturer, but you seldom get a warranty from the selling dealer. Why not? After all, it is the dealer is who you give your money to.



If they want $50,000 for $100,000 or even more of your money, they should at least give you the promise that they will stand behind what they are selling. Almost all dealers use sales paperwork, however, that says they are selling that expensive new RV to you "as is." Is that fair?



Money Talks. So let it talk.
Think about it this way. The dealer may argue with you about changing their paperwork, but do you think if you stacked $50,000 in cold, hard cash on the salesman's desk, he just might agree to give you their own warranty to get their hands on the cash? You betcha! Well, that check you give them and that finance contract you sign - those are the same thing as a stack of cash to an Rv dealer.

You should insist on the dealer standing behind what they sell (put it in writing on the sales contract itself) or take your money elsewhere.



The moral of the story is easy – tell the dealer you want them to write on the sales contract that they are giving you their own 90 day warranty (or some other time limit). And then tell them that you will not sign the sales contract until they do that. Don't worry, because if they want your money bad enough they will do anything for it.



That extra warranty from the dealer will create extra legal rights for you that can give you powerful remedies if, Heaven forbid, your RV turns out to be a lemon.



No one wants a lemon RV and no one thinks that is what they are buying when they get their new RV. But there are lemons out there and just a little extra effort on your part can give you tremendous legal rights to do something about it if that is what you end up with. 

Why? Because it's better to be safe than sorry. Buying a new RV is subject to Murphy's Law. In other words, as sure as you take the time to protect yourself a little better, you won't have any problems at all. And as sure as you don't, you will end up wishing that you did.

Burdge Law Office
Helping Rv'ers Get Rid of Lemon Rv's

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Known nationwide as a leading Lemon Law attorney, Ronald L. Burdge has represented literally thousands of consumers in "lemon" lawsuits and actively co-counsels and coaches other Consumer Law attorneys. From 2005 through 2018, attorney Ronald L. Burdge has been named as the only Lemon Law Ohio Super Lawyer by Law and Politics magazine and Thomson Reuters Corp., Professional Division. Burdge restricts his practice to Lemon Law and Consumer Law cases. The Ohio Super Lawyer results are published annually in the January issue of Cincinnati Magazine. Ronald L. Burdge was named Consumer Law Trial Lawyer of the Year 2004 by the National Association of Consumer Advocates, the nation's largest organization of consumer law private and government attorneys. "Your impact on the auto industry has been magnified many times over because of the trail you blazed for others," stated NACA's Executive Director, Will Ogburn. Burdge has represented thousands of consumers in Ohio, Kentucky and elsewhere since 1978 and is a frequent lecturer to national, state and local Bar Associations and Judicial organizations. Burdge is admitted to Ohio's state and federal courts, Kentucky's state courts, and Indiana's federal courts. Other court admissions are on a "pro hac" temporary, case by cases basis.