Fit For The Purpose?
Submitted: Friday, Jun 11, 2004 at 23:32
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Turist
An article of interest in the S.M. Herald this morning.
Customer, after accepting the advertising blurb by Jayco that the Jayco Outback model was suitable for travel on outback dirt roads, purchased one.
Then he did what he thought would be OK, he used it in conditions promoted by the manufacturer as being suitable for the model.
He travelled, he said, on the roads the recent 4wd test used, the Plenty, the Donahugh etc.
These are roads that many BT owners have travelled on, including myself several times and I do not consider them to be examples of “Australias worst.” Even tourist coaches travel on them.
Well all sorts of problems eventuated, a door fell off, the brakes failed a couple of times, the water tank was punctured, the shock mounts broke etc etc.
He returned the van to the dealer for a refund but was refused so he took the case to Department of Fair Trading who found in favour of the customer.
Fair Trading ruled that the van was “not fit for the purpose for which it was sold.”
The customer was refunded the purchase price less $2,490.00 because he had derived some benifit from the van.
Regards
Turist.
Reply By: Deleted User - Friday, Jun 11, 2004 at 23:34
Friday, Jun 11, 2004 at 23:34
Turist! Mate! You've inspired a brain-storm! I think we should each find a nice wash-out somewhere ('bout 5m wide, 4 m deep and with a 2 m drop to the far side), and take a Kia for a test drive. We could each take a run at it at about 80k/hr (someone could do the maths - speed v distance v drop-rate of 9.8m/sec/sec). We could then follow up with a Nissan traversing across a sand-dune. If Mr Tenis Ace ('Andretti' Agassi) et al can do it in the adds, surely it's the manufacturers intension that we could all safely try these things out in a non-emergency, like a test drive. I'm sure 40 or 50 broken suspensions & bent chassis and 4 or 5 roll-overs would persuade manufacturers to stop promoting unsafe driving practices in their advertising. Sounds like a good public service activity that we could all engage in in the interests of safer 4 wheel driving. Whaddaya reckon? Griff
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Reply By: Deleted User - Friday, Jun 11, 2004 at 23:35
Friday, Jun 11, 2004 at 23:35
Griff, Yeah! and what about the VW Touareg with Its V10, 4.9l turbo diesel, 230kw, 750Nm, speedo reads to 320km/h, can tow 3500kg but only has a max. ball capacity of 180kg! Then there's the 19" alloy wheels with 275/45/19 low profile tyres for going over corrugations, hoofugations and cattle grids, plus.... the rediculous skinny spare wheel located under the luggage floor, and you can't fit a bull bar .....all for $130k !!! However it did win the US 4wd of the year and the engine has just been awarded as the "world's best engine" cheers.............Rob
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Reply By: Deleted User - Friday, Jun 11, 2004 at 23:36
Friday, Jun 11, 2004 at 23:36
When i had a real job the definition of qality was fit for purpose. This is a sad story with an almost pleasant ending. On a recent trip to the kimberly we came upon a couple of great older blokes towing what they told me was an off road camper trailer ( wind up type). They were limping along the GRR with a broken spring hanger. When i had a look at the van there was nothing off road about it at all. It seems manufactures are iresponsibly cashing in on the popularity of adventure 4WD/caravaning by ofering so called off road vans in their product line up. As we know simply increasing ground clearance and riveting some aluminium checkerplate on a van does not convert a road van to an off road van. At the recent Sydney caravan show there was a bewildering number of off road vans for sale. Nearly every manufacturer had one on display. Most were suited to ocasional dirt road use. I feel sory for genuine buyers who have to filter the mass of sales talk befor making a decision to purchase the van most suited to their purpose. Vidas
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562436
