# Is there a Carthago guarantee?



## tsrwright (May 4, 2011)

Is there a Carthago guarantee?

I am sorry to say that my inquiries over the past month or so have failed to find any evidence that a general manufacturer’s guarantee (or warranty) on Carthago motorhomes exists.

Yet it seems normal for sales and service people to assert that there is one, for two years, as well as a Fiat guarantee on the base vehicle and those on most of the appliances. 

This is the only statement I have had from Carthago in response to a request for a copy of the wording of their guarantee:
'We do regret, but we cannot provide you with this. Please contact your contract partner. We are not your warrantor. The contract is between you and your dealer Go European.'

Not being happy with that, I then wrote by email and post to Bernd Wuschack, (Managing Director, Sales, Marketing, Customer Service) of Carthago Reisemobilbau GmbH but seeking clarification but have had no reply. 

I emailed Joe Cornforth who handles guarantee matters at GoEuropean who sold me my vehicle in 2016 and again I have had no reply.

Other than an expensive and onerous waterproof guarantee, the only written hint of a manufacturer’s guarantee 
I have found is the following:
'Gurantee (sic) and service
Your Carthago motorhome comes with a 24 month implied warranty.'

Now this is just nonsense because Carthago cannot give an implied guarantee - that’s something that would be ‘implied’ by a court if a claim were taken that far. Maybe whoever wrote this is mixed up with an ‘express’ guarantee?

Even my swimming pool pump and filter (also a premium German product) has an express guarantee and this is what it says in 22 languages including Russian and Chinese:

“For the Oase unit purchased by you, Oase GmbH assumes a 24 month manufacturer’s guarantee in accordance with the guarantee conditions laid down in the following ….”

I need not go on … just about everything mechanical or electrical that you buy has such a guarantee although my mother taught me never to rely on them … much better to use the consumer rights given by common law and legislation, she said, if not in those words. 

Still, today, you can get a manufacturers guarantee for up to 6 years for a leaf-blower and 7 years for a new car which beats any other statutory consumer rights there might be. So why is the non-existent Carthago manufacturer’s guarantee important despite what my mother taught me?

Motorhomes travel to the farthest corners of the European continent (and sometimes the world) so it is important to have the back-up, should something go wrong, of the company that made the product. It is also important should the original seller go out of business. 

Neither of these manufacturer’s protections exist with a Carthago motorhome except by what they call ‘goodwill’ on their database.

Of course, when things go wrong they normally do get fixed by selling dealers, without having to invoke the buyer’s rights under consumer legislation. In the UK, for example, this makes the seller liable for manufacturing faults for up to six years. 

The Consumer Rights Act also sets down what must be stated in a guarantee including the duration and scope, particulars for making a claim, that the consumer has statutory rights that are not affected, and the duration and territorial scope.

This is about all that Carthago says on its website, 

'We want you to be satisfied with your Carthago motorhome and experience unforgettable and pleasant trips. Therefore, we place great emphasis in the ongoing qualification of our service and trade partners as these are, primarily, your contact partner when dealing with service matters.'

Well, that trip may ‘unforgettable’ because it is a nightmare with a broken Carthago and no way of getting it fixed other than at your cost. 

Just saying!


----------



## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I think I would find that a bit on the scary side if I had just bought one, but surely this should be brought up prior to signing anything when large sums are involved.


----------



## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

And they look so nice.

Ray.


----------



## coppo (May 27, 2009)

You do seem to get a lot of complaints on the German forums about them.

Its the biggest con going with new vans is the water ingress trash, someone clever thought that one up. Its covered if you pay a kings ransom for us to check it every year, what a bleeding con.

Some new vans now you have to a check each year and a spray put on in certain areas underneath, Niesmann&Bischoff for one. Err, why? Its fibreglass underneath, what a fiddle.

Same with Bailey, a 10 year warranty if you pay a bomb each year to get some idiot to check it for you.

They have not only got you to part with over 100k but the money grabbing continues, make no mistake.

The only way you can escape the great big con is if you die, then I would suspect your next of kin will still get letters stating you are in serious breach of paragraph B, subsection F, tightness and damp article 11.


----------



## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Isn't this the same with 5 and 7 year warranties on Korean cars. Unless they have been 'serviced' as per and by main dealer?

Ray.


----------



## GMJ (Jun 24, 2014)

http://www.carthago.lv/en/gurantee-and-service

Graham :smile2:


----------



## trek (May 1, 2005)

And what a con the initial inspection is

The buyer is having to pay to make sure there are no manufacturing faults at 3months !




I bought a peddle cycle a couple of years ago and the dealer said go and ride it for a couple of weeks and bring it back for us to check that everything is working and adjusted correctly At no cost !


This is the type of service i expect I certainly wouldnt expect to have to pay


----------



## coppo (May 27, 2009)

Your Carthago motorhome comes with a 24 month implied warranty. Above this, Carthago-Reisemobilbau GmbH also grants a voluntary 10 year leak-proof gurantee for all motorhomes, from the model series chic e-line, even for all series production and free of charge.

I think its the first line that the OP is questioning.


----------



## coppo (May 27, 2009)

Initial inspection 
Needs to be carried out after 1500 km or no later than 3 months after first registration: 
The initial inspection is mandatory and is carried out by the trading or service partner. The customer will be charged for the initial inspection.


Terrible, shocking practice, customer will be charged after 12 weeks on a new van, that should be complimentary, anybody know how much this 12 week inspection costs?


----------



## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

We bought a new Frankia from the UK "dealer" some years ago. It came with a two year warranty. Since they were the Frankia dealer for the UK it didn't occur to me to ask whether it was a Frankia warranty. Why would it.

It wasn't till the day after we'd taken delivery that I discovered there was no mention of warranty in the paperwork I'd been given. It didn't worry me since we'd stayed overnight at the dealer's waiting for a telly to be fitted the next day. I asked about the warranty paperwork and was given an insurance type warranty which the dealers bought from a UK based company. I was extremely unhappy. As it turned out that warranty was OK in most respects.

We did have one problem. The Smev oven simply would not stay lit. The dealer wasn't very interested and the warranty company said we should speak to Smev. The warranty people wouldn't cover the cost because nobody could definitively diagnose the fault before starting work. Having a quotation for the rectification of any fault before work started was a condition of their warranty which would have been hard to fulfil in many cases. Smev UK took the details of the cooker, including the serial number, then told us it was nothing to do with them. It was a Smev.de oven and any warranty claim should be taken up with them. 

After a couple of months of getting the run around, sending the wrong parts etc, I solved the problem by buying another cooker and having it installed elsewhere and sending the faulty oven along with bill for it and the bill for the three attempted repairs along with three lots of removal and refitting charges to the dealer we bought the van from. They weren't happy but eventually coughed up rather than have it go to court which I'd have been willing to do.

I felt, and still feel, that the dealer was dishonest with us in not having such a material fact known to us before we bought the van.


----------



## coppo (May 27, 2009)

I have sent an email to Carthago saying we are interested in a new A class but want more information regarding the 3 month mandatory inspection and the cost of this.
I want them to know that we would not purchase a Carthago with this is place and the customer paying.


----------



## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

trek said:


> And what a con the initial inspection is
> 
> The buyer is having to pay to make sure there are no manufacturing faults at 3months !
> 
> ...


It is a condition of Pilote that a wheel alignment check is carried out by Fiat at 1000 miles. Why should the customer have to pay for this check which appears to be required due to misalignment that could have occurred during the MH manufacturing / delivery process?


----------



## fatbuddha (Aug 7, 2006)

the whole motorhome industry is shocking when it comes to any after sales or customer service. I think we all have experiences where we have been let down badly by dealers, and the problem is that because there is no governing body that can crack the whip on them (like the car industry and the SMMT) we will continue to be shafted. there are some very good after market companies doing hab checks, servicing and product supply and support but the brands and main dealers still rule.


----------



## tsrwright (May 4, 2011)

Well said erneboy. This is exactly the sort of misinformation that is going on about guarantees/warranties. What is staggering it that they are getting away with it and pulling the wool over (most of) our eyes.


----------



## tsrwright (May 4, 2011)

GMJ said:


> http://www.carthago.lv/en/gurantee-and-service
> 
> Graham :smile2:


That's the Lithuanian agent's website. You won't find this on the Carthago website. But you will find it in a booklet you get with your vehicle.


----------



## tsrwright (May 4, 2011)

coppo said:


> I have sent an email to Carthago saying we are interested in a new A class but want more information regarding the 3 month mandatory inspection and the cost of this.
> I want them to know that we would not purchase a Carthago with this is place and the customer paying.


Will be interested to know if you ever get a reply


----------



## tsrwright (May 4, 2011)

Kev_n_Liz said:


> I think I would find that a bit on the scary side if I had just bought one, but surely this should be brought up prior to signing anything when large sums are involved.


It was brought up and I was told there was a two year guarantee/warranty.

But only later did I ask for a copy of the terms and they have not been forthcoming.


----------



## coppo (May 27, 2009)

tsrwright said:


> Will be interested to know if you ever get a reply


Yes, as soon as I get a reply I will let you know. I doubt I will get one, they just want to hear from people I bet who don't ask awkward questions.


----------



## coppo (May 27, 2009)

No reply back as yet from Carthago, I,m not surprised, you would think they would be keen to address potential purchasers concerns.


----------



## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I wouldn't hold your breath Paul, I reckon they all adopt the philosophy of there'll be another mug along in a minute, that and they don't sell to the public just dealers, who also adopt the mug principle.


----------



## Ismal (Mar 3, 2018)

Premium Motorhomes quote £185 + Vat & parts.


----------

