HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A young couple looking to save money on housing costs purchased a new RV as a starter home. They made a call for action after several repairs failed to fix a chronic roof leak that flooded their bedroom after every hard rain.
Newlyweds David and Hailey Narvaez purchased the new RV last April. Both are finishing college and living off of David’s income. Payments on the $40K camper are far less than what their rent cost for an apartment in the Tampa area.
But weeks after moving in, their new home started leaking. David showed ABC Action News home videos of water seeping into the hallway and master bedroom, where anything on the floor would get soaked with each shower. David said one reason that they purchased a new RV was to avoid the hassle of repairs.
The couple called Camping World in Dover and reported the leaks but say repairs never came quickly and didn't last long.
“They’ll do an assessment, and they'll try and fix it. And we did that about five or six times," David said.
The repeated flooding was stressful and made it difficult for the couple to sleep on rainy nights. David told ABC Action News, “It's been tough for me to be able to get rest in my own home.”
ABC Action News reached out to Camping World’s corporate offices in Illinois. Between September and December, the dealer picked up the RV twice and brought it in for repairs.
But then January brought more rain, revealing at least one remaining leak. We emailed Camping World again, this time requesting that the couple be given a full refund.
A spokesperson responded via email, saying. "I am sorry to hear that this is still ongoing. I have agreed to repurchase the camper for what he paid. We will address the ongoing leaks with the manufacturer."
David said he and his wife are looking forward to getting this troubled trailer out of their lives. “A little bit of peace, a little bit of reconciliation for the frustration that we've had to deal with for the past almost a year now,” he said.
The number of people choosing to move into an RV has skyrocketed along with housing prices but what buyers need to know is unlike regular vehicles, there is no "lemon law" protecting them when they purchase a new camper.
