Nightmare Experience

My partner bought a used motorhome(VIL 2316)from Paul Johnson(Nirvana Mobility)unseen on the 28th July.He personally gave my partner every assurance the vehicle was "sound" and would "sail through an MOT". It failed the MOT for some welding at the rear which was duly repaired and my partner went down to Standstead to collect the following day(29th). She received a 1 year MOT with no advisories and began her journey north.Her daughter and sons partner accompanied her. As it was later in the day(7:30)my partner soon had to turn the vehicles lights on as it was getting dark.A couple of hours later the electrics started to play up and eventually the vehicle broke down near Durham around 12pm. No company were prepared to send out recovery and she could not get hold of Paul who wouldn't answer the phone.My partner and company were forced to spend the night at the side of a road with a completely dead vehicle(no heat). The vehicle was recovered to a garage the following morning and diagnosed as alternator/battery fault. The garage provided a hire vehicle for my partner(£600) at her cost to return home. Eventually my partner got hold of Paul, but at this stage I wanted a full refund(£10,000). Subsequently Paul had the alternator and battery replaced and my partner decided she would like to give Paul another chance(doh)based on the £1000 compensation he offered for all the distress and inconvenience caused. She returned to the garage the same day to collect the repaired vehicle. She arrived home late that night exhausted. We had decided to spend the compensation on tidying up the bodywork as it was fairly poor(many dents,scratches etc).However we wanted to get the appliances checked out first. We contacted a local specialist and arranged to deliver the vehicle. Imagine our horror when they phoned us to report severe corrosion around both ends of the main cross member.And stated" it should never have passed an MOT". We contacted Paul asking for our money back and submitted the correct form by registered post as we were within 30 days of purchase.He offered us £7,500 for the vehicle(adding insult to injury). We were left with no option but to contact Trading Standards and the DVSA to help recover our £10,000. The DVSA inspected the vehicle on the the 30th August and found it unfit for the road due to excessive corrosion around structural components. It also failed on a headlamp aim and had 4 advisories on lighting components. (inspector also informed us the floor under the body was rotten and unlikely to last very long). We reported their findings to Paul and supplied a copy of the fail document. We asked him to return our money. Initially he refused to do so but eventually offered us £8650 to return the vehicle.He had already given us £1350 in compensation for all the inconvenience and distress caused but now he was taking that back. Paul operates a mobility company and my partners son has disabilities,he sold us a vehicle that was unfit for the road.My partner and company drove some 400 miles in a vehicle with a bogus MOT. I cannot stress strongly enough about the dangers of buying a vehicle from this man,in the hope that others will not fall into the same trap. The DVSA tell us the tester who conducted the test will probably get a 60 point penalty. But otherwise no other action will be taken.The garage concerned is York Road Mot centre. This whole episode does not put us off owning a Motorhome.It has been deeply stressful.But we enjoy that lifestyle and intend to continue. The owner of Nirvana Mobility has proved himself to lack integrity/honour.These commodities are essential in any moral and ethical business practise.Please take the time to read my review of his Business Nirvana Mobility.And be very very wary of buying from him.

Colin Murray - 15/09/2016 | report this review