Our Caravan AC Warranty Battle — Dometic FreshJet Pro – What We Learned About Consumer Rights After Buying at Auction

We purchased a Jayco Starcraft Bush Pack 2024 from auction earlier this year.
It was a great deal — $46,000 for a van that normally retails around $73,000 — and apart from some cosmetic damage to the awning and exterior, everything looked perfect.

Or so we thought.

Just months later, we discovered our Dometic FreshJet 7 Pro caravan air-conditioner had stopped cooling properly. Upon inspection, the problem was a leaking evaporator — and the unit was not even one year old.

That’s when the warranty battle began.

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The First Call — and Early Hope

We contacted Dometic directly, and they referred us to their authorised repairer, Beenleigh Electric & Refrigeration. To their credit, the service centre initially confirmed it would be covered under warranty.

It seemed straightforward — until Dometic at Varsity Lakes later denied the claim. The staff were polite, but their refusal raised a big question: Did buying at auction mean we had no warranty rights at all?

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What the Law Actually Says About Auctions and Warranty

Under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), goods sold at a traditional auction aren’t covered by most consumer guarantees — including the guarantee of acceptable quality under section 54.

But here’s the catch:

• That rule applies to the auction seller, not necessarily the product manufacturer.
• Your caravan’s appliances — like the air-conditioner — are separate products with their own manufacturer warranties.
• Section 271 ACL says a manufacturer must honour any express warranty they offer for the full stated period, to any lawful owner, unless their warranty clearly says otherwise.

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Why Our Claim Should Have Been Covered

• The AC is a separate product — It was not “sold at auction” in the sense of losing manufacturer warranty rights.
• Less than one year old — A premium air-conditioner should last many years before major failure.
• No misuse or damage — The evaporator leak was a manufacturing defect.
• Authorised referral — We followed Dometic’s own process and were told by their authorised service centre it would be covered.

Even if a manufacturer warranty is denied, section 54 ACL still applies if the product fails to be of acceptable quality within a reasonable time — and “reasonable” for a high-end AC is far longer than 12 months.

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How to Talk to the Service Centre or Manufacturer

If you’re in this situation, here’s a polite but firm checklist for a face-to-face conversation:

• “This air-conditioner is a separate product from the caravan, so the auction exemption doesn’t apply.”
• “Under section 271 ACL, a manufacturer’s warranty applies to any lawful owner unless clearly limited.”
• “Under section 54 ACL, goods must be durable and free from defects for a reasonable time — less than one year is not reasonable.”
• “The defect was not caused by misuse or external damage.”
• “Your authorised repairer confirmed it would be covered — I’m asking you to honour that.”

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Tips for Protecting Yourself in Similar Cases

• Keep a statutory declaration stating the appliance was undamaged when purchased.
• Take photos and note the serial number.
• Save all emails, quotes, and reports.
• If refused, ask for the refusal in writing — it strengthens your case if you escalate.

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Next Steps

Since Dometic at Varsity Lakes denied our claim, I have now reported the issue to the ACCC (https://www.accc.gov.au/). I will update this blog post with any outcome or guidance from them.

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✅ The takeaway: Buying a caravan at auction doesn’t mean every appliance inside loses its warranty. Know your rights, separate the appliance from the van in your argument, and be ready to quote sections 54 and 271 of the ACL.

Here is the post that shows my attempt to fix the issue:

Our Caravan AC Warranty Battle — Dometic FreshJet Pro – What We Learned About Consumer Rights After Buying at Auction