Big Purchase - Static Caravan - Help!

mrrodge

To cut a long story short, we've got a quote on a scrap of paper, which we agreed to and put a deposit down based upon it. I have a receipt for the deposit but it doesn't refer to any quote, just 'new caravan'.

We now have to agree a specification for the van to be built to, which we've done. I asked for confirmation that our adding up was right and was hit by a £600 price increase on the van, which we can't afford. I argued that I put the deposit down and wasted weeks coming up with a spec based on the original quote and did not agree to the price increase and we're basically left in limbo, so where do we stand? We don't want to lose the van but we've stretched ourselves to meet the original quote so it's touch and go as to whether we can afford it.

Marktheshark

What value is the deposit ?

mrrodge

£1k - Agreed quote was for £21,200.

Fosterdog

Have you added upgrades or extras now that you are agreeing specifications? Surely they couldn't give an accurate quote without knowing the exact details so was more likely to be an estimate.

If you can't afford the extra £600 can't you just drop back to the basic spec that comes in cheaper?

Marktheshark

Fosterdog wrote: »

Have you added upgrades or extras now that you are agreeing specifications? Surely they couldn't give an accurate quote without knowing the exact details so was more likely to be an estimate.

If you can't afford the extra £600 can't you just drop back to the basic spec that comes in cheaper?

What Fosterdog said basically, good advice.

mrrodge

Yup, extras but it's the base price they've changed and I had a price list for the extras all along, so knew the costs. I know we could lose some extras to soak up the cost, but why should we? We placed a deposit based on a quote and weren't notified of the increase.

Fosterdog

Have they said why it has increased?

NotRichAtAll

we've got a quote on a scrap of paper

this sounds professional

bris

A quote is not written in stone, a contract is.

shaun_from_Africa

bris wrote: »

A quote is not written in stone, a contract is.

A quote should be fixed, an estimate can be changed.
A quotation is the price that a dealer has stated will be charged for the goods. Even though this isn't a contract, it can't simply be changed unless the consumer has the right to cancel the deal if they don't agree to the amended price.
This link relates to builders but the theory will be exactly the same.
Quotations and estimates
https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/sites/default/files/folders/documents/business/tradingstandards/BuildersandAlliedtrades.pdf

There can be a lot of confusion surrounding the difference between an
estimate and a quote, and the two words are often interchanged. However,
the law considers them to have important differences in their meaning.

Estimate - a rough guess as to the work that needs doing and the
approximate cost

Quote - a fixed price for the job - if you exceed this price, the consumer
may not be under an obligation to pay the extra (unless additional work
that could not be foreseen is necessary

mrrodge

NotRichAtAll wrote: »

this sounds professional

Very professional - that's how the site runs. It's very much a 'don't like it, f*ck off' sort of place.