Caravan dream turns into $94,000 nightmare for Aussie family as company collapses
The collapse of the Victorian-based company has financially devastated many Aussies after forking out for a caravan they would never receive.
Tori Streten, along with her partner and their young daughter, was preparing for their ideal family holiday, hitting the road and travelling Australia in their brand new caravan which they'd just paid north of $93,000 for.
But their dream, along with their money, has evaporated after it was revealed last month that Victorian-based Tango Caravans — who they'd purchased their family vehicle from — had plunged into liquidation, leaving dozens of frustrated and worried Aussies in the lurch. Most, like Streton, are now out of pocket tens of thousands of dollars.
Sadly, the Queensland mum is one of many who paid deposits only to be left with nothing. Despite losing close to $100,000 in total, Streten told Yahoo News Australia she and her partner Piet Rycks are "one of the lucky ones".
"There are so many stories that are heartbreaking," she said, noting others who've lost their "home, superannuation and life savings."
Customers of Tango Caravans unlikely to receive money back
The 28-year-old runs a Facebook group for Tango customers, many of whom have been impacted by the sudden closure.
The company is thought to owe a significant amount of cash to up to 85 creditors. The appointed liquidator, Andrew Yeo from insolvency firm Pitcher Partners, has reportedly informed customers they'll unlikely receive refunds on any money they've paid with no further updates given to customers.
'Red flags were raised' before family lost $94k
For Streten, "red flags were raised early," she recalled to Yahoo. "I felt something was wrong months before the liquidation was filed."
However she'd never imagined she and her partner would now be out of pocket more than $94,000 with "little hope" of getting it back. They're also no closer to getting the van they'd ordered, or any other.
The mum of one said her experience with Tango had been "horrible" from the start, noting it had been "an absolute roller coaster from the moment I signed a contract".
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"I did my research at the end of last year and decided to bite the bullet and order my van in January," she said, with plans to pick up the van in May or June. Since then she alleges there was "misleading information, lies and legal threats".
Emails seen by Yahoo from April show the company agree to roughly "3x $20,000" payments, with any remainder due upon inspection of the caravan. The couple also paid a $34,450 deposit upfront with extras.
"We had said upon signing the contract that we wanted to pay cash, we didn't want a loan, and we'd just pay instalments between the start of manufacturing and handover. They were happy with that," she said.
So when the company allegedly "demanded" payment in full in May the couple grew concerned and were ultimately forced into a loan they did not want. The young mum also felt she'd been "passed around a lot" between staff with no consistency. Within days, the outstanding balance was paid in full with a pick-up date then scheduled for July.
Liquidation news hit couple 'like a brick'
The couple had planned to travel from Queensland to Victoria and had booked accommodation, when suddenly, two days before the agreed handover date, the company allegedly "pulled out," finding "another excuse to delay the handover".
The communication from that moment reportedly dwindled according to Steten, leaving them both desperate for answers. Then on August 11, in an "important update" sent to customers, and seen by Yahoo, Tango Caravans said it "will need to temporarily close our dealership for the next couple of days or so."
The reasons outlined in the email were "due to some unforeseen issues including being understaffed". Management said it will "take this time to catch up on everything" but did not elaborate further — except to say customers will be contacted "as soon as possible with firm updates regarding your order".
But within days the company had gone into "voluntary liquidation" leaving hundreds of Aussies out of pocket. And still now, Streten, among others, has no update on her order.
"It hit us like a brick wall because it's very rare that you ever see your money back," she said.
Now she and her her partner are stuck in a five-year plan to pay off the loan for the van they never received. In Streten's Facebook group there are some 468 people and "a lot of them are in the same boat," she said.
"It will take some time to financially recover from it. However, we will be able to recover from it, whereas a lot of others have spent their super or whatever to try and get a van," she added — including Melbourne couple Angela and Phil Serrurier who told the Herald Sun they've been left "devastated" by the company's failure.
Key dates in sale timeline:
Jan: Couple sign contract for new Tango Caravan, pay upfront $30k deposit
May 1: Tango requests full payment, to which the couple reminded them of their existing agreement to pay in instalments.
June 4: Tango allegedly issued the couple with a "legal threat," insisting they pay upfront in full otherwise they'd not receive the caravan.
June 5: After being approved for a loan "immediately", the couple made the payment in full.
June 12: Phone call with Tango confirms handover and pick-up date. Confirmed via text the following day.
July 11: Scheduled pick-up date
July 8: Two days before the scheduled pick up date, Tango "cancelled handover".
Aug 8: Last contact with Tango representative assuring van would be ready for collection within days
Aug 11: Customers informed of 'Important update' about temporary closure or dealership
Aug 14: Customers learn of 'voluntary liquidation'
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