Getting F**ked Without Being KissedGetting F**ked Without Being KissedFrom: info@bwcampers.com
Subject: selling camper
Date: November 29, 2006
"When you leave the camper in consignment you'll get more indeed, but only when your camper is sold."
From: info@bwcampers.com
Subject: selling camper
Date: November 29, 2006
"We'll agree upon an amount and there will be no subtractions."
From: info@bwcampers.com
Subject: selling camper
Date: January 7, 2007
"agreed upon price €10,500."
From: info@bwcampers.com
Subject: selling camper
Date: May 21, 2007
You camper is sold indeed. We sold it for € 10,000.
From: info@bwcampers.com
Subject: selling camper
Date: June 12, 2007
You left the camper in consignment, that means that we are going to sell it on your behalf. It gives us a free hand to do what we think is necessary to sell your camper. We do not need acceptance for this from the owner.
From: info@bwcampers.com
Subject: selling camper
Date: June 23, 2007
The final payment to you will be € 7.400, i.e. the € 10.000 less 10% commission, less the amount for the deductions.
The shock I felt as I read these latter e-mails is indescribable. I had made an agreement with BW Campers to sell my camper at an agreed upon price with no deductions. I had sat in their Amsterdam office for more than an hour talking about this sale. If there were other costs, be it the comission or a repair, those costs would be added to the base price. If the camper didn't sell, I would pick it up when I came back in the Summer. And now here I was being told that the agreement meant nothing, my ownership documents weren't worth the paper they were printed on, BW Campers were going to do as they wished… and oh yes, have a nice day.
A friend has a cousin that works as a lawyer in Amsterdam and I was put in contact with her. She told me flat out that it was futile to try legal action. Firstly, the ownership documents made out by BW Campers don't mean much… it's the Dutch registration and ownership papers that carry their name that count. Secondly, the Dutch government sanctions these deals and they know there are rip-offs, just as they know the drug and prostitution businesses causes some harm to tourists, but Dutch citizens are making money and that's the name of the game. And thirdly, if you're not only not Dutch, but not even a E. U. resident… court cases don't favor foreigners suing Dutch companies. You'll note, if you go to the BW Camperrentals web site, that they only sell campers under this arrangement in the Netherlands. It's illegal elsewhere and for good reason!
When you're 6,000 miles away, have entered into a, by your standards questionable but apparently commonly used contract, and the governmental & legal system does not favor giving you a fair hearing… it's just a legalized rip-off… in my case €3.100 or $4,166 worth. The easy and confident manner that this was presented to me left me knowing that this was familiar territory for Amsterdam's BW Campers owner... he's done this before... and will do it again with the confidence that comes from knowing that he can get away with it.
I have accepted the money, but only after many sleepless… stomach churning… heart pounding… anger filled nights, not to mention protestations that have fallen on deaf ears... what can you say to someone who has lied to you but who replies "we never lie"... except maybe "there you go again!". I finally have decided that the only way I can come to an inner peace with this wretched experience is to put the truth out where all can see it… perhaps I can save someone else a few thousand… maybe more than just one someone.
If you're thinking about buying or renting a camper for that long dreamed about European caravaning adventure, I suggest you check this site out thoroughly... it could save you lots of money and heartache. I will detail the psychology of how this is set-up, give you a peek behind the scenes about who actually owns the company, a bit of history on the propaganda out there in books and on the web, and what happens when the company botches their responsibilities.
So, this is a 100% consumer oriented web site. I want to invite others who feel they have been fleeced by either BW Campers or any other camper rental company operating out of Holland to add your experience. These rip-offs… thefts in my opinion, are no longer going to be hidden in forums or discussion groups in various countries. This web site will give the victims of these questionable business practices a place to share… to shout… to expose these bastards for how and who we see them as: thieves and liars! Beware these people... they ask for your trust and don't deliver.