‘That was my savings, my pension, my husband’s pension. I was a nurse; it was an NHS pension.’
Read MoreEXCLUSIVE The hidden cost of owning a holiday park caravan
Mrs McShea is the latest in a string of former caravan owners to tell MailOnline about their caravan nightmares, with many claiming they lost their life savings by buying a mobile home which diminished in value in just a few years.
A MailOnline graphic detailing some of the hidden costs of owning a static caravan
She added: ‘We decided, we’ve always got on really well with the sales team. We were told it wouldn’t lose its value.’
‘We had decided the house we had was no longer appropriate. So we had to sell the house and move into a flat with a lift and no garden.
Mrs McShea had used her NHS pension money to buy the caravan (pictured) following a lengthy battle with breast cancer
Mrs McShea decided to sell the caravan after her husband’s cancer diagnosis meant they needed money to move to a flat with no stairs.
After realising the caravan would be a financial burden to keep on, Mrs McShea claimed the company promised to do their best to sell it on her behalf.
‘We had to cut our losses because … we’d maxed out buying this flat,’ she said.
Her former caravan is down as ‘sold’ for £78,995 on the Hunters Quay Holiday Village website
For others, the pain comes in hidden contract clauses they never knew they signed up to, which in some cases may prevent them from lending their own home to friends or family without permission from the park owners.
Mrs McShea upgraded her caravan to the £85,000 model, only to receive just £35,000 for it two years later
Maureen McShea, 73, said she upgraded her £40,000 mobile home to the expensive model in August 2022 after Hunters Quay Holiday Village, of Argyll Holidays, suggested she renew it in her daughter’s name to make it easier to inherit.
‘As a business, Cove UK wants to ensure that all of our caravan owners are happy with their holiday homes. We therefore take careful responsibility to ensure all customers fully understand the financial commitment they are making.’
Many owners are also finding their caravan comes with a long list of surprise costs, from pitch fees and cleaning charges to maintenance, insurance and everyday bills.
The master bedroom of Mrs McShea’s former caravan, which was the plush £85,000 model
‘But we really maxed ourselves out to buy this flat and realised to pay the fees at Hunters Quay would be difficult.’
‘When he was diagnosed with prostate cancer we used the caravan … but we weren’t getting over very often,’ she said.
‘They came back with £25,000 and I was really shocked,’ she claimed. ‘I really got a shock, I said you’ve got to be joking.’
‘As with all our caravan sales, we invested in warranties, services, products and other guarantees for the new owner that would not have been provided in a private sale. The selling price was significantly lower than is being claimed and included VAT.
