Still under warranty

[Cassandra Carpenter]

I recently bought a 3 bedroom modular home in NC. It is brand new--never lived in.
But, unfortunately, the company that I bought it from is evidently not a reputable company. The home is wonderful except for several issues that have been noticed since I moved in. The problems are all setup related. the french doors where not installed properly and after 2 months were pulling away from the frame, the molding throughout the home is not installed properly, several vents do not work for air or heat. The door bells where never hooked up, the steps are uneven and there are many other issues cropping up each day. I have tried to get the company that set the home up to come back in and fix these items, but after several calls they have not responded. I was notified through a salesman that I did not even work with, that it is now the responsibility of the home manufacturer to fix my problems. But, I cannot locate a number to contact the manufacturer. If anyone can give me the number for the Ranell manufacturer that supplies Eastern North Carolina distributors, or has any advice, I would appreciate it.
Also, the land that I purchased had land ordinances that restricted did not allow private shops or junk cars. But, when my neighbors moved in both became present and after contacting several people and given the runaround I was told that there was nothing I could do because the land owner had given them permission to have these structures and junk cars. Please if anyone can help me out of this situation I would be grateful. When you spend 115,000 on a modular, you should be able to live comfortably for atleast a few years. Thanks to anyone that can help me.

[Spud]

My experience with the MH industry is that they are long on sales and normally quite short on warranty work. In one area where I worked on MH's most of the the sales lots ignored customer's requests for warranty work until the warranty ran out and the factory became responsible. Then you had the "song and dance" about who was responsible. As a result about 50% of my work was "court cases". In other words, "Do it and keep us out of court". Hopefully, your warranty is in writing, salesmen will promise anything to make a sale, and you can contact a good lawyer and have him contact both the sales lot and the factory. Normally, this will get quick results. Note: If your salesman promised things, not in writing, you might ask your lawyer about "Implied Contract".






























5

[Ron Ambler]

Warranty and setup issues are always tough. The MH manufacturers view the MH dealer as their customer and not the end-user. They do have an interest in resolving home owner complaints for public relations purposes, though. Some companies have established a CSI (customer service index) which require the MH dealer to follow up on sales with the end user.)

Setup complaints are NOT the responsibility of the manufacturer, but the MH dealer. Your best bet here, since the MH dealer is basically non-responsive to your problems, is to write a letter to NC Attorney General's (AG) office (assuming you live in eastern NC as you said) documenting your problems. (Call the AG's office and find out which department handles consumer complaints. Ask for a person's name so you can direct your letter to a person in that department.) BE SURE AND SEND A Copy of this letter to your MH dealer and Manufacturer. Use snail mail and send it with a "return receipt requested". This way you know when the AG's office received your letter. Also send a copy to your local Better Business Bureau.


R anell address info is:

Dennis Jones, President
R-Anell Housing Group, LLC
PO Box 428 Hwy 16 Denver,
NC 28037, 2001

NC AG Address is:

Roy Cooper, Attorney General
NC Department of Justice
PO Box 629
Raleigh NC 27602-0629
Web Site. www.jus.state.nc.us/
Telephone: 704-716-6400

Would need more info on your real estate problem.
Did you buy property in a develoment where the deed restrictions are applicable to each lot?
Are these covenants or deed restrictions recorded on all the properties? (You can check with your local County Recorder's office.)

Does your county have any zoning ordinances which include your property?