Your home is one of the biggest reflections of you and it's typically the most expensive purchase you'll ever make. Just months after making that purchase, one family found out their home was infested with mold. This problem was one you wouldn't find in inspections or disclosures because this family's home is on a set of wheels.
Right out of a 16th century story book, Bryan Beard is a master at full-combat jousting.
"I loved playing with swords," said Bryan Beard, who now travels the country performing in renaissance fairs. "We do jousting, fighting with swords and weapons, and it's a dramatic show."
But after the duel is done he’s hard at work with his wife, Brittany, and daughter, Belle, who travel cross-country with him in the family RV.
"Every year, we're in Texas for these two months performing at the festival," Bryan Beard said.
He comes home for Scarborough Fest. When they were here last year they bought a brand new RV for their traveling family.
"We left from here to go do a show in Colorado and then we went to Pennsylvania and that's when I noticed there was a slight leak," Bryan Beard said.
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They called the RV’s manufacturer and reported water seeping from their walls and floor. The RV manufacturer couldn’t quickly schedule a service visit, so the Beards suggested a local RV Repair shop to stop the leak.
The Beards said the company rep approved that repair shop to do the work, but weeks later they noticed another problem.
"The floor was super, super soft," Bryan Beard said. "Keep in mind this is an $80,000 dollar RV that we just bought."
They drove back to Texas and brought the RV back to the dealership where they bought it new. When repairmen pulled back the flooring, they found a lot of black mold.
"They're like, 'Yeah, this is really bad,' Bryan Beard recalled.
The problems were just starting though. The Beards said the dealer wasn’t optimistic they could fix it quickly or cheaply and they needed their home fixed fast so they could get back on the road for work.
"We're not people that use it just for summer vacation. We're not extremely wealthy," Brittany Beard said. "We're middle class people who live in this for my husband's job."
The dealer and manufacturer were not able to promise a quick fix or pinpoint the cause definitively.
So Brittany called NBC 5 Responds. We reached out to the dealer, but they wouldn’t comment on our story. But Brittany sure did, posting this video to Facebook after they were back on the road.
“NBC took an interest in our case, and came out and interviewed Bryan and I and as soon as we told the dealership that they took care of us,” Brittany Beard said.
The dealership agreed to buy back the RV and give them a brand new one for just a small amount more than what they originally paid.
The Beards said they love their new RV and could not be happier.
This dispute — settled — with pen — rather than the sword. The Beards — back at work — reviving medieval times — even if they’re doing it in one of the nicest RV’s on the road.
When buying an RV it’s important to talk to the dealer about warranty, and insurance coverage for things like mold, roof issues, and wiring problems. There are insurance policies out there and to protect you – in case your dealer won’t.
If you have a consumer problem call NBC 5 Responds at 844-573-7763.
