Lucky few Zone RV customers rejoice after receiving caravans from collapsed manufacturer
Perth couple Nik and Jo Norin won't be home in time for Christmas, but their caravan is the best present they could imagine. (ABC Sunshine Coast: Josh Dye)
In short:
About a dozen Zone RV customers are being given their luxury caravans after weeks of anguish.
The company collapsed into administration on December 1 and owes $42 million to hundreds of creditors.
What's next?
The majority of customers remain in limbo, forced to wait until next year to find out if they will receive their vans.
Administrators for collapsed caravan manufacturer Zone RV have begun allowing some customers to collect their vans.
The ABC understands that customers who had paid in full are being given the keys, but only after paying an extra fee.
Luxury van maker Zone RV owes $42 million to about 180 customers, 75 suppliers and 280 employees after plunging into administration on December 1.
More than a dozen customers had paid in full but were blocked from collecting their vans while administrators Cor Cordis examined the Sunshine Coast-based company's accounts.
While the majority of customers are still in limbo, those who had fully paid are now receiving the keys to their vans.
About 30 employees have been retained to help administrators run the company and hand over completed vans. (ABC Sunshine Coast: Josh Dye)
Relief for some
Perth couple Nik and Jo Norin's fortnight from hell is finally over after they took possession of their caravan on Monday.
Ms Norin said it felt surreal driving away with their prized possession.
"I was definitely in a total brain fog," she said.
"We can [now] start the dream we had and just feel really sorry for people who won't be able to do that."
The Norins paid their final instalment in early November and were due to collect their van on November 25, before they postponed it to early December.
"You just feel all of the emotions, you feel anxious and sad and then hopeful," Ms Norin said.
"I definitely have more grey hairs now."
The Norins will be forever grateful for the kindness of complete strangers who provided accommodation in their hour of need.
They posted on a caravanning Facebook page asking advice for somewhere to stay when their van collection fell through.
Good Samaritans open their doors
Jenny and Garry Drummond-Gower read the Norins's post and felt compelled to help.
The couple own the same model caravan the Norins had paid for, and offered to let the travellers stay in the van at their Noosa property.
Noosa residents Garry and Jenny Drummond-Gower opened their home to Jo and Nick Norin while they waited to pick up their Zone RV caravan. (ABC Sunshine Coast: Josh Dye)
"Jenny and I looked at each other and thought, 'We can do something to help these people,'" Mr Drummond-Gower said.
"As soon as we met them we knew they were doing the right thing.
"What we're doing isn't that unusual … when people are affected by a natural disaster, people will open their homes to people in trouble."
"It's worked out terrific — we've made some really nice friends."
Ironically, customers such as the Norins who paid in full — and stood to lose the most — were the ones in the strongest position.
The decision could affect other creditors in the event Zone RV is wound up because there will be fewer assets to liquidate.
Customers signed confidentiality agreements before collecting their caravans.
Ms Norin could not discuss the details, but the ABC understands from speaking to multiple people familiar with the process that customers had to pay an additional 12 per cent fee before collecting their caravans.
Administrators Cor Cordis did not respond to requests for information regarding the number of caravans released and any extra fees paid.
Corporate watchdog ASIC does allow external administrators to collect "reasonable fees" for work they perform.
Ms Norin said the past few weeks have taken a toll, but the future was looking brighter.
"Definitely a silver lining for the whole ordeal was meeting the people we've met and of course we'll help anyone out if they come over to the west," she said.
"We've met lovely friends along this horrible rollercoaster."
Bittersweet phone call
Gold Coast couple Sara and Magnus Charleson pick up their caravan on Friday after paying almost $200,000 for a customised off-grid Zone van they feared they would never get.
Ms Charleson said receiving the good news from administrators was "bittersweet".
Magnus and Sara Charleson are excited to pick up their caravan on Friday. (ABC Sunshine Coast: Jessica Ross)
"I was so traumatised that it still hasn't sunk in," she said.
"We're just happy that we're going to have our moment, but just so sad for the people that aren't and we just send that love to them.
"It's been two weeks of happiness, delirium, sadness, sickness, disbelief.
"I had a massive meltdown yesterday, I could not stop crying and I think it was just pent-up anxiousness."
Despite being one of the lucky ones, Ms Charleson said she was struggling to process everything.
"I still feel sick in the pit of my stomach," she said.
"It's just really wrong and we still really don't have answers as to how it got into this dire situation.
Zone RV's co-founder and sole director David Biggar is also a director of at least 10 other companies. (Supplied: Youtube)
"I don't know if anyone will ever get the answers, so at the moment there's no closure ... on how this sequence of events happened."
Ms Charleson said the administrators had handled the process with compassion.
Administrators will present an initial creditors report at the next creditors meeting in January.
The report will shed more light on why Zone RV collapsed and how it came to owe so much money.
The company's most recent annual report showed a loss of $4.75 million in 2023-24.