ESPAR Cabin Heaters
 

I am an attorney, and I represent truck drivers. I'm posting here because I'm looking for drivers who purchased an Espar cabin/parking heater or parts directly from Espar (perhaps from their website) between October 1, 2007 and 2012.

The reason is because Espar just plead guilty to a conspiracy to fix prices, and anyone who purchased from them during that time frame may be owed a significant amount of money. You might also have information that could help other drivers. I have to tell you that this post may be considered attorney advertising, but I work on a contingency fee basis. In other words, we don't get paid unless you receive compensation.

I know, truckers hate lawyers. I've read some of the more recent threads on the board about Obamacare and the like. And I'm sure that the comment thread will blast my post despite the work I do for owner/operators. But keep in mind that I'm working for you against a company that plead guilty to a conspiracy, and I'm trying to help owners/operators.

That said, if you purchased an Espar heater anytime from 2007-2012, give me a call or send me a note here or at my office: [email protected]. I'm easy to reach: 617-536-1800. Best, Phil

I've got mine around 2007, can't say for sure, give or take a year. I wish i did it sooner! Best thing after the sliced bread! Bought and installed it trough the Espar official dealer. The price seems to be a bit steep, but i wanted it to done right. It paid for itself in about half a year, and still working, so no complains from me.

Thanks for your reply. That's exactly it.

The point of our efforts is not whether drivers have any complaints with the quality of the Espar product, but rather the pricing. Espar pled guilty to a felony charge of conspiring to fix prices with competitors, coordinating the timing and price increases of the parking heater kits, so buyers would pay more. That is what we're working to recover for drivers.

I too put one in around 2007....no complaints......like Solo said I should have done it sooner, last year I purchased a new glow pin and screen from https://www.esparparts.com/index.php

No problems with the parts or shipping, the parts were around $25.00 complete, I'm OK with it

The price I paid for the heater was the lowest I could find at the time, from a Espar dealer in NY state......who has always been very helpful with any problems I had. to the point of actually NOT selling me stuff I thought I needed.

No compalints from me

Very glad to hear you had no complaints with the dealer, as I've heard many of them are absolutely terrific. Dealer service is not the problem. The fact that the heater you purchased was "the lowest price you could find at the time" is exactly the problem I'm working on.

The reason it was the lowest you could find was likely because of Espar, not their dealers. In fact, Espar has already pled guilty to conspiring to fix the prices of their parking heater kits, including coordinating the timing and price increases with its co-conspirators, forcing buyers to overpay.

Forcing driver like you to overpay for products like parking heaters because the manufacturers conspire against you is the problem, and now, we're trying to help you get your money back from the companies like Espar that have cheated you.

Why should manufacturers be allowed to fix the market prices? You spent considerable time searching for the lowest price you could find. But you didn't know there may have been a secret, back room price fixing scheme going on. Now that you know something like that may have happened, would you want the difference back? I'm not saying you should get a full refund, because you did get the heater, but you should at least get back the difference. Margins in trucking are already pretty slim, and if you're being cheated, then you should get something back.

I should add that I suspect you and I are on the same page here.

Phil, how much money(minus your cut) we are talking about? Do you really believe it's worth it for us? Or you gonna seek damages for "pain and suffering"? LOL!

I do believe it's worth it for you. And, I am happy to discuss in great detail how the numbers break down. Give me a call anytime: 617-797-1223.

Yep I purchased one from an Espar dealer around that time frame. I remember it being close to $3k. I will dig out the receipt when I get home this weekend. No one is saying that the product isn't good, it is, but if they conspired to defraud us of our hard earned money I want my share back minus whatever fee is applicable. You know why we all paid about the same amount or couldn't find much difference in the price? Because they made it that way.

PhilG, first I see your from 617 so if you went to law school there, better to you. (Of coursed I'm biased since I'm from there too and prefer all my doctors and lawyers be from there.)

But maybe you should be a little bit clearer on what they did. Of course we live in a capitalist society and companies are entitled to make money, but if they manipulated what should dictate pricing, that is supply and demand, then people should know about that even if they are happy with the product. If the product is that good, and from the comments here from people who have been posting for years and are respected it seems they do have a good product, but then they shouldn't have to resort to illegal tactics to obtain bigger margins. Again maybe you should expound a bit more on exactly what they did.