Furious customers have slammed the corporate watchdog for failing to investigate a whistleblower's allegations against a luxury caravan manufacturer months before it collapsed.
Sunshine Coast-based Zone RV plunged into administration on December 1 owing $42 million to hundreds of creditors, including $18 million to about 180 customers who had partly or fully paid for caravans.
About 140 customers have been told they will not get their vans, with some families up to $190,000 out of pocket.
There is now growing anger that a whistleblower complaint from a former senior Zone RV employee was ignored.
In September, former chief financial officer Kim Hodgkins reported allegations of misconduct and insolvent trading by the company during late 2023 to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).
The ABC has seen a series of emails where Ms Hodgkins warned senior management in November 2023 that the company was running out of cash and spending needed to be slashed, due to a $5 million shortfall in revenue targets.
"As previously discussed, our current [cash] position is we have $527,000," Ms Hodgkins wrote.
"We have $2.1 million of payments that are currently overdue."
Another email shows major electronics supplier Redarc put a temporary stop credit on Zone RV in October 2023 due to an unpaid account.
When Zone RV collapsed, they owed Redarc almost $2.5 million.
ASIC told Ms Hodgkins by email on October 30 this year that it would not formally...
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