Elderly relative has just sold a 30yr old motorcycle on Ebay, taxed & MOTd, in daily use running condition but not claimed to be mint or restored etc. Fetched in the lower to middle range of prices for that machine.
Buyer from 200mls away was expected to call and pay cash but suddenly said a carrier would collect next day and he'd paid by Paypal which lost relative £50 in fees. Bike was collected in a normal van and not by a specialist transport co.
Buyer messages on receipt to say it looks good and gives feedback "Item as described, helpful seller".
Then a week later a very pushy mail saying he found a serious oil leak and fluid leaking from the brakes and he wanted £200 refunding as compensation.
Well the bike was photographed for listing after a run and on a clean bit of tarmac and not a sign of oil anywhere. It had covered about 40mls since the MOT where there was no mention of any brake issues so relative politely declines.
Since then two more increasingly pushy almost threatening messages referring to legal action and "causing embarrassment" to the seller if he doesn't cough the repair money.
A very unsettling experience for my near 90yr old relative.
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I'd send a two word reply...not those two though. I was thinking of "Caveat Emptor".
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Some people will try anything on. I wonder how many people oblige with refunding these dishonest chancers?
I'm firmly in the 'too bad buddy - if you wanted a warranty why buy privately' camp.
Last edited by: Dieselboy on Mon 30 Jun 14 at 09:54
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>>>'too bad buddy - if you wanted a warranty why buy privately' camp.
Yep absolutely. After the long run home and inspection service I found several annoying bits of work needed on the 5-series I bought privately a few weeks back. Work the seller probably knew about but chose not to mention however it would never have crossed my mind to seek funds from the seller as it was entirely my decision to buy a 12yr old car unseen from 200mls away.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Mon 30 Jun 14 at 10:22
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>> Work the
>> seller probably knew about but chose not to mention however it would never have crossed
>> my mind to seek funds from the seller as it was entirely my decision to
>> buy a 12yr old car unseen from 200mls away.
>>
When I sold my Volvo 360 last year the buyer found some hidden rust which I hadn't spotted after a few weeks (he put it up on a lift and started shoving a screwdriver in to parts of the bodywork). He came back asking for money. It's not a pleasant experience and I wouldn't dream of doing it - buyer beware.
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What he is doing is somewhere between blackmail and extortion. Tell him he'll be reported to the police if he persists.
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Could always try the double bluff and tell him to bring it back for a full refund.
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Pistonheads has threads like this one running almost all the time.
Sadly, modern communication just gives 'aerosols' even more chance to be what they are.
'
Many years ago I had a cheque bounced on me by some comedian who 'bought' a motorcycle from me. He gave me two cheques, drawn on the same Barclays branch as mine but falsified the card number he wrote on the back. Mea culpa - being the nice man I am and being used to dealing with people like me I didn't check it closely. After the bank refused the first cheque they didn't want to know, even though I pointed out their customer had perpetrated a fraud, saying their customer's relationship with them was confidential, the prats. I found out where the guy lived and went round with what passed in my circle for the 'heavy mob'. We took the bike and paperwork back. To my delight, in the meantime, Barclays had inadvertently cleared the second cheque! They were livid, particularly when I went into the branch to tell them exactly what they could do with their request for me to repay the money (about £150). I never heard any more from any of them.
I don't suppose you'd get away with that sort of thing these days.
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Never accept paypal for an item unless you are able to receive tracking information. Oldest trick in the book. Buyer now just need click on 'item not received' in order to obtain full refund from paypal.
Without delay, send a receipt to the buyer by recorded delivery. Then there will be a tracking number... Of course, they could always send the receipt back by recorded delivery having filed an 'item not as described' claim...
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I've pondered trading-in a camera in a shop but of course eBay would get me a better price with the attached risks. If I were to sell any techie item in eBay I'd make sure the advert included the serial number of the item for sale.
At least that way the buyer couldn't palm off a substitute item as a return which I believe is now quite common.
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Cash-only is the answer. Paypal can too easily be revoked on some dubious axcuse.
Or of course an old fashioned cheque in the post, wait until it has cleared before releasing the item.
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Oddly given his level of forcefulness the buyer accepts the fact that motorcycles are excluded from both Ebay and Paypal protection... hence I guess the legal and other threats.
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Mrs B had this with a low value item. Buyer wanted to be compensated as it was not as she expected, but still wanted to keep the item.
Mrs B politely suggested that she wanted the buyer to be 100% happy and as she appeared not to be it would be best if she returned said item for full refund. Buyer declined and persisted in being compensated, so I sent a fairly direct mail saying either return the item or desist in emailing.
Never heard anything further, and she then left positive feedback. Pretty sure it was a scam employed by the buyer regularly.
Mate also had it with a mobile phone. Started saying it was more worn than expected (it was 1 month old) and wanting compensation. Friend declined and the emails started threatening negative feedback etc.
I guess its easier for people to pick a fight from behind a keyboard than face to face
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Google keyboard warrior and snigger!
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I sold my motorcycle early this month to a very pleasant chap who drove all the way down from Worcester with a trailer. I listed it as a reliable runner which it was, but for spares or repair as it had a slight oil leak and the cooling fan didn't work on the 22 year old Kawasaki. The buyer left the full cash price while he went on a short test ride and came back satisfied, saying he didn't expect a bike of that age to be perfect for the sale price. I gave him a tenner back to top up the tank and he went away happy and left excellent feedback.
However, the bike had been relisted after a complete banker messed me about the previous week. He won the auction and didn't get in touch, when I messaged him he kept sending me stupid replies and texts along the lines of "When can I pick it up", followed by "Is the bike for sale mate?". This went on for a couple of days till I got another text, "Is the bike still for sale" and I phoned the number within seconds to be answered by a girl who informed me "He's just gone out". Turned out he lived in Northumberland, I'm in west Wales. I was less than polite in my reply, sent strongly worded complaint to ebay and had to put it back on there again. I don't know what these fools get out of doing that sort of thing but he cost me time and aggro and deprived two other bidders of a sale by leapfrogging them at the last minute. He'd been an ebay member since 2013 but had no history, so lesson learnt after that - anyone with less than ten transactions contact me for a chat first.
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I have found that the best thing to do is ignore people and don't enter into any form of communication. To them it is a tot for tat game and they get nothing from playing alone.
If you don't reply, they are not sure how long to give it, not sure whether you even got the message. Just block them on eBay and/or set up a new account if it's that bad and move on.
Last edited by: Shiny Tailpipes on Thu 3 Jul 14 at 17:58
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>> Cash-only is the answer. Paypal can too easily be revoked on some dubious axcuse.
>>
>> Or of course an old fashioned cheque in the post, wait until it has cleared
>> before releasing the item.
>>
NO..NO..and thrice NO. A cheque paid to us and seemingly cleared was recalled (if that is the correct terminology) some weeks later. Some 7k. Not for a purchase, but for work carried out. It was eventually sorted thankfully.
A Gentleman neighbour says (I think) that Direct Bank Transfer is the only route to go on a transaction like this.
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Even bank transfer can be recalled under some circumstances!
Cash is king.
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>> Even bank transfer can be recalled under some circumstances!
>>
>> Cash is king.
As long as it ain't slush!
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Can you explain how a paymnet made by FPS ( faster payment system) can be cancelled?
My understanding, and indeed the information on the FPS website states that a paymnet once made cannot be cancelled.
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>> Can you explain how a paymnet made by FPS ( faster payment system) can be
>> cancelled?
>>
>> My understanding, and indeed the information on the FPS website states that a paymnet once
>> made cannot be cancelled.
>>
Cash paid into the account the day before later found out to be Monopoly money. The banks can pull a cash deposit up to 6 or 7 weeks after deposit.
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Can you elucidate. How can cash be found to be Monopoly money? Cash is cash isn't it ? Even if the cash was found to be somehow illegally obtained and the account frozen with a court order surely any payment made prior to that court order could not be reversed.
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AFAIK, the only thing you can be unwittingly caught liable with is forgeries, any other offence would have to involve knowledge/intent/negligence etc. etc.
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I don't think there is really any credible scenario when a completed bank transfer can be reversed. Once the money is in your account it' s yours. It is therefore more secure than accepting cash since notes can be forged and the is a risk in keeping large sums of cash in your house.
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Some strange & unpleasant buyers about. - Telb
