Would you believe this?.....

[robpark]

Would you believe this?.....

Clearly I'm the trusting sort, my wife, being rather more cynical when it comes to people, thinks I'm just far too gullible. So what do you all think of this (take a deep breath, it's quite a long story   ).

I had my Overfinch for sale on Ebay, and was delighted to get a bid on it within the first few hours of listing it. I subsequently get a message from the guy asking how much I want for it. I said, make me an offer and he returns with a price about £500 better than I'd even hoped for!!. He also points out that he is in Grenada (Caribbean) until Friday (this is Tuesday evening), but can drive from the airport and be with me by 9:30. We agree on the deal (I'm really excited), and I said that either he could bring the money on Friday and I let the auction run (due to finish on Sunday), or he can PayPal me a 10% deposit and I'll take it off sale. I hear nothing for 2 days, then I get a text saying he's having problems connecting to the net, but will try again next day. I hear nothing the following day, so I text 'what's happening' and get the reply, still having 'net' problems, will phone as soon as we land.
So Friday morning, we're hopping from foot to foot wondering if the guy is going to turn up with a handful of cash, or not, & basically can't do anything else while we wait. Don't hear a dicky bird all day, finally at 4 o'clock I can't stand the suspense any longer & phone him - rings out. So then I'm wondering if the whole thing is just some bizarre scam/fantasy. Try again at 5 o'clock - still just rings out. Finally, at about 6:30 I try (kind of last ditch affair) - and, low and behold, I get through. It transpires, he was just going to call me having just landed and collected his car (would explain the phone not being answered, he was on the plane) - had hideous delays on the way home (sat in the plane on the airport in Tobago for 3 hours, then had 4 hours in the airport somewhere else, etc, etc,) - oh, and they were quite resigned to the wait because they had been in Grenada doing underwater filming for the tourist board, and had nearly been on a job in the Phillipines where a thousand people had died due to mudslides, triggered by the heavy rains of a typhoon. Clearly nothing was going to happen that day, they just wanted to get home. Oh, and sorry, he'd decided he wouldn't get the cash on his credit card, because of the charges, he'd rather get it from his building society account (which would require a few days notice to withdraw), and he didn't want to send me a PayPal deposit because of the charges, so could he just see me sometime next week. I pointed out that I wasn't going to take the car off eBay without some sort of firm commitment (was he nuts?) - so how was he going to, at least, leave me a deposit until he could collect. He decided that he'd rather drive up (from Poole, Dorset) and leave me a cash deposit, which he agreed to do on Sunday, arriving around midday. He also said he'd email me with details of his Range Rover which he was planning on selling, thought I might be interested as I'd said I wanted something more suitable for offroading - I said I'd email my address details back. Guess what, no email. On Sunday morning I realised that because I hadn't had his email, I hadn't sent my address (curious he hadn't reminded me as he should have been about to leave?). So I quickly sent a text with my postcode and house number (no reply, but I assured myself that people don't always feel the need to acknowledge a text). Then we waited, couldn't really do anything as he could be arriving anytime from about 12 o'clock. By 12:30 I was getting really twitchy & phoned - no answer (aaarrrgghh!). About 15 mins later I got a text "sorry missed call.  No signal here! Waiting for the AA. Lorry in front of us dropped something that went under my car." So, I send a text back "Ok, let me know how you get on" - what else could I say. Then we heard nothing all day. By 6:30 I was going nuts, phoned and got no answer. At around 7 o'clock I get a phone call - "sorry I didn't get in touch, but we've been in the cab of the recovery truck and I left my mobile in the car" - ok, plausible I guess - the gist of the rest was that they had spent all afternoon at the start of the M3 (not the way I would have travelled to Birmingham, but hey…) while the AA had tried to fit a brake pipe broken by this debris that had fallen from the lorry in front. Ok, weird, but not a good way for anyone to have to spend a day. He then starts to explain what he's planning for the next day, clearly the SLK (!) is going to be off the road, and his TVR isn't taxed during the winter (!), so he's going to see if he can use his Range Rover - but his mate (who raises Icelandic horses (!!)) has been using it and he's not sure. I explain that I really need this deposit sorting asap, and I've got someone else anxious to buy (which was true) - again I suggest PayPal & he declines saying the charges are too expensive (not like petrol from Poole to Birmingham??) - and then he adds the bombshell - "anyway, I'd rather have the opportunity to have a look at your car before I buy it" - like after all this I'm going to let him kick the tyres and say "sorry I don't like that shade of blue". Or some such nonsense!!!! I repeat I need a deposit - and he finishes with "O well, if you've got another buyer I can do without the hassle so lets just forget it" and hangs up the phone.

I'm almost speechless. Hopefully my alternative buyer will be true to his word (I called him immediately) and will collect the car on Tuesday and pay the money he's agreed - I can't help feeling nervous.

So - if you've made it this far - what do you think? Did the buyer drop out because he's clearly had an awful time trying to close the deal - or was I just wasting my time with some weirdo? You decide...

(Incidentaly, my alternative buyer turned up this morning and the deal was done as easy as pie :))

[Minotaur]

Hi Rob

I think this guys continual excuses are a load of bullsh**, probably just trying to work out a way of scamming you or basically having you over.
Thankfully the car is sold and hopefully gone otherwise I would have been worried about the car being stolen - as you texted him your postcode etc.

Mate had a similiar story with a 90 he was selling - bloke turned up with a building society cheque and arranged to collect in 7 days - he checked with bank who said the funds were in his account. I advised to get confirmation that the funds could not be removed  - ie. the cheque had cleared 100%. The bank then said no, another 7 days before he had irrevocable funds. Needless to say the cheque bounced - stolen/forged?!?!?

I would only take cash or 'cleared' funds for anything on ebay, rather pay paypaql charges sometimes than risk the retraction of the money where cheques etc are concerned.

Congrats on selling

Chris

[M19 ROO]

waste of time mate... had no intention from the start and was probably a dreamer.... u should post his mob number on loads of forums so ppl can waste his time as much as he's wasted yours  :lol:

[Lee_D]

Sounds like a total time waster to me...

First come first serve every time, been pee'd about too much in the past.

[thermidorthelobster]

Tyrekicker, definitely.

[karlo]

If he had been serious you would have had some sort of deposit from him lets face it it doesn't cost that much to send £50 by paypal, most likely a dreamer who couldn't raise the cash!

[rollazuki]

seems to be whenever you sell anything remotely interesting, Ive bought/sold bikes and cars before, and had no grief. My dad recently sold his Morgan, on internet and owners club sites. He had some guy from southern ireland wanting to pay cash, but never actually seemed to arrive with the money. Several offers of a building society cheque from some of our european cousins. Weird though, the cheque.draft was always made out for too much, we had to cover the cost of transportation with it, and keep the remainder.
Shipping address was only to the docks, so when the cheque would have finally bounced, we would have had no car, no cash, and would have paid the shipping as well.

I was glad I asked me mum to check out the scams on the net, as they could easily have been stung.

Seems to me that CASH, tested with a pen or similar, is the only way to go.

[TDi90]

right rob, only one thing for it,... his mobile number please...  :twisted:

[07DefenderSeb]

There you go - he was a Mercedes driver.  :roll:

It all sounded a bit like "Sorry i didn't ring, my granny ate my homework..."

Isn't it exhausting having to chase people up who should be chasing you up?

If people really want something for sale they'll play the game properly.

Well done on sale.

[Lord Shagg-Pyle]

Sounds like the bloke was a bit of a Walter Mitty, fruit bat, loony, "I'm ex SAS, but I can't tell you that" sort of nut.
Well done with selling it anyway.

[robpark]

Thanks for all your support guys, clearly my wife had a much better handle on the situation than I did  :lol: .

Hilariously, I did a Google on him and lo! there's video! He's a real person at least, and comes over on the video much as you'd expect having read my piece   :lol:  

Take a look at http://www.tvscuba.com/player.php?h=97cae19043b3d0b68c8c68e9323fcec0

Incidentaly, I sold the Overfinch to Matt, from MRM Landrovers. Although I'm sure he's going to make money on the deal (and I've no problem with that  :) ), he was absolutely straightforward to deal with.

[Budgie]

I didn't think it cost anything to SEND money through PayPal, isn't it the recipient who pays the charges??  :?

[07DefenderSeb]

It's the love child of Neil from the Young Ones , and Andy Pipkin from Little Britain.

 :?

[wing nut]

its bully  :lol:  not the darts cow the man who talks poo poo

[hairyasswelder]

It's the love child of Neil from the Young Ones , and Andy Pipkin from Little Britain.

 :?

More like Wharf (?sp.) from Star Trek  and mo mowlem  :lol:  :lol:

[auto]

Had that few years ago! The cheque was meant to be a bankers draft....the irony was, the account number turned out to be correct and the bank would have honoured it had the sort code been for the wrong bank!! But i tell you it looked the real deal! Luckily i safe cleared it, so found out in few hours!

Had another recently, which was just time wasting with my patrol! Its good nick and all rebuilt. I needed to sell it quick cos it taking up space so i decided to sell for a grand.

Guy calls from up country, seen the pics and said he'd have it. He flew down, hired a car, got a hotel room saw it and turned it down cos it was too slow! (it was smaller than his 4.2!!) Mind boggles! Its a bargain for that money!!  :roll:

[winchman]

Strange
I have sold all sorts to keep the cars on the road, but generally find the people who are miles away turn up on time the time wasters live around the corner.
Had one bloke come to look at caravan
He thought it had a shower
Thought itwas bigger
etc
I thought Have I done the ad wrong.... No he never read it, just phone number and price.
Went to a "Land Rover breaker" in the back of beyond in rural welsh Wales, found it after about two hours had more spares in the back of the car than in his yard, and got "the boss is out" rubbish so cant price anything.

[POTASH]

you dont get charged for sending  money on pay pal :?:

[bilge rat]

had a boat for sale once ad was for 15 ft boat . bloke comes round really keen then said its not as big as he thought. 15ft is 15 ft aint it. numpty. theres plenty about. alan.....

[the loon]

Sounds like the bloke was a bit of a Walter Mitty, fruit bat, loony, "I'm ex SAS, but I can't tell you that" sort of nut.
Well done with selling it anyway.

errr dont be lowering the reputation of us good loons now  :lol:

on a slightly more serious note I'm having a similar ongoing thing with another ebay seller.
can I just ask a couple of questions
was the intrested party either scotish or a women(dont ask) or have any connetion with norway at all  :?:

[Range Rover Blues]

Maybe he was getting tto much grief from the wife, there comes a point when if they are not on side you can't keep convincing them to go along.  When I wanted an LSE it was Julie who kept me looking, I was getting so dissapoointed, normally people would beat me to the cars which were fequently down south or rotten.  A guy FLEW from conrwall to beat me to mine but tried to dick the seller around and offer him less than the asking.  if I believe what I was told which was the sort of story no-one would dream up.

I just have to wonder why people can't just be straight.

"I'd libe the car but I'm out of the county, can you hold it or take asmall deposit"

Like you say, what did it cost him to drive up?

I think it was classic e-bay, people go nuts when on-line, then later they think about it.