So damn annoyed

Ozzie · **Posted:** 01 Jul 2009, 21:45

Hiya all,

As you know I am trying to sell the wife's Merc, and we have an ad on Autotrader. Now every day we get some muppet phoning up saying that they have a line of buyers waiting to buy our car, and each time I say No.

However today we had the same old sales pitch, but this one says "If we don't sell your car in 7 days you get a full refund". So I went for it, and paid £100. They then send an email as a receipt, and on it, it says that if they don't sell the car in 30 days the ad stays until it is sold. If they don't sell it we can sell another car free of charge. Thats not what I was told.

I've emailed them, asking for an explanation within 24 hours, and failing a satisfactory explanation I will be after a refund from the credit card company, and to stop promoting the car. However I am more annoyed that I fell for it

I will get my money back, but it doesn't stop me being so damn annoyed.

Oz

Nobby · **Posted:** 01 Jul 2009, 22:54

Smart after the fact, but any service that requires payment before delivery is one to pass on.

Good luck.

If i doesn't work out, you can always take a Tesco carrier bag, use a magic marker to obscure the warning about risk of suffocation and post it to him
The most subtle form of assassination I know.

richard · **Joined:** 25 Apr 2009, 10:23 **Posts:** 29

Heard about this scam on the radio a few days ago. I think they said that as long as you paid £100 you were covered by CC company. If £99.99 you were not.

daveyboy · **Posted:** 02 Jul 2009, 05:57

Theres a few companys trying this ploy now Ozzie
best put the name of the company in the name and shame hall of fame so other members no not to use them

Ozzie · **Posted:** 02 Jul 2009, 07:15

I can just imagine reading the same post from someone else,and thinking why did they do it? Here I am in the same position

To be honest its not the money, its the principle. The trouble is I will probably spend more money trying to get that £100 back, just to beat them.

I have noticed on their web site that their terms and conditions state that there is no "7 day cooling off period". I'm wondering if they can state that. It was indeed £99.99 so I might be peeing into the wind on this one. The registered office is in Limassol ! Over to the credit card company, I think.

Ozzie

KARMAKANIX · **Joined:** 26 Jan 2009, 10:48 **Posts:** 25

ozzie, sorry to hear about this annoying scam, there is so many about these days and easy to be caught off guard as we expect the same level of honesty and integrity we would offer ourselves. i guess if we had time to think if a car isnt going to sell on autotrader its unlikely to sell elsewhere.

good luck with the chargeback, it is useful to note that visa debit also have chargeback but there is no minimum claim.

i hope these scammers get caught, they must be making ££££ out of vulnerable people needing to sell their cars.

the other obvoius scam on autotrader is all the cars listed at silly cheap prices ( they have no landlines and there mobile is always broken ) so you send them an email and they say the car is abroad but if if you send them all the money they will ship it to you ! i guess its a numbers game and someone will fall for it one day.

Ozzie · **Posted:** 02 Jul 2009, 19:58

QUICK UPDATE

I have spoken to the credit card company, and they are optomistic that we will get the money back. I need to give them the opportunity to correct the situation voluntarily, so we have spoken to the scammers, and they say they will look back at their call recordings. We have told them that we will call them back in 48 hours, and then it goes to legal advice.

My lad is a computer genius, and he has found the company owners home address, so we are going to ask do you wish us to send legal proceedings to your office or home address :lol:

.

Ozzie

courvault · **Posted:** 02 Jul 2009, 20:43

Do unto them as they do to you
Lie to your credit card company and say they refuse to help you at all.
Report them to trading standards saying they were abusive.
Find out the owners mothers name and send here abusive letters.
The point being hit them back twice as hard.

Bye the way, my friend Le roy who lives in Nigeria says he will by the Merc for your asking price
Just send him your bank account details and he will transfer the money in to your account. :oops:

Sorry but couldn't resist that one ( no offence intended )

Ozzie · **Posted:** 02 Jul 2009, 22:09

The skip load of gravel is ordered, "Yep thats right mate tip it by the garage door and put the empty skip in the road, I'll settle up when you collect the skip".

Ozzie :lol:

Nobby · **Posted:** 03 Jul 2009, 00:11

Just to show you're not alone. . .

BBC News Online Article Linky

Quote:

New vehicle scam costs £3m a year

People selling cars in the UK are losing £3m a year from a scam that promises to match them with a buyer.

Consumers selling vehicles pay between £80 and £99 to the fraudsters who falsely claim that the buyer exists, the Office of Fair Trading said.

Advice service Consumer Direct received 1,600 complaints about the practice last year, but it estimates only one in 20 victims complains.

Most received cold calls after advertising their vehicle for sale.

Trading standards officers believe the numbers affected are much higher, as not everyone complained and many wrote off the loss to experience.

Ozzie · **Posted:** 03 Jul 2009, 07:25

Cheers Nobby, I don't feel such a fool now ! :roll:

I'm kind of getting used to the idea that the money has been lost, however I also feel that I shouldn't let them get away with it easily, so I will still pursue it for now, we have given them till monday to offer to refund it.

Ozzie

Astra TwinTop Owners Club

So damn annoyed

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