Anyone bought a car through Car & Classic Auctions?
Discussion
Very sorry to read how you've been stitched up here OP. Sickening. Given the expensive upgrades hopefully the car is worth investing in. XJSs have appreciated a lot in recent years so if £12k is what you paid you potentially have some scope to improve the car and get your money back.
I suspect the legal position is similar to a traditional auction house, who take your money but take no responsibility for misdescribed lots.
I hope the forthcoming PH auction platform has more integrity. There is a long thread discussing it. The system favours the seller, because they are the customer, and ensures the platform owner gets their fees. It's buyer beware.
I suspect the legal position is similar to a traditional auction house, who take your money but take no responsibility for misdescribed lots.
I hope the forthcoming PH auction platform has more integrity. There is a long thread discussing it. The system favours the seller, because they are the customer, and ensures the platform owner gets their fees. It's buyer beware.
Having had a quick read of C&C's Terms and Conditions they do seem to place the onus on the buyer to make sure a vehicle's as advertised before they make an offer. Once an offer is made and accepted it then doesn't sound terribly easy for a buyer to pull out purely because, having seen the car, it isn't as described; the inference of the T&C's seems to be it's up to a buyer to do their due diligence prior to making an offer.
I suppose C&C would argue their policy's clear (and therefore reasonable) but cars of the type they're are dealing with probably aren't thick on the ground and hence a buyer may have to travel quite a distance to view. Therefore, a buyer might not want to make two trips (one to view, another to collect if their offer is accepted) and hence it seems to me it would be more reasonable if they had the absolute right to pull out of a sale if a car isn't as advertised when they see it for the first time (which might well be when they arrive to collect it). It would work like this with any normal car purchase - whether from a dealer or on a private sale - so I'm not sure why it should be acceptable for sellers to misrepresent cars on C&C's website and then be able to force a buyer to complete the deal.
I guess part of the problem is people perhaps don't read the detail of the T&C's before making purchases like this; prior to reading this thread I'd have assumed I'd be able to walk away if I arrived to collect a car only to find it wasn't what I expected but that's clearly not the case with sales agreed through C&C. The takeaway for me is I almost certainly wouldn't use C&C or, if I did, I'd insist on inspecting and test driving the car before making an offer....
I suppose C&C would argue their policy's clear (and therefore reasonable) but cars of the type they're are dealing with probably aren't thick on the ground and hence a buyer may have to travel quite a distance to view. Therefore, a buyer might not want to make two trips (one to view, another to collect if their offer is accepted) and hence it seems to me it would be more reasonable if they had the absolute right to pull out of a sale if a car isn't as advertised when they see it for the first time (which might well be when they arrive to collect it). It would work like this with any normal car purchase - whether from a dealer or on a private sale - so I'm not sure why it should be acceptable for sellers to misrepresent cars on C&C's website and then be able to force a buyer to complete the deal.
I guess part of the problem is people perhaps don't read the detail of the T&C's before making purchases like this; prior to reading this thread I'd have assumed I'd be able to walk away if I arrived to collect a car only to find it wasn't what I expected but that's clearly not the case with sales agreed through C&C. The takeaway for me is I almost certainly wouldn't use C&C or, if I did, I'd insist on inspecting and test driving the car before making an offer....
I believe C&C are still quite new to the market and I think this kind of feedback is not going to do them favours.
I've bought through them and have only had good experience but I've only ever bid amounts which have allowed for a degree of seller enthusiastic description.
That however means I've bid on a lot of cars unsuccessfully.
I think C&C are going to have to change policy if buyers have no recourse as some are bidding expecting cars to be as good as images from a distance makes them appear.
I've bought through them and have only had good experience but I've only ever bid amounts which have allowed for a degree of seller enthusiastic description.
That however means I've bid on a lot of cars unsuccessfully.
I think C&C are going to have to change policy if buyers have no recourse as some are bidding expecting cars to be as good as images from a distance makes them appear.
JNW1 said:
Having had a quick read of C&C's Terms and Conditions they do seem to place the onus on the buyer to make sure a vehicle's as advertised before they make an offer. Once an offer is made and accepted it then doesn't sound terribly easy for a buyer to pull out purely because, having seen the car, it isn't as described; the inference of the T&C's seems to be it's up to a buyer to do their due diligence prior to making an offer.
I suppose C&C would argue their policy's clear (and therefore reasonable) but cars of the type they're are dealing with probably aren't thick on the ground and hence a buyer may have to travel quite a distance to view. Therefore, a buyer might not want to make two trips (one to view, another to collect if their offer is accepted) and hence it seems to me it would be more reasonable if they had the absolute right to pull out of a sale if a car isn't as advertised when they see it for the first time (which might well be when they arrive to collect it). It would work like this with any normal car purchase - whether from a dealer or on a private sale - so I'm not sure why it should be acceptable for sellers to misrepresent cars on C&C's website and then be able to force a buyer to complete the deal.
I guess part of the problem is people perhaps don't read the detail of the T&C's before making purchases like this; prior to reading this thread I'd have assumed I'd be able to walk away if I arrived to collect a car only to find it wasn't what I expected but that's clearly not the case with sales agreed through C&C. The takeaway for me is I almost certainly wouldn't use C&C or, if I did, I'd insist on inspecting and test driving the car before making an offer....
Who do you think would be the arbiter of whether the car is not as advertised? There's no mechanism for anyone to make that decision and potentially deal with those instances of buyer remorse where they simply don't want to go ahead with a transaction.I suppose C&C would argue their policy's clear (and therefore reasonable) but cars of the type they're are dealing with probably aren't thick on the ground and hence a buyer may have to travel quite a distance to view. Therefore, a buyer might not want to make two trips (one to view, another to collect if their offer is accepted) and hence it seems to me it would be more reasonable if they had the absolute right to pull out of a sale if a car isn't as advertised when they see it for the first time (which might well be when they arrive to collect it). It would work like this with any normal car purchase - whether from a dealer or on a private sale - so I'm not sure why it should be acceptable for sellers to misrepresent cars on C&C's website and then be able to force a buyer to complete the deal.
I guess part of the problem is people perhaps don't read the detail of the T&C's before making purchases like this; prior to reading this thread I'd have assumed I'd be able to walk away if I arrived to collect a car only to find it wasn't what I expected but that's clearly not the case with sales agreed through C&C. The takeaway for me is I almost certainly wouldn't use C&C or, if I did, I'd insist on inspecting and test driving the car before making an offer....
It's exactly the same situation for all auctions, online and physical: buyers need to satisfy themselves that it's a car they want to buy before bidding.
That’s a tricky one.
I don’t really see the point of using that service.
I buy a few cars and bikes a year ( not a trader - just always chopping and changing . .). I find the vehicle I want, contact the seller and agree a price, then send them £10 to their account so that they are set up as a recipient in my banking app. I then go and see the vehicle, if I like it I transfer the money love to them at their house. Everyone is happy. Doesn’t an escrow service just make it all a bit more complicated?
I don’t really see the point of using that service.
I buy a few cars and bikes a year ( not a trader - just always chopping and changing . .). I find the vehicle I want, contact the seller and agree a price, then send them £10 to their account so that they are set up as a recipient in my banking app. I then go and see the vehicle, if I like it I transfer the money love to them at their house. Everyone is happy. Doesn’t an escrow service just make it all a bit more complicated?
That is a bad story and I feel for the OP. Can you get to view a car before bidding on this site? , other than this it seems a good site as the buyer pays no fee.
Legal action perhaps would have been better than a car not wanted especially as its description is fraud. Hope the seller sleeps well.
Legal action perhaps would have been better than a car not wanted especially as its description is fraud. Hope the seller sleeps well.
This confirms to me i will stick to auctions where it's still possible to walk away at any stage, like with ebay.
EDIT: i mean by that you don't pay until the day of picking it up when you are there with the vehicle in the flesh. ebay do state auctions are legally binding but afaik no-one tries enforcing anything if it falls through.
EDIT: i mean by that you don't pay until the day of picking it up when you are there with the vehicle in the flesh. ebay do state auctions are legally binding but afaik no-one tries enforcing anything if it falls through.
Edited by hunt123 on Saturday 5th August 11:29
jeremyc said:
JNW1 said:
Having had a quick read of C&C's Terms and Conditions they do seem to place the onus on the buyer to make sure a vehicle's as advertised before they make an offer. Once an offer is made and accepted it then doesn't sound terribly easy for a buyer to pull out purely because, having seen the car, it isn't as described; the inference of the T&C's seems to be it's up to a buyer to do their due diligence prior to making an offer.
I suppose C&C would argue their policy's clear (and therefore reasonable) but cars of the type they're are dealing with probably aren't thick on the ground and hence a buyer may have to travel quite a distance to view. Therefore, a buyer might not want to make two trips (one to view, another to collect if their offer is accepted) and hence it seems to me it would be more reasonable if they had the absolute right to pull out of a sale if a car isn't as advertised when they see it for the first time (which might well be when they arrive to collect it). It would work like this with any normal car purchase - whether from a dealer or on a private sale - so I'm not sure why it should be acceptable for sellers to misrepresent cars on C&C's website and then be able to force a buyer to complete the deal.
I guess part of the problem is people perhaps don't read the detail of the T&C's before making purchases like this; prior to reading this thread I'd have assumed I'd be able to walk away if I arrived to collect a car only to find it wasn't what I expected but that's clearly not the case with sales agreed through C&C. The takeaway for me is I almost certainly wouldn't use C&C or, if I did, I'd insist on inspecting and test driving the car before making an offer....
Who do you think would be the arbiter of whether the car is not as advertised? There's no mechanism for anyone to make that decision and potentially deal with those instances of buyer remorse where they simply don't want to go ahead with a transaction.I suppose C&C would argue their policy's clear (and therefore reasonable) but cars of the type they're are dealing with probably aren't thick on the ground and hence a buyer may have to travel quite a distance to view. Therefore, a buyer might not want to make two trips (one to view, another to collect if their offer is accepted) and hence it seems to me it would be more reasonable if they had the absolute right to pull out of a sale if a car isn't as advertised when they see it for the first time (which might well be when they arrive to collect it). It would work like this with any normal car purchase - whether from a dealer or on a private sale - so I'm not sure why it should be acceptable for sellers to misrepresent cars on C&C's website and then be able to force a buyer to complete the deal.
I guess part of the problem is people perhaps don't read the detail of the T&C's before making purchases like this; prior to reading this thread I'd have assumed I'd be able to walk away if I arrived to collect a car only to find it wasn't what I expected but that's clearly not the case with sales agreed through C&C. The takeaway for me is I almost certainly wouldn't use C&C or, if I did, I'd insist on inspecting and test driving the car before making an offer....
It's exactly the same situation for all auctions, online and physical: buyers need to satisfy themselves that it's a car they want to buy before bidding.
If I read earlier posts - and the link to C&C's website - correctly the seller's contact details are only disclosed to the buyer once an offer has been accepted and the money transferred? In contrast, in my admittedly limited experience of other auctions, you have an opportunity to at least inspect a vehicle before you bid so in that sense isn't that quite different from how C&C operate?
C&C's approach wouldn't be a problem if - as their same website suggests - a buyer can walk away if they feel something's not been advertised correctly. However, alan75's experience suggests they're reluctant to allow that which to my mind puts the buyer in a potentially vulnerable and unfair position (and certainly worse than with a normal auction). Or am I missing something?
Just had a glance of their website, it states the following,
"Secure payments
Our secure, third-party escrow process gives peace of mind for buyers and sellers. Payment goes into a separate, third-party account and is only released when both sides are happy.
This protects both buyer and seller."
alanD75, are you really going to let this go?
"Secure payments
Our secure, third-party escrow process gives peace of mind for buyers and sellers. Payment goes into a separate, third-party account and is only released when both sides are happy.
This protects both buyer and seller."
alanD75, are you really going to let this go?
Trevor555 said:
Just had a glance of their website, it states the following,
"Secure payments
Our secure, third-party escrow process gives peace of mind for buyers and sellers. Payment goes into a separate, third-party account and is only released when both sides are happy.
This protects both buyer and seller."
alanD75, are you really going to let this go?
Yes, on the basis of what aland75's said it seems to me C&C failed to act in accordance with their own process as described on their website. It also sounds like aland75 relied on that process prior to making a bid - in the sense he thought the could just get his money back if the car wasn't as advertised when he saw it - and in that scenario I'm not sure I'd have let it go. "Secure payments
Our secure, third-party escrow process gives peace of mind for buyers and sellers. Payment goes into a separate, third-party account and is only released when both sides are happy.
This protects both buyer and seller."
alanD75, are you really going to let this go?
If C&C won't give you the seller's details until a bid's been accepted you clearly can't inspect the car before making an offer so to me the flip side of that has to be a buyer should be able to withdraw their bid if the car isn't as described when they finally get to see it. The idea a buyer has to rely on a seller's advert - and can then be forced to go through with the purchase even though that advert misrepresented the car - seems wholly wrong to me.
However, it's always difficult to comment definitively without knowing all the facts and I'm sure aland75 had good reasons for arriving at the decision he did.
I've bought through C&C auctions and it was fine but crucially I viewed the car first which was as described, if not a bit better. I have also viewed other cars which weren't and I would have been very disappointed if I had bought them. So the moral of the tale is to never buy a classic without viewing first. Not easy when it is miles away but I have travelled for hours, stayed the night and still walked away.
rovermorris999 said:
I've bought through C&C auctions and it was fine but crucially I viewed the car first which was as described, if not a bit better. I have also viewed other cars which weren't and I would have been very disappointed if I had bought them. So the moral of the tale is to never buy a classic without viewing first. Not easy when it is miles away but I have travelled for hours, stayed the night and still walked away.
Nice of the seller to put you up for the night though. I only view auction cars if not too far away. With a classified ad I know the price and it's just a case of confirming the condition on viewing. With an auction the selling price could go well over my valuation so a long trip to view doesn't appeal.
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