Does bad spelling in an ad put you off calling?

[LuS1fer]

Bad spelling can be accounted for by many things including dyslexia and even being foreign. In that case, it would NOT put me off because the manner in which the description is written suggests some knowledge of the car and some grammatical flow. In short, the car looks good enough to give the benefit of the doubt. Nice people (and even police officers) can't spell properly.

I would be far more alienated by b*llst, slang, "innit blud" and guff of that nature which to me would indicate someone more concerned with creating an image than truth. Poor literacy is often quite different to being a worthless layabout chav with no f*cking clue.

So yes, I'd take that one further.

[GT 1]

soxboy said:

CaptainSlow said:

Usually, but for some reason the poor spelling on that ad doesn't put me off. Looks genuine enough.

Agreed. It looks genuine and the spelling mistakes perhaps aren't that bad. The car looks tidy and he's saying the right things, just not saying them that well.

This, and besides , there is a learning disability called 'dyslexia'.
Those that might not have heard of it may end up driving around in some Jap crap like xRIEx

Snooze you lose, poor thing

[falkster]

It's a big fat no from me!!

It would put most of so, as I buy most car off eBay, the bid won't go high and I get myself a bargain!!
Keep 6 months and then sell for more after giving the car a proper write up with photos to match.

[Hilts]

I don't think you can catch the inability to spell from a car seat.

So, no.

[NadiR]

I don't mind ads that have bad spelling if it gives the right info and is not a full of bullst because some peoples English skills aren't up to PH standards.

If I see an ad where they deliberately write in txt spk and say:

"fasta den ur avrage m3 innit cuz of di wiked air filta that my man instald at the garage that cumz frm ebay innit"

I would run a mile if I saw an ad like that.

[TOENHEEL]

Not really, the following words worry me far more than spelling:

"one lady owner"

"Innit"

About Cat D GT3's "It was just a minor repair needing only a new bumper"

[blearyeyedboy]

Normally the caps and spelling would put me off but this chap seems to include a lot of relevant information that comes across well. I wouldn't be automatically put off- he doesn't use "innit" and doesn't claim it can tear away from 911's at the lights.

In fact, the seller's poor presentation could be a useful thing if it's a genuinely good car. If some buyers are put off by the spelling, you're in a stronger bargaining position as a buyer... *if* it's a car you want and a buyer you feel you can deal with.

[JonnyFive]

Certainly puts me off.. And bad pictures. I don't even open the ad if it has bad pictures.

If they couldn't be bothered to put up a nice advert to sell the car, I wouldn't imagine they could be bothered to maintain the car nicely.

[xRIEx]

The attitude of, "can't be bothered to spell properly, probably doesn't maintain his car," I find quite amusing; I regard myself as fairly diligent when it comes to English, but I'm a st home mechanic. I don't understand this correlation.

[mnkiboy]

At least he put "bought" rather than "brought". Actually, he put "BORT", but you get the idea.

[Glassman]

On a classified ad, not really, but throw in a few lols and of/have mistakes and I might just swerve it. Depends on the item, ultimately.

On a business ad is unforgivable and definite loss of interest.

[PHmember]

mnkiboy said:

At least he put "bought" rather than "brought". Actually, he put "BORT", but you get the idea.

[Highrisedrifter]

xRIEx said:

The attitude of, "can't be bothered to spell properly, probably doesn't maintain his car," I find quite amusing; I regard myself as fairly diligent when it comes to English, but I'm a st home mechanic. I don't understand this correlation.

Well that's not really the same.

You know you're a rubbish mechanic (like I am too) so you wouldn't try to service your vehicle yourself. I hope you'd go to a specialist for that.

Maybe he could have asked someone to proof read his ad for him, or found an online spellchecker to assist?

Writing the whole advert in caps just smacks of sheer laziness, in my opinion. I can forgive typos (after all, we all make them) but if I was selling anything, I'd want to give the best impression I could to increase my chances of a sale.

As a similar example, when I used to take cars for an MOT, I would always wash, polish and vacuum the car as I believe that it shows I look after my cars (which I do).

[dave stew]

There English is fine. Mine to.

[Devil2575]

Bad spelling puts me off but it's an E30 325i with working aircon!

The advert is terrible and the car hasn't been given a good clean and polish for the photos which is unforgivable, but if you're after a decent E30, which lets be honest aren't exactly ten a penny these days then it's worth a look.

[bicycleshorts]

The Crack Fox said:

To be fair, not everyone can write a nice ad, but if they can't be arsed to spellcheck it I tend to wonder what else they couldn't be arsed to do... Like look after the car.

I've a few friends who are dyslexic and can't spell for st. However, if they were doing something they cared about (e.g. selling a car), I know they'd spellcheck/have it proofread.

[SWoll]

PHmember said:

mnkiboy said:

At least he put "bought" rather than "brought". Actually, he put "BORT", but you get the idea.

I was a spelling mistake. He meant "BRORT"

I admire your attempts at finding a positive though, very commendable.

[Mr2Mike]

GT 1 said:

This, and besides , there is a learning disability called 'dyslexia'.

Does dyslexia also prevent someone from using a spell checker or having a friend proof read the advert?

[anonymous-user]

I love the way dyslexia is always rolled out an excuse for these things - google how the genuine condition of dyslexia manifests itself and compare to the ad in the OP's post.

It's nothing but chav laziness, but of course in today's society we can't actually take responsibility to get it right can we? Let's join what at times appears to be the 50% of people on here with "dyslexia"

Rant over, as you were.....

[SWoll]

MercScot said:

I love the way dyslexia is always rolled out an excuse for these things - google how the genuine condition of dyslexia manifests itself and compare to the ad in the OP's post.

It's nothing but chav laziness, but of course in today's society we can't actually take responsibility to get it right can we? Let's join what at times appears to be the 50% of people on here with "dyslexia"

Rant over, as you were.....

Very much like a friend of mine who has 2 kids that constantly misbehave. He reckons they suffer with ADHD. I reckon he's just a lazy sod who cant be bothered to discipline/raise them properly..