Car unsold.......deal fell thru........but was I wrong?
Discussion
Well firstly just to let some folk who enquired about the car last week on email and on the phone, it's not sold afterall.......but what would you have done?
The situation:
Phil Raby (Total 911) calls me enquiring about a car for a customer of his, he flys up and spends the afternoon checking it out, seems a nice guy, we agree a price due to the sppedo being intermittant and a few marks on the car and he tells me he'll get back to me in the morning whilst I hold off 3 other buyers. After a few calls to find out whats going on he then calls me late in afternoon the following day to tell me his customer is going to take it. I them informed the others that the car was sold.
Mrs X then calls me and offers to send a cheque for the deposit to hold the car which to be honest I wasn't bothered about as thought the deal was all done and dusted as I knew she'd have paid for Phil which means she not wasting peoples time and is a genuine buyer.
I get the car into the garage the following week to try and sort the speedo out as Mrs X is planning on flying up from down south to collect it. Anyway I pick her up in the Lambo and take her to the garage as they tell me the sensor hasn't worked and it neededs a few bits done to it like the wheels swapping round as the tyres were directional and the brake pipes could be needing done soon as the look like they are perishing, so I'm upfront with her and explain these items and offer to pick the tab up if she gets her local garage to the pipes them when she gets back and the boys would do the wheels while we wait.
We do the deal in the garage fourcourt space, sign the V5 over, provide all the keys, give her some flowers and show her the controls, which is more than any bloody dealer will do these days. Then I show her the road out to the motorway of which I planned to drive in front for about 15 miles, and we are only in the car 10 mins and the car cuts out at the lights, and seems dead on turnover. So manage to jump start it back to the garage and it dies again, so am thinking the battery as mechnaically the car has been driving fine. The garage test the battery and have within minutes pointed to a dead alternator but assure me and her that even very new cars can have this problem and that they were doing an 02 plate car at the same time as it's alternator had gone, but she starts to panic and starts talking about getting her insurance to just flatbed it home. I felt a bit bad for her in all honesty, but her husband came on the phone to her and was saying that he wasn't happy and she should maybe think about calling the deal off. Thing is at this point she now owns the car and I have the draft, so I said to her yep if she wanted her cash back then she can have it back sure, but we've singed everything and a sale has been concluded, and to try and help both of us out I'd said I'd put her up in a hotel for the night and the garage would have the car ready for lunchtime which they said they would, to which she agreed was a good way forward. So after taking about 4 hours in total off my work it's cost me 500 quid by this point in parts and still no sale as I gave her the draft to hold onto as she had no car I felt that was fair.
So in the morning she has called me to say that the offer of getting th car to her would be best and she'd take the keys and keep going thru with the sale. Anyway get the car back and then the follwoing day she calls me to tell me she wants to call the sale off and that she doens't think it's the car for her...........
Was I right in letting it fall thru?
What would you have done in my shoes?
The situation:
Phil Raby (Total 911) calls me enquiring about a car for a customer of his, he flys up and spends the afternoon checking it out, seems a nice guy, we agree a price due to the sppedo being intermittant and a few marks on the car and he tells me he'll get back to me in the morning whilst I hold off 3 other buyers. After a few calls to find out whats going on he then calls me late in afternoon the following day to tell me his customer is going to take it. I them informed the others that the car was sold.
Mrs X then calls me and offers to send a cheque for the deposit to hold the car which to be honest I wasn't bothered about as thought the deal was all done and dusted as I knew she'd have paid for Phil which means she not wasting peoples time and is a genuine buyer.
I get the car into the garage the following week to try and sort the speedo out as Mrs X is planning on flying up from down south to collect it. Anyway I pick her up in the Lambo and take her to the garage as they tell me the sensor hasn't worked and it neededs a few bits done to it like the wheels swapping round as the tyres were directional and the brake pipes could be needing done soon as the look like they are perishing, so I'm upfront with her and explain these items and offer to pick the tab up if she gets her local garage to the pipes them when she gets back and the boys would do the wheels while we wait.
We do the deal in the garage fourcourt space, sign the V5 over, provide all the keys, give her some flowers and show her the controls, which is more than any bloody dealer will do these days. Then I show her the road out to the motorway of which I planned to drive in front for about 15 miles, and we are only in the car 10 mins and the car cuts out at the lights, and seems dead on turnover. So manage to jump start it back to the garage and it dies again, so am thinking the battery as mechnaically the car has been driving fine. The garage test the battery and have within minutes pointed to a dead alternator but assure me and her that even very new cars can have this problem and that they were doing an 02 plate car at the same time as it's alternator had gone, but she starts to panic and starts talking about getting her insurance to just flatbed it home. I felt a bit bad for her in all honesty, but her husband came on the phone to her and was saying that he wasn't happy and she should maybe think about calling the deal off. Thing is at this point she now owns the car and I have the draft, so I said to her yep if she wanted her cash back then she can have it back sure, but we've singed everything and a sale has been concluded, and to try and help both of us out I'd said I'd put her up in a hotel for the night and the garage would have the car ready for lunchtime which they said they would, to which she agreed was a good way forward. So after taking about 4 hours in total off my work it's cost me 500 quid by this point in parts and still no sale as I gave her the draft to hold onto as she had no car I felt that was fair.
So in the morning she has called me to say that the offer of getting th car to her would be best and she'd take the keys and keep going thru with the sale. Anyway get the car back and then the follwoing day she calls me to tell me she wants to call the sale off and that she doens't think it's the car for her...........
Was I right in letting it fall thru?
What would you have done in my shoes?
Pork_n_Beem said:
Well - all i can say is that if it was me buying and the car cut out a few times it would have freaked me out....
Think you did the right thing - just bad luck for both of you.
Think you did the right thing - just bad luck for both of you.
it was just a regular mechanical fault thouhg, nothing serious, alternators go all the time.
Anyway I want to shift the car as I just don't have the time for it as the baby is on it's way soon and I have got the Murci if which I'm not planning to sell just yet.
I kinda felt it was better than it got sorted rather than her driving down the M7 somewhere and it dying that would have been worse surely.
I thought it was justa speedo sensor and it was working when the broker drove the car but to be honest I think people should just view the car themselves rather than sending someone who ultimately isn't writing the check or agreeing to the deal.
Yep, you did the decent thing. It's how we'd all like to be treated when we're the buyer, so whilst it's messed you around and cost a few quid, it was the correct decision.
It's understandable that she got nervous when there's been a few things like that happen just as she's picking the car up. If any of us bought a car that was running fine initially, but then had to be brought home on a flat bed, it would certainly taint the initial ownership experience.
Good man.
Edited to add: please can you post a link to your advert? I'm curious now.
It's understandable that she got nervous when there's been a few things like that happen just as she's picking the car up. If any of us bought a car that was running fine initially, but then had to be brought home on a flat bed, it would certainly taint the initial ownership experience.
Good man.
Edited to add: please can you post a link to your advert? I'm curious now.
Edited by willdew on Tuesday 22 May 08:46
I can just imagine Mrs X nodding to the various things you mentioned as if she actually understood what you were talking about only for the car to ALSO conk out? I know if it was my wife i would also have told her to pull out of the deal - He and she dont know you from Arthur Daily and listening to mechanics nowadays is like listening to politicians. My old elise was in and out of the Lotus garage countless numbers of times with there "expert" mechanics each time assuring me the car was ok.
P.S. Very noble of you BUT i would not expect anything less.
P.P.S. My Mercedes E class also had a "little" problem with Speedo BUT it cost £650 to fix!
P.S. Very noble of you BUT i would not expect anything less.
P.P.S. My Mercedes E class also had a "little" problem with Speedo BUT it cost £650 to fix!
Edited by wanta996 on Tuesday 22 May 08:52
I agreed a deal on a 3.2 Cab contingent on an MOT - bloody car broke down on the way - I knew it was a faulty DME and told him that (I didn't have a spare)...but he walked away. That cost me £500 in total - I sold the car a week later, but for less money.
I think you went above and beyond the call of duty - she was clearly concerned about the reliability of the car.
I think you went above and beyond the call of duty - she was clearly concerned about the reliability of the car.
To be frank with you, I think she was happy but when she spoke to her husband he talked her out of it. To be fair to him, he didn't have the benefit of meeting you and seeing you in person, and hearing this tale second hand I think I'd have been worried.
Just unlucky I think.
Just unlucky I think.
Edited by Vesuvius 996 on Tuesday 22 May 09:21
Sounds like you conducted yourself impecably but I don't really blame her for pulling out if the car gave up the ghost (for however minor a reason)as soon as she picked it up as it doesnt exactly inspire confidence. If she was made of sterner stuff she would have gone though with it but it would be asking a lot. Just bad luck I guess.
Edited by hoges11 on Tuesday 22 May 11:12
Thx for the comments guys, makes me feel like am not the only person who thinks this way........
I didn't copmplete the V5 she only signed it and took the green part with her and my spare keys!!!
So I either get a new V5 or just get the new buyer, whoever that might be as it appears 2 of my 3 genuines have got cars this week now, to just score that signature out and sign a new bit.
She wasn't a bad person I just think that it was the wrong thing to do, but as she used a broker it should have been al;ot easier, but appearred to be the opposite. It could have happened to any of us, but I still think a guy would have made a different decision to a woman as it was clear she was scared of it breaking down again, but FFS it's a 20yr old car things go wrong!!!
Anyway here's hoping this will show that the sale is a genuine one and that I'm not out there to con anyone with my high miler just a quick sale required.
Cheers
fellas
I didn't copmplete the V5 she only signed it and took the green part with her and my spare keys!!!
So I either get a new V5 or just get the new buyer, whoever that might be as it appears 2 of my 3 genuines have got cars this week now, to just score that signature out and sign a new bit.
She wasn't a bad person I just think that it was the wrong thing to do, but as she used a broker it should have been al;ot easier, but appearred to be the opposite. It could have happened to any of us, but I still think a guy would have made a different decision to a woman as it was clear she was scared of it breaking down again, but FFS it's a 20yr old car things go wrong!!!
Anyway here's hoping this will show that the sale is a genuine one and that I'm not out there to con anyone with my high miler just a quick sale required.
Cheers
fellas
willdew said:
Edited to add: please can you post a link to your advert? I'm curious now.
yes mate it's this one.
www.pistonheads.com/sales/105896.htm
I didn't stick that up as it wasn't mean to draw attention to the advert I was more interested in the comments.
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