Issues with a van buyer

manisinghb · 21 Jul 2011 at 18:53

Hi guys hope this is the place to post such an issue!

Ok well I've just sold off a van (on my dad's behalf whom I live with) through Commercial Trader (autotrader's sister for vans/trucks etc.). The price was £1000 ONO. After a little test drive around the block, we agreed and sold at £950. So about half hour after leaving my place he calls and says the steering wheel is like a death trap, the van is all over the place and he wants his money back. Now the problem is my dad is adament there was nothing wrong with it, the buyer is adament there is a problem. I'm a private seller, we've signed and agreed to a deal, should I be refunding or at least putting towards the repair of this problem?

Because he is telling me he will come to my house tomorrow to return the van and get his money back, obviously I don't want no problems especially at my own door step. I have offered him £50 back but refused a full refund and asked him not to come and waste his time or money, there's not much else I can do; he saw the vehicle and bought it, I had no problem in him test driving the van anywhere he wanted. Before he came down he even asked if he can take it to the MOT centre and I had no problem taking him, but for some reason he didn't go. The van was a LDV Convoy, and for £950 I don't know what this guy expects, my dad drives the van to and from Central London EVERY DAY 7 days a week and never complains of a problem.

What can I do to get this guy off my back?! HELP

Duke · 21 Jul 2011 at 18:55

Have a read of this thread

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18288814

TFC · 21 Jul 2011 at 19:09

As above, private sale, no warranty express or implied, no come back.

Werewolf · 21 Jul 2011 at 19:11

TFC said:
As above, private sale, no warranty express or implied, no come back.

And he was happy with the test drive, if the steering was that bad surely it would have shown up on the test?

manisinghb · 21 Jul 2011 at 19:13

thanks mate should have looked more closely to find this thread but mind is all over the place thinking of how to deal with this easily missed =( thanks again!

Buchanan0204 · 21 Jul 2011 at 19:16

Terrible coincidence by the sounds of things. Hard luck for him. However... me being the nice guy I am. Would get it checked out to see what caused the problem. If it was indeed due to something caused before he bought it. I would be inclined to give him his cash back, or at least some of it.

If it was a fault that was caused through something he may have done in that short time... tough luck of course.

Disco Boy · 21 Jul 2011 at 19:16

Caveat emptor.

manisinghb · 21 Jul 2011 at 19:18

Werewolf said:
And he was happy with the test drive, if the steering was that bad surely it would have shown up on the test?

to be fair to him on the test drive (I sat with him) he was saying the van is going to the left and we checked tyre pressures etc. everything was fine and I told him my dad is adament nothing is wrong and we are not selling a dodgy motor it's got a recent MOT too (I think from a couple months ago)

Lopéz · 21 Jul 2011 at 19:22

manisinghb said:
he calls and says the steering wheel is like a death trap, the van is all over the place

They're all like that from memory, awful king pin setup on the front of most LDV's, horrible to drive compared to a Transit or anything else with proper suspension.

PhillyDee · 21 Jul 2011 at 19:30

Why didn't he take it straight back if it was only half an hour?

That surely means that he has had a days hire of the van, and expects to not pay for it . . . . Just saying . . . .

manisinghb · 21 Jul 2011 at 20:00

Lopéz said:
They're all like that from memory, awful king pin setup on the front of most LDV's, horrible to drive compared to a Transit or anything else with proper suspension.

Yes my dad and his friend (a mechanic) are suggesting this too, I said this to the buyer who refused to accept that explanation saying 'there's no way any vehicle would be built like this for Health and Safety reasons'.

manisinghb · 21 Jul 2011 at 20:11

PhillyDee said:
Why didn't he take it straight back if it was only half an hour?

That surely means that he has had a days hire of the van, and expects to not pay for it . . . . Just saying . . . .

EXACTLY what I was thinking PhillyDee...exactly

Richie · 21 Jul 2011 at 20:51

Or by the time he gets it back to you the following day he managed to swap the dodgy steering component(s) out of his own van into yours (24 hours is plenty time)

Rich_L · 21 Jul 2011 at 20:54

Is it a black van?

Jono8 · 21 Jul 2011 at 20:57

As has been said, why did he not just bring it straight back? Something sounds dodgy if you ask me.

StoutMeister · 21 Jul 2011 at 21:07

Richie said:
Or by the time he gets it back to you the following day he managed to swap the dodgy steering component(s) out of his own van into yours (24 hours is plenty time)

I thought this too.

Tell him to ****-off or you'll get your ***** friends onto him.

Kutter · 21 Jul 2011 at 21:09

Tell him to do one

j.col · 21 Jul 2011 at 21:53

private sale, no comebacks, tell him to do one!
also why didn't he pick up any faults on test drive (as warewolf said)
if this was sold at an auction, he still wouldn't have any comebacks.
he had his test drive and still bought it, so hard luck

manisinghb · 21 Jul 2011 at 22:17

Rich_L said:
Is it a black van?

no not black lol why do you ask?

Behemoth · 21 Jul 2011 at 22:30

TFC said:
As above, private sale, no warranty express or implied, no come back.

Exactly this.

As long as the van was yours to sell, matched it's discription e.g. Make, Model Milage and you haven't mislead the buyer in anyway they can't make a claim for it not being satisfactory quality.

Buyer simply has no rights and can jog on.