Ebay - Disasterous purchase!

[RedBike]

I've just bought this bike off ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.co.u...e=STRK:MEWAXT

I went and collected it last night and paid cash. Now that i've got the bike home I've realised there's several serious issues. Where do I stand in terms of asking for a refund?

The frame is cracked and has been painted over to hide the damage.
The pop lock and bushes are broke on the forks.
The gear lever adjust has been snapped off.
The chainset is so worn the chain just slips.
The chain is stretched
The cassette is worn out.
The rotors are bent and need replacing and the brake pads need replacing.
The bearings have gone in the rear wheel
The bearings in the pedals are worn out
The handlebar grips are worn out

The tyres which he listed as worn arn't actually too bad !

 

[BSRU]

I've just bought this bike off ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.co.u...e=STRK:MEWAXT

I went and collected it last night and paid cash. Now that i've got the bike home I've realised there's several serious issues. Where do I stand in terms of asking for a refund?

The frame is cracked and has been painted over to hide the damage.
The pop lock and bushes are broke on the forks.
The gear lever adjust has been snapped off.
The chainset is so worn the chain just slips.
The chain is stretched
The cassette is worn out.
The rotors are bent and need replacing and the brake pads need replacing.
The bearings have gone in the rear wheel
The bearings in the pedals are worn out
The handlebar grips are worn out

The tyres which he listed as worn arn't actually too bad !

"Selling on behalf of friend" is always a bad sign.
Not using Paypal is also something I would not do for anything more than £20.

Paying cash means you have to check the item very carefully before paying. Trying to get a refund is going to be difficult as I think buying from a private seller means it is "sold as seen".

You could always try the small claims court but they may wonder why you did not notice all these faults when you picked it up.

 

[John the Monkey]

Think you may have him on this;

N GOOD WORKING ORDER<br style="color: rgb(0, 44, 253);"><br style="color: rgb(0, 44, 253);">EVERYTHING WORKS OK

I'm always wary of listings that say "I don't know much about the bike/camera/whatever" - tends to translate as "It's F*****D"

 

[alecstilleyedye]

if you paid via paypal you may be able to reclaim the money, but you would have to contact the seller first and tell them you want a refund.

unless the crack in the frame (rendering the bike useless) was mentioned and the bike was sold as spares, you may well have a case. if it was "sold as seen", things may get murkier.

 

[RedBike]

The bike was sold as being "In good working order" and "Everything works". This is far from being correct.

Stupidly as it was pouring with rain and the bike wouldn't roll because of the bent rotors I didn't test it. It wasn't until I got it home and removed the bent rotors that I realised just how worn out it actually is.

 

[Globalti]

I went to look at a Land Rover once and it was parked in a very remote farm building with a couple of others. It was dark inside and the seller told me he didn't know anything about it as he was selling it for his son. It stank of a stolen/rebuilt bodge (common with Land Rovers as they are easy to dismantle) so I walked away.

 

[Globalti]

Just from that Ebay pic you can tell the seller doesn't know much; saddle is at a stupid angle and chain is on big-big.

 

[BSRU]

The bike was sold as being "In good working order" and "Everything works". This is far from being correct.

Stupidly as it was pouring with rain and the bike wouldn't roll because of the bent rotors I didn't test it. It wasn't until I got it home and removed the bent rotors that I realised just how worn out it actually is.

From some government website:

Buying goods from a private seller
If you buy goods from a private individual, for example, through an advert in a newspaper or shop window, or at a car boot sale, you have very few legal rights. However, if the seller offers a description of the goods, they must match the description given. If your goods don't match the description given, you may be entitled to compensation. You may also be entitled to compensation if you have bought an unroadworthy car from a private seller, which has caused injury to someone. However, it may be especially difficult to get compensation from a private seller.

This might help:-

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/c_private_sales_and_car_boot_sales.pdf



They recommend going to a Citizens Advice Bureau.

 

[BSRU]

Print off a copy of the Ebay advert.

 

[RedBike]

Just from that Ebay pic you can tell the seller doesn't know much; saddle is at a stupid angle and chain is on big-big.

The two smaller chainrings and the middle portion of the cassette are so heavily worn the chain just slips when any pressure is applied to the pedals. He obviously knew about this and has been riding it around in the big-big combination, which is the only gear that actually still works.

 

[MacB]

The two smaller chainrings and the middle portion of the cassette are so heavily worn the chain just slips when any pressure is applied to the pedals. He obviously knew about this and has been riding it around in the big-big combination, which is the only gear that actually still works.

Tricky, while the description may be a bit misleading you're really not helped by the fact you collected and paid in cash. I'd contact the seller and say you want to bring it back and see how that flies, his reaction should give you an idea of how to proceed from there. If it's a vehement no then I think you're stuffed on this one.

 

[RedBike]

I've contacted the seller. His reaction is hes sold it for a friend and he now wants nothing to do with it.

 

[MacB]

I've contacted the seller. His reaction is hes sold it for a friend and he now wants nothing to do with it.

I think that'll be it, if you raise an e-bay dispute he'll claim ignorance as not his bike and just going on what his friend said. Then he'll say that you looked it over, proclaimed you were happy and handed him the cash. He'll also claim that you've damaged it in some way since you took possession.

By all means give a dispute a try, but I wouldn't hold your breath.

 

[Davidc]

That's always my fear when buying expensive things from ebay, and from some web merchants. My highest value ebay purchase has also been a bike, fortunately without a problem but there's always an element of risk. Sorry to hear about your problem.

I think there are positives. You've met the seller, you know where he lives, and you're in possesion of the goods.

I'd persue the seller, but would start by trying to reach a settlement with him. After that all legal means.

good luck

 

[ChrisKH]

I think you are going to have to take this on the chin. Caveat Emptor and all that. You saw the bike and I presume had the opportunity to try it out or inspect it then. I agree this has probably been missold and you would have greater rights had PayPal been used or had the bike been delivered without inspection. Don't ebay make you use PayPal now otherwise you can't use them to rule on a sale, etc.? Sorry I can't say anything positive.