Gumtree buyer demanding refund

[concernedseller]

Hi all!

 

I’ll try make this as concise as possible!

 

A friend of mine sold an item (an old instrument) on gumtree valued at £3000.

A buyer came forward asking various questions about the instrument all of which were answered honestly and to the best of her and my own knowledge.

None of the information contained within the article was misleading or mis-informative.

 

After answering all the questions the buyer said he would need to come and view the item prior to purchase to which he was explicitly told no problem come whenever you like. Then he sent another message later that evening saying he would like to make an offer of 2750 which was fine and my friend accepted. He then said he would like the item dropped off at his father in laws work which was also done straight away.

 

After he eventually got the item (3 weeks has now passed) he has come saying he’d like a refund as he believes the instrument was over priced for what it is and he isn’t happy with it claiming some parts of it have been replaced or refurbished. As a professional musician I tried the instrument prior to selling and it was in full working order.

 

As the instrument was very old and neither myself or my friend were the original owner we did not make comment on the originality of the pieces or their history as it is often impossible to tell. All we did was provide a surplus of photographs as part of the ad and answer all questions honestly without misrepresenting any information about the item.

 

The buyer has repeatedly messaged threatening involvement from his solicitors should I be worried?

He was given the right to come and view the item but he chose not to and I have proof of this in text messages.

None of the information was false and no details of the instrument were misrepresented.

 

My friend has since spent the money on a trip to go travelling hence the reason for me writing this message, the buyer only has my contact details.

 

The buyer also messaged claiming he had the instrument valued at £2250 would I be willing to refund the difference, something I’m also not keen on doing as I’m starting to believe he only bought the item to sell on for a larger profit and thus the question of originality is the source of his frustration.

 

Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated

should I entertain a refund or the threat of legal action?

 

Cheers

Concernedseller

Edited April 28, 2018 by dx100uk
spacing

[dx100uk]

seems like you are doing the right thing....

 

like the sols wave their arms..

[sgtbush]

No, dont be worried.

The buyer asked to view before purchase andwas given the opportunity.

They chose not to and follow a different route.

[king12345]

He's stuffed.

You put something up for sale, he made an offer, you accepted, money and goods were exchanged, end of transaction.

If he's so stupid to spend almost £3k on something he hasn't seen, it's not your problem as you haven't lied in the advert.

[concernedseller]

Would everyone advise ignoring any further communication, I agree with you, king12345, he’s realised his stupidity of buying something without inspecting it for himself however his communication is verging on herasment and threatening in the sense he’s using intimidation to try and get a refund. Would everyone advise ignoring any further communication?

[king12345]

I would wait for either an lba or a letter from a solicitor and reply accordingly including the original gum tree advert and all communication highlighting that you described the item to the best of your knowledge and without lying and he refused your offer to inspect the item before purchasing it.

Then if he wants to take you to court he will lose.

[king12345]

I would avoid mentioning that you are a musician.

[concernedseller]

As he doesn’t have the address of my friend who sold the item

In the first place and the account holder of the account which posted the gumtree ad is he even able to send an iba?

[Surfer01]

If he continues with the harrasment then the next thing is to advise that if he does nto stop the harrasment he will be prosecuted under the Harassment Act 1997 and it will be a criminal conviction.

[BankFodder]

If he is simply complaining about the quality of the item rather than some flaw or defect in it then I don't think there is much you can say. If he is simply saying that some earlier repairs to it made it less valuable than he thought, then I don't think he has got any basis for bringing any action. If he is saying that any earlier work or replacement parts have made it unusable or are preventing it from playing correctly then he might have a basis for a claim

[Spudzulu]

Hi all!

 

I’ll try make this as concise as possible!

 

A friend of mine sold an item (an old instrument) on gumtree valued at £3000.

A buyer came forward asking various questions about the instrument all of which were answered honestly and to the best of her and my own knowledge.

None of the information contained within the article was misleading or mis-informative.

 

After answering all the questions the buyer said he would need to come and view the item prior to purchase to which he was explicitly told no problem come whenever you like. Then he sent another message later that evening saying he would like to make an offer of 2750 which was fine and my friend accepted. He then said he would like the item dropped off at his father in laws work which was also done straight away.

 

After he eventually got the item (3 weeks has now passed) he has come saying he’d like a refund as he believes the instrument was over priced for what it is and he isn’t happy with it claiming some parts of it have been replaced or refurbished. As a professional musician I tried the instrument prior to selling and it was in full working order.

 

As the instrument was very old and neither myself or my friend were the original owner we did not make comment on the originality of the pieces or their history as it is often impossible to tell. All we did was provide a surplus of photographs as part of the ad and answer all questions honestly without misrepresenting any information about the item.

 

The buyer has repeatedly messaged threatening involvement from his solicitors should I be worried?

He was given the right to come and view the item but he chose not to and I have proof of this in text messages.

None of the information was false and no details of the instrument were misrepresented.

 

My friend has since spent the money on a trip to go travelling hence the reason for me writing this message, the buyer only has my contact details.

 

The buyer also messaged claiming he had the instrument valued at £2250 would I be willing to refund the difference, something I’m also not keen on doing as I’m starting to believe he only bought the item to sell on for a larger profit and thus the question of originality is the source of his frustration.

 

Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated

should I entertain a refund or the threat of legal action?

 

Cheers

Concernedseller

 

He had to chance to inspect and he refused, that’s the whole point of an inspection...to inspect before buying. I would replying pointing this out and that you are happy,after taking advice, that there is no liability on the seller’s part.

 

Otherwise I feel he will continue to issue these threats up to the point before issuing court papers, which would be tiresome for you.His failure to carry out due diligence is of no concern or consequence to you or your friend.

[ericsbrother]

buyer remorse rather than any real problem. Offer and counteroffer, acceptance after inspecting the goods=

no refund. Block email and telephone and stop corresponding. To continue to trya dn bargin with buyer will only cause more grief for both sides.