Is there any way to report dodgy car seller?

Merry Prankster

Hi,

A few weeks back I was helping a friend look for a car. He saw one he liked on Done Deal and arranged to see it. From the outset it seemed dodgy - the guy initially wanted to meet him in the car park of a pub but suddenly decided that he'd meet my friend in the car park of the shop where my friend works.

I had a strong suspicion he was dodgy and my first sighting confirmed this. The car sounded like ****, his daughter who was with him scampered straight into the shop as soon as they arrived, as though nervous or embarrassed. He kept changing his story about the car and the reason for selling it - first it was his wife's, then his daughter's who was selling it because she failed her test - this despite the fact that car hadn't been taxed in 8 months. I had done a vehicle status enquiry beforehand and knew that he'd only had the car a month.

I asked him about receipts for the work he claimed had been done (timing belt and water pump) and he became defensive/aggressive, saying that honest people don't need to keep receipts and that he didn't have to take these kind of questions. With that, he grabbed his daughter, slammed the doors shut, surprisingly managed to start the car and drove off. It irritated me that he'd had the gall to try to pass off such a heap of ****e onto someone, and get aggressive when asked normal questions.

I've seen multiple ads from him since - although different numbers and names are provided, I can tell it's him. All of the pictures of the cars are taken in the car park of the same pub and a particular word is spelled incorrectly in all of them.

Is selling ****heaps like this illegal? Can I report him to the Gardai?

mikeecho

Buyer beware

It's a civil matter, I doubt the cops would be interested

What if anything was wrong with the car ?

mike65

Done deal is full of these boyos, driveway traders.

Some are not that bright

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4752707
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4755520

oregano

Merry Prankster wrote: »

Hi,

A few weeks back I was helping a friend look for a car. He saw one he liked on Done Deal and arranged to see it. From the outset it seemed dodgy - the guy initially wanted to meet him in the car park of a pub but suddenly decided that he'd meet my friend in the car park of the shop where my friend works.

I had a strong suspicion he was dodgy and my first sighting confirmed this. The car sounded like ****, his daughter who was with him scampered straight into the shop as soon as they arrived, as though nervous or embarrassed. He kept changing his story about the car and the reason for selling it - first it was his wife's, then his daughter's who was selling it because she failed her test - this despite the fact that car hadn't been taxed in 8 months. I had done a vehicle status enquiry beforehand and knew that he'd only had the car a month.

I asked him about receipts for the work he claimed had been done (timing belt and water pump) and he became defensive/aggressive, saying that honest people don't need to keep receipts and that he didn't have to take these kind of questions. With that, he grabbed his daughter, slammed the doors shut, surprisingly managed to start the car and drove off. It irritated me that he'd had the gall to try to pass off such a heap of ****e onto someone, and get aggressive when asked normal questions.

I've seen multiple ads from him since - although different numbers and names are provided, I can tell it's him. All of the pictures of the cars are taken in the car park of the same pub and a particular word is spelled incorrectly in all of them.

Is selling ****heaps like this illegal? Can I report him to the Gardai?

What do you think the Gardai would do if you reported a man who astonishingly lies to a potential purchaser?

I personally despise rogue dealers who do what this guy does, but complaining to the Gardai? Seriously?

mike65

http://www.nca.ie/index.jsp?p=133&n=177&a=349

Private Sales

You do not have the same consumer rights if you are buying a car from a private seller. Generally, private sales do not come with a warranty so you should ask a mechanic to check the car before you buy it. You should always get the seller’s address or telephone number so that you can contact them if you have problems later on. Always know what to look out for when buying privately.

If a problem arises with a privately sold car there may be little you can do beyond taking a civil case through the courts. Because of this you should be very careful when buying from a private seller and you really need to be aware of what you’re buying. Remember, a private seller may not have all the answers, so it is important to have the car checked by a mechanic.

Basically there is little that can be done other than name and shame and try to make sure road side/driveway sellers who are clearly attempting to pull a fast are known. Which is of course difficult, as its one persons word against another as a rule.

ironclaw

We get some many threads like this and its tiring when we have to sympathise with the buyer. If you buy a lemon, from a private person, then tough. Thats my line. People need to stop trusting the face value of things and do their homework. Bring someone who knows what they are talking about and go CSI on the entire car. No one is forcing you to part with your cash. Its perfectly acceptable to be polite and walk away from any deal.

Granted I despise anyone falsely representing a product and trying to swindle people, but if someone is stupid enough to buy from them then they'll keep offering the goods. And by the looks of it business is booming so there must be plenty of stupid people out there.

biko

Wanting to meet anywhere but the sellers house is a warning sign right there.
If seller doesn't appear to be 100%, just walk away. You'd be glad you did.

It's not illegal to sell ****boxes to stupid people unfortunately.

George Dalton

biko wrote: »

Wanting to meet anywhere but the sellers house is a warning sign right there.

I wouldn't say that. There are plenty of genuine sellers who would be (understandably) very wary of inviting a complete stranger to their house to view a car.

ironclaw

George Dalton wrote: »

I wouldn't say that. There are plenty of genuine sellers who would be (understandably) very wary of inviting a complete stranger to their house to view a car.

I'd agree with that. Anything I've ever sold be that a €50 Nokia or more, I'd never invite someone to my door.

biko

I've been to plenty of sellers houses but weren't invited inside. That's fine, I'm not there for coffee and cake.
I've also met perfectly sound sellers at car parks.

All I'm saying is that if a seller wants to meet somewhere else it makes my spidey sense tingle a bit.

mathepac

George Dalton wrote: »

I.... There are plenty of genuine sellers who would be (understandably) very wary of inviting a complete stranger to their house to view a car.

I've been invited to people's houses to buy articles selling for 10s rather than 100s or 1,000s. They had nothing to hide and were honest sellers doing once-off deals. It is repeat offenders who want the deal done in a car-park.

OP report your suspicions to your local Revenue Commissioners' office. The chances are he's fiddling taxes as well as getting decent private sellers a bad name.

fastrac

Always google the phone no. You will amazed what you can find if the seller is a dealer.

Big Davey

Merry Prankster wrote: »

Hi,

A few weeks back I was helping a friend look for a car. He saw one he liked on Done Deal and arranged to see it. From the outset it seemed dodgy - the guy initially wanted to meet him in the car park of a pub but suddenly decided that he'd meet my friend in the car park of the shop where my friend works.

I had a strong suspicion he was dodgy and my first sighting confirmed this. The car sounded like ****, his daughter who was with him scampered straight into the shop as soon as they arrived, as though nervous or embarrassed. He kept changing his story about the car and the reason for selling it - first it was his wife's, then his daughter's who was selling it because she failed her test - this despite the fact that car hadn't been taxed in 8 months. I had done a vehicle status enquiry beforehand and knew that he'd only had the car a month.
Forward the info you have to revenue include any phone numbers you h
I asked him about receipts for the work he claimed had been done (timing belt and water pump) and he became defensive/aggressive, saying that honest people don't need to keep receipts and that he didn't have to take these kind of questions. With that, he grabbed his daughter, slammed the doors shut, surprisingly managed to start the car and drove off. It irritated me that he'd had the gall to try to pass off such a heap of ****e onto someone, and get aggressive when asked normal questions.

I've seen multiple ads from him since - although different numbers and names are provided, I can tell it's him. All of the pictures of the cars are taken in the car park of the same pub and a particular word is spelled incorrectly in all of them.

Is selling ****heaps like this illegal? Can I report him to the Gardai?

Forward all his details to revenue all the numbers you have, links to ads, time and date and where you met him, if he is selling enough of them they will take an interest, I don't think there is a trading standards here like in the uk so that's probably the best bet. From what you have said I doubt he has a TAN number or is paying tax of any description.

Big Davey

mike65 wrote: »

Done deal is full of these boyos, driveway traders.

Some are not that bright

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4752707
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4755520

Well spotted batman.

Saab Ed

mathepac wrote: »

OP report your suspicions to your local Revenue Commissioners' office. The chances are he's fiddling taxes as well as getting decent private sellers a bad name.

Oh would you ever ever fcuking cop on. How would that go ....

"Hello , I've met a bloke in a car park selling a car " Really, this sounds tasty. Straight to the Revenuemobile.

Like really, check yourself will ya !

George Dalton

mathepac wrote: »

It is repeat offenders who want the deal done in a car-park.

I agree that the repeat offenders will always want to do the deal in a neutral location.

But that does not automatically mean that anybody who wants to meet in a neutral location is not a genuine seller.

Big Davey

Saab Ed wrote: »

Oh would you ever ever fcuking cop on. How would that go ....

"Hello , I've met a bloke in a car park selling a car " Really, this sounds tasty. Straight to the Revenuemobile.

Like really, check yourself will ya !

You would be surprised how interested revenue are in these type of people, it is mainly done by email these days.

oregano

mathepac wrote: »

I've been invited to people's houses to buy articles selling for 10s rather than 100s or 1,000s. They had nothing to hide and were honest sellers doing once-off deals. It is repeat offenders who want the deal done in a car-park.

OP report your suspicions to your local Revenue Commissioners' office. The chances are he's fiddling taxes as well as getting decent private sellers a bad name.

Of course he's fiddling his taxes ... The initial post proves that.

Merry Prankster

RoverJames wrote: »

What if anything was wrong with the car ?

I know very little about cars but I know that the noise/rattle the car was making wasn't good. You don't need to be Ross Brawn to know when something is clearly not right! Also the fact that he was lying about who owned it and how quickly he became defensive when asked simple questions. It's funny how dishonest people often interpret innocent questions as challenges to their integrity.

oregano wrote: »

What do you think the Gardai would do if you reported a man who astonishingly lies to a potential purchaser?

I personally despise rogue dealers who do what this guy does, but complaining to the Gardai? Seriously?

I realise that my original post was misguided. A trading standards type body rather than the Gardai would be the most appropriate.

ironclaw wrote: »

We get some many threads like this and its tiring when we have to sympathise with the buyer. If you buy a lemon, from a private person, then tough. Thats my line. People need to stop trusting the face value of things and do their homework. Bring someone who knows what they are talking about and go CSI on the entire car. No one is forcing you to part with your cash. Its perfectly acceptable to be polite and walk away from any deal.

Granted I despise anyone falsely representing a product and trying to swindle people, but if someone is stupid enough to buy from them then they'll keep offering the goods. And by the looks of it business is booming so there must be plenty of stupid people out there.

It'd be nice if Done Deal provided an option to flag dodgy ads. I realise that it would take alot of working out to prevent mischievous abuse of such a feature, but surely it could be done. It's frustrating to see such ads and realise that someone is gonna fall for it.

mathepac

Saab Ed wrote: »

Oh would you ever ever fcuking cop on. How would that go ....

"Hello , I've met a bloke in a car park selling a car " Really, this sounds tasty. Straight to the Revenuemobile.

Like really, check yourself will ya !

OP sought suggestions as to where to report a dodgey ca seller - refer to thread title and opening post if you are confused. I've made my helpful suggestion, what's yours?

Is contact with the Revenue anathema to you?

mathepac

George Dalton wrote: »

I agree that the repeat offenders will always want to do the deal in a neutral location.

But that does not automatically mean that anybody who wants to meet in a neutral location is not a genuine seller.

Refer to thread title and OP. My comment refers to OP's request for somewhere to report his specific suspected dodgey dealer to.

George Dalton

mathepac wrote: »

Refer to thread title and OP. My comment refers to OP's request for somewhere to report his specific suspected dodgey dealer to.

The part of your post which I quoted does not refer to the OP's request at all, it refers to a side issue raised by another poster so I'm not sure what you are getting at with this latest post to be honest.

sean1141

George Dalton wrote: »

I wouldn't say that. There are plenty of genuine sellers who would be (understandably) very wary of inviting a complete stranger to their house to view a car.

This. I would never invite a potential buyer to my house. If they demanded to come to the house i would pull out of the sale especially if cash is involved.

I sold several cars privately and only ever had one buyer at my house. That was only because I had no lift home from town where the deal was done!