So I sold a set of wheels to a local guy. He's form the VW community so its no one here. He's had the wheels now for over a month and I guess he finally got around to mounting and balancing them. It turns out that 1 spoke of 1 wheel is bent and it cant be fixed. I honestly had no idea that this was the case. I have auto crossed on them and they are my summer DDs and i never had any issues with them. Hes asking for a full refund but there is no way I can do that. I just started paying back my student loans and am really strapped for cash. Its why I started parting my car out in the first place.

He keeps texting me and I don't know how else to tell him that I can refund his money. Ive told him its not that I don't want to, I just can't and I've explained my situation to him. What the hell should I tell the kid?

 

if you honestly didn't know about the problem and sent him plenty of pics as proof of the condition of the wheels and sold it to him "AS IS" with no returns mentioned and he still accepted, then the problem is now his.

 

^Agreed.

It's been a month. He's had plenty of time to check over the wheels and make sure there weren't any imperfections. Maybe he bent one of the spokes and he's blaming you?

 

I agree with the others. If it was a matter of days after you sold the wheels when he found the problem, you may might have worked something out. If the wheels were sold "as is", he wouldn't be entitled to it, but in fairness you might have offered him something. Since it's been over a month, however, the responsibility lies with the buyer. I don't believe you knowingly sold him a bad wheel, and he's had plenty of time to check them out.

Don't explain that you won't give him a refund because you can't, but instead tell him that you won't. As mentioned, he's had plenty of time to check them out, and you are in no way responsible for the wheels at this point.





Terry

 

once I get wheels I inspect them to make sure,

that is his own fault for waiting a month to get actually look at them

 

If you already told him the "i'm strapped, student loans, etc" story and now you go back with an "It's your own fault, sold as is" story, it's going to look bad. No matter how you cut it.

Any chance of a partial refund or reduction?

I DO agree that he should've checked 'em out right away and that it is possible the damage occured after they left your hands.

I'm just saying that would've been the better tack right from the begininng.

 

How do you even know that he really waited a month?

I've bent two wheels since February due to the crappy condition of our highways around DC/MD ... Maybe he put them on and has buyer's remorse. Maybe he bent it himself. There are a ton of reasons but you're not a brick and mortar store.

It's a learning experience for him ... Next time he'll do a more thorough inspection.

 

As most everyone has said, it's his problem at this point, not yours. Quite frankly, it was his problem as soon as he drove off with them. If he didn't fully inspect them before handing over the money, it's his fault...unless you implied or offered some sort of warranty on the wheels, which I highly doubt.

 

If he bought them face to face, it's his problem now

 

Tell him to call Paypal.

 

caveat emptor

 

pretty much a shit out of luck situation for the buyer.. it happens...

ps. never give out your personal information to strangers.. this entire situation could have been avoided if communication was though email.

 

Back on track... I agree with the others. One month is an excessively long time. You kind of played the whole you don't have money thing, but I'd just turn it around and just tell him that not only do you not have the money as it was used on student loans, but even if you did you couldn't give a refund after one month. As far as you know the wheels were fine when he bought them, and you have no way to prove what he did with those wheels over the last 30 days or so...


I still keep my old 888 number from my business for this very reason. Perfect number to give out to people when I am selling something...

 

is it expensive to get an 888 number?

 

^ I'm paying $140/year... so $11 and change per month. That's all in (taxes and all). I use RingCentral, so I get full service with them as well, not just the number. Voicemail, customizable settings, etc...

 

IMO, it's his responsibility to inspect the stuff when he gets it. For him to come back a month later and say a wheel is bent is ridiculous. I would tell him that he is SOL.

 

Just use Google Voice if you want a throw away number.

 

Thanks for the responses guys!!

I didn't mind giving out my info cause I have auto crossed with him before and he is friends with people I auto cross with regularly. I'm not worried about him at all, guess i'm just trying to get the opinion of others.

I did do the transaction in person. He came and saw the wheels, didn't like how the rubber was feathered so I agreed to unmount them and sell just wheels. He came back later and picked them up and I took the cash. He then comes to me yesterday, over a month later, asking for his money back. I suggested wheels america, even gave him the number and passed along some success stories Ive had with them in the past (they repaired a smashed RS4 wheel two years ago. It was literally like a D and it balanced just fine).

Im glad im not the only one thats thinking hes crazy to ask for his money back.

THANKS!!!

 

he's not your friend no more i hope!

he saw the wheels in person, agreed to take them, and then a month later came back to request a full refund. what a douche! give him the middle finger! and never race with him ever or his friends!

 

No effing way I would give him a refund.

 

You must be smoking some good stuff.


No refund, do like one acurazine member did for me, next time you sell something make them sign a contract for as is.

 

You did the right thing. Way too long to be asking for a refund. Couple days yes, one week maybe, but a month?

 

I must be misunderstanding something but I was saying that he shouldn't give him a refund.

 

damn and he came and picked them up and didnt inspect eff that never would give him the refund even if he came back a week later saying there bent..

didnt he notice the bend when he picked them up

 

im going to start doing that making people sign contracts

 

I have seen this occur before. A friend of mine wanted to buy some used wheels from a guy with a newer model of the same car. In his case he took the wheels to a tire/wheel shop before he gave the guy the cash and discovered that 2 were bent. I think the guy honestly didn’t know how bad the wheels were.

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If you were to go to court over this situation, one month is right on the line of what would be considered a reasonable amount of time to return an item as defective. However, in this circumstance, the item is already used and no warranty was included with the purchase.

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You can’t blame him for asking, but don’t give in. I sold a Jetta Gli once to a cop’s wife who came to me 3 months later with a bill for a cracked exhaust manifold. Was it broken when I had it? Probably. Did I pay for it? Hell no.<o:p></o:p>

 

He most likely waited a month to mount them because of the weather...

Otherwise I agree with everyone here. I been in your situation and it sucks. Although I caved and just refunded half of what it would cost to get the wheel fixed. Buyer seemed satisfied with that.

 

I agree with the "as is" mentality... that's life.
In business you cannot rely on the integrity of others, and my mind tells me he needs to own his responsibility as the buyer... with that being said meet him on the cost of one wheel if your conscience is bothering you.

 

It's not.. I have bills to pay...