Help..Deposit taken but no contact from them

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lynnb

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Hello, I am new to this site, and am looking for some help/advice. I have a rising 3 year old British Sports Horse, who was advertised for sale, first viewer came and left a £50 deposit. That was on Saturday 9th March. They asked how quickly I would like him gone, told them his grazing was paid up to end of month (we have to pay month in advance), but would like him gone ASAP. They were happy with this. I emailed the girl whos horse he is going to be on the same day, just to say happy that he has gone to her, and they had asked if I could possible deliver for petrol money, so I offered to take him on sunday 17th, giving them a week. The reply was that should be all fine and they were just sorting out her other horse going to his new home.

WELL, I sent an email (the only way of contacting her I have) on the Saturday 16th as I hadnt heard anything at all from her all week, just touching ground asking if they wanted me to bring him over and just to check all ok.

I had no reply.

So I emailed again Monday evening, asking basically if they could make some kind of contact with me, to let me know what is going on, as the deposit is now virtually all gone as I had to go out and purchase more feed and haylege for the horse for the forthcoming week. I said I understand if circumstances change and if they are no longer able to have him, but I just need to know, and then I can let the other people that wished to view him to come and have a look.
Up until this point Wednesday Morning I have still had no reply. They have my mobile phone number, but the only way of contact I had was between email - which in a way is lucky as it shows no replies for them.

I am in a dilemma as to what to do now, I have been told by a few people as I have written twice and no response, give them until 48 hours from last email and re-email them saying that I presume due to lack of correspondence from them that I presume they no longer want him and I shall let other interested parties come and view?

Has anyone else had any issues like this and how did you go about it?? Any help is gratefully appreciated!!
Thank you
 
I think it would be entirely reasonable to do as your friends suggest. Altho Hotmail have been having some technical probs, dont know if they are on that, but even so they should have been in contact with you anyway.

When if they do contact you will have to decide whether to return deposit, I would but only cos I like a quiet life :-)))
 
As you have said, email them to let them know that you are putting him back on the market & then get in touch with any other interested parties & book them in to view him ASAP.

Make sure to take number's from people in the future, it is always better to be able to contact someone as things can crop up so quickly with horses.

Good luck, hope you find him a super home very soon.
 
I would send one last email stateing that if you hadn't heard from them by ?? date that you would assume that they no longer wanted him and that you would use the £50 to re-advertise him. Next time get 2 copies of a reciept for the deposit stateing how long you will hold the horse before deposit is forfited, both sign and hold one each. It could be that their horse fell through and they are stalling for time.
 
£50 isn't much of a deposit so they probably aren't bothered if the sale falls through...email them asking for their phone number and give them a call and just ask if they still want the horse, give a date where your prepared to wait until and if still no response then look at advertising again.
If they contact you after this date give them back their £50 and tell them to jog on.
 
Spit That Out said:
£50 isn't much of a deposit so they probably aren't bothered if the sale falls through...email them asking for their phone number and give them a call and just ask if they still want the horse, give a date where your prepared to wait until and if still no response then look at advertising again.
If they contact you after this date give them back their £50 and tell them to jog on.
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Do't give them back their deposit!! No point taking one if you're going to give it back when they mess you around!
 
^^^ I agree. Would be a different matter perhaps if it was a deposit of £hundreds/thousands but for all this messing about and his keep after the 17th march plus readvertising, I'd say you're entitled to keep the £50!
 
£50 is not a reasonable deposit. You should take at least 10% of the asking price as a deposit as this makes people less likely to mess you about. Do not return the deposit. Readvertise the horse. You have copies of your emails as proof you have tried contacting them. Write one more saying that if they do not contact you by ??? time, he will be readvertised and you will keep the deposit.
 
Can you have one last ditch attempt at contacting them at the yard where you were going to deliver the horse (that's if you have the details of course). Depends what you said about the deposit. It's usually non refundable unless the horse fails a vetting. Sounds as though they weren't having it vetted. Perhaps their circumstances have changed /they've changed their mind.
 
People are strange, my horse was advertised in january and had a £200 deposit put on and rest to pay when they collected her in feb then they stopped all contact to the dealer so he advertised her again in may and i bought her for £200 less. Good for me but gotta wonder why people put that much money down on something and dont take it!
 
Wagtail said:
£50 is not a reasonable deposit. You should take at least 10% of the asking price as a deposit as this makes people less likely to mess you about. Do not return the deposit. Readvertise the horse. You have copies of your emails as proof you have tried contacting them. Write one more saying that if they do not contact you by ??? time, he will be readvertised and you will keep the deposit.
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Completely agree.
 
Wagtail said:
£50 is not a reasonable deposit. You should take at least 10% of the asking price as a deposit as this makes people less likely to mess you about. Do not return the deposit. Readvertise the horse. You have copies of your emails as proof you have tried contacting them. Write one more saying that if they do not contact you by ??? time, he will be readvertised and you will keep the deposit.
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I agree its not a deposit really. I have sent £50 deposits twice and both times it was horses I had bought unseen and did not want to send a big deposit. Ie I could live with losing it if the horse turned out to be nothing like described. Sounds like this is what they have done, queer when they have viewed him!
 
I feel for you but as others have said, its £50, and if they wanted it back they should have messaged. They have wasted your time so you are entitled to it, otherwise there is no point in asking for deposits. :) Good luck selling your horse.
 
You've been more than patient.

I'd just go ahead and let others view him and if he sells so be it. I don't think you'll hear from them again. If they were that keen they'd have been in touch
 
I only meant give them back the deposit to avoid any comeback with the buyer saying why did you sell the horse after they had left a deposit, after all the buyer left the money in good faith and could have been in holiday, family emergency, the seller might have the wrong email address etc etc which is why they haven't been in contact.
I do agree that the seller has been more than patient, tried contacting them etc etc and I would have to agree with others and as I said earlier, re-advertise your horse as by the sounds of it the sale has fell trough.
If the buyer had said they no longer wanted the horse then I agree that the seller keeps the deposit.
 
Spit That Out said:
I only meant give them back the deposit to avoid any comeback with the buyer saying why did you sell the horse after they had left a deposit.
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The response to which would be 'because you ceased all contact with me, and after XXXX period of time I felt I had no option but to re-advertise'.
 
I was contact them again.
Give them a few days.
If no response then re advertise the horse.
Put their deposit to one side and I expect they will be in touch for ir eventually.
Or get them a time limit, if no reply keep deposit as they are the ones who have pulled out of sale not you.
 
I put a 50 deposit on a pony (the total was only 350) a few years back and two days after viewing, financially our world fell apart.

Phoned the seller and it never occurred to me to ask for the deposit back, that was the point of leaving it, for our benefit not the sellers as I didn't want to carry around loads of cash when viewing.
 
As already said I would send one final email along the lines of "Hi, I've tried to contact you two times previously (and state the dates) as yet I've had no response. Could you please contact me as a matter of urgency to discuss the sale of (horse's name) as agreed. If I haven't heard from you by (insert date) at (insert time) I will consider you do not wish to proceed with the sale and re-advertise him. You will also forfeit the deposit left as I will have to re-advertise hi. If you do wish to continue with the sale but are having difficulties please do contact me to discuss this and we can try and come to some arrangement." If they don't take the hint at that, put him up again and keep the deposit.
 
Thank you everyone for your responses. I do have copies of all the invoices and luckily Virgin Media put them in history - so it shows when I sent one...the reply...etc
They do have my telephone number, which I gave to them for when they came to view him in case they couldnt find us. The only other correspondence we have had is via email, which prior to and just after viewing they contacted me through.
I shall forward another email giving them a further 24 hours to contact myself and shall ask for there telephone number as well, if not i shall make it clear that i shall be re advertising him ( i have already informed them in the last email that the deposit is non refundable) and allowing the other parties that were interested to view him.

Thanks again
 
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