Horse Back to Dealer- still no refund

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I found myself in exactly the same situation with [Content removed] - waiting for farrier which never happened as he arrived unshod behind & worn shoes with overgrown fronts, transport let down, saddle was an appalling fit. Pony when arrived was mannerly on ground & in stable BUT (having been advertised a child's best friend?) on first & only short hack which my wonderful lightweight hubby insisted he was going to have to see if pony was safe for me napped, span & then tanked off big time. Got usual guilt trip/it's your fault when told pony would be returned asap.

I too had been taken in by glowing reviews but 2 very helpful members gave me great advice. And after 2 weeks up I sent strongly worded email - and must just have got lucky i.e. she had just taken some other poor sod's money as I got a full refund within 2 hours, although transport costs/strangles test came to £1K I could do with now. Would avoid at all costs.
 
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Where money was taken for a non-existent horse and held for a number of weeks, this involves both potential fraud/criminal elements and civil law issues.

If you eventually received the full value back, the primary focus shifts from recovering the money to reporting the fraudulent activity and potentially seeking compensation for any loss or distress caused by the delay.

Here is a breakdown of what you can do:

1. Report the Fraud/Crime

This is the most important step for a "phantom sale" as it suggests a criminal intent to deceive and steal.

Action Fraud (Police): You should report this to Action Fraud, the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime.

Online: Report it through their website.

Phone: Call 0300 123 2040.

Reporting this provides a crime reference number, which can be useful for your bank or for any further legal action. The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) can then investigate.

Your Bank: Inform your bank about the fraudulent transaction. Even though the money was returned, they may need to be aware of the account that received the funds for their own internal fraud protection and to potentially take action against the recipient's account.

2. Seek Consumer Advice and Report to Trading Standards

Even in a private sale, the behaviour is highly suspicious and warrants a report to consumer protection bodies.

Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline: Contact the Citizens Advice consumer service.

England/Wales: 0808 223 1133

They can provide advice on your rights and can pass on details of the scam to Trading Standards for potential investigation. Trading Standards can investigate if the seller is acting as a "trader" or "dealer" (even if they claim to be private), but generally do not get your money back for you (though they can prosecute the scammer).

3. Civil Action for Loss or Damages (Legal Recourse)

Even though your original money was refunded, the seller's actions may have breached the contract and could give you grounds to claim for other costs or interest due to the time delay.

  • Misrepresentation: The false statement that a horse existed, which induced you to pay, is a form of misrepresentation. Since you eventually got your money back, the contract is essentially voided, but you may be able to claim for losses.
  • Breach of Contract (Failure to Supply/Late Refund): The seller failed to provide the "goods" (the horse) and then took three weeks to process a refund.
    • Potential Claim: You could potentially make a claim for damages (financial loss) incurred as a direct result of the seller's actions and the three-week delay. This might include:
      • Interest: Interest on the money they held for three weeks.
      • Specific Expenses: Any bank charges, or other costs you incurred because the funds were unavailable for those three weeks.
  • Small Claims Court: For sums up to £10,000, you can use the UK's Small Claims track (part of the County Court). This is a route for individuals to resolve legal disputes without expensive lawyers, although the process can still be complex.
 
Hi all

New user here, I specifically signed up to the H&H Forum because we are also waiting on a refund from [Content removed]. It's been 8 weeks since we returned a horse from trial and we have been constantly fobbed off about when the refund will be made.

We have told [Content removed] we are now looking at legal action and I have been researching fast track claims (our amount is a bit over the Small Claims maximum), bankruptcy, statutory demands etc but that hasn't seemed to have made any difference to her attitude.

For those of you that have been caught like this, what did you do to get the money back and how long did it take?
 
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Thanks MollysMum.

Your points 1-4 exactly matches our experience so far. She has been civil with us up to this point, it's just been excuse after excuse.

My wife has been handling this so far, but it's stressed her out no end and I'm taking over. I've been researching legal avenues and have a number of options. All of which cost time and money, but at least the costs will be on her in the end. From what I have seen in this forum, she does eventually pay up so I'm sure it's a case of when and not if. I would hope this escalation will encourage her before formal proceedings need to be started as once we go that route, there will be no going back and it'll cost her more.

I have recently semi-retired, so I've got time on my hands to take this on now. I would expect she or her crew monitor threads like this so she'll be aware, but I'll be sending her an email later today to lay out options.
 
Hi Kiwi Steve, sorry you and your wife are going through this, it is stressful and frustrating.
[Content removed] will waffle on and messages and calls - don't believe a word of it and don't bother replying to the various excuses and whatnot. I was polite but direct and she did pay me back, but I had to chase every step of the way for a month, and then all day, every day towards the end.

She has a 20k / 25k a day transfer limit (as proven in screenshots she sent me herself, which have now conviently been deleted). I can't remember which it was but it was more than enough to cover my horses deposit in one go and yet I had my deposit back in installments over time. There have been theories on previous threads about hypothesizing that she can only pay back the deposits she owes when she has taken more deposits.
Don't give her an inch, screenshot all messages and she WILL have to pay your money back. Let us know how you get on.
 
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Kiwi Steve said:
Thanks MollysMum.

Your points 1-4 exactly matches our experience so far. She has been civil with us up to this point, it's just been excuse after excuse.

My wife has been handling this so far, but it's stressed her out no end and I'm taking over. I've been researching legal avenues and have a number of options. All of which cost time and money, but at least the costs will be on her in the end. From what I have seen in this forum, she does eventually pay up so I'm sure it's a case of when and not if. I would hope this escalation will encourage her before formal proceedings need to be started as once we go that route, there will be no going back and it'll cost her more.

I have recently semi-retired, so I've got time on my hands to take this on now. I would expect she or her crew monitor threads like this so she'll be aware, but I'll be sending her an email later today to lay out options.
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I don’t think I can PM you, and appreciate you might not be able/want to post a reply to this, but if you are able to PM would you be able to tell me which horse this is please?
 
Traks said:
I’ve been on there now and seen lots of negative ones, I think it depends how you search?
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I searched very thoroughly but noticed that bad reviews disappear even whilst you are searching. Even an enquiry without an opinion was off again very soon after posted. So it's possible to do a good search and not find much IME. You see more info in threads on here
 
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