neverenoughtea
Active Member
Hi all, after a bit of advice. After 5 years of begging and borrowing lifts from great friends the day came when I managed to save up to buy the car, tow bar and trailer! I spotted a 1994 Ifor Williams 401 on Gumtree and Facebook, only 50 miles away, advertised at £1,200. Advert stated that it had a new floor and electrics in good working order. I arranged a viewing and went to see it the following weekend. The lady seemed lovely, very open and managed to answer all the questions I had for her. I was slightly concerned about its age but she told my husband and I that it had had a service last November, had been in regular use by herself and had new tyres all round. She said that when the floor was replaced (alloy) 18 months ago the struts and springs were also replaced. I went home, had a think about it and offered her £900 (there was some minor work to be done, including fitting a new vent, new rubber seals and some replacement of pins). I paid her a £200 deposit to hold it for us.
We went to pick up the trailer the next weekend, she was out but her husband was there to help us hitch up and show us how it worked. He seemed pretty knowledgeable about trailers, having one himself for transporting his motorcross bikes. We paid the remaining £700 into his account via bank transfer. Hindsight is a great thing, and in my excitement I forgot to ask for the service documents.
On the way home one of the tyres blew out. I couldn't get it off as it had a locking nut and I had no key. I called the seller, who told me she didn't know anything about a locking nut but would ask the previous owner. In the meantime I limped it over to a local mechanic (who services all of the boxes on our yard). I also emailed the seller asking her to send me the service documents.
Lo and behold, the mechanic removed all the wheels and the brakes are totally shot. That, and all of the tyres are cracked beyond safe use. The cost to make the repairs is coming in over £1,200. The seller didn't reply to my request for service documents and actually ended up blocking my phone number. I had her husband's phone number, but also found out he had blocked my calls. Finally I managed to get through on my husband's phone, and the seller said that her phone had had trouble receiving some calls...
Long story short, she said she would have to have a think about it when I said I wanted to return the trailer as it wasn't what was advertised and what I had agreed to buy (turns out there are no service papers, her friend a mechanic looked at it in November but undertook no work). She was not willing to give me his name or number to ask his advice. Her husband immediately called me after she hung up on me, and demanded to speak to my husband. He became quite aggressive and confrontational and stated that there was no chance they would be having it back, contributing to any of the costs or refunding us.
I've spoken to Citizen's Advice who think that I have a case for the Small Claims Court under the Sales of Goods Act 1979 as the trailer was sold as fit for purpose and roadworthy (which it clearly is not).
Has anyone been through anything similar? I know the whole 'buyer beware' but surely some element of trust and believing what people say should stand for something? Or maybe not :-(
Any advice ahead of my meeting with Citizen's Advice tomorrow would be hugely appreciated.
We went to pick up the trailer the next weekend, she was out but her husband was there to help us hitch up and show us how it worked. He seemed pretty knowledgeable about trailers, having one himself for transporting his motorcross bikes. We paid the remaining £700 into his account via bank transfer. Hindsight is a great thing, and in my excitement I forgot to ask for the service documents.
On the way home one of the tyres blew out. I couldn't get it off as it had a locking nut and I had no key. I called the seller, who told me she didn't know anything about a locking nut but would ask the previous owner. In the meantime I limped it over to a local mechanic (who services all of the boxes on our yard). I also emailed the seller asking her to send me the service documents.
Lo and behold, the mechanic removed all the wheels and the brakes are totally shot. That, and all of the tyres are cracked beyond safe use. The cost to make the repairs is coming in over £1,200. The seller didn't reply to my request for service documents and actually ended up blocking my phone number. I had her husband's phone number, but also found out he had blocked my calls. Finally I managed to get through on my husband's phone, and the seller said that her phone had had trouble receiving some calls...
Long story short, she said she would have to have a think about it when I said I wanted to return the trailer as it wasn't what was advertised and what I had agreed to buy (turns out there are no service papers, her friend a mechanic looked at it in November but undertook no work). She was not willing to give me his name or number to ask his advice. Her husband immediately called me after she hung up on me, and demanded to speak to my husband. He became quite aggressive and confrontational and stated that there was no chance they would be having it back, contributing to any of the costs or refunding us.
I've spoken to Citizen's Advice who think that I have a case for the Small Claims Court under the Sales of Goods Act 1979 as the trailer was sold as fit for purpose and roadworthy (which it clearly is not).
Has anyone been through anything similar? I know the whole 'buyer beware' but surely some element of trust and believing what people say should stand for something? Or maybe not :-(
Any advice ahead of my meeting with Citizen's Advice tomorrow would be hugely appreciated.
Not just someone who knows the brand and the price tag. If you don't have the knowledge then you're setting yourself up for a fall. Take a mechanic if need be.
