Apologies for the rant, but I'm really hacked off! My mum is selling her old car so I got it onto AutoTrader and had a few sniffs, with one in particular showing a lot of interest. We spoke on the phone and he was asking about when the cambelt was changed, etc and we negotiated a price as well as a day for him to visit and see the car. I got slightly suspicious when he subsequently messaged to say that  said his Dad had died so he couldn't come and view when we'd agreed...but he said he still really wanted the car, he had the cash ready and it would actually be his daughter who'd be coming to view/collect it. Arranged for her to come on Friday evening so I txt'd him on Friday morning to ask what time she was arriving and he then said it would actually be him coming after all and he'd come over on Saturday morning, around 10-10:30. Yeh, I know...the clues were there!

 

Needless to say, he never turned up and is no longer answering any texts or calls. Why do people do this?!   Do they really get some kind of kick out of it?

 

OK, rant over....!

Just expect it.

People will muck you about and although you want to be helpful, eventually you will harden up and state things like "Come at 17:00 to view it" etc. (but never alter any personal plans for them).

Dealers are the worst particularly when they pretend not to be.

 

Last time I sold a car I was so hacked off with the numpties that I was staying just the right side (and only just the right side) of civil to any prospective buyer.

First warning sign off them and it was "You're mucking me about, go away!".

Good advice.

 

As I only get one genuine customer enquiry on the phone out of a hundred or even a thousand call centre calls its very difficult to reign back and become pleasant when I have mistakenly started with my incivility.

@slicendice Do you think that he may have been looking at a few cars and by stringing you along he hoped that you would not sell it to somebody else just in case he did not like, or could not afford, cars that he was looking at before he got to yours?

14 hours ago, Liger1956 said:

@slicendice Do you think that he may have been looking at a few cars and by stringing you along he hoped that you would not sell it to somebody else just in case he did not like, or could not afford, cars that he was looking at before he got to yours?

 

Maybe or just dragging out the sale so you get frustrated and sell at a lower price.

It might just be as it sounds, someone half heartedly going through the motions then giving up when they'd rather watch telly.

 

I think I'd just do as @Sofo says, say come at 5pm. And also just add that the car is staying up for sale and it's first come first served. So basically if they turn up and buy fine if not you've lost nothing and promised nothing.

 

Avoid cheques and Western Union BTW. Both are voidable payments. If you're doing cash have a tester pen to check for funny money. Plenty of fake £50s doing the rounds