Did I get Punk'd ? (long)

[914/6now911]

I've read the posts where Pelicanites feel they've been ripped off by fellow board members. I've felt a little uncomfortable with some of the posts, thinking that maybe the poster hadn't explored all options, or they were over-reacting. I decided that if I was going to use this BB to sell, then I better be open to having any disputes made public. And, as a buyer, this would offer me some protection, kind of like Ebay feedback.

Last Oct i bought a set of Epsilon (Japanese, cast) BBS-like 16x8 & 9s that were advertised on this BB for my 911. Paid $450 including shipping. When i received them, i found out they were 8s & 7s rather than 8/9s. I notified the seller and because i didn't want to go thru the hassle of sending them back, I agreed to a refund of $50.00 . I felt he didn't know how wheels were measured, and that he wasn't trying to rip me off. Two weeks ago, i took the wheels to have tires mounted and found that one of the rear wheels has a 15" center and because of that, the wheel outers are a different shape to still end up with a 16" rim. I e-mailed the seller (this time he was not so responsive). I told him that I wanted my money back and that I would pay shipping. He has offered $200, half of my money back. he actually has deposited it in my Paypal acct. I want all of my money back and he can try and get rid of them. He's not being a jerk about it, but we disagree. I respect the opinions on this board. Any thoughts?

[onewhippedpuppy]

If he mis-represented the product, I think he should refund your money, and you should send the wheels back. That doesn't mean he will, unfortunately. I respect your not naming names at the moment, but if he is unwilling to resolve your dispute, you should post a warning to others, there's no need for people like that here.

[Por_sha911]

1whippedpup has it right. Agree to pay shipping and insist on your money back.

[914/6now911]

The seller's reasoning at this point is that since I saw pictures of the wheels and I have accepted them, that a $200 refund is fair. I defintely won't put these on my car, even if they were free. I don't know if they're worth anything at all, and I suspect he feels the same way, because he doesn't want them back. For a problem/defect like this, I would expect a Pelican member to refund in full, plus foot the bill for shipping. He says he has consulted with his car guy friends, and they are all in agreement, that this is fair. First he misrepresented them as 8/9s and now this. It does make me wonder.

[nostatic]

considering that over 4 months have passed, I would tend to agree somewhat with the seller. It is up to the buyer to carefully check a purchased product as soon as they buy it. No retail outfit that I know of has a 4 month refund policy. 30 days maybe (Guitar Center), but beyond that, you own it.

If I were the seller I'd refund your money, but I don't think he is under any reasonable obligation to do so. If he is offering you $200 and you keep the wheels, I'd take that, sell the wheels, and live with the lesson learned.

[jaxon]

"Did I get Punk'd ? (long)"

YES

"No retail outfit that I know of has a 4 month refund policy"

NORDSTROMS DOES

[Mike Kast]

No retail outlet would sell mismatched wheels either. Well, I take that back. I bet some would. The ones that would probably have the worst return policy too.
We all get whooped sometimes.
I'm probably more suspicious of people a little less forgiving than most, so take this with a grain of salt or hot sauce, but I bet he knowingly did you the same way somebody did him.

[isaacyoon]

Unfortunately, this will reflect negatively on purchasing on this site. There should be a mechanism to rate sellers and buyers like on ebay. Misrepresentation is still dishonest whether it is 2 weeks after the purchase or 4 months.

[914/6now911]

I thought about the fact that it had been over three months since i had bought these wheels. But if i was just telling the seller that one was bent or one wouldn't hold air, that would be different. These are things that could have happened after i had received them. The wheels not matching each other, obviously existed when the seller had them. I don't think he knew when he sold them to me, but in one way, i don't think it matters; he knows now. Most people i know, after finding out they had unintentionally misrepresented an item would refund the money and not stick the buyer (especially someone in a common hobby). Some good points made though. Different strokes i guess

[nostatic]

well, like I said...if *I* were the seller, I would refund the money. BUT, I also try and know what I have when I sell something. I don't see the difference between mismatched size and being bent...all those things should be figured out right after purchase. If it isn't, that is an oversight on the buyer's part. Caveat emptor, due diligence, and all that. But as you said, different strokes...

There should be a mechanism to rate sellers and buyers like on ebay.

The ebay rating system is worthless. Any bad feedback earns a retaliatory bad feedback rendering it nothing more than a batch slipping contest. The Pelican classified section is really well self policed. When bad transactions are reported, the offender usually vaporizes. It is unfortunate that people occaisionally still get cornholed, but that is a risk we all take by buying products that we can't inspect from people we don't know.

Mr 914/6now911, sounds like you got a raw deal, but you could prolly sell the wheels off(with a truthful description) and get most of your cash back.

[914/6now911]

The difference about a bent wheel is that as far as the buyer knew, i could have mounted the wheels and then run over concrete in the road . And then claimed i bought them that way. A mismatched wheel was his to begin with. I definitely will be more careful in the future. Personally though, i count on the oversight of this BB to keep the small % of folks who might fudge or deceive us to a minimum. I'm hoping that my seller will read these posts and that he will be more careful in the future as well.

[nostatic]

ahh, but you also could have put the wheel in the dryer and shrunk it. I heard that happend once. I think it was my cousin's friend. He also heard about this guy that ate pop rocks and drank a coke...yup, head exploded.

I'm with Mark on the rating system. Informal is best imho...when you start putting regulations and formalizations in place, people start having expectations, and then things really end up hosed...next thing you know Wayne will shut them down becuase the rating system implied a warranty, and somebody wants to sue. Or mary. Or maybe even jennifer.

I want to Sandra Bullock puleaze.

[stealthn]

"batch slipping contest"

That's a good one, placid yet obserd.

[nostatic]

that's like the wine I had last night...flaccid yet obscure.

[exc911ence]

Originally posted by nostatic
that's like the wine I had last night...flaccid yet obscure.

Or was that after the wine last night?

[nostatic]

no, but it was after the whine last night...

[dvkk]

I think its also the sellers responsibility to know as much as possible about what he's selling. Since the wheels were mismatched, its partly his fault.
I sell good used ZF LSDs for VWs. I completely dissassemble them and inspect and clean all the parts before reassembly. That way I know with absolute certainty the diff I sell is perfect and ready to install. I have a friend who just found a ZF like the ones I sell. When I was over at his place and saw it, I asked what it was like inside. He said he didn't know, that he didn't want to know. He has no intention of opening it up. It could be complete junk, but he doesn't care.

[trader220]

I recall hearing a similar story about that set of wheels when they sold off Ebay. They've made the rounds.