Deposit on goods

[johgree154]

This morning, I paid £100 deposit for a minibus in Redditch. The owner told me all the details and people were never off the phone for it. Mid morning there was a problem from his end and he offered me my money back. I accepted but he still hasn't put my money back into my bank. I have txt him several times and rang him but to no avail. Now his phone is switched off. What can I do to get my money back

[red_magpie]

What can I do to get my money back

Nothing. There is no buyer protection for motor vehicles bought on eBay, however you pay. And no protection for deposits, either, for anything.

Console yourself that if the worst comes to the worst you've only lost £100, not thousands of pounds as many buyers have.

If still interested in buying a motor vehicle through eBay, be VERY careful - there are scams everywhere.

In a TV programme about organised crime, a senior police officer reported that one criminal gang alone had registered "multiple hundreds" of fake accounts on eBay to place fraudulent listings for motor vehicles. And this is on top of ordinary sellers not mentioning faults, or lying about the vehicle's condition.

The important thing to understand is that there is NO BUYER PROTECTION WHATSOEVER for vehicles bought here, however you pay. Many buyers don't realise this, making eBay motors a magnet for criminals. Fake listings are as easy as posting a photo of any motor vehicle, and claiming to be selling it. In one day alone we heard of three buyers who each paid over £6,000 for cars that paid for turned out not to exist. There are no refunds, and no help or support from eBay.

Don't assume that good feedback means anything - hacked accounts are often used to place ads for motor vehicles. Don't fall for bargain prices, or excuses why the vehicle isn't available for inspection, or fake claims that eBay or anyone else will hold your payment safe until you have approved the vehicle (they won't!).

The golden rule is not to pay anything, not even a deposit, until you have seen and inspected the vehicle, checked the paperwork and had an HPI check. Then pay in cash, which is the only method of payment that is safe for both buyer and seller.

If a seller comes up with excuses not to accept these conditions, walk away from it.