Rebuilding a classic mini for my son. Needed a 998. Saw one on ebay from an ‘engine builder’ but not quite to the spec. I wanted so contacted him. Arranged a price for the spec. I wanted, paid on Paypal using my credit card.
After one thing and another (ever done a rebuild??) only just got her in and set her up for firing last week. Very little oil pressure noted, started her anyway, still very little. 10 psi at idle and 20 psi at a blip. Obviously I won’t be running it anywhere soon.
Contacted the builder (+++), no reply. Out of Paypal window and not bought through ebay. Spoke to credit card today. They are going to ‘look at it’ but outside of their 120day window.
I have his name, email and mobile number. I know he’s based in Bradford.
Next move? Any ideas on getting his address in case I need the small claims court (he’s not in 192 electoral role)?
Yours , fecked off (and slightly angry at myself for being had) of Eastbourne
Additionally… gauge is accurate, relief valve is closed, oil correct grade
You should be able to get his address from Ebay, somewhere buried in the millions of FAQ, there is a request contact details of user, but you need to have a reason to want it. The downside is he may have deleted account, false address, etc. If false address ebay will be interested and delete his account, but not very helpful to you sadly.
Once you have his address, serve appropriate papers. Even better find where he works and do it there.
These guys do tend to rinse and repeat, and somewhere they fall down with their scams.
Both internetally and even sometimes physically!! Somewhere there’s a thread about a guy who painted cam covers and stuff, used someone else’s pictures to get work, did a shit job, took the money and ran. On several forums, with warnings about user based in Liverpool saying what he can and can’t do. Eventually did it to the wrong bloke and he rocked up at the guys house, with some friends, and ‘requested’ his money back in person.
Did you have the engine sent to you? If so, you may be able find the senders address from that.
There’s enough evidence from a local mechanic that the pressure is confirmed and too low to be safe.
He’s still on eBay john. Building and selling. Sadly, when you know where to look, there’s a trail of woe on the forums. He’s clever in that he gets a purchase away from ebay so no recourse through them. I will send them a request, but I suspect they’ll not be obliging.
The delivery was from ’ a mates garage’ ,ie a business address.
You should be covered under the Sale of Goods Act, which says that any fault arising within 6 months of purchase is the responsibility of the seller and it is up to the seller to prove the goods were fit for purpose when sold, ie. unless the engine builder can prove the oil pressure was fine and that any subsequent fault was as a result of something you’d done, then he is LEGALLY REQUIRED to sort it out.
Further, as you bought the engine ‘at a distance’ (ie. you didn’t go into a shop and buy it) you are also covered under the Distance Selling Regulations, which also covers the cost of returning the item, etc.
More info on these here:
Speak to your local Trading Standards for detailed info on how to proceed. They should be able to liase with your credit card company to obtain the details of the seller that are held by the card company.
Thanks.
The slight hiccup there is that the goods were paid for in May and I only fired her up for the first time the other day. I’m therefore out of the 6month window. I don’t know how firmly that is applied. Equally, the bloke isn’t answering my calls/emails, so it looks like it will go legal, hence needing his address.
The credit card company are sending me a claim under section 75, but it’s debatable ( ie they’ll probably wriggle) that it would be covered as the purchase was through an intermediary, Paypal.