R. Santore

i know this is general topic related but no one ever posts there unless george runs his mouth so i need some help. I bought a motor over the rennlist and i sent the guy a check for 6300 which was promptly cashed on nov 19th. well here it is dec 15th and no motor.. he keeps in some contact with me by emails but i get no shipping number.. he is out of state and to make it worse the motor is in one state, he is in another(says he owns 2 businesses and flys back and forth). has anything like this ever occurred to anyone here? what are my options if he is trying to screw me over?? any advice would be much needed as this is the first time i've ever run into anything like this.. thanks for any help!
Rob Santore
74 911 carrera #95 of 528

r22tek

print all your e-mails and correspondance and tell him you will call the police if he does not send you a reciept and a delivery date within 10 days. Then do it if he doesn't!

davis911s

Hi sorry about your luck. But try not to give up YET!

r22tech I agree with what you say.

Santore what state is the engine in? There should be NO REASON why he wouldn't have a tracking #. Do you have a phone # for him or to his business(S)?

Try phoning him, sometimes a 2 minute talk will settle it all quickly. But GET a tracking #.

I have had some deals like this where I send the money then NOTHING, but I have never been screwed over YET (knock on wood)

Keep your faith in man and it will come

Shawn

ked

One approach might be to have a friend living near where the engine is located take possession of it directly & immediately. You then should (attempt to) charge the seller some amount for the pain & shipping, etc.

In situations of this kind, where you are at such risk, even if the seller is honest (but incompetent, disorganized, etc.), a plan that executes rapidly to your advantage is usually best... & Best of Luck!

J richard

I would do as suggested and give the guy a call. It could be something as simple as difficulty shipping. I tried several times to have an oversize item picked up UPS ground/Freight. And even with my tracking number, my arrangement and no packing required it still took the better part of three weeks to get it all arranged.
I would however take charge of the situation and outline how and when you would like the shipping to take place. After all he did cash the check. You don't want to have him drop it in a box and have it damaged in transit.

Good luck I hope it works out

jlkline

Given the duration without a legitimate reason why the engine has not shipped, I would:

1.Cancel the deal and request your $ back immediately.

2.Let the seller know that interstate mail fraud is a federal offense and you plan to pursue legal remedies if the money is not refunded immediately.

3. Seek advice from an attorney knowledgable on these kinds of cases.

One other thing to keep in mind....if this is how the guy does business (any references given?), even if there is an actual engine to sell(should have an engine S/N) can you trust the engine to be in the condition he says its in??

Sorry for the cynical attitide, but from your story (and there are always 2 sides)this guy is either a thief of a bumbling idiot.

ZAMIRZ

That's LAME and criminal! Granted he doesn't send you it, you should demand your money back and if he doesn't give it to you then sue him for your money. And as a final touch, make sure you report this to the Better Business Bureau. good luck.

later,

amir

R. Santore

thanks for all your replies, i should have researced further and protected myself more, and its a lesson learned.. as for condition of motor, i had mailed him a letter signed by me that stated if the leakdown was more than 15% on any cylinder the motor would be returned to him for a full refund of the price, which he agreed to but i have yet to see that back either. i understand there are 2 sides to every story but you can trust me on this one.. its very one sided, he has my money, has had it cashed since nov 19th and since then has told me it was shipped out when it hasnt been and even gave me the trucking comp(who i called and they had no record of anything). i'm really hoping he's just a little slow getting it to me but ive emailed him demanding he get it shipped or at least correspond and he still only writes maybe once a week.. just be glad its not you all in the mess haha
Rob

Todd

Good advice abouve for current sutuation. Keep paprerwork!!

But, in the future use www.tradenable.com
It's an escrow service I have used a few times for high dollar internet purchases and it has worked without a hitch..

rod williams

It is now December 17th, 2001. Have you resolved your problem? If not, your appropriate recourse is through courts. You have a valid contract and should immediately initiate action on the contract. While this situation is clearly stressful, it is resolveable. Almost any local attorney can assist with this. Suggest you act quickly and in the future suggest you use soem form of escrow (As an attorney, sugest you use your attorney for transactions involving this kind of money). The cost is very small and the peace of mind is very high.

R. Santore

here's the next problem.. he wont answer the phone, he is supposedly in denver now and i cant seem to get his address info there(said he was going to denver for the holidays, where the motor is) so i dont know how a lawyer can serve someone he cant find.. im screwed..
Rob

jonfkaminsky

Get a copy of the cashed check to get his bank information. Have you done any internet searches on the guys name or known businesses? Gather all the information you can and file a complaint with your state (and his state) attorney general's office. Then sue him. I think the dollar amount is sufficient to keep it out of small claims however.

For $6300, I'd also think about showing up at his of business for a little chat. There are also all kinds of other things you can do to even the score but I'll leave that to your imagination.

good luck.

jlkline

If you're absolutely confident this guy screwed you, you might consider publishing his name and email ID's so others on Rennlist won't do business with this individual.

R. Santore

i swear im about 15 minutes away from posting a $1000 bounty on his head.. im sure out of all the porsche owners theres a few ruthless lawyers in there

nate

The best way to nail someone is to file a mail fraud report with the US Postal Service. You can do it over their web site (see URL below) or file in person at any branch. Make sure you have ALL email transacations, a copy of the cancelled check, etc. Good luck.

Nate.
http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors...dComplaint.htm