Jay
Admin
Greetings folks, I thought I'd share a tale of woe and misfortune stemming from a sale over on UKSC that I got involved in. I am a magnet for such things lol.
Hopefully it will make some of you more aware when buying used goods from other site members and highlight the pitfalls we all face. Currently I am not in name/shame mode, that blessing is reserved for the poor soul who suffered the misfortune. He can post it as he sees fit, all I'm here to do is provide details and I shall get on with doing just that.
We start our story with young James seeing some Buddyclub coilovers mentioned on a thread. The seller (From this point I shall refer to him as Delboy for handiness) had mentioned one of the rear shocks was leaking but otherwise it was an easy fix. I'll pause to let everyone perform a search for 'buddy club coilovers' on UKSC now.
Anyways, James texted me and told me they were on the way from Delboy and arranged to leave his GT down to have them fitted. Reckoned he'd be able to send the leaking one away to get repaired eventually but wanted to see how they performed in the meantime. Low and behold I get a GT on the driveway with a big box of coilovers in the back seat. Happy days you may be thinking but those are shortlived.
I place his GT in the garage. I open the box and find a set of Buddyclub Junior Spec coilovers. This is about the time it goes a bit off key. I find not one but two very obviously leaking rear shocks. I have pics for your viewing displeasure:
Now that made me question Delboy's eyesight more than anything. They are quite obviously leaking heavily, one is as bad as the other. Given the fact the springs were rattling about loose I'm actually not surprised. Anyone with half a head knows that you dont adjust ride height by loosening the springs on these units.
By now I'm questioning the guy's brainpower but undeterred I proceed to examine the front coilovers and this is where we find the scary bit of our illfated excursion in online purchasing. The bracket on one of the front coilovers is bent. I'm not saying it looks queer or unusually happy, it's twisted out of shape. Again I provide pics of my findings.
Now. After informing a rather crestfallen James about the damage he is told by Delboy that they were fine before postage and they must have been damaged in transit. Anyone who has ever had to straighten one of these brackets will undoubtedly confirm how much force is required to move one, nevermind both so unless the box is damaged we can rule that out yes? Pics of the box (easy Sparky, different type of box dude..)
So no damage to the cardboard box then. That kinda places the damage before postage and shifts the onus back onto Delboy, is that a fair assumption?
I'll add that to get both brackets damaged in such a uniform manner they must have been bolted to a hub at the time of impact. Hang on whilst I prove that theory with a spare hub I prepared earlier.
In my own opinion this suspension is crashdamaged prior to shipping and seeing as Delboy is currently asking in the Wanted Section for a hub and bearing you can see the logical path my mind is following with all this.
This does not look like a simple mistake. It actually looks quite deliberate and callous. Please be aware that there are such people operating on the forums. Again, I have not named names but have provided clues for any Poirot fans amongst you.
There is one final sting in the tale (deliberate wordplay). James made the mistake of sending his payment as a gift. I've seen more and more of this online recently and it worries me. Make sure you are within driving distance of anyone you gift money to. It reduces the chances of being ripped off incredibly. James is now left with a set of useless coilovers and out of pocket. Such a simple mistake but it left him with little comeback.
So, what conclusions can we draw from today's lesson folks?
1) Used coilovers are a serious gamble when buying online. Any fuckwit can mess them up with dumbass mistakes.
2) Always inspect the goods before signing for them.
3) Never send payment as a gift.
4) Stick with trusted sellers with good feedback.
5) If you ever meet James buy him a pint, it might help cheer him up.
I would encourage you all to look out for each other by following the forum guidelines on buying. They aren't there for decoration and this is what can happen when it goes wrong.
Naturally if Delboy sees this you can contact me directly with any problems you may have.
Take care,
Jay
Hopefully it will make some of you more aware when buying used goods from other site members and highlight the pitfalls we all face. Currently I am not in name/shame mode, that blessing is reserved for the poor soul who suffered the misfortune. He can post it as he sees fit, all I'm here to do is provide details and I shall get on with doing just that.
We start our story with young James seeing some Buddyclub coilovers mentioned on a thread. The seller (From this point I shall refer to him as Delboy for handiness) had mentioned one of the rear shocks was leaking but otherwise it was an easy fix. I'll pause to let everyone perform a search for 'buddy club coilovers' on UKSC now.
----------------
Anyways, James texted me and told me they were on the way from Delboy and arranged to leave his GT down to have them fitted. Reckoned he'd be able to send the leaking one away to get repaired eventually but wanted to see how they performed in the meantime. Low and behold I get a GT on the driveway with a big box of coilovers in the back seat. Happy days you may be thinking but those are shortlived.
I place his GT in the garage. I open the box and find a set of Buddyclub Junior Spec coilovers. This is about the time it goes a bit off key. I find not one but two very obviously leaking rear shocks. I have pics for your viewing displeasure:
Now that made me question Delboy's eyesight more than anything. They are quite obviously leaking heavily, one is as bad as the other. Given the fact the springs were rattling about loose I'm actually not surprised. Anyone with half a head knows that you dont adjust ride height by loosening the springs on these units.
By now I'm questioning the guy's brainpower but undeterred I proceed to examine the front coilovers and this is where we find the scary bit of our illfated excursion in online purchasing. The bracket on one of the front coilovers is bent. I'm not saying it looks queer or unusually happy, it's twisted out of shape. Again I provide pics of my findings.
Now. After informing a rather crestfallen James about the damage he is told by Delboy that they were fine before postage and they must have been damaged in transit. Anyone who has ever had to straighten one of these brackets will undoubtedly confirm how much force is required to move one, nevermind both so unless the box is damaged we can rule that out yes? Pics of the box (easy Sparky, different type of box dude..)
So no damage to the cardboard box then. That kinda places the damage before postage and shifts the onus back onto Delboy, is that a fair assumption?
I'll add that to get both brackets damaged in such a uniform manner they must have been bolted to a hub at the time of impact. Hang on whilst I prove that theory with a spare hub I prepared earlier.
In my own opinion this suspension is crashdamaged prior to shipping and seeing as Delboy is currently asking in the Wanted Section for a hub and bearing you can see the logical path my mind is following with all this.
This does not look like a simple mistake. It actually looks quite deliberate and callous. Please be aware that there are such people operating on the forums. Again, I have not named names but have provided clues for any Poirot fans amongst you.
There is one final sting in the tale (deliberate wordplay). James made the mistake of sending his payment as a gift. I've seen more and more of this online recently and it worries me. Make sure you are within driving distance of anyone you gift money to. It reduces the chances of being ripped off incredibly. James is now left with a set of useless coilovers and out of pocket. Such a simple mistake but it left him with little comeback.
So, what conclusions can we draw from today's lesson folks?
1) Used coilovers are a serious gamble when buying online. Any fuckwit can mess them up with dumbass mistakes.
2) Always inspect the goods before signing for them.
3) Never send payment as a gift.
4) Stick with trusted sellers with good feedback.
5) If you ever meet James buy him a pint, it might help cheer him up.
I would encourage you all to look out for each other by following the forum guidelines on buying. They aren't there for decoration and this is what can happen when it goes wrong.
Naturally if Delboy sees this you can contact me directly with any problems you may have.
Take care,
Jay
