Here's a good one... wants his seats after 2 1/2 years

In January of 2006 I sold a guy a couple of bucket seats I think as an off-eBay deal, he paid for them, and was supposed to arrange for his cousin to come get them. We email back and forth over a few weeks to try to make the arrangements, but the cousin never contacts me.

I hear nothing again until about October when he wants to show up with less than a week's notice - great except the day he wants to come I'm working and the one guy I could have had him meet is at Carslile or Hershey for the week. So more time passes and we exchange some emails in March '07, then he emails again in the end of May, beginning of June, and talks about coming to get them, how the cousin has family problems, blah blah blah. Each time either he wants to come on a day when we're out at a car show selling crap, or he says he'll come and that's the last anyone hears until the next emails come.

Which brings us to today, he emails up saying he'll be in the area in a couple weeks and wants to know when he can come pick these seats up. So he paid me in January of 2006, it's now September of 2008, I've had these things stashed somewhere for him for over 2 1/2 years, and haven't heard anything in 15 months. I had to pull out old emails and look on my old computer to figure out the timeline for this whole thing, because I barely remember most of it.

The guy doesn't live on the moon, he lives about 9 hours drive away, and the gas wasn't so rediculous price-wise when he bought them. And apparently comes up here every so often to see this cousin of his, and is able to make the Carslile all-Ford show in the fall.


I'm really thinking I should tell him to crap in a boot and eat it, because by New York's abandoned property law I could have sold them again a long time ago (time limit is six months), but maybe instead of that I should ask him what he plans to pay me for storing these things for 32 months for him?

I mean I guess there's no reason to be a dick about it, but even when he tries to make pickup arrangements, looking through the old email I heard from him in 10/06, 5/07 and 6/07 and that's the last time I heard anything. Now if I was in his shoes I wouldn't think it was reasonable to expect someone to keep my crap this long - I'd have assumed it was long since resold, or that I'd have to buy it again or pay some kind of storage fee. As it is I'm not even sure where the damn things got put away - that's probably the only reason I still have them.

So i'm kind of leaning towards emailing him back and telling him "I'm not sure where they are or if I even still have them, and don't you think it's a little unreasonable to expect me to store these things for you for 32 months, for free, anyways?"

I figured I'd post up and see what anyone else thought if they care to venture an opinion.




It's amazing how many of these situations I have going on, I have two engines stored a guy paid for in like 2005 that were supposed to be here six months tops, and I sold a car to a guy in Australia 18 months ago who's been supposed to come get it about six times now and never has. I'm about ready to say fuck all of them and start getting rid of this shit - either selling it again or just plain scrapping it. I mean I don't care if someone gets into a hard time and can't come get something, but frigging tell me, don't leave me hanging. When I hear nothing for months, or people say "I'll come up around this time" then never show or never call... well, if they don't care enough to come get the stuff, why should I care about keeping it for them? Especially the car - I know a dude who does towing off the State Thruway and he gets $60 a day for outdoor storage (I about fell off my chair when I heard that) for a car. If he had this wreck the storage bill would be over $32,000 by now. Even at a more reasonable $10 per day it's double what the guy paid me for it.

 

I'd either Give him the seats if you still have them and charge a storge fee of 25% or Refund his money if ya don't have them and charge 25-50% for time and bullshit....

 

Have had similar issues,,and people say"well you said no hurry to pick up" then I have to say ,,Yeah well common sense would dictate a reasonable amount of time. Then they get all uppity when you cannot accommodate them out of the blue and they say "well I paid for it!" ,,I would think that being the case you'd at least touch base on a regular basis,maybe even say 'hey sorry its taking so long to pick this up ,I really appreciate you holding on to it for me" weird world anymore,,I mean hell if you wanted something one would think you grab it fast as ya could cause you actually need it

 

Is it worth tarnishing your rep as a good parts guy to go to over a set of seats?

People tell everyone about a bad experience/seller, rarely do they talk up how good a person is.

 

Good point......My pops always told me....Make a customer happy and they'll tell 4 people and piss one off they'll tell everyone...

 

Give him the seats............just dont forget to stuff a few dog turds in them first.

 

id give em to him.. fuck it, no use in bad karma

 

I'd give him the seats as long as he could work with your schedule.

Perhaps you are unable to do this but I sold a bumper awhile back. Guy was 200 miles away and was coming through town on a day I had to work.

I put it on my porch and told him that it would be there waiting for him. I got off work and it had been picked up.

 

If it were me and I still had the seats (which I probably would because I try not to sell the same stuff twice), I'd just tell him to come and get them. Then just move on and be glad I had a little more extra space.
I've got a customers pickup sitting out back that's been there at least 5 years since I've heard from him. People ask to buy it or parts off of it all the time, they sure give me weird looks when I tell them it's not mine.
Larry T

 

I figure if the guy shows up give them to him. on the other hand, if someone came by and wanted to buy them cash and carry I'd have no problem selling them again and keeping the first guys money.

I sell a lot of junk too, and feel no obligation to hold the hands of these idiots while they figure out what they are going to do. I never refund for other peoples stupidity

 

I certainly understand the aggravation. But if it hasn't really been a major hardship storing something, I'd let them have it and be done with it. The car is another matter. I'd set a time limit on their getting it and let them know that if not picked up by then, it will be resold.
I once sold a wrecked car to a guy. It had a fresh engine and some other good parts. He paid me for the car, took just a few things off of it (nothing of consequence) and never did come back after it. It was stored at a friend's junk yard. About a year and a half later he was crushing cars and I told him he could crush it to get it out of the way. Screw the guy....

 

put 'em on the curb. tell him that's where they are and forget about it. if he really wants 'em he'll find a way to get there. if somebody else lifts 'em before he gets there that's too bad. he had every chance in the world.

 

I would contact him and tell him this is the last time. No show -no seats. Put out a little effort and help him. You'll feel good about it. Next time on any parts put a time line.

 

Give the guy the seats and move on we can all learn a lesson from this and give people a cut off date for picking stuff up. I sold a guy an econoline pickup last February. He was supposed to pick it up in a day or two...no show now for 7 months and I have lost his phone number and my house is on the market and will be moving to North Carolina. Not sure what to do but really wish I had given him a strict deadline in writing as to when he had to have it outta here.

cool tees: www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=236347

 

Give him his seats. Don't forget he was going to get them a few times and you couldn't make it. It's not all his fault

 

I'm still sitting on a 1983 Dodge Crewcab duallie unfinished project. All the bodywork and paint was done and I sold it with a running Cummins engine that had to be installed. I sold it because I was getting married, and bought a newer ram QC diesel to tow my chit around, and use as a vacation/road trip vehicle. Guy paid me 10,000.00, it is still in my barn, and the title is still in my name 9 years later!!!

 

To be honest I did damn near sell them to someone a couple weeks ago, if he'd called me up or emailed me, they'd be gone. Assuming they're still where I think they are... I have to store most of this shit 75 miles away inside the cars, or in my panel van, so it's not like I can walk out on the back porch and look under a pile of other crap for them.

I suppose I'll have to go up and look and see if they still exist and go from there, I have to go up there soon anyways, I have about 15 other things I need to do.

 

ez
1 dollar per item per month for secure safe storage
It would seem fair enough to me if i had to pay more ..now!!!


heck a dollor per phone call/e-mail would not even be outa hand
(insert attorney rates here)

if no storage reimbursment is offered a refund payment is in order ?
less 30% per year handlin fee x 2

Are we clear here nowabsolutly the last time to get them is by9-___-2008 or good bye

you ain't bein a dick about wanting something for your time and talent !
no one I KNOW WORKS FOR FREE!...

 

charge him for storage

 

Give the guy his seats. Ask what date he'll be there, tell him you're putting them on the curb. If he chooses to flake out again, there will be no seats left to worry about, trash man or scroungers will settle the issue.

 

You could always say, "I put those out in my driveway for your cousin to pick up 15 months ago. The next day they were gone.... I thought you already had them... At least since I havn't heard from you in 15 months, I assumed everything was ok."

 

Give him the seats. If it was such a problem you should have sent his money back 16 months ago then sell em again.

 

happy customers buy again.

 

My reply would be.
"This will be the last appointment for you to pick these up. I am only required by law to hold these for 6 months and it has been 2 1/2 years. You are so notified."

If he doesn't pick them up, you have given him fair notice and you can dispose of them as you will.
You don't have to make any threats about what you are going to do, just that you have met your obligations.

 

Yet another case of
"Never do business with anyone you can't reach across the table and punch in the nose."

 

I had a guy dog me about a bike I restored for him. I got paid and all, but he moved to Austin and didn't take the bike with him. For 5 years it sat in my shop, I'd tell him to get it. He said he coudn't. He'd come back to town to visit friends. But wouldn't take it with him. I told him I'd have to charge for storage - saw 10 bucks out of 5years. Told him I'd sell it for him, but when I'd have buyers he wouldn't agree. Told him this past spring - Its getting parted out and I'm keeping the money. Got kind of a sob story, and hissy fit, but have heard nothing since. So in the end the dude might be a dick, but it'll sink in after a while. Besides legally, he can't do anything anyhow.

Sell a man a pair of seats, and if you never see that man again, its pair of seats well kept......

 

Sounds like he paid you in good faith, but the two of you could not figure out a way to meet up. Sometimes it was his fault, sometimes yours. Maybe charge like 20% or something for storage like someone mentioned.

 

Leave them in the yard under a tarp with directions were to find them, if they are gone when you come home great, and you don't have to talk with the asshat.

 

They're not yours - ownership transferred to him when he paid for them. Since you agreed to keep them until he picked them up, I believe you have a legal obligation to do that. You might check with a lawyer to see what your rights to charge for storage are, but I think, since ithe whole deal's probably only a few hundred bucks and you don't really have any out of pocket expenses, you're better off to say fuck it and give him seats. It's not worth the hassle.

I would tell him that if he fails to pick them up this time, you'll start charging him storage.

 

Good idea, but dog turds dry out and become odor free, shrimp and anchovies do not, well eventually they do but they retain a stench for far longer.