This bloke at the shop is mental..... or he thinks I am!! Today he agreed to give me back the full amount by bank transfer but only after I give him the V5 first...... hmmm let me think!!?? I told him I wouldn't send the V5 until I saw the amount arrive in the account or he could send me the payment receipt. He got angry again then. Started telling me the I was holding him to ransom? He didn't even ask for my bank details..... dick. Must think I was born yesterday. He then suggested I send my father (I'm working in France at the moment) with the V5 and he would give him the money?...... hmmm so suddenly that's better than doing a bank transfer? Thanks for the suggestion about VOSA d8mok. The list of things I'm going to do to him is growing daily!! I like that. Unless of course he finally gives in and gives me back my money.
Is it only me who feels theres a bit of a one sided discussion going on here? Theres a hell of a lot of assuming going on with what I think is hardly evidence. The previous owner could for instance have broken the steering lock and as for the water mark on the dash again hardly evidence. Just my opinion and as I always say we all have opinions as we all have arseholes. I do like the look of his 999 s he's got for sale, cheers for the link. Second Hand Ducati 999 999 S MONO for sale in Batley, West Yorkshire - Jem Speed Shop
Hey Drinky - When I first realised that the steering lock didn't work, I had the same thoughts too. "Maybe there's just something wrong with the mechanism" "Maybe the last owner had to do something to it cos it was faulty", etc, etc Then when I compared it with another 821, I realised that the solid piece of metal which is part of the steering head machined part, had been ground off. That's when I pulled my head out of the sand & started putting to 2 & 2 together. The steering lock issue, the vertical water mark on the dash and excessive rust only down one side painted a picture for me. Yes its a lot of assumptions after that but for me there's only one reason why you would grind off the steering head so that the pin doesn't engage and then not replace it (there's one on ebay now for £100)....... if it was knicked. You're right about his stock of bikes though. He's got some real beauties in there and I kind of get the impression that mine was the odd one out. When I look at the condition of all the other bikes in there, which I spent a little time doing on my last visit, then it makes me wander why mine was given to me looking so unloved. I think I know now that it was not brought up to the same std so he could disguise some of the corrosion. Anyway as I say, its a shame because I respect what he's doing as a business as long as the rest of his stock is legit. To be honest I get the impression that he didn't realise the condition until he got it into his showroom but now he's trying to pass the problem and the cost onto me.... and that I will not accept.
Without opening myself up to a barrage of abuse I'm afraid the dealer has done very little wrong (other than selling a tatty bike), despite what trading standards have told you, and isn't obliged to give you your money back. I work in the trade so I'll explain why. The HPI register is only a record of a company having a financial interest in it, i.e. its still on finance or an insurance company have paid out to an individual as it was written off or stolen. If it were written off the reason why would be in a code ie CAT C, CAT D etc. If it were stolen (or on finance) and you or the dealer hadn't checked HPI then the insurance company that paid for a replacement could recover the vehicle from you leaving you out of pocket. That's all HPI can protect you against. You've no direct evidence that the bike has ever been stolen other than you're putting 2 and 2 together and getting 8. Even if it has been stolen, and then recovered, there is no law that says it cant be sold again in the future. The bike doesn't instantly become worthless! Now I'm not saying I would have sold a bike with such obvious damage to a customer, however the dealer has no obligation to give you a refund. You're not covered by the distance selling laws as you turned up at the shop to collect the bike and you had time to inspect and, more importantly, accept the goods. Had he arranged delivery to you then it would be a different story. The trading standards fit for purpose etc etc means that you are entitled to having the steering lock fixed as it's not working. It does not cover the cosmetic condition of the bike, you should have taken more time and care inspecting it before you left the shop with it, that's on you I'm afraid. It is a used bike. When you buy a used bike you don't know what has happened to it before. It may have been crashed! It may have been clocked! It may have been tracked! And crashed and then rebuilt with parts from ebay! It may have had an insurance repair! It may have been completely taken apart by the last owner and put back together again and he might not have the slightest clue about mechanics! Or it might have lived outside all its life with the wind and rain blowing against one side because it was up against a wall! And the steering lock broke when it fell over! You just don't know. If you don't like those odds there is a simple solution, buy a new one!
I'm not going to barrage you with abuse and there are many parts of what you say that I completely understand. I did also have sympathy with the dealers position for a long time and I have been incredibly patient and diplomatic but when the dealer is being an asshole at every step there comes a point when enough is enough. I was even prepared but let him keep a certain amount of money at one stage but with the way he's behaved and his threats I changed my mind Points to consider are: 1) the steering lock is not broken because something has broken in a fall. Its broken because someone has purposefully machined off a solid piece of metal from the main steering head with a tool - this is clear 2) the vertical water mark would not be on the dashboard because its been exposed to the elements. There's only one way you could get a water mark like that and that's if it's been on its side in water 3) the dealer was a real asshole about the damage to the steering head and refused to offer assistance with a repair. 4) despite what you say about trading standards, I have read the standards and taken advice and my position is clear. The bike was not given to me in the condition advertised 'MINT'. I do have time after receiving the vehicle to determine this and return the vehicle if I am not satisfied with the dealers response. ... he was an asshole and so I'm not happy. You are right about checking the vehicle over though. I should have taken more time to inspect but I had just arrived after a 1500 km road trip to collect it and I was all starry eyed about buying my dream bike. To be fair to myself though, he had done a good job of disguising some of the corrosion and I never thought to try the steering lock? Anyway now I will only buy from official dealers or new as you suggest. I'm not going through this again.
