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Craigslist Buyer Wants Refund, What Do I Do?

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s10lowrider1994

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Virginia

Hi everyone. I recently sold something on craigslist and the buyer is hassling me for a refund. Here's a bit of info on what went down. I had a lawn tractor that I no longer needed, moved and now have a lawn service, so I posted it for sale. Had a guy interested in it a much lower price, we went back and forth for a few days on price and finally agreed at a price $450 under my asking price. Total steal but what am I gonna do with it? So i decided I may as well sell it. Anyway he comes by, checks it out, I demonstrate everything for him and take a few laps around the yard to give him an idea of how it handles and operates. He then takes the drivers seat and goes on about his way driving around the yard and getting used to the controls and testing out everything. We talk about it for a bit and I send a bunch of info on it his way so he knows what to expect when using it and so he understands how all of the controls work. The battery was low and needing charge but he said no big deal and decided to buy it. We load it on the truck, make the transaction and off he goes. I even let this guy borrow my ramps to unload it as he promised to being them right back. Well later I get an email that he got it home and unloaded it and he says it wont run correctly. I explain to him that the battery needs to be completely charged otherwise it will go nuts under a load (like cutting grass). He says he doesnt want it and I lied to him and he wants his money back. I find this funny as a whole bunch of folks witnessed him use it, happily agree to the predetermined price and leave very happy with the tractor. I know this thing worked perfect when it left and he knows it to, he looked at every possible aspect multiple times. Anyway now he has my ramps hostage and wont bring them back, guess he's mad about me not giving him a refund. Its craigslist so everything is bought as is anyway but I hate playing games and being bothered. The guy got my tractor for a steal, took my ramps and now wants me to buy back a broken tractor that ran perfect when it left my house. He now wants to hold onto it until Thursday until his friend can look at it which makes me even more angry. I'm not buying anything back anyway, much less something someone has had for a week and wrenched on. I simply do not know what could have happened to it but I would imagine either his grouchy wife didnt like what he brought home (she gave him a pretty tight budget and he made it sound like she was being a pain), or he didnt know what he was doing and broke something. Its a dumb situation and I'm almost positive once you buy something like that, you own it. Dont want any legal drama though. What do I do?
 


sandyclaus

Senior Member
Most private party sales such as this are considered AS-IS sales, unless the seller provides a written warranty or guarantee of fitness. Depending on the wording of your Craigslist ad, as long as you did not provide anything to them that could be considered a warranty or condition guarantee, then it would be the responsibility of the buyer to verify the condition of his purchase. If the buyer was not knowledgeable enough about how to check the mechanical condition of the lawn tractor, then he should have brought a mechanic or other more knowledgeable person to look it over BEFORE completing the purchase.

By paying you and taking the tractor away with him, your buyer acknowledged that the lawn tractor was in good enough condition and accepted the tractor AS-IS. Tell him that if he does not return the ramps you loaned him, you will go over to the buyer's place with the police (bring your proof of ownership/proof of purchase for the ramps), and have them assist you in recovering them.

Then tell the buyer to enjoy their new lawn tractor.
 

swalsh411

Senior Member
I am not a mechanic but why would a dead or low battery cause the mower not to run right? (once it's running) The battery in my riding mower was dead the day I bought it and I've been jump starting it with a car battery for years with no problems.
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
I am not a mechanic but why would a dead or low battery cause the mower not to run right? (once it's running) The battery in my riding mower was dead the day I bought it and I've been jump starting it with a car battery for years with no problems.
Depending on the mower...
If the battery is bad, it is entirely possible for it to not provide enough power for the spark. It's like your car - if your battery is truly dead, your car won't run.
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
OP - I would report the conversion of the ramps to the police. If that doesn't help you get it resolved, then I would sue the bad guy for the value of the ramps.
 

s10lowrider1994

Junior Member
Thanks for the info guys. To the poster about the battery, the mower relies heavily on adequate electrical power, if the battery cant hold a proper charge it will make the components go nuts and function incorrectly. Neither here nor there since he willingly purchased it with the intent of buying a new battery anyway.

Talked to him today and he changed his tune, still has my ramps and is waiting on his friend to look at it on Thursday which means nothing to me. He has chosen to wrench on it himself so that puts me even thinking about giving a refund out of the question.

Apparently his wife is giving him all kinds of crap for buying it so that is trickling down to me for some reason. I think she is the driving force behind the load of BS he is giving us.

Anyway he still has the tractor, still has my ramps and has chosen to work on it himself so as far as I'm concerned, end of story. Hope he enjoys his new tractor, should it end up being something he doesnt want he can resell it himself.
 

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