Some truth and perspective. WHAT IS A DEPOSIT?
Be careful making assumptions of guilt when only hearing one side of a story. As the founder and owner of Car Connections USA, I am blessed to have a loyal client following and a fantastic reputation in an industry where that takes time and effort to earn. I can assure you that, if the story presented by the accuser was true, we would happily refund his deposit. A brief search for posts by fjrexige will reveal that he fancies himself a critic and has bashed Rothrock for selling a dirty car, HRM for going out of business and us for refusing to return his deposit.
The truth of the matter is that the frustrated poster indeed came down to visit the pre-owned car, spent over 2 hours examining it, then placed a deposit on it. He agreed this deposit would take the car off the market and was non-refundable. He then waited a week, during which time, he found a 2007 that had never yet been sold. He came back down to finalize the transaction, but admitted he thought he may be crazy for buying a used one when he had found a good deal on a new 2007 elsewhere. Armed with a flashlight, he then executed an extraordianarily thorough examination of our car, scrutinizing each and every nick and chip he could find. In his examination, noticed a minute blemish on the front clam that he had not seen in in his first review. He mentioned the mark to us, expressed that he had missed it in his first checkover, and asked if we would be willing to help remedy it. Everett and I discussed it, and we agreed to reduce the sale price by $750 to reflect the cost of refinishing the clam. He happily agreed to the adjustment.
In his presence, we called the previous owner, who explained that the blemish was caused during the installation of the HID headlights when he originally bought the car. We also called the original selling dealer to ask if they would stand behind their workmanship. They declined. It is a tiny blister in the paint under the clearcoat, only noticeable in direct sunlight. Fearing that this blemish might someday appear again, or surface on the other side someday, he changed his mind and said he was afraid to buy the car. He again mentioned having stumbled upon a new 2007 during the week since he left his deposit. The more he thought about it, he felt he'd rather have a new car than a used one. He said, it would take several thousand dollars of adjustment as he feared the unknown costs of fixing the blemish. Tired of his bizzare bargaining tactics, we elected to cut him loose and repair and re-advertise the vehicle. He acknowledged that he was flaking because the new one he had found was really tempting him and he couldn't see taking any blemish without a huge price adjustment. He apologized and agreed to forfeit his deposit. We happily assisted him in his transportation both to and from our facility, minimizing the cost and impact his change of heart had on him. Days later, he contacted us, frustrated, asking for his money back.
What is a deposit? We are selling a used car for a fraction of its new value. It has never been tracked, is in fantastic shape, and was identical to the condition it was in when first inspected by the disgruntled reviewer. If I hold a car off the market for a buyer for a week, turning buyers away, should a deposit be refunded when a buyer flakes? A deposit serves several purposes: 1) It creates a binding contract upon buyer and seller. 2) It is a psychological tool used by dealers to guide the consumer into committing to a particular car, hence stopping the shopping process. 3) It represents an amount of money that both buyer and seller agree is a fair amount to forfeit should the buyer find himself unable or unwilling to complete his transaction. Words of wisdom would be to place a deposit when you are ready to buy a car, not when you are still thinking about it and shopping.
The lesson learned by all: Look carefully at a vehicle before agreeing to buy it. If you want to keep options open, allow the seller to also continue to advertise the vehicle to others. If you are ready to pay for the exclusive right to purchase a vehicle, then place a deposit on it, knowing that, should you have a change of heart, you lose only that deposit. We are sorry for this gentleman's frustration with his purchase experience.
