by kingofthetwisties
Tue Aug 09, 2016 3:13 am
I think this is still an active Scam. I was looking on Gumtree for a VW camper van and found one at a very competitive price. I made contact and asked if the van was still for sale. I got the following message back.
Hi,
>
> The camper belonged to my late father in law, had no use anymore so my wife and i decided to sell it. The final price is £8,700. The camper was actually sold few days ago.
>
> Long story short: i had the van advertised, got an email from someone interested, his name was Charlie. He was willing to pay a deposit for the van.
> I have called Charlie to set up a viewing appointment for the next day as i was ready to leave on a 3 weeks vacation with my family in Tenerife to visit my parents. Charlie came up next day as agreed and he was very satisfied with the camper . He said that he is unable to arrange transportation by his own and we should deal through a company that he used before as they offer door to door delivery service. I went to this company website to check it out and everything was looking good (they act as a third party, we were both protected - buyer pays the company, i do not get the money until the buyer is satisfied with the camper , buyer has a 4 days inspection period). Charlie paid me £740 in cash which included a deposit for the camper and delivery fees.
>
> Next morning i called them and they came to collect the van. They asked me to sign a contract where i give my consent that i authorize them to fill the legal bill of sale, took a copy of my id, keys and camper documentation. They said that will run all the checks on the camper at their warehouse (mechanic inspection, check if was stolen, HPI report...).Then they loaded it on a trailer and at that point i called Charile to let him know it was all done on my side. It was that easy. He sounded very happy and said that next day was going to pay the company the remaining amount so delivery can start. Later the company provided a tracking reference to us.
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> That evening, me, my wife and our 2 kids packed our bags! Our flight to Tenerife was next day, Friday 12:25 (3 days ago). We were all very excited. Friday morning we went to the airport, all usual checks, few hours later we landed to Tenerife South airport. My parents were there, waiting for us, we were all happy and headed to my parents place. On the way, turned my phone on and received missed calls from Charlie. My first thought was that he called me to confirm that he sorted things with the company and was eager to receive the camper .
>
> Called Charlie back and he was nearly crying, his voice was trembling, there was some sort of accident. I could not understand who was involved but probably someone from his family. He said he can't complete the purchase anymore and hopes i understand.
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> Now the van is back for sale, at this company warehouse, ready to be delivered... I am in a beautiful place with the ones i love and i enjoy it. I feel sorry for Charlie.
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> If you are interested to buy it, maybe we can work something out.
I was dubious but decided to follow up so I suggested that maybe I could take over the contract from Charlie. I then got the following note back.
I will be back in the UK in more than 2 weeks from now and if the van will be still available will let you know.
Forgot to tell you a few things about the camper: it is in excellent condition, runs like new, no accidents, no damage, always been stored properly. Full service history. It needs nothing but a new owner. HPI clear.
The third company we (me and Charlie) used is Auto-Cart-L.com
Called them, explained what happened and that i will get it back from them when i return.
They said that i can change the receiver's name and address if i find another buyer in the meantime. If you agree to deal through them, the delivery is free as it has already been paid. They offer a door to door service and you will have a 4 days inspection period.
They will fax me a contract with my name as a seller and yours as a buyer here to sign and send it back to them. You will also get a copy signed by me and you will have to sign it as well at the moment you have received the vehicle. From that point you will have 4 days for inspection.
Please go to auto-cart-l.com to read more about the process and let me know if you want to move forward.
The links take you to a company called Auto Cart. They are listed on companies house but I think their details have been hacked.
Beware
