proggR Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Is there any laws/rules about private sales? I sold a guy my rev1 Macbook Pro today for $800 (it runs fine but its not in the greatest shape) because I want to buy a Mac Mini. Then tonight I got an email saying he doesn't like it because the wireless isn't working for him and the screen is unstable (I can only assume he means that the last 30-40 degrees swings down looser than you'd expect). I'm normally not one to say no to someone but I've already order the Mini. If I cancelled the order now I could probably get away without worrying about it showing up on my credit card. Is there any rules about private sales that say I have to give him the money back? I already replied and said its tied up and that I'd try to contact other people that were interested until they found out I had a buyer, but is that enough? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinM1 Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Is there any laws/rules about private sales? I sold a guy my rev1 Macbook Pro today for $800 (it runs fine but its not in the greatest shape) because I want to buy a Mac Mini. Then tonight I got an email saying he doesn't like it because the wireless isn't working for him and the screen is unstable (I can only assume he means that the last 30-40 degrees swings down looser than you'd expect). I'm normally not one to say no to someone but I've already order the Mini. If I cancelled the order now I could probably get away without worrying about it showing up on my credit card. Is there any rules about private sales that say I have to give him the money back? I already replied and said its tied up and that I'd try to contact other people that were interested until they found out I had a buyer, but is that enough? Thanks in advance. Did the guy try using the computer before purchasing? Are his issues with it things you knew about before selling it? If you live in the US, the worst that could happen is the guy taking you to small claims court to get his money back. There wouldn't be any extra fines, and certainly no criminal prosecution. The question at the heart of the matter is whether or not you were truthful about the capabilities and functionality of the computer. If the buyer was misled into believing it was a better product than it actually is, you should refund his money to avoid going to court. You should do this even if you didn't explicitly lie about it. Lies of omission count in court, and will count against you. Whenever I do a private sale, I always draw up a simple contract. It says that I'm selling the product for a certain agreed price, and that the product is being sold as-is, with no warranty. I allow them to examine/demo the product right there before signing the contract. There are two copies of this contract - one for me, one for the buyer, and we both sign each one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revraz Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Did you state it was sold "As Is"? Did you state any type of warranty? Did you make a truthful description of the item and any problems it had upfront? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proggR Posted March 27, 2009 Author Share Posted March 27, 2009 I didn't make up a contract or anything no. Perhaps I should have. I gave him the opportunity to try it. I pulled up a chair and said he could test it and he just said "no, I believe that it works". And in the description of it I was very clear that it had scratches, dents and a broken latch so I believe I was honest enough about its condition. The problems with the wireless isn't something I've experienced. And the lid closing more loose in the last 30-40 degrees isn't really an issue because you'd never be using the laptop with the screen at such an angle. I canceled my order anyway to be safe but haven't emailed him back. But when I woke up this morning I had an email from him saying he'd like to keep it and that he just wants to get the wireless working. So now I suppose I'm researching MacBook Pro wireless issues. I don't see how it could be related to the laptops hardware since it worked here but I don't know. Anyway. Thanks for your replies. Hopefully I can be sure enough that the sale will stick to re-order by Monday because this computer is too old to use for very long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel0 Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Could be his AP that's broken or maybe he is out of range or something. Wireless not working is not necessarily a fault in the computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revraz Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Maybe he just doesn't understand how to connect to a wireless router. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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