Sold equipment which buyer claims is broken. What to do??? (1 Viewer)

[Gregg Hart]

I need your suggestions. I sold a power amplifier to someone locally for $600. It was a Golden Theater GTA-1. Amp.

I have sold to this person before. Solo Electronics, the maker of this amp is out of business (bankrupt). The person who purchased the amp knew this as well.

I sold it to him about 10 weeks ago. After 7 weeks he contacted me and said the amp is shutting off on him after a few minutes of use. He is tech savy and I know he checked everything he could.

I never ever had this problem. What should I do? If he came to me after a few days, I would refund him. But after almost 2 months I don't feel like this is my problem.

He claims he never hooked the unit up till now. But I find this hard to believe. I mean he bought this so excited that he found one of these units and couldn't wait to use it.

Now he says he never used it for 7 weeks. I don't believe this. I think offering a standard 30 day guarantee is more than adequate. If I bought a used piece of equipment from a dealer, they wouldn't give me more than this right? I would like to know your feedback about this situtation for I am torn between what to do.

I don't want to screw the guy, but I want to protect myself even more. Taking back a broken amp and losing the $600 is not in my best interest, especially since I have already used this money to buy something else.

Thanks.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

He bought it, he owns it. I wouldn't feel liable unless I knew there were problems with it before, especially 2 months down the line.

If the unit is shutting off I would suspect it is a heat issue. Any reputable electronics service center should be able to diagnose and fix the problem.

 

[brentl]

I agree with Jeff!

If it was a week I'd probably drop by and see his setup. It may give me an idea about why the amp is shutting down.

You'd think that he'd test it first, as soon as he paid for it, Damn if I paid $1000Canadian for ANYTHING I'd test it before the seller left.

It's his, tell him you're sorry but there is nothing you can do.

Brent

 

[Gregg Hart]

That's how I feel, but I guess I wanted to make sure people agreed with me.

 

[Tony_Faville]

Like you said, if he had brought it back in a couple days, cool, refund him. Two months later, too bad, so sad. It's his doorstop now, not yours.

 

[RobertR]

There has to be a reasonable limit on when it's no longer the seller's responsibility. Two months seems more than enough.

 

[Jonathan Burk]

2 Months ?! That is absurd. This is his fault for not testing it immediately, or having it inspected by a service shop. He probably used it every day for two months; don't even think about giving him a penny based on what he says.

 

[Deane Johnson]

Gregg:

It really goes back to what you told him when he purchased it. I take it from your post that you gave him a 30 day guarantee. If so, that's it. 30 days. You have no obligation, moral or otherwise to do anything after the 30 days elapsed.

If you didn't give him a guarantee, and he observed the amp performing correctly before he took it, then it was his when he walked out the door.

Deane

 

[Philip_G]

I'm with everyone else. I'd look for a good stereo repair guy and give him their number

 

[Justin Lane]

That guy is giving you a load a crap. I am sure he made sure the unit worked when he received it from you, espeically due to his apparent excitement over the unit. Tell him there is nothing you can do, and hat he should get it checked out himself.

J

 

[Daniel Swartz]

Two months is more than generous in my opinion. I use eBay heavily and rarely see terms even close to that.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

If someone wants a warranty on their gear they can buy new.

 

[KyleS]

For sure he cant expect you to buy it back after 2 months. Get the number to the repair shop and tell him to take it in if he wants it fixed. Who knows it could be his fault that it isnt running anymore. (Power surge, sticking it in a place with no ventilation, etc. As long as you didnt know something was wrong then you shouldnt feel bad no matter what. As stated above if he wanted a warranty he should have bought branned new gear. Heck I wouldnt even feel bad if it happened to me because I would already be thinking that I better take it to a repair shop, shoot myself in the foot, then swear off bying used for the next 6 months
KyleS

 

[Ted Lee]

no way do you give him his money back...something is fishy in denmark (or however that saying goes).

i can't think of anyone who would buy a new toy then wait two months before using it.

you hate to suspect the worse of people, but i think the guy is up to something.

explain to him you're sorry, but after two months it is unreasonable for him to expect any sort action from you. if he'd come back within a couple of weeks that's a different story...

 

[Kevin T]

something is fishy in denmark

the phrase goes: "something is rotten in denmark". however, your point comes across regardless. though i'd love to play devil's advocate...two months is way too long of a time for you to worry anymore. it is, unfortunately, his problem now.

kevin t

 

[Larry Seno Jr.]

No one in their right mind will tell you that this guy should get his money back. He's lying for one thing.

 

[David Ely]

This reminds me about when I used to work in Computer Sales. We'd have a 30 refund/exchange policy. Every so often, people would bring back a product for a refund after 2 or 3 months stating that they didn't get a chance to use it until that time. For some reason, people tend to believe that warranties and such start from the day they first use the product, not the day it's purchased.

 

[KyleS]

Well said David I have customers that try this all the time just out of the 90 day store warranty I give them on computer parts. I tell them that they can return it to the manufacture for a replacement but most just want the return for cash so they can buy the next latest, greatest thing on the market.

As stated Greg dont worry. By the way what was your response to the guy wanting his money back?

KyleS

 

[Ryan Wright]

I sell on eBay a lot and everyone gets a 3 day warranty (from the date of their receipt). I'll let them fudge this a bit, if something breaks in four or five days I'd likely refund their money. But two months? Sorry, charlie. Not my problem. Hell, most retail stores don't have two month return policies...