DanLin.net

I decided to sell my 2001 Toyota Tacoma last weekend and posted an ad in craig’s list. I didn’t really want all the hassle of showing and negotiating so I put the truck up with a below blue book price hoping to get it done painlessly while getting more than what I can as a trade in. Sounds logical right? I thought so. Everybody wins this way.

It actually started out real well. People were calling and emailing almost immediately. I started weeding out the used car dealers trying to snatch up a good deal and got a handful or real interested buyers. Having to deal with people wanting to see it and drive it was enough to have to make time for but what really ticks me off is when people make empty promises sight unseen.

If you are going to make an offer on a vehicle sight unseen then you should follow through with it. It’s not like I wouldn’t expect you to want to test drive it. If someone says, “I’ll come by to check it out in an hour.” I wouldn’t hesitate but to happily oblige. But what do you do when someone calls and says. “I want it, who do I make the check out to? I will be down in an hour to pick it up with a driver.” My initial thought was, ‘He must knows what he’s looking for.’ I have the VIN on the listing as well as a number of current, detailed photos. I am assuming that the deal is done. I fended off all of the calls after making the promise to be there when he comes to pick it up. I literally Emailed and called people and told them the truck was sold only to have this guy and his son to come by 30 minutes late to kick tires for another 20 minutes. At the end of the ordeal, he was not the least bit apologetic and says with a straight face. “You know what, we are gonna pass.”

Now I have to call back all the people who I told that the truck was sold to say that someone passed. What are they gonna think? Why did the guy pass? Is something wrong with the truck? I suppose it was naive of me to believe that these guys who came by where honest people who will stand behind their words. They are actually owners of a local business in Santa Barbara, CA who deal with the general public everyday. You want to think that people are not gonna take advantage of you but in today’s world it is few and far in between.

Just in case any of you ever happen to do business with these guys I will let you know who I had to deal with. Their business is called Star Rug Cleaners. It was a father and son outfit that made me take two hours off of work on a Wednesday just so they can come around and kick some tires. Tony and his son Michael Jensen were their names.

Michael actually seem like a good enough guy who was courteous and personable when I met him. His dad Tony was the guy who made the false representation to me over the phone. After test driving the car around the block, Tony Jensen actually sat in the passenger seat with the doors shut and the AC on while talking on the phone while I waited for him outside with his son in the hot California Santa Ana winds. Clearly at this point he already knows he was going to pass. How big of an a-hole do you have to be to sit in another person’s car in front of their house with the engine running and AC on while they wait on you after you were half an hour late to the appointment? I hope to only meet a handful of douche bags like him in my life.

If you get an Email or a call saying that they are bringing down cash to take your used vehicle away, I’d suggest giving them a fake address. Good luck. It’s a jungle out there.