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Friends Green Porsche - Bad Experience now Resolved, but...

I'd send the chap a link to this thread :nooo:

Happy to do so on your behalf if you want :dont know:

:thumb:
 
HSC911 said:
I'd send the chap a link to this thread :nooo:

Happy to do so on your behalf if you want :dont know:

:thumb:

:yeah:

I can`t quite believe that a Porsche Trader with any decent reputation would risk that for a paltry £500 :nooo:
 
There was chat on another thread about them providing poor customer service and that they were best avoided.
 
Re: Friends Green Porsche - Bad Experience

porsche996aero said:
Hi guys. Long time lurker here. I wouldn't normally air my dirty laundry in public but I thought I should probably share a pretty unpleasant experience I've had over the last week or so with friends green porsche.

TLDR: seller withholding deposit after I decided not to buy a car with a major engine issue flagged up by my independent inspection!

I'll spare you the majority of the tedious details, but suffice to say I went to see one of the silver 'factory fitted' aerokit 996s (turns out there's no evidence the kit was factory fitted) from him last week and put down a (fully refundable, given any issues found) deposit on it. The PPI that I had carried out by Porsche Inspections then flagged up a serious issue with the engine (camshaft deviation readings way out of spec). We discussed options for his garage carrying out remedial work, after which I decided not to go ahead with the sale - it's quite possible that the engine will need a complete rebuild in the near future, which unsurprisingly wasn't on the cards.

Unfortunately, he's now flatly refusing to refund my £500 deposit in full and I'm going to have to explore other avenues to reclaim it from him. Caveat emptor!

Interested to know if others have had any similar experiences?

https://www.friendsgreenporsche.com/product-page/porsche-996-carrera-manual-deposit-taken

that is a shocking situation
 
squelch said:
You need to save and print the whole advert and write to them highlighting that the product they're selling does not match its description. The salient wording being:

"Mechanics. The Porsche has been cared for meticulously throughout it's life and as a result the mechanics can not be faulted."

A PPI has proven that the mechanics clearly can be (and are) faulted, so this is a false declaration under the Trade Description Act and thus false advertising.

I would start with an appropriately firmly worded letter from yourself (no point in lining the pockets of bottom-feeding ambulance chasers until it's absolutely necessary), outlining their failing to meet their obligations to you as a consumer and clearly giving them seven days to refund your deposit. You could also state for good measure that you are taking legal advice as to whether you are in a position to claim against them for the cost of the PPI as the vehicle was clearly advertised stating that "the mechanics can not be faulted". I would state that the purpose of the PPI was to identify any acceptable remedial work which may be required, hence your desire to obtain one, but the major concerns raised are far more than acceptable and again in direct contradiction to what was advertised. (The balance of power is such that the consumer is at a disadvantage to a professional seller, and as such Trading Standards will take a dim view of a Porsche Specialist selling a car which they would reasonably be expected to know has existing issues.)

The power of social media and online reviews shouldn't be underestimated, so it's also worth including in the letter that you are a member of many Facebook groups and online fora (both Porsche and general petrolhead types) and you will ensure that as many people as possible hear about your terrible experience with them and their sharp practices and the dubious quality of the car you had inspected (you can only slate this one car as it's the only one you had inspected remember and keeping it specific will avoid any libel litigation on their part). None of this is a threat or any kind of blackmail, it is simply you succinctly and directly informing them of how you will proceed if a satisfactory outcome is not attained within the next week.

Hope this helps!

:thumb: Extremely helpful, thank you. It's a shame that trading standards may have to get involved at all, as I would much prefer to have resolved this amicably.

Your point on social media is spot on - I did inform the seller that I was perfectly prepared to share my experience with him in various forums online which he said was in "terrible taste" and implied would potentially be slanderous. Go figure.
 
porsche996aero said:
:thumb: Extremely helpful, thank you. It's a shame that trading standards may have to get involved at all, as I would much prefer to have resolved this amicably.

Your point on social media is spot on - I did inform the seller that I was perfectly prepared to share my experience with him in various forums online which he said was in "terrible taste" and implied would potentially be slanderous. Go figure.

The fact that he's mentioned it being slanderous shows his ignorance of the law. Slander is the spoken word, whereas libel is when it's written publicly. Both only apply to instances where false statements are made, so as long as everything you state is true they have no case for either. Whether or not it's in "terrible taste" is a matter of opinion and in the current digital / online world it's pretty much the done thing, so he needs to get with the times and run a decent, honest and upstanding business. As I say, write to him giving seven days and then.... unleash hell!!
 
I'd point out to the vendor that your deposit was a condition of it passing the independent inspection and formed part of the contract of sale.
As the car failed the inspection the vendor has the option of fixing all faults found or refunding the deposit.
He is in breach of contract and legally has no leg to stand on
 
Having been in this same position and getting a deposit back after 3 months I feel for you. This lot sound like Arthur Daley Porsche, however the power of Twitter and facebook and the like is one good thing about social media....
 
So I would never normally reply to any thread on the internet relating to us, but I will on this occasion as an unfair account of events is being described.

Said buyer agreed to buy a car, but on the agreement that it didn't have any significant problems upon an independent inspection. If it showed any such problems, the deposit would then be refundable upon request.

The independent inspection showed a camshaft deviation. The buyer seeked advice from the independent inspection company as well as our designated Porsche specialist. Both advised it was likely to be worn timing chain between the camshafts, and worn tensioner pads.

Upon learning this, the buyer did not request the deposit back, but instead discussed and entered in to a new agreement to have this work done by our designated specialist. We agreed that if said works did not resolve the issue then the deposit would then become refundable. The specialist is busy for the next couple of weeks so we arranged for him to collect the car and then drop it with the specialist on the arranged date to be fixed. At no point did he raise issue with this arrangement.

After this agreement had been entered, parts had been ordered and arrangements with the garage had been made, the buyer rings to say he's changed his mind and wants his deposit back. I politely explained the above to which the buyer responded badly, threatening to write bad things on the internet if he did not get the refund. It is correct that I offered to refund half the amount out of goodwill, which I thought reasonable.

Lastly, r.e. the aero kit. Sometimes the factory aero kits fail to have the relative code on the option sticker. All the parts (spoiler, skirts, bumper) are genuine Porsche parts, so it is hard to distinguish whether it has been added later or not. The buyer knew about the lack of code upon first viewing of the car and said it wasn't an issue to him. He agreed to buy the car after discussing the aero kit.

We have never had an issue like this with a customer before and feel we have acted fairly in this instance.

FGP.
 
Palladium said:
as an aside, i just don't understand why anybody would want an aerokit, factory or not :nooo:

each to their own


And I just don't understand why anybody would want a plain Jane "jelly mould style" car. :nooo:

Indeed each to their own.


Good luck OP. Keep us posted.
 
:stay: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
Theres always two sides , how interesting :grin:
 
Marky911 said:
Palladium said:
as an aside, i just don't understand why anybody would want an aerokit, factory or not :nooo:

each to their own


And I just don't understand why anybody would want a plain Jane "jelly mould style" car. :nooo:

Indeed each to their own.


:floor: :floor: well I am not getting drapped into that but my views on mods and styling are very well known :grin: :thumb:
 
FriendsGreenPorsche said:
So I would never normally reply to any thread on the internet relating to us, but I will on this occasion as an unfair account of events is being described.

Said buyer agreed to buy a car, but on the agreement that it didn't have any significant problems upon an independent inspection. If it showed any such problems, the deposit would then be refundable upon request.

The independent inspection showed a camshaft deviation. The buyer seeked advice from the independent inspection company as well as our designated Porsche specialist. Both advised it was likely to be worn timing chain between the camshafts, and worn tensioner pads.

Upon learning this, the buyer did not request the deposit back, but instead discussed and entered in to a new agreement to have this work done by our designated specialist. We agreed that if said works did not resolve the issue then the deposit would then become refundable. The specialist is busy for the next couple of weeks so we arranged for him to collect the car and then drop it with the specialist on the arranged date to be fixed. At no point did he raise issue with this arrangement.

After this agreement had been entered, parts had been ordered and arrangements with the garage had been made, the buyer rings to say he's changed his mind and wants his deposit back. I politely explained the above to which the buyer responded badly, threatening to write bad things on the internet if he did not get the refund. It is correct that I offered to refund half the amount out of goodwill, which I thought reasonable.

Lastly, r.e. the aero kit. Sometimes the factory aero kits fail to have the relative code on the option sticker. All the parts (spoiler, skirts, bumper) are genuine Porsche parts, so it is hard to distinguish whether it has been added later or not. The buyer knew about the lack of code upon first viewing of the car and said it wasn't an issue to him. He agreed to buy the car after discussing the aero kit.

We have never had an issue like this with a customer before and feel we have acted fairly in this instance.

FGP.

The op has given an account of the events and where has he written bad things when he has been fair in his account.

If there is an issue with the car that you are selling, I am not quite clear to why you are getting the buyer to pay for half of the repairs when the car is in need of these repairs in order to be traded in the 1st place.

From your 'Warranty' page https://www.friendsgreenporsche.com/warranty isn't this covered under the "If a 'niggle" arises during a sale then this will also be corrected."

But it should be noted that under the Consumer Rights Act of 2015 you have a responsibility for 6 months 'Warranty Period' not the 3 months you are selling.

Although I wouldn't think your service partner garage's would order the parts in advance if they are busy for a period of time.

The aerokit wasn't an issue with the buyer, since the point of dealer fitted kits was clarified.

Goodwill would be to refund the deposit.
 

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