Expert: Suzie Eads - 11/26/2007

Question
I recently sold a vehicle on ebay, the buyer test drove the vehicle and paid for it through paypal using my computer he then signed the new keeper documents for the DVLA

later that evening he e-mailed with a list of broken parts and wants half the repair costs from me, he is also threatening me with legal action, the vehicle was not broken when he had a test drive, can he make a claim against me, I don't think he can as he was happy to pay after test drive

Answer
I have a few questions for you... What is a DVLA? Have you communicated with him at all?  What kind of parts, and how much are they? Do you believe that these items are broken? What kind of car was it?

Just going off what you've told me, I would try to go with my gut instinct.  If you think this person is trying to pull a fast one, then tell him you are very sorry, but you are unwilling to pay 1/2 the repair costs.  If you believe what he is saying, then I would pay the money or make another deal with him.

When you say he can make a claim, I'm assuming you mean with eBay? He can do that, and eBay has a pretty good dispute process that both of you will participate in. He could also leave negative feedback. Just because he makes the claim, does not mean he will win.

Suzie