BUYER BEWARE Deal not looking good

[donbrown]

I am starting off with a condensed version and will give more details if asked.

I bid on a sled listed on Ebay. Auction number 190689074070.

It is an 2007 polaris RMK 600 with an SLP 727 "kit" described as :

2007 Polaris RMK 144

2009 Polaris RMK Front (Stronger than '07)
Burnt Orange Custom Paint
SLP 727 Big Bore Motor
SLP High Flow Intake Kit & Air Horn Kit
SLP Single Pipe Kit
Custom Venting and SLP Hot Air elimination kits installed
V-Force 3 Reeds

Clutch Kit

Check out the 727 Big Bore kit here $3,977.82:

http://www.slp.cc/catalog.cfm?pageID=detail&catalogID=3&catID=54&productID=850

-All installed by Polaris of Sealy Lake, MT

Brand New Ice Scratchers
Reverse gear

Hand warmers

Never had a problem. Always garage kept. The SLP 727 has about 700 miles on it. 91 octane fuel only. 150 horsepower on 91 octane.

Nothing wrong with the sled, just relocating.

Sad to see it go..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190689074070&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

 

[donbrown]

Then after my intial bid under $1000 I asked for more pics and a video of it running in the snow.

He posted more pics and a video. Couldn't quite figuire out what was in the video so I specifically asked what the sleds mileage is and what repairs were done and if it needed anything to get it ready for riding.

Told me the engine has under 700 miles and sled is ready to go.

Asked about several more questions with a reply of sled is ready to ride.

As soon as the auction ended I deposited $500 dollars thru Ebay and mailed the balance of $29xx.xx

Then the buyer claimed the sled must be gone by 23 June and he could drop it off to storage or the local sled shop.

I received a couple shipping bids but all the shippers dropped the bid (June20th) to ship after I sent details on the sled and all monies were sent to the buyer. Shippers gave no explanation why they would not ship it.

The auction ended on the 15th paid $500 a few days later thru Ebay and overnighted the balance on the 19th.

 

[donbrown]

So here I am on the 20th of June with the payment sent and no way to get the sled.

So I call & ntake some emergency vacation days from work and drive 18 hours to get the sled . About 1200 miles but ended up being 1400 EACH WAY. Left late on WED 20th and arrived around 6pm on Thursday.

The first thing I saw on the sled was all the zip tie repairs holding the hood, side panels and other plastic parts used to keep it together.

(First pics did not show this and extra pics posted kind of show it on the auction but I never realized what the what was on the pics since they are blurred)

Lifted the hood and saw electrical tape holding the air intake together. When I went to touch it to find out more the buyer moved in and said it was repaired.

Sled was already warmed up started with one pull drove it on the trailer.

Since there is no snow I cant take it for a test drive and as I scrolled threw the electronic dash it did not match to the auction.

So I ask the buyer is this the right sled ... why do you think this sled is as stated in the auction on ebay?

(Please keep in mind I just drove 1400 miles in less than 24 hours been up at least 40 hours AND THE BUYER ALREADY HAD ALL THE MONEY)

He replied for the $3500 I was buying the SLP kit and you get the rest of the sled with the kit.

 

[donbrown]

So here I am 1200 plus miles from home alone with a sled I already paid for and 3 guys decades younger than me in a trailer park with the vehicles they are driving with license plates from very southern states telling me the sled is perfect and the deal is complete. (The sled has a Montana title)

So what do I do?

I took the sled drove out of town pulled over and freaked out as to how messed up the sled is and how naive I was to think I got a 2007 RMK 727 for $3500 with under 700 miles.

I also looked at the title more and it is in someone elses name and has a bank lien on it. it was notarized and signed over to the guy i bought it from but the last title exchange was not complete.

Now it is 8 pm at night and I started calling people I know descibing the condition of the sled.

Everyone I talked to said the deal is not right.

 

[donbrown]

I didn't have a way to send pics of the sled so I drove to a buddies house who works on sleds and he discovered many major things wrong with it.

People told me to take it back right now but what good would that do? He has the money and then he would have sled plus he took pictures of me with the sled and how could I prove i gave it back? He already declared he is leaving town for good in 2 days and the money has been spent.

 

[donbrown]

So now there are many scraps scratched and dents on most exterior parts of the sled.

California DMV will not transfer the sled because of the lien on the title. Plus they want proof sales tax was paid on the previous transaction on the title or they will collect it since there are two taxible transactions being made.

The support struts from the steering column to the foot wells are bent ... thats why the cover plate does not match up to the mounting holes and the hood does not go down correctly.

The exhaust pipe is bent.

The diaphrams in the power valves are leaking and the stems seals appear to being leaking.

The front suspension a-arms are bent.

There are lugs torn on the track.

The odometer reads over 3000 miles and the pic on the auction is the mileage on the trip meter 1.

I specifically asked what the mileage (thru a message on ebay) is on the sled and he stated the engine mileage is 700 miles.

 

[cubby]

I hate to say it but you got hosed. You always need to do ALL the research on a sled on the internet before buying. Sorry man but maybe file a claim with ebay and see if they can help, just tell them the truth it was misrepresented on the listing.

 

[CO 2.0]

I have no clue what you could do right now other than spend tons of money on a lawyer (which is probably not worth it). I hate to say it, but might have to take it as a lesson learned. This is why I never buy off ebay. I have to see the used item in front of me before I hand over money for it.

 

[cubby]

He didn't lye to you when telling you the mileage, you should have asked him again how many miles were on the sled not the motor.

 

[donbrown]

I files a complaint on ebay. Since we both (BUYER and SELLER) have a good reputation on ebay the transaction is covered under their buyer protection program.

I have been offered some money for the sled to be used as a parts sled ... but the want to inspect the engine it might be junk.

 

[donbrown]

He didn't lye to you when telling you the mileage, you should have asked him again how many miles were on the sled not the motor.

I did ask him how many miles were on the sled. Each time he came back with 700 miles.

And when I was face to face with him and the sled I asked and he said at the least you paid for a 727 kit.

How am I to belive the trip meter is the actual mileage of the engine?

 

[cubby]

Don't do anything with the sled untill you get things resolved with ebay

 

[donbrown]

Don't do anything with the sled untill you get things resolved with ebay

Good advice ... thank you

I have been cleaning it up with a toothbrush to see all the problems. I have cleaned at least a quart of grease and grime out of the engine compartment ... not including what drained out the belly.

The seat has many holes in it. The metal floor under the clutch and chaincase are bent up. Metal vents above the footwells are bent up.
Tunnel bulkhead is scratched dented and bent.

Plastic under the exhaust pipe is melted. The foot rests for the exhaust pipe do not match up.

Even the top of the skis thru the loops are cut up. How do you cut up the top of the skis?

 

[newmy1]

Why did you load it? You might just now be the owner of a POS.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[cubby]

WOW that thing has seen better days sorry about your bad luck, but stop right where you are and don't touch the sled untill ebay gets ahold of you.

 

[svrdram]

Why did you load it? You might just now be the owner of a POS.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'll answer this question for him. What would you do, you just paid a guy $3500 for a sled one week prior, sleds jacked, kid has his buddies with him. Would you argue with him and leave the sled behind HOPING you can get your money back later or load up the sled so incase you do get screwed out of the money atleast he has something to show for it.

 

[turbolover]

You should report it to the police. He sold a sled without a valid title and did not transfer it to begin with.

They might be able to help with some threats of legal action from the state.

 

[donbrown]

I'll answer this question for him. What would you do, you just paid a guy $3500 for a sled one week prior, sleds jacked, kid has his buddies with him. Would you argue with him and leave the sled behind HOPING you can get your money back later or load up the sled so incase you do get screwed out of the money atleast he has something to show for it.

That is my thought and he took pictures of me with the sled loaded on my truck ... proving I have possession.

How am I to prove I gave the sled back to him? Even if I took a picture of it unloaded in front of his trailer it could be said the picture was prior to loading and taking the sled away.

 

[Scott]

Holy crap, this is a chit show.

Did you pick this up in Seeley?
If he had his buddies there when you came to pick it up, then he already anticipated you wouldn't be happy.

 

[SnowXTC]

A couple of missed points. Montana does not have sales tax. You would not have paid it to him nor would he have paid it to the other guy. Sleds are permanently registered here and it costs like $60.50. Do not let Cali charge you the tax, even though they may charge you their tax.

Next call MT Dept of Justice, Motor Vehicles Division, Title and Registration Bureau in Deer Lodge, (406) 846-6000. Explain the situation and ask them if they have a lien release on file for the sled. If they do, you may be able to get a copy of it, but essentially you should be good to go there. If they do not, you need to be contacting the person on the title. Feel free to PM me the info and I can try to help you out since I am here in Montana.

You can also contact Kurt's Polaris in Seely Lake and ask about the sled. They keep good records and if they did the work, they would know the sled and give you a history on it. If you get the run around, contact Scott or I and we can get more info there as we are both friends with Curt.

Continue the issue with Ebay. Before doing anymore cleaning, take tons of good pics. Keep all emails and pics from him. If you find that the sled does not have the engine work that he said, you really have a cause.

I realize that your faith and trust has been broken, but not everyone is like that; in fact most of us here in Montana will go out of our way for complete stangers. We believe in doing the right thing and it is very disheartening when we hear of someone getting screwed like that.

I hope this email helps and that you get resolution and that the guy that screwed you only really screwed himself in the end.