Make sure it's high grade!
On the 9 Sept. 2014, I purchased what was said to be a genuine used Toyota exhaust back box (£43.20 exclusive of postage) and a genuine Toyota tailgate (£76.80 exclusive of postage) for my 2006, 1L Toyota Yaris from Hygrade Motor Spares.
The back box bore no resemblance whatsoever to the genuine back box on my Toyota, and the car body shop mechanic found that the tailgate ”is damaged/twisted so severely that it is deemed not fit for purpose.”
I contacted Hygrade Motor Spares, but I did not get any satisfaction. I opened two cases against Hygrade Motor Spares with PayPal: thank God that I hadn’t paid them with my debit card; they had tried to persuade me to do so.
In the case of the exhaust back box, I paid the return postage and Hygrade Motor Spares refunded all the money – less my return postage: I had decided to pay the return postage because it was only £10 and because Hygrade Motor Spares was not responding to the Pay Pal dispute. The dispute was then closed by Pay Pal.
In the case of the tailgate, I did not agree to pay the return postage because the cheapest return postage that I could find initially was about £75. Hygrade Motor Spares refused to pay the return postage. I escalated the dispute to a Pay Pal claim. As a result, Pay Pal found in my favour and I was awarded a full refund, but I still had to pay the return postage.
Throughout the whole procedure Hygrade Motor Spares were uncooperative and in denial as it concerned the authenticity of the exhaust back box, and the condition of the tailgate.
Fortunately, I found a carrier who was prepared to return the tailgate at a cost of only £26.50: Paisley Freight.
The matter has now closed (refunded on 24/09/2014); however, I am £36.50 out of pocket. I am thinking of taking this company to the small claims court to recover my costs as well as a contribution towards the cost of another tailgate which I have since bought at a cost of £150. The small claims court only costs £25 on line or £36 for an actual court hearing; you can represent yourself – you don’t need a solicitor.
Buyers should be aware that under the Sale of Goods Act 1979, if the item received is not as described, not of satisfactory quality, or not fit for purpose – it can be returned, and the vendor will be liable for the return postage. Any one of these three reasons will suffice for the purpose of returning the item and claiming the cost of return postage: this applies in the case of online purchases, but check the legislation for your particular mode of purchase.
Furthermore, in the case of online purchases, the buyer has a 14 day cooling off period (STARTING FROM THE DAY THE ITEM IS RECEIVED) during which the item can be returned without having to provide a reason; however, the buyer will be legally responsible for the return postage in these cases.
ALWAYS MAKE SURE YOU ARE PROTECTED WHEN YOU PURCHASE ON LINE
24 September 2014
Unprompted review