Cycling Through The Bike Options
I’ve agreed on a price for my pushbike through an online marketplace. The buyer pays by bank transfer, and I leave the bike outside the front of the house but away from view until you get to the door.
I forget about it until the afternoon, when I get a message from the buyer complaining that it is nothing like the pictures, badly damaged, etc. His claims are so out there, it’s like he is talking about a completely different bike altogether. I go and check, and then I message him back.
Me: “That bike is not the one you bought. You took my wife’s bike by mistake.”
Buyer: “What are you talking about?”
Me: “The bike you bought is still here; you took the wrong one.”
I send a photo of the bike very much still here.
Buyer: “How was I supposed to know?”
Me: “With all due respect, one is a purple mountain bike, and you took a pink bike with a basket on the front.”
Buyer: “Well, what are you going to do about it?”
Me: “You can return the bike and we can swap it.”
Buyer: “No, I shouldn’t have to! You should bring it to me!”
Me: “This is your mistake. Please return the bike so we can swap it.”
Buyer: “No, I want my money back.”
Me: “Look, you stole my property. Return it and we can swap, or I will just refund you.”
He refused to do anything to help, and in the end, he stopped responding altogether. Luckily, my wife’s bike was worth nothing, so he actually did me a favour. I sold my bike again; this time the right one got picked up!