Just bought a set of wheels from a former forum member, they where on ebay but stupidly i didn't buy them through ebay. I asked a few questions about them via text and ended up buying them and a spare set of centre caps through paypal but privately. They were advertised as "recently refurbed, in great condition barely a mark on them". Upon recieving them this turns out to be a big fat lie. The wheels are not too bad, probably painted a year of so ago a few little chips here and there but for second hand wheels not bad, but not mint. The centre caps look like they have been painted by a blind monkey, covered in scratches and overspray. The set that came on the wheels are in a totally different silver to the rest of the wheel and stick out like a dogs d**k on a cat.

I messaged the guy saying a partial refund was in order and he maintains they were as described and well worth what i payed for them. Trying to get a full refund seems like more trouble than it's worth, finding the time to courier the wheels back and then chase the money doesn't seem worth it. The trouble is to get them up to scratch would really mean getting the centre caps and wheels repainted by which point i could have bought a new set. Caveat emptor, as they say.

Your last phrase says it sadly. There's always a few that spoil it for the majority so even all the honest injuns among us will have to expect any buyer to go by the book to safeguard themselves.

However if you can prove the wheels arrived in this state and they have been marketed misleadingly are you prepared to follow it up?

Sorry to hear this mate, hope you can sort something out and what a shame that someone on this forum has been dishonest!

A former forum member, i should know better
Chasing it up is simply not worth the time or money. On the plus side if i do go ahead and repaint them i'll get them done to my taste.

Sorry to read this, however...

Perfect plastidip test pieces.

Did you pay through Paypal? (regardless of whether you bought through Ebay)

If so, just raise a dispute

Sorry to hear of your headache James, as Nigel sayes, raise the issue with PayPal I'm pretty sure they have a similar system to EBay.
Nice wheels though, are they the same as Petep's ?

Can't be bothered to start a PayPal dispute, life's too short. In the back of my head I was considering getting them repainted anyway, I think anthracite would look nicer on my car. At the end of the day I have a set of wheels I like and I should never have bought them on the strength of one small photo and expected them to live up to my standards. You live and learn.

Congrats on your philosophical approach - imho half the battle is getting one's head round these corners!

(if not the wheels )

Yes, as Pondman says, they are the same as mine.

At least the centre cap shown looks to be in a better state than a couple of mine.

Hint: If you still have the Ferrari Engineering badges on the rims and they are in good nick, carefully remove them before you send the wheels for refurbishing.

They are rarer than rocking horse crap, I still have not found a decent set.

You could try respraying yourself. It is not that difficult. Get some colour matched paint from a local paint shop - usually about £20 for a spray can of pro-quality base coat, then another can of clear lacquer.

But beware of suffocation.

Sorry to hear of your woes, the same guy had some Plus alloys listed on eBay recently with one small photo. I contacted him for some higher resolution pictures as i could not justify parting with 450 notes on the strength of one photo and more importantly because of the fact he had previously received negative feedback on some Azevs sold prior.

After numerous messages he refused to provide the photos, which i thought was very odd, so i didn't buy the alloys.

If your not happy with the wheels, raise a dispute for a partial refund. At least then it can go towards getting them resprayed.

Yes, sorry Ross! Momo Ferrari Engineering wheels. Pete, sadly no rim badges at all, not even tatty old ones.

Isn't this just the same as buying anything? "excellent Condition" is very subjective, he may well think they are good, but you may not - doesn't make them mis-described. As you say, the warning signs were there with previous negative feedback. Your single picture looks about what I'd expect for used wheels

If you didn't want to see them in the metal before hand I can't really see your complaint.

That's not really what you want to hear! Anyway, how much did you pay? Would give an idea of what to expect

I had a long text conversation with the seller yesterday and the outcome was pretty much as you have pointed out, condition is subjective and he really thought that they were worth what i payed. I think they were not as described but he did, two different opinions.
I should have gone to pick them up in person and checked them out before handing over the cash but the choice was a 4/5 hr round trip and petrol costs or £30 for a courier. I took the lazy option and it backfired.

Apropos of descriptions: I was looking at a watch on ebay recently, described as 'condition C' but with a stunning photo. In the very small print in the description, it said something along the lines of 'photo is of condition A watch' and then a paragraph explaining that (basically) A was just from the factory and C was battered as if it had stirred cement for a month...

No, I didn't buy it.