*** Watch out for REPAIR PEOPLE at your parents home ***
11-27-20, 03:59 AM
#1
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*** Watch out for REPAIR PEOPLE at your parents home ***
RE: A/C Repair man saw 57 Thunderbird inside the garage and asked to buy it. NOT COOL buying my dad's car - Missing only 1 part, Car Lighter or ashtray.
Spoiler Alert - JUST ANOTHER DAILY RANT on LIfe
First off, Happy Thanksgiving ALL......... It was a wild 2020 and boy oh boy do I have good news and bad news.
First off, my mom and other family members are healthy and am very grateful to make it through this far during the Health Crisis. We were fortunate enough to survive, however, the A/C inside my mom's home did not. Well, to make a long story shot, the Repair Guy (I'm assuming it was a guy) asked my mom to buy my dad's old 1957 Ford Thunderbird hardtop Convertible. My dad passed in 2012 and I've been having the worst luck in life with cars. Now, this. My mom SOLD it for $10,000 and I found out yesterday during thanksgiving. I was really sad. The only memory of my dad and the traditions of that car. My parents got married in it and my aunt and uncle did too. I thought I would be next but, the car is gone. Very Sad Day but, hey, this is a LEXUS forum right. Who cares????? Well, to tell you the truth, I care. I wanted to re-paint and re-fresh the car so my mom could drive around the block like when my dad was around.
BEWARE OF THE Repair Guys that come around your parents house looking for a bar find that was not available for sale. I wish there were instructions in some way to keep it but, when one of the parents passes, the other can do whatever they want. Even sell everything when there were enough assets to pay for taxes or living expenses. Hard lessons learned during the holidays................... Weirdest part was she did not tell me until I asked her about the car and she acted as if I never told her I wanted to keep it. I had the money to buy it off of her and don't know why she did that.
Can any car people chime in on this and if this is normal? I think Recessionary Times bring about the worst kind of people to scavenge those that are in need of help. My mom did not ask to sell a car, she asked to fix the Air Conditioner INSIDE HER HOME. My mom was born in Japan.
Does anyone want to know the name of the Repair People to make sure they don't get ripped off like my family? Located in 90640 or So. California.
Very sad................. Very unhappy................. Sorry for the RANT....... Maybe just venting and need some way to see the brighter side.
Spoiler Alert - JUST ANOTHER DAILY RANT on LIfe
First off, Happy Thanksgiving ALL......... It was a wild 2020 and boy oh boy do I have good news and bad news.
First off, my mom and other family members are healthy and am very grateful to make it through this far during the Health Crisis. We were fortunate enough to survive, however, the A/C inside my mom's home did not. Well, to make a long story shot, the Repair Guy (I'm assuming it was a guy) asked my mom to buy my dad's old 1957 Ford Thunderbird hardtop Convertible. My dad passed in 2012 and I've been having the worst luck in life with cars. Now, this. My mom SOLD it for $10,000 and I found out yesterday during thanksgiving. I was really sad. The only memory of my dad and the traditions of that car. My parents got married in it and my aunt and uncle did too. I thought I would be next but, the car is gone. Very Sad Day but, hey, this is a LEXUS forum right. Who cares????? Well, to tell you the truth, I care. I wanted to re-paint and re-fresh the car so my mom could drive around the block like when my dad was around.
BEWARE OF THE Repair Guys that come around your parents house looking for a bar find that was not available for sale. I wish there were instructions in some way to keep it but, when one of the parents passes, the other can do whatever they want. Even sell everything when there were enough assets to pay for taxes or living expenses. Hard lessons learned during the holidays................... Weirdest part was she did not tell me until I asked her about the car and she acted as if I never told her I wanted to keep it. I had the money to buy it off of her and don't know why she did that.
Can any car people chime in on this and if this is normal? I think Recessionary Times bring about the worst kind of people to scavenge those that are in need of help. My mom did not ask to sell a car, she asked to fix the Air Conditioner INSIDE HER HOME. My mom was born in Japan.
Does anyone want to know the name of the Repair People to make sure they don't get ripped off like my family? Located in 90640 or So. California.
Very sad................. Very unhappy................. Sorry for the RANT....... Maybe just venting and need some way to see the brighter side.
Last edited by retarded; 11-27-20 at 04:06 AM. Reason: grammar
11-27-20, 04:22 AM
#2
While not illegal, it's unethical. I would call the business owner and say that his employee took advantage of your mother while on the job and ask him to demand the employee reverse the transaction. Sounds like a good story for the local news if he isn't agreeable. That car is probably worth 5 times that.
11-27-20, 05:44 AM
#3
Sorry to hear. IMO, based on your story, it sounds like your mom was happy with the $10k she got for the car, so I don't think the repair person strong-armed her into selling the car. Also based on your story, it sounds like your mom had no idea that you had any interest in the car, so she may have simply seen an opportunity to clear up some space by selling one of her assets. Tough lesson to learn, but IMO you can't be mad at the repair person, or even your mom for selling the car.
However, if she does feel that she was pressured or manipulated into selling the car at a price that was not agreeable to her at the time, you can contact the repair company to attempt to get your mom's car back. Should be easy enough to figure out which repair company it is, and who serviced the A/C. They usually leave an invoice for the work being done with all of that information on it. I think it's going to be tough though, you'd need to be able to prove that your mother wasn't in the right state of mind, and also prove that the repair person had malicious intent somehow. IMO it's just as unethical for your mom to demand to reverse the transaction because she didn't know the market value. Another hard lesson to learn, but you have to do your due diligence.
However, if she does feel that she was pressured or manipulated into selling the car at a price that was not agreeable to her at the time, you can contact the repair company to attempt to get your mom's car back. Should be easy enough to figure out which repair company it is, and who serviced the A/C. They usually leave an invoice for the work being done with all of that information on it. I think it's going to be tough though, you'd need to be able to prove that your mother wasn't in the right state of mind, and also prove that the repair person had malicious intent somehow. IMO it's just as unethical for your mom to demand to reverse the transaction because she didn't know the market value. Another hard lesson to learn, but you have to do your due diligence.
11-27-20, 07:13 AM
#5
Are you certain they scammed her? Its entirely possible that the guy just noticed the car in the garage and commented on always wanting to own one, and she was actually the one to set the price of $10k. Who knows. Not enough info to make that judgement. Either way, OP can contact the repair company by referencing the invoice left by the repair person. OP's mom should also be able to tell OP what the company name is, as she would have been the one to hire the company in the first place.
11-27-20, 07:29 AM
#6
Are you certain they scammed her? Its entirely possible that the guy just noticed the car in the garage and commented on always wanting to own one, and she was actually the one to set the price of $10k. Who knows. Not enough info to make that judgement. Either way, OP can contact the repair company by referencing the invoice left by the repair person. OP's mom should also be able to tell OP what the company name is, as she would have been the one to hire the company in the first place.
11-27-20, 07:51 AM
#7
Lexus Fanatic
Are you certain they scammed her? Its entirely possible that the guy just noticed the car in the garage and commented on always wanting to own one, and she was actually the one to set the price of $10k. Who knows. Not enough info to make that judgement. Either way, OP can contact the repair company by referencing the invoice left by the repair person. OP's mom should also be able to tell OP what the company name is, as she would have been the one to hire the company in the first place.
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11-27-20, 08:00 AM
#8
Lexus Fanatic
I know you probably valued the car, but how did your mom feel about it? Sometimes things like this can be a blessing in disguise. As she ages, it probably will become more and more difficult for her to take care of it....and she herself will need more and more care. I don't know whether she could have gotten more than 10K for it or not...depends on condition, demand, and a number of other factors. But, this way, she has one less responsibility in life to concern herself with (or for you to be concerned with in her name), and extra 10K in the bank for her inevitable needs coming up.
11-27-20, 08:12 AM
#9
Even if that were the case, a decent man would tell the lady that it was worth way more than that instead of taking advantage of a widow. Like a said, not illegal, but he is certainly a douchebag. Plus, repair people aren't supposed to be scoping your house commenting on your assets. Unprofessional at best. In my opinion, it's predatory. Especially when it comes to older folks, and especially a widow.
The repair person may not have known the value of the car, and thought $10k was a fair price.
The repair person may not have been "scoping for assets", and just made an honest, off the cuff comment on the car to spark some small talk.
Even if he knew it was worth more, it's not his duty to educate her. It's her responsibility to ensure she sells it at a price she's comfortable selling at. It seems that she reached that price. Let me ask you - have you ever gone into a store to buy something, and it is priced lower than you expected at the register? Do you stop the cashier and demand to pay more for the item? Probably not, right? Now, does the store have any right to pursue you after the fact to make you pay for the difference? I don't think so. This is the same thing IMO, just on a bigger scale.
Last edited by sm1ke; 11-30-20 at 05:23 AM. Reason: added missing word
11-27-20, 08:25 AM
#10
Lexus Fanatic
That car is worth WAY more than $10,000, like 3 times that much. I would absolutely call the company the HVAC tech works for and let them know what happened and that you are very upset that their employee took advantage of your elderly mother. I bet you can wind up getting the car back if that's what you and your mom want.
With that said, don't be mad at your mom. I agree with mmarshall, being in the real estate business I have seen stuff like this happen many times when helping people sell homes in these situations and have seen it with my own mother. Widowed spouses are strange about things like that, and it may have been part of her healing process to sell that car and do do that directly on her own without you managing it or taking care of it for her. She made an affirmative decision to move on from something that was very close and special to your dad. Stuff like this can become like an anchor for people like your mom.
I remember when my Dad was really sick, and we knew that he wasn't going to recover. He went from being 100% normal to full on dementia on deaths door really quickly, and my mom sold his LS430 before he died. I was shocked, and upset about it but it was all part of her process of dealing with the reality that he wasn't going to return to the person that he was.
With that said, don't be mad at your mom. I agree with mmarshall, being in the real estate business I have seen stuff like this happen many times when helping people sell homes in these situations and have seen it with my own mother. Widowed spouses are strange about things like that, and it may have been part of her healing process to sell that car and do do that directly on her own without you managing it or taking care of it for her. She made an affirmative decision to move on from something that was very close and special to your dad. Stuff like this can become like an anchor for people like your mom.
I remember when my Dad was really sick, and we knew that he wasn't going to recover. He went from being 100% normal to full on dementia on deaths door really quickly, and my mom sold his LS430 before he died. I was shocked, and upset about it but it was all part of her process of dealing with the reality that he wasn't going to return to the person that he was.
Last edited by SW17LS; 11-27-20 at 08:33 AM.
11-27-20, 09:01 AM
#11
Lexus Test Driver
Do you have pics of this car - was it running or just a shell?
If its been sitting for 10yrs and needs full restoration - i can see why your mom wanted to get rid of it.
She probably thought this was a win win by getting $10k and clearing out space.
If its been sitting for 10yrs and needs full restoration - i can see why your mom wanted to get rid of it.
She probably thought this was a win win by getting $10k and clearing out space.
11-29-20, 03:43 PM
#14
Again, you're assuming malicious intent where it may not be present. Of course its possible the guy fully intended to scam her, but based on the limited info provided, I'm not so sure that's the case.
The repair person may not have known the value of the car, and thought $10k was a fair price.
The repair person may not have been "scoping for assets", and just made an honest, off the cuff comment on the car to spark some small talk.
The repair person may not have known the value of the car, and thought $10k was a fair price.
The repair person may not have been "scoping for assets", and just made an honest, off the cuff comment on the car to spark some small talk.
Sure.
Let me ask you - have you ever gone into a store to buy something, and it is priced lower than you expected at the register? Do you stop the cashier and demand to pay more for the item? Probably not, right? Now, does the store have any right to pursue you after the fact to make you pay for the difference? I don't think.
This is the same thing IMO, just on a bigger scale.
This is the same thing IMO, just on a bigger scale.
And yes, if the price is different and I notice I ask. I did so with a TV I bought. I even told the owners of the Pioneer Elite TV that they listed on the neighborhood board for free that they could probably sell if for a couple of hundred bucks minus a little for some cosmetic damage before I took it. They said they didn't want to deal with trying to sell it to strangers and that if I was willing to come remove it from the wall and haul it out of the house, I could have it for free. If a cashier at the grocery store misses an item, I go back and pay for it. This is how MOST people handle their business.
Except professional used car dealers. Screw them over every chance you get.
Last edited by Bob04; 11-29-20 at 04:04 PM.
11-30-20, 05:44 AM
#15
Yeah, I'm sure that's how it went. I'm sure some repairman just happened to see it and think "what is that interesting car?", and she just happened to blurt out "I'll sell it for $10k", and he just happened to decide without knowing the value "Yeah, I'll buy that."
Sure.
I never said otherwise. It's completely legal. Yes. Buying a car off an old widow lady at far below market value is complete legal. Also, being a predatory douchebag, in many cases, completely legal.
No, it's not. In any universe. Maybe it's just a cultural thing, but where I come from, friends and family actively look to protect our seniors, especially the elderly widows. In a lot of cases, these ladies have never managed money and are easily scammed by people. And being from a small town, it's usually not the local people that do something like this because they know they, and likely business if they didn't address, would pay a price for it. There is an aspect of professionalism that is expected from people you have to allow into your home for situations like this. They shouldn't treat it like a flea market opportunity to turn a buck. They shouldn't talk about what is in your home with anyone. They are hired to do the job and leave.
And yes, if the price is different and I notice I ask. I did so with a TV I bought. I even told the owners of the Pioneer Elite TV that they listed on the neighborhood board for free that they could probably sell if for a couple of hundred bucks minus a little for some cosmetic damage before I took it. They said they didn't want to deal with trying to sell it to strangers and that if I was willing to come remove it from the wall and haul it out of the house, I could have it for free. If a cashier at the grocery store misses an item, I go back and pay for it. This is how MOST people handle their business.
Except professional used car dealers. Screw them over every chance you get.
Sure.
I never said otherwise. It's completely legal. Yes. Buying a car off an old widow lady at far below market value is complete legal. Also, being a predatory douchebag, in many cases, completely legal.
No, it's not. In any universe. Maybe it's just a cultural thing, but where I come from, friends and family actively look to protect our seniors, especially the elderly widows. In a lot of cases, these ladies have never managed money and are easily scammed by people. And being from a small town, it's usually not the local people that do something like this because they know they, and likely business if they didn't address, would pay a price for it. There is an aspect of professionalism that is expected from people you have to allow into your home for situations like this. They shouldn't treat it like a flea market opportunity to turn a buck. They shouldn't talk about what is in your home with anyone. They are hired to do the job and leave.
And yes, if the price is different and I notice I ask. I did so with a TV I bought. I even told the owners of the Pioneer Elite TV that they listed on the neighborhood board for free that they could probably sell if for a couple of hundred bucks minus a little for some cosmetic damage before I took it. They said they didn't want to deal with trying to sell it to strangers and that if I was willing to come remove it from the wall and haul it out of the house, I could have it for free. If a cashier at the grocery store misses an item, I go back and pay for it. This is how MOST people handle their business.
Except professional used car dealers. Screw them over every chance you get.
Also, many people like it when the repair person engages in small talk. You're hiring a person, not a robot, after all. This is coming from a place of experience, having installed home audio setups for customers some 10 years ago. Every single person I dealt with initiated the conversation and kept it going.