abba12 Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 (edited) We needed to replace our trampoline. NEEDED. Due to special needs and mental health in this house the trampoline is a vital piece of furniture for us. The mat is tearing so we can't just wait, but we couldn't really afford to buy one new this month either, money is tight for us. We found someone selling one second hand! It sounded perfect, they said it was second hand but only used for 6 months, and was in great condition. It was only $100, vs the $250 we would have had to spend new for one of a lower quality and similar size (things are more expensive in Australia). DH goes to pick it up and it's already disassembled. Because it's a big heavy lot of stuff he quickly inspects it but does not unfold the mat or anything, because he doesn't want to be obnoxious and waste the lady's time. He does, however, directly ask 'are all the pieces there' and 'are there any holes in the mat'. He gets it home. The mat has multiple large holes, and we actually have assorted pieces from two trampolines, one of which was much smaller than what we thought we were buying. The mat was the worst part though, replacing those for the cheap models is as expensive as buying a whole new trampoline. The kids are crushed, DH is having a bit of a panic over wasted money and the upcoming confrontation. There's very little doubt that this was an intentional scam,. the only way it could not be, due to the configuration of the parts we did get, was if we are missing an entire box, which is unlikely. DH has been trying to call her all evening and she's not answering her phone, surprise surprise. We barely had the money for this second hand trampoline, we were stretching as it was, but now we are left with three half-trampolines (our old one plus the two she 'sold' us), and not a single mat for any of them that's safe to use. I'm trying to find a way to calm my husband down, but in between the financial stress and the stress of confrontation he has felt sick and been attached to his phone all night trying to get ahold of this person. It's one thing to scam people on electronics or lie about the condition of furniture. But to sell a completely useless CHILDREN'S toy? That's a whole other level of low. My eldest is very, very disappointed and has gone to bed crying. I'm just so angry We know it was partly our fault, we should always inspect, and he did have a cursory look, he just didn't want to be that guy that insists on unfolding the huge heavy mat to inspect it, he still trusts people are generally good. He's learned his lesson.... I just don't understand people sometimes. Edited February 6, 2016 by abba12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 That is truly horrible. Shame on them!!! I hope you get your money back, I think it is worth fighting in small claims court, just on principle! My brother has a child who NEEDS a trampoline (she has ASD). It truly is a life-saver for their family. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 :grouphug: I'd be checking to see if there were any legal options since this does appear to be an obvious scam. Do you have copies of the ad? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abba12 Posted February 6, 2016 Author Share Posted February 6, 2016 That is truly horrible. Shame on them!!! I hope you get your money back, I think it is worth fighting in small claims court, just on principle! My brother has a child who NEEDS a trampoline (she has ASD). It truly is a life-saver for their family. I'll be honest, I actually use it as much, if not more than, the kids which is why we need a large one. I'm ASD and have used a trampoline as a way of calming down and focusing my thoughts since I was, like, 10 (and riding a bike, but I can't do that anymore where we live). I've tried other things and I have a treadmill and indoor bike for pregnancy, but, at this point, after using a trampoline so long nothing else feels the same. And now as an adult who also has PTSD it's become a core part of my daily coping techniques, to be able to decompress and ground myself once the children go to bed. I suspect eldest is ASD as well, and she uses it a fair bit but isn't really old enough to realize it's calming her down yet. It's me that's struggling the most here! lol. Not that the person who sold it to us knew that, as far as she was concerned it was for a bunch of kids, as evidenced by the three child-seats in our 7-seat van. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 If you've got anyone with ASD who is under 8, you might be able to get funding for one. Your state funding may be different to mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abba12 Posted February 6, 2016 Author Share Posted February 6, 2016 :grouphug: I'd be checking to see if there were any legal options since this does appear to be an obvious scam. Do you have copies of the ad? I have copies of the ad saved. Small claims court is an option, but it's a lot of effort and time. The problem is, it's generally accepted that you 'accept' the item when you do the transaction for these sorts of things, it was DHs responsibility to inspect it thoroughly, and we can't prove that we didn't, say, switch it out with our own damaged mat or something. As far as I can tell we would have a case in small claims, but there's a fee involved to even file a complaint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 Ugh. So something really stressful is happening, and your main stress relieving technique is gone. Not cool. I hope it gets sorted out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abba12 Posted February 6, 2016 Author Share Posted February 6, 2016 If you've got anyone with ASD who is under 8, you might be able to get funding for one. Your state funding may be different to mine. Ooh, that's a thing? I'll have to remember that.... But, no, we've not gotten eldest formally diagnosed, and I'm not under 8 anymore :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 (edited) That sucks. You may possibly be able to take legal recourse as there have been a number of gumtree scams lately (a puppy one particularly springs to mind) where people ended in court. You probably may not get money back if you leave it though as it could have gone for drugs etc. if you know the address you can leave something in their letterbox threatening legal action given you can't get through on the phone. It might be enough to scare them into a refund. Also try posting a good trampoline wanted ad on gumtree with your circumstances and how much you can pay. I used to use trampoline as stress relief as a kid too. Jogging is the closest substitute. Edited February 6, 2016 by Ausmumof3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abba12 Posted February 6, 2016 Author Share Posted February 6, 2016 (edited) That sucks. You may possibly be able to take legal recourse as there have been a number of gumtree scams lately (a puppy one particularly springs to mind) where people ended in court. You probably may not get money back if you leave it though as it could have gone for drugs etc. if you know the address you can leave something in their letterbox threatening legal action given you can't get through on the phone. It might be enough to scare them into a refund. Also try posting a good trampoline wanted ad on gumtree with your circumstances and how much you can pay. I used to use trampoline as stress relief as a kid too. Jogging is the closest substitute. I found one on the coast, identical to the one we already owned so we'll end up with spare parts by putting the two together. Just have to make sure the mat is in great condition. I wish, so much, we had gone with that one first :( The other one appeared a little better quality, with a standardized mat size unlike what we have, that's why we went for it. But, yeah, finding one doesn't seem to be too big a problem, lots of people moving who don't/can't take the trampoline with them. It's the cost of buying two second hand trampolines, which wont be much less than buying a new one would have been as it turns out, that's hitting us. $100 is a lot of money for us right now, spending it TWICE just to try and get a single whole trampoline sucks. Edited February 6, 2016 by abba12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 I have copies of the ad saved. Small claims court is an option, but it's a lot of effort and time. The problem is, it's generally accepted that you 'accept' the item when you do the transaction for these sorts of things, it was DHs responsibility to inspect it thoroughly, and we can't prove that we didn't, say, switch it out with our own damaged mat or something. As far as I can tell we would have a case in small claims, but there's a fee involved to even file a complaint. I'd give them a chance to refund with the knowledge that I'd be filing ASAP if they didn't. I'd have pics of the ad and the trampoline. I'd add the fee for filing (and any other expense) to the claim. I suspect you'd have a really good chance at winning. And if they're smart, they could just give you your money back, but they're unlikely to if you wait or aren't solid with your plans. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 How did you pay? if it was a check, you could put a "stop payment" on it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abba12 Posted February 7, 2016 Author Share Posted February 7, 2016 No, we don't use cheques in this country anymore. It was cash So after a dozen phone calls and making it clear we weren't backing down, the lady has claimed she was selling it for her father (complete contradiction to the original story) who has packaged it wrong, and we may be getting a refund since we're obviously going to be annoying and not let it drop. Fingers crossed. 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 I hope it works out. That was horribly sucky behavior. Interesting that you link needing a trampoline to ASD...my youngest has avidly jumped daily, several times a day, since he was tiny and he goes a little insane when he can't jump, such as pouring rain or three feet of snow. People have marveled at his agility on that tramp since he was barely walking age. He was an unbelievably intense toddler and I had him tested for a dozen "things" all over town because I thought he had ASD. Nope. Never dx'd. He did mellow out when he got older. But he still is obsessed with jumping on that trampoline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 Oh, that's awful! What a rotten thing for them to do. I hope they reconsider, do the right thing, and give you your money back. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 No, we don't use cheques in this country anymore. It was cash So after a dozen phone calls and making it clear we weren't backing down, the lady has claimed she was selling it for her father (complete contradiction to the original story) who has packaged it wrong, and we may be getting a refund since we're obviously going to be annoying and not let it drop. Fingers crossed. Good. I hope she either has the sense of avoiding a possible legal claim or some kind of conscience is getting a hold of her. I know full size trampolines are expensive. Have you tried the smaller versions where just one person can get on at a time? Would this work for you? You did mention you needed a larger one because of you so perhaps not an option. Maybe you do fancy acrobatic flips and those would not go well on this kind: http://www.wayfair.com/Crescendo-Fitness-Mini-Jump-Trampoline-80110-L1036-K~CDD1000.html?refid=GX54801403620-CDD1000&device=c&ptid=80545957740&gclid=CIPQwqbp5MoCFUdufgod0z8GJg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamiof5 Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 So sorry you are going through this. Hope it gets resolved!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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