Checking points determining the legitimacy of the seller

When a consumer finds a car of his liking and if the budget is within their set ball park, he/she is likely to make a beeline for buying it. Especially during the holiday season, you will be tempted to invest your hard earned money in buying an SUV with graceful look and SUV winter tires, wouldn’t you? But are the budget and your liking the only parameters that you will consider for purchasing your favourite car? A smart buyer will certainly not! So, what draws a line between a smart buyer and a normal buyer?

A smart buyer will certainly consider budget and likings as key determinants but he will also do a detailed check about the trader/seller before giving his nod. Why is it so?

It was seen that many of the complaints related to the purchase of new or second-hand cars were actually the items bought on site. Especially, majority of these complaints received were actually because of the flaws encountered by a consumer during cross-border distance purchases. But in almost all the cases, it was found that the consumers did not do their due diligence in checking the know-how of the seller. It is very incumbent for a consumer to ascertain as many details as possible regarding the seller through whom they are carrying out any transaction. The seller should be a legitimate entity. It may not be possible for the consumer to walk through all these risks but at least they can avoid being in a soup if they are timely alarmed. If a consumer is doing a cross-border purchase, they should have all the documents like order confirmations, invoices etc… in place even though the seller is known/familiar entity. This will enable them to keep a decent track about all the transactions taking place.

Identity check of the Seller

If you are doing an internet purchasing (for e.g. of that of a Sedan with studded tires), have all the information handy (like the company’s top brass, their headquarters, phone nos., email addresses etc.) before you dive deep into the actual transaction. After you amass all the vital information, check if the trader or seller legally exists or not. You can run the information through the chambers of commerce or courts. A lot of company will certainly assist you with the basic details without any charge; however, for some vital documents, a nominal charge is likely to be levied. A consumer can achieve an initial breakthrough in establishing contact with the customer service of that particular firm. If at all, you get connected with the customer service, it is inadvisable to give any of the personal details apart from your name, email and the reason for the call. You may get easily duped by fraudsters who can easily avail details and mirror websites of legitimate companies; they may set up false addresses or P.O. boxes. It is easy for fraudsters to take advantage of the situation by: using details and sometimes even mirror websites of legitimate companiesby fabricating false addresses.

Seller’s Location Check

Furnish all the necessary address details to locate the seller with whom you want to carry out transactions related to the purchase. If the address lies in a residential area or in an unfamiliar locality, the consumer needs to get alarmed immediately.

Seller’s Reputation Check

As a consumer, do have repeated checks on the reputation of a seller (through online forums or court histories). If the trader has been blacklisted in the past, enquire about the causes that led to its blacklisting. You will get this information either on the internet or through any court in the seller’s area). As a consumer, you do bore the prerogative of contacting consumer protection bodies and associations to see if there were any complaints or stigma registered against that particular trader.

Seller Website and website history Check

It is very important for a consumer to know if the website contains all the general terms and conditions and whether mandatory rules are properly included without any kind of misspells. For example, the website should have rules on the legal guarantee and withdrawal/cooling off, information on CO2 emissions, consumer rights to a legal guarantee, maintenance costs, safety/ security reputation of the car, car mileage checks to determine odometer accuracy and accident history. Deal with the traders who are willingly helping you out with this crucial info even if you may have to spend a little bit extra for the same.