Guys, I need some help for a fellow SoCal Prime member. He originally posted asking for some help and a lot of people mistakenly took his original request for help as a post from a troll. Before you think this story is bogus or scold the buyer for being naive, please be considerate of the fact that he is new to the US and the last thing he expected given the circumstances was to be ripped off. I think we need some NSX_Nick type of investigation here.
Basically what happened is he paid for a car he bid on eBay and the seller backed out. This was back in September, the auction ended with someone outbidding him but then the seller claims he canceled the sale with the winner and they made a deal outside of eBay. Buyer paid seller in full. Seller supposedly used the money to pay off the car and change title to him and then his wife did not want him to sell it to the buyer. Buyer felt bad for him after he told him this story so they agreed to a refund. Seller didn't refund the money but wrote a notarized contract stating that he would pay back by end of December with interest or else a parcel of land that he owns will be forfeited to buyer. Land is appraised at a value much higher than the car. Parcel number is given in the contract and is verified, via lookup service, to belong to seller, not clear as to the true value of the parcel.
Well, I have been talking to the buyer and trying to help out as much as I could. He gave me this guy's address and so I Zillow the address only to discover that the house is now on the market! Seller claims he is in Hong Kong now and I'm afraid this guy's gonna run. He has not been too responsive to emails and some of the Google hits on his name are kinda shady.
The car originally belonged to a Prime member who sold it back in 2005. Seller's home address is in Houston, TX (Lakewood) and like I said, the house is now for sale. He owes the buyer about $60k. Now in a strange twist of fate, the car belongs to another Prime member here who says he purchased it from a person with a different name. I got a Carfax and the pasted it to the bottom of this post. It doesn't look like at any point the owner purchased the car to be under his name and then transferred it to the new owner.
So is there anyone in Houston, lawyer, LEO, or well connected individual that is able to assist in this matter? I've just been able to dig up a little bit of information to help him with his cause but I've exhausted my abilities to assist. He's out close to $60,000 at this point and I'm hoping the community can help him get his money back. Your feedback is appreciated!
Purchased: 2006
Type: Lease
Where: Texas
Est. miles/year: ---
Est. length owned: 5/3/06 - 11/5/07
(1 yr. 6 mo.)
Date: Mileage: Source: Comments:
05/03/2006 Texas
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Cypress, CA
Title #10170738824160744 Title issued or updated
New owner reported
Loan or lien reported
Registered as lease vehicle
05/31/2006 16,475 John Eagle Acura
Houston, TX
281-589-0600
www.johneagleacura.com
ww.johneagleacura.c
om Vehicle serviced
Washed/detailed
Battery/charging system checked
02/01/2007 20,521 John Eagle Acura
Houston, TX
281-589-0600
www.johneagleacura.com
ww.johneagleacura.c
om Vehicle serviced
Maintenance inspection completed
03/21/2007 21,652 Texas
Inspection Station
Houston, TX Passed safety inspection
Passed emissions inspection
04/01/2007 Texas
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Houston, TX
Title #10170738824160744 Registration issued or renewed
Loan or lien reported
Registered as lease vehicle
Passed safety inspection
Purchased: 2007
Where: Texas
Est. miles/year: ---
Est. length owned: 11/5/07 - present
(2 months)
Date: Mileage: Source: Comments:
11/05/2007 24,796 Texas
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Houston, TX
Title #10173739377110614 Title issued or updated
New owner reported
11/30/2007 25,286 Texas
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Houston, TX
Title #10167439399135145 Title issued or updated
Basically what happened is he paid for a car he bid on eBay and the seller backed out. This was back in September, the auction ended with someone outbidding him but then the seller claims he canceled the sale with the winner and they made a deal outside of eBay. Buyer paid seller in full. Seller supposedly used the money to pay off the car and change title to him and then his wife did not want him to sell it to the buyer. Buyer felt bad for him after he told him this story so they agreed to a refund. Seller didn't refund the money but wrote a notarized contract stating that he would pay back by end of December with interest or else a parcel of land that he owns will be forfeited to buyer. Land is appraised at a value much higher than the car. Parcel number is given in the contract and is verified, via lookup service, to belong to seller, not clear as to the true value of the parcel.
Well, I have been talking to the buyer and trying to help out as much as I could. He gave me this guy's address and so I Zillow the address only to discover that the house is now on the market! Seller claims he is in Hong Kong now and I'm afraid this guy's gonna run. He has not been too responsive to emails and some of the Google hits on his name are kinda shady.
The car originally belonged to a Prime member who sold it back in 2005. Seller's home address is in Houston, TX (Lakewood) and like I said, the house is now for sale. He owes the buyer about $60k. Now in a strange twist of fate, the car belongs to another Prime member here who says he purchased it from a person with a different name. I got a Carfax and the pasted it to the bottom of this post. It doesn't look like at any point the owner purchased the car to be under his name and then transferred it to the new owner.
So is there anyone in Houston, lawyer, LEO, or well connected individual that is able to assist in this matter? I've just been able to dig up a little bit of information to help him with his cause but I've exhausted my abilities to assist. He's out close to $60,000 at this point and I'm hoping the community can help him get his money back. Your feedback is appreciated!
Purchased: 2006
Type: Lease
Where: Texas
Est. miles/year: ---
Est. length owned: 5/3/06 - 11/5/07
(1 yr. 6 mo.)
Date: Mileage: Source: Comments:
05/03/2006 Texas
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Cypress, CA
Title #10170738824160744 Title issued or updated
New owner reported
Loan or lien reported
Registered as lease vehicle
05/31/2006 16,475 John Eagle Acura
Houston, TX
281-589-0600
www.johneagleacura.com
ww.johneagleacura.c
om Vehicle serviced
Washed/detailed
Battery/charging system checked
02/01/2007 20,521 John Eagle Acura
Houston, TX
281-589-0600
www.johneagleacura.com
ww.johneagleacura.c
om Vehicle serviced
Maintenance inspection completed
03/21/2007 21,652 Texas
Inspection Station
Houston, TX Passed safety inspection
Passed emissions inspection
04/01/2007 Texas
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Houston, TX
Title #10170738824160744 Registration issued or renewed
Loan or lien reported
Registered as lease vehicle
Passed safety inspection
Purchased: 2007
Where: Texas
Est. miles/year: ---
Est. length owned: 11/5/07 - present
(2 months)
Date: Mileage: Source: Comments:
11/05/2007 24,796 Texas
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Houston, TX
Title #10173739377110614 Title issued or updated
New owner reported
11/30/2007 25,286 Texas
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Houston, TX
Title #10167439399135145 Title issued or updated