Gumtree White Goods Scam ( Victim )

[jingerman]

Please take into account my fridge broke and I was desperate for a fridge.

Called a ad on gumtree for fridge, seller offered free delivery and stated fridge in excellent cond.

Seller refused me to view it due to the fact he offered free delivery and fridge was in his car and he was at work.

( I should have realised this is a bit dodgy for him to drive around with fridge all day )

He eventually arrived with a Seat 7 seater MPV and came with high-vis and a 4 year old boy. His telephone voice was of  a clear english speaking person and genuine sounding ( If there is such a thing ) but the seller spoke in a irish accent.

He opened the boot and showed me a fridge that was cling film wrapped in a used condition. I said you mentioned excellent condition? and was told not to worry about minor things like that and that he has given free delivery and looked at child and said i'm a family man.

I said i need to see the inside of fridge, seller said if you want to see inside lets take fridge inside of house then you can see it.

While inside he unwrapped the fridge and we looked through it and it required cleaning and still thought its worth 600 pounds in shops and im paying 200, So said lets get it into kitchen, unfortunalry the fridge too big, but the seller asked for **bleep** driver set and began to take doors and panels off.

Eventually we managed to get the fridge in and the seller wanted out, he started saying you can put it back together I need to go and looked at his kid.

I said I need to plug it in and test it, seller said your family will get gas poisioning because friage has been on its back and said wait 4 hours stand. I refused and plugged in fridge. the internal light of fridge came on but no noise. the seller said I told you to wait 4 hours.

So I googled it and found that its true you have to wait and fell for it.

I handed 200 over and he vanished leaving receipt with name XXXX email XXXX@gmail,com and mobile number and stated 6 months warranty.

Whilst waiting for fridge to settle I rang Hotpoint about warranty and they stated i had till 2021 for parts only warranty and confirmed 4 hour wait for gas settlement but wanted buyer name and address of original owner, when I gave sellers name it didnt match the details and was told sorry we cannot change details and come back with correct details.

I immediately phoned the seller and phone was dead, emailed and it came back as delivey post failure. Thats when the penny dropped and we started to inspect fridge and found naked wires and internal panels snapped off.

I phoned police gave seller fake name and number and car reg ( Luckly I noted it ) but police said its a civil matter. WTF

I contacted gumtree who simply passed me onto citizen advice beareau and I spoke to MP who suggests Trading standards.

I had to dispose the fridge in parts in my family car and bought brand new one from a company using paypal.

I now am getting constant flashback's and kick myself on the way I got scammed and currently finding it very difficult to get over it. I have checked cat reg on goverment website and it shows out of tax since 26th feb, so i'm surprised police have not got back to me yet, it's still not taxed as I type this message.

I have been told by family members that his car will be flagged and pulled over but nothing has happened so far, mind you its been 4 days.

I'm trying to say to myself that the seller is the scammer and its his profession and I should not be hard on myself, but it's very hard for me.

PLease warn you family about this free delivery to your house free ads and then force selling tactics.

I have seen fimiliar ads and report them to gumtree as suspected White Good Scams.

Google Gumtree White Goods Scam for more horror stories.

Many thanks for reading I feel its atleast the best I can do is to warn others and get some sort of comfort.

[Pauline07]

I got scammed by the same thing or very similar on Thursday night I ordered a cooker fridge freezer washing machine and tumble dryer was sent pics of the goods I ordered all looked in great condition two white Irish males arrived at my daughter's house at 8.30 two hrs later than expected all goods wrapped in cling film they dropped the goods in the kitchen and disappeared while we were unwrapping them all totally useless washing machine and dryer no power to them at all and filthy cooker door glass smashed and fridge freezer has a terrible smell I was given a receipt and 6 months warranty Tel no won't accept my calls the address on the receipt doesn't exist they took 320 of our hard earned money and charged me to remove the old goods for good measure as previous person has said no one wants to know not the police gumtree or anyone surely this is fraud so people pls be ware if someone turns up with goods wrapped in cling film DO NOT hand over any cash the name on my receipt is Kevin Paul and has given the address Adler at Huddersfield I'm mortified as we have had to pay for goods elsewhere it's soul destroying and I will never ever use gumtree again

[Jemmamarie]

This happened to me last night too; in Bristol. Is there anymore more we can do to warn others?

[Pauline07]

I got scammed by the same thing or very similar on Thursday night I ordered a cooker fridge freezer washing machine and tumble dryer was sent pics of the goods I ordered all looked in great condition two white Irish males arrived at my daughter's house at 8.30 two hrs later than expected all goods wrapped in cling film they dropped the goods in the kitchen and disappeared while we were unwrapping them all totally useless washing machine and dryer no power to them at all and filthy cooker door glass smashed and fridge freezer has a terrible smell I was given a receipt and 6 months warranty Tel no won't accept my calls the address on the receipt doesn't exist they took 320 of our hard earned money and charged me to remove the old goods for good measure as previous person has said no one wants to know not the police gumtree or anyone surely this is fraud so people pls be ware if someone turns up with goods wrapped in cling film DO NOT hand over any cash the name on my receipt is Kevin Paul and has given the address Adler at Huddersfield I'm mortified as we have had to pay for goods elsewhere it's soul destroying and I will never ever use gumtree again

[jingerman]

OMG, So sorry it happened to you too, I tried my hardest to put it in facebook and other sites to warn people but not all get to read it.

I still get flashbacks of the whole experience and kick myself and play out senarios on what I should have done.

You have to remember your the victim and they are the professional thiefs.

Unfortuanately I have lost faith in people I do not give anyone a chance to even say anything to me be it a scam or real.

And i'm sorry I have never pinpointed a whole community for the action of one, but I do not trust a certain community.

[AlexChong]

Hi what is their Gumtree name. Was it Lucky white goods? He offered too delivery too and the price was good. I got scammed last year too. I bought a washing machine but it doesn't spin. His phone went dead straight after he left. He is a young man tho. In the end, I paid extra for someone else to fix