I posted an ad for the sale of a 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL Roadster on Ebay. The Item number: 120394487338. Mr. Clancy sent a $2600 non-refundable deposit. When he arrived to pick up the car, he informed me there was damage on the drivers side front fender that had occurred since the ad had run on ebay. Not realizing that Mr. Clancy was not being honest with me and the scratch was plainly visible on the ad (having been present on the car since prior to my taking pictures of it), I offered to repair the car at my expense.
He then attempted to tell me the car was not a 1971 as advertised, but a 1970 (which is not nearly as rare and likely not as valuable) with at least three witnesses present. I was fortunate in that one of the witnesses is an antique car expert and was able to confirm that (again) Mr. Clancy was not being honest and the car was in fact easily identified as a 1971 (without question) by the vin tag, the original build date stamp which is still on the car and several trim pieces being unique to '71 which he showed Mr. Clancy.
Mr. Clancy attempted to further complain about the condition of the car pointing out everything that was already mentioned and or plainly visible in the ad on Ebay. Realizing he was on the ropes, he then attempted to back out of the deal. I refused and informed him that he would not be receiving his deposit back (once I had confirmed that the scratch in the drivers fender was already there and properly shown in the ad. (For anyone looking at the ad now, take a look in the last picture, the scratch in question is approximately 3/4 of an inch immediately behind the headlight trim piece)
When I informed Mr. Clancy of this, he imeediately left threatening emails and voice messages and informed me he had my home address and pictures of my car and license plate.
This is not a way I do business. Had Mr. Clancy come and attempted to bring up a valid issue, I would have listened and offered him his deposit back.instead, he came up with the full intent of attempting to renegotiate the deal. As proof of this, I had one of my partners call him and ask for a copy of the certified check he brought to pick up the car to show his good will in planning to pay the full balance.indeed, Mr. Clancy refused to do that indicating further that he had not negotiated in good faith and intended to renegotiate upon pick-up regardless of the condition of the car.
Another point I clearly want to make is that this is IN NO WAY a condamnation of Allied Home Mortgage. To my knowledge, they are a reputable company that has served hundreds of thousands of customers faithfully for many years. Mike did in fact use their email on at least one occasion to discuss this dispute with me. However, if I were in the market for a mortgage, would I want to do business with Mr. Clancy based on his behavior. I think I would seek out s different mortgage broker.
The kicker to this whole deal is that when his threats did not intimidate me into giving him a refund, he informed me that he has a lawyer at his disposal free-of-charge. What Mr. Clancy does not understand that Champerty and maintenance could be alleged should his lawyer decide to take the case for free and that I will defend myself as the facts (and the law) are entirely on my side.
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