Royce Smith Highly Devious Car Dealer Littleton, Colorado
Mr. Royce Smith operates as a small time backyard car dealership, specializing in exotic and rare autos.
We were in the process of purchasing a Jaguar XKE that he had advertised on Craigslist, the price seeming very reasonable yet raised several red flags.
Mr. Smith demanded a cash deposit upfront, yet did not reveal until later that the car had leins against it.
At that juncture, I of course asked for my deposit back.
Mr. Smith still has not returned $1,000.00 deposit money despite numerous demands from myself and my attorney.
State and local authorities have been notified, and now conducting a full investigation as to his business practices.
I strongly urge that people do not conduct business with this older "gentleman".
3 Updates & Rebuttals
I. M. F
Punta Gorda,Florida,
United States of America
Inaccurate and untimely rebuttal
#4REBUTTAL Owner of company
Wed, February 27, 2013
It is interesting to note that this rebuttal comes more than eighteen months after the fact, and is in fact not written by the person who committed the wrongdoing. The rebuttal itself is inaccurate and nebulous at best, so I shall try to encapsulate the pertinent and factual information.
Mr. Smith did in fact offer a refundable deposit, as would any "legitimate" business if the sale could not go through for blameless reasons. In this case, Mr. Smith by his own admission claimed that the vehicle had a lien on it. Learning through my own inquiry, it is illegal to sell vehicles with liens, and thus my refusal of the car.
Normally, deposits given to dealers are held in escrow until the sale is completed. According to the postmark and bank records, Mr. Smith cashed the check within two hours of receiving it. Mr. Smith also received a demand letter from our attorney, but ignored it, never offering the courtesy of a response.
This most recent response claims that he kept the money as a way of protecting his "interests", how so, when he had the vehicle, title, and my money which he demanded in certified funds. This only serves to heighten my resolve in seeking satisfaction.
We have since recontacted our attorney, noting that legal action earlier would have cost more than the money in question. Our attorney has now agreed to file an inquiry with the Colorado States Attorney, in which case they may choose to investigate the business practices of Mr. Smith. It is obvious to any reader that the only business interests on the part of Mr. Smith was pure greed.
Snatch
United States of AmericaNON-Refundable Deposit
#4UPDATE Employee
Fri, February 22, 2013
Hello Ripoff Report Community.
I was involved with the deal in discussion. Mr Smith offered to removed the listing and place the Jaguar XKE on hold, ONLY with a $1000 NON Refundable deposit while the buyer secured funds. After an extended period of time, the buyer informed Mr Smith that he was trying to sell his boat to be able to pay for the Jaguar, but with no luck.
Feeling sorry for the buyer, yet protecting his interested, Mr Smith refunded half of the NON-Refundable deposit.
It is standard practice for someone to require a NON-Refundable deposit when selling items of this type (try asking a dealership to hold a vehicle without a deposit; doesn't happen).
This a merely a case of a buyer, caught in a jam and feeling 'burned' when ultimately it was his mistake. And to report on the Jaguar, it was sold within a few weeks of it being re-listed on Craigslist, to a buyer who could actually afford it.
Jim
Orlando,Florida,
USA
What A Deal!
#4Consumer Comment
Wed, September 21, 2011
What a way to buy a car! Send your money off to somebody you don't know to buy a used car you've never seen, never checked out and have ZERO knowledge of its exac t ownership status.
What a deal!
I'm impressed!
Of course, its all the fault of the seller! Yep the seller...the guy who places ads because he knows there will always be some chump without a lick of common sense to do this exact same thing!
Thank you P. T. Barnum for your wonderful insight: "A sucker is born every minute!"