What's going on here?

peasant · 18-07-2009 11:20am #1

The same car advertised with two different dealers (both ads current), significant price difference, significant mileage difference and one's in Dublin, the other in Limerick. Fishy smell, anyone?

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200920192812665
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200850191169271

The second ad seems to be the original, the other one the copy.

-Chris- · 18-07-2009 12:23pm

Yeah, I'd presume Tom Lane has it rather than Billy Aherne - he's got all the pics.
He's also got a pic of the clocks, so Billy's mileage is definitely bogey on this ad.

Anyone want to call Billy Ahern Car Sales (01 464 3810) and ask to arrange a viewing? :P
I wonder what kind of excuse you'd get!

VolvoMan · 18-07-2009 12:28pm

-Chris- wrote: »

Yeah, I'd presume Tom Lane has it rather than Billy Aherne - he's got all the pics.
He's also got a pic of the clocks, so Billy's mileage is definitely bogey on this ad.

Anyone want to call Billy Ahern Car Sales (01 464 3810) and ask to arrange a viewing? :P
I wonder what kind of excuse you'd get!

I wouldn't go making accusations just yet. It is probably just a case of the latter dealer robbing a picture off the former dealer's ad.

colm_mcm · 18-07-2009 12:30pm

yeah, I'd say both have similar jeeps and one robbed a pic from the other

copacetic · 18-07-2009 12:31pm

VolvoMan wrote: »

I wouldn't go making accusations just yet. It is probably just a case of the latter dealer robbing a picture off the former dealer's ad.

and reducing the mileage, how do you explain that one?

VolvoMan · 18-07-2009 12:32pm

copacetic wrote: »

and reducing the mileage, how do you explain that one?

They are probably not the same car, just the same picture used on each ad is what I'm saying.

copacetic · 18-07-2009 12:38pm

VolvoMan wrote: »

They are probably not the same car, just the same picture used on each ad is what I'm saying.

sorry, I assumed 'latter' and 'former' dealers meant you thought the car had moved on

Either way, even stealing a picture of such a specific car is dodgy. What are they hiding about their one?

ninty9er · 18-07-2009 12:51pm

The pics are definitely Tom Lane's. Look at his other ads, same background.

JHMEG · 18-07-2009 1:01pm

Borrowed picture that's all. A lot of people, including me, do it, esp when the weather is too bad to take my own photos.

The OP should have been able to work that one out for himself!

cianclarke · 18-07-2009 1:04pm

JHMEG wrote: »

Borrowed picture that's all. A lot of people, including me, do it, esp when the weather is too bad to take my own photos.

The OP should have been able to work that one out for himself!

Bit cheeky tbh...

-Chris- · 18-07-2009 1:22pm

I don't think that's in any way acceptable - borrowing pictures.

The alternatives:

Have no picture
Have a bad picture in the rain while you wait for a dry day
Have a "generic" picture
Rob someone else's picture but say in the ad "this is a picture of a similar vehicle"

Or take a good picture yourself!!

copacetic · 18-07-2009 1:31pm

JHMEG wrote: »

Borrowed picture that's all. A lot of people, including me, do it, esp when the weather is too bad to take my own photos.

The OP should have been able to work that one out for himself!

Well then you should find a manuafacturer image or something, not try and pass off an actual picture of a very similar car as the one you are selling with no comment. At best it's sharp practise and/or false advertising. It would certainly be a big flashing warning light for me to avoid a dealer who does this.

JHMEG · 18-07-2009 2:17pm

If the car is stock and therefore generic, and there is no registration showing the the pic, well then the pic is generic, and as long as they're identical it really doesn't matter.

I'm selling a car at the moment and the pic is from honestjohn or somewhere, black car, generic, hub caps, and reg blanked out. Identical to mine in every way. I will take my own pics when it stops raining.

I think having a brochure picture or no picture would put people off in the first instance.

-Chris- · 18-07-2009 2:23pm

If I were going for a generic picture I'd pull it off a manufacturer's website - the configurator will let you get the right colour and alloys.

I wouldn't use someone else's pic where there's a proper background and the photo obviously alludes to a specific car. There were several scam attempts a while ago where pics were nicked from dealer ads on Carzone and scam ads were set up.
If I were a dealer, I'd be worried about getting that kind of "scam" reputation (warranted or not) by "borrowing" pics.

JHMEG · 18-07-2009 2:25pm

-Chris- wrote: »

If I were going for a generic picture I'd pull it off a manufacturer's website - the configurator will let you get the right colour and alloys.

Won't work. Car in the above is 6 years old, not the current model, and no 6 year old car is going to be in showroom condition.

copacetic · 18-07-2009 2:27pm

JHMEG wrote: »

I think having a brochure picture or no picture would put people off in the first instance.

It would, hence you are faking that it is the same car. When it isn't. I don't understand why you can't see the big problem with that.

JHMEG · 18-07-2009 2:28pm

Nope, I have no problem in posting a pic of a car that is identical in every way.

I would see it a bit like when you look in a catalogue, eg Argos. The item pictured is not the item you're going to get, but is identical to it.

-Chris- · 18-07-2009 2:40pm

Can I ask why you don't have pics of your specific car in your ad JHMEG?

copacetic · 18-07-2009 2:46pm

JHMEG wrote: »

Nope, I have no problem in posting a pic of a car that is identical in every way.

I would see it a bit like when you look in a catalogue, eg Argos. The item pictured is not the item you're going to get, but is identical to it.

It's not like that at all, the pics in an argos catalogue are of new items. You are passing of one second hand car as being another. There is no way the cars are 'identical in every way' at that age.

What it is a bit like is someone advertising an item with pics on adverts.ie or ebay and then sending you a different item altogether, which may or may not be similar to the picture. Generally people who do this type of thing can't be trusted.

JHMEG · 18-07-2009 3:03pm

-Chris- wrote: »

Can I ask why you don't have pics of your specific car in your ad JHMEG?

As I said already Chris I am waiting for it to stop raining. Car is for sale for 2 days, and we've had 2 days rain (well, we've actually had a lot more, but however..)

copaceptic wrote:

There is no way the cars are 'identical in every way'

Not in person, but in low res photos on the internet they can be.

Can you spot the difference between these two? Maybe it's the same car?

copacetic · 18-07-2009 3:12pm

It could be the same car, but the one on the right looks either better cared for, better prepped, or just a better pic, the one on the left has either a suspension issue or the fat guy in it is weighing it down. If there was the usual drivers side pic I've no doubt anyone could tell the difference between cars with a large mileage difference as in the OP.

You can also tell how old the picture is, indicating how long they may have the car etc.

Being able to tell the difference isn't the point though, whether you are advertising what you are actually selling is.

JHMEG · 18-07-2009 3:17pm

From your post I don't think you can tell.

If you arranged to see the one on the left but were shown the one on the right, would you be disappointed? Or vice versa? Could you even tell which one you were being shown?

The only difference I can see above is in one pic the car has dirt on the tyres, in the other it doesn't.

copacetic · 18-07-2009 3:22pm

JHMEG wrote: »

From your post I don't think you can tell.

If you arranged to see the one on the left but were shown the one on the right, would you be disappointed? Or vice versa? Could you even tell which one you were being shown?

The only difference I can see above is in one pic the car has dirt on the tyres, in the other it doesn't.

Of course you can't tell for sure. You are totally missing the point.

It's not ok misleading people because you can get away with it. Or tricking them into coming to look at a car with a photo of one in better condition.
You appear to think that getting away with it equals morally ok, which tbh I'm stunned at.

It's sharp practise, false advertising and basically fraudulent. It's also the preferred method of scammers. Its people like you that mean most purchasers won't go near a car if the pics don't show the reg.

-Chris- · 18-07-2009 3:59pm

JHMEG wrote: »

Can you spot the difference between these two? Maybe it's the same car?

I can't spot the difference between these two cars. For all I know they're the same car. That's absolutely fine with me.

If I saw two ads which used the same photo for both ads I would draw my own conclusions about who is the legitmate owner of the car in the photo and I'd lose trust in the other seller. I'd possibly start worrying about being scammed. I may not even call either seller - instead I'll contact a seller who hasn't given me cause to be suspicious.

The reason I wouldn't do what you're suggesting is because the online ad is where I build the trust & interest to enough of a level where a total stranger is confident to call me.
If I put any barriers to this interest/trust (crappy photos, photos of someone else's car, incorrect or blatantly misleading information in the description) the only person I hurt is myself.
People are already suspicious enough when buying a car without giving them reason to worry more.

-Chris- · 18-07-2009 4:02pm

And a totally separate question for you - when the nice weather comes out and you clean your car and take a lovely set of pics that show your car in its absolute best light, you'll put them up on your ad straight away!

What would you do if you saw another seller, selling the same car as you, undercutting your price by a grand, using your photos in order to sell their car?

peasant · 18-07-2009 4:03pm

-Chris- wrote: »

If I saw two ads which used the same photo for both ads I would draw my own conclusions about who is the legitmate owner of the car in the photo and I'd lose trust in the other seller. I'd possibly start worrying about being scammed. I may not even call either seller - instead I'll contact a seller who hasn't given me cause to be suspicious.

That's the thing, nicking a photo from another ad casts suspiscion over both ads ...at least it does for me.

JHMEG · 18-07-2009 4:10pm

copacetic wrote: »

It's not ok misleading people

I have a problem with misleading people. In this case I don't believe showing one pic of an identical car is misleading.

@Chris, what would I do if they were using all my photos? Get annoyed, maybe more.

What would I do if they were using one generic side profile shot as in this case? Probably nothing.

cianclarke · 18-07-2009 5:54pm

JHMEG wrote: »

If the car is stock and therefore generic, and there is no registration showing the the pic, well then the pic is generic, and as long as they're identical it really doesn't matter.

I'm selling a car at the moment and the pic is from honestjohn or somewhere, black car, generic, hub caps, and reg blanked out. Identical to mine in every way. I will take my own pics when it stops raining.

I think having a brochure picture or no picture would put people off in the first instance.

Any car I sell,I always go the extra mile to get superb pics in impressive locations, if I knew somebody had just pikied them I'd be well pissed...

What's going on here?

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