Just checking if this is a scam?

[Anonymous]

I've just nearly been caught by the shipping overseas and wire transferring the difference scam and am now a bit paranoid.

I have just received a call from a company called Top Auto Services (www.tasautos.co.uk), based in London, who said that they saw my ad on Autotrader.co.uk and can find a buyer for me if I was interested in receiving some documentation from them. I did receive the info in the post and it looked ok but it mentioned having to pay £89 to do an HPI check on the car and to be added to their online database etc. so I threw it away and thought nothing more of it. He then rang a week later and said that they already have 5 buyers interested in the car and would I be willing to sell for £2900 (it was advertised at £3k). Does this sound dodgy or am I just being paranoid?

[Anonymous]

Did you proceeed with tasauto?

I've just had a very similar experience with them.

Sounds a bit dodgy, but I can't find any information, good or bad, to support a decision.

Cheers,
Don

[Anonymous]

HPI checks are legit, they give an overall condition of the car report, this means that buyers can know exactly what condition the cars is in and help it to sell quicker. I wouldn't sign up to the company to be honest, you'll sell the car just aswell on autotrader as you would through them, just make sure the buyer actually comes round to view the car before making an offer, otherwise tell them to sod off. The ones who actually view are generally interested in buying.

[testdriver]

Yes... Avoid Top Auto Services (tasautos.co.uk)!! I wish I had! I told them that I wasn't happy paying £90 up front and they said that I could pay £75 and then pay £15 on completion. I agreed to this as the company sounded legit, and have a website and phone numbers etc after all. I was told my ref number and contact details and all seemed fine. I can't begin to tell you the hassles I've had with them since so I'll just say to avoid them as I have not heard from them in over 2 months and have had to sell my car privately anyway. They don't ring you when they've promised to, they say that they've got people interested but you never hear from them and I didn't ever even get a receipt for my £75 despite asking them over the phone 4 times!

Absolutely Useless!!

[flyingsalesman]

Hi mate,

I can tell you for a fact that to do a HPI check costs only 24 uk pounds you can check this for yourself at the following link.

http://www.hpicheck.com/cgi-bin/wrapper.pl?supplier=goo

regards
flyingsalesman

I think that company is a scam stay away from them stick to trusted selling sources like your local newspaper of one of the top car selling mags.

[f308]

Try, www.checkmycar.co.uk as well they do the same thing as HPI - Also have a free number plate checking thing to make sure the car your looking at has got the right reg on it.

K

[MoonDust]

I've just nearly been caught by the shipping overseas and wire transferring the difference scam and am now a bit paranoid.

I have just received a call from a company called Top Auto Services (www.tasautos.co.uk), based in London, who said that they saw my ad on Autotrader.co.uk and can find a buyer for me if I was interested in receiving some documentation from them. I did receive the info in the post and it looked ok but it mentioned having to pay £89 to do an HPI check on the car and to be added to their online database etc. so I threw it away and thought nothing more of it. He then rang a week later and said that they already have 5 buyers interested in the car and would I be willing to sell for £2900 (it was advertised at £3k). Does this sound dodgy or am I just being paranoid?

I haver had exactly the same people get in contact with me - not sure if it is a scam or not but one min. they told me that I did not have to pay any money until the car was sold (and they had lots and lots of buyers in my area!!) and then in the next breath they wanted me to pay the £89 by credit card - I ended the call at that point!!

[Rez]

I had a phone call not long after placing my ad from a company called AUTOMATCH who like previously mentioned companies supposedly match potential buyers with vehicle sellers. I checked they had a website and rang the number back, they seem to have 'staff' of some description, but the price they wanted according to the website was £89.95, yet they asked me on the phone for just £26.50 and informed me that they had 5 (yes 5, why always 5?) people already interested in this type of purchase.

Less than a week later I had had around a half dozen calls from various similar companies.

To my shame I admit I fell for Automatch's story (convincing as they were) and paid the 26.50. I am yet to hear from these 5 people who are so interested.

[admin]

Ask your credit card company to do a chargeback - state they conned you!
I had a phone call not long after placing my ad from a company called AUTOMATCH who like previously mentioned companies supposedly match potential buyers with vehicle sellers. I checked they had a website and rang the number back, they seem to have 'staff' of some description, but the price they wanted according to the website was £89.95, yet they asked me on the phone for just £26.50 and informed me that they had 5 (yes 5, why always 5?) people already interested in this type of purchase.

Less than a week later I had had around a half dozen calls from various similar companies.

To my shame I admit I fell for Automatch's story (convincing as they were) and paid the 26.50. I am yet to hear from these 5 people who are so interested.

[steviep_uk]

I also got loads of phonecalls from companies who had 5 buyers!!

I studidly signed up with motorsearchuk.co.uk who are scammers!! Then I signed up with vehiclelink.co.uk as they said that there would be a 7 day money back gurantee if they failed to match me with a buyer. They haven't matched me with a buyer and refuse to give me my money back.

I am so annoyed at myself for being duped by these bandits. I only wish I lived in London so I could pay a visit to their offices.

There Kama is seriously damaged though.

I am trying to get the HSBC to recall the money from them.

Take care.

[admin]

Sorry to hear about that - its really sad that they have to lie and dupe you out of your money. The chargeback is the best route - good luck.

Place an advert here & let me know I'll make it featured for free.

[Voide]

I had a good experience with vechilelink, they phoned me explained what there company does and how it worked, i was a bit unsure so i told them to phone me back in a few days, i looked at there website and recievied a leaflet from them, when they phoned back they said they only had 2 buyers for my BMW 3 series i told them i couldnt afford the full asking price of 89.99 so they said i could pay 52.99 now and 52.99 in 14 days as there was interest on a split payment, i agreed and signed up waited for 2 days and no phone calls, then out of the blue i get a phone call from a vechicle link buyer they traveled down and viewed the car paid on the spot with a bankers draft, i waited the 2 days for it to clear and paul (the buyer) come and picked up the car the only problem i had with them was getting through to the customer line to let them know the car was sold. I recievied a refund of the 52.99 and recivied a 3 month warrenty on the sold car as well, they never asked me for the other 52.99.
Maybe i was a fluke but it worked for me.:cool:

[admin]

I had a good experience with vechilelink, they phoned me explained what there company does and how it worked, i was a bit unsure so i told them to phone me back in a few days, i looked at there website and recievied a leaflet from them, when they phoned back they said they only had 2 buyers for my BMW 3 series i told them i couldnt afford the full asking price of 89.99 so they said i could pay 52.99 now and 52.99 in 14 days as there was interest on a split payment, i agreed and signed up waited for 2 days and no phone calls, then out of the blue i get a phone call from a vechicle link buyer they traveled down and viewed the car paid on the spot with a bankers draft, i waited the 2 days for it to clear and paul (the buyer) come and picked up the car the only problem i had with them was getting through to the customer line to let them know the car was sold. I recievied a refund of the 52.99 and recivied a 3 month warrenty on the sold car as well, they never asked me for the other 52.99.
Maybe i was a fluke but it worked for me.:cool:
Does not make sense to me! So you sell the car and they give the buyer a 3 month warranty, but fail to ask for the rest of the money? So I guess you work for them? Strikes me as a scam - this is my opinion not those of usedcarmart. You sell a car through them - no inspection and automatically get 3 months warranty on engine and transmission - thats a nice way to make some money, by selling old wrecks

[Voide]

A)I Cant believe you called my car A OLD WRECK B)No i do not work for them i work for tesco C)I googled the company and found no bad publicity about them, and they dont look for vechicles selling for under 1000 pound as there finance starts at the same price D)Maybe you your are to stuck in your 1inch by 1inch picture 40 pound a fortnight auto trader/Exchange and MArt ways to look beyond the norm, ok i admit that a few companys like cardata and a couple of others where on watchdog (BBC1) a few weeks ago and a few people have had a sour experience with these type of company/services (not sure what you would call them) but there will always be cowbays in every trade, My advice would be to do a little homework first and ask as many questions you can like whats the finance company called that backs you whats there UK Vat reg number if there not the real thing then they will hang up the phone, i have to admit i did think i had lost my money at first and was all ready to call the trading standards and trying to get my payment back i was surprised when i recievied a phone call, my first thought was this was a Vechicle link employee but he bought the car. My best advice is do your homework and listen carefully to waht they say and what they offer and remember you never get anything for nothing.:mad:

[admin]

Hi
At no stage did I say that your car was a wreck! I said If by paying them 52.99 you get 3 months warranty, and they do no checks on the car why not go into business selling old wrecks through them. The car has a warranty so you're in the clear, if it goes wrong! I know when I bought a 8 month old car it was £230 for a years warranty.

Glad the company however it is spelt worked for you!



A)I Cant believe you called my car A OLD WRECK B)No i do not work for them i work for tesco C)I googled the company and found no bad publicity about them, and they dont look for vechicles selling for under 1000 pound as there finance starts at the same price D)Maybe you your are to stuck in your 1inch by 1inch picture 40 pound a fortnight auto trader/Exchange and MArt ways to look beyond the norm, ok i admit that a few companys like cardata and a couple of others where on watchdog (BBC1) a few weeks ago and a few people have had a sour experience with these type of company/services (not sure what you would call them) but there will always be cowbays in every trade, My advice would be to do a little homework first and ask as many questions you can like whats the finance company called that backs you whats there UK Vat reg number if there not the real thing then they will hang up the phone, i have to admit i did think i had lost my money at first and was all ready to call the trading standards and trying to get my payment back i was surprised when i recievied a phone call, my first thought was this was a Vechicle link employee but he bought the car. My best advice is do your homework and listen carefully to waht they say and what they offer and remember you never get anything for nothing.:mad: