Owner will ship to me, with payment in escrow. Thoughts?

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MicheleF

MicheleF

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Toronto, Canada
It seems as though nobody ever gets tired of their diesel pushers, at least not at a price point that we can afford. 

There is a truck dealership in Texas, who got a unit recently from a Canadian client that traded it for a new class 8 truck. It has Canadian registration and they will sell it certified and e-tested.  Shipping to Canada is included in the listed price.  We've been told that it's a 1 owner unit, and is spotless. No accidents or engine problems. Clean title. One year, transferable to Canada, warranty on engine and transmission.

As for payment - from their email:

  • You will be instructed to deposit the money to an Escrow account. They will hold and insure the funds until receipt of the vehicle in good condition. As far as the seller - ourselves, we will be glad to know that Escrow has the possession of the money during the delivery period. That is our insurance. 

    As soon as we will have the confirmation from Escrow that the funds have been deposited in their account, we will immediately start the shipping process.

    The vehicle will be delivered to your address in no more than 5 calendar days. You will be given up to 5 business days ,as inspection period from the day you receive the vehicle at your location.

    You can take the vehicle to any dealership or service you like and inspect it. If you decide to keep it, then you will have to authorize Escrow to release the funds to us, and the transaction will be completed.

    If you will not be satisfied with the vehicle, you will be able to send the it back , and ask Escrow to return the funds to you. No charges will be applied.

    We will have to cover the costs for return.

It's a 2000 Monaco Diplomat 40PBD CUMMINS Diesel, with 153,454 km on it. 

The floor plan is one we like, and they have sent 30+ pictures of the interior.

Your thoughts are also very much appreciated!

Michele
 
Fly to TX inspect the coach and IF your satisfied, pay for it and drive it home.  Good excuse to go on a road trip LOL
 
There are few if any such "escrow" companies that are genuine.  All are fraudulent, or nearly so.

Someone is trying to rip you off.  The motorhome they are trying to sell you doesn't exist or doesn't belong to them.
 
You can tell by the poor grammar and sentence structure in parts of that fictitious e-mail that it is a complete SCAM.  There is NO motorhome.................
 
I agree with all of the above comments. Sounds like a scam to me. Keep looking. It takes a lot of looking to find the perfect RV for you. And driving it before you buy it is mandatory in my book.
 
I have seen a lot of scams reported in assorted places. One of the key phrases in most of them is "you will be instructed to place the money in an excrow account"

FirstK Keep copies of the original ad and all correspondence.

Offer to fly down, Inspect the coach, negotiate a lower price after you see what is wrong with it (I promise there will be something, even if it's just paint dings) and either drive it back or fly back if the offer is genuine.... Odds are when you E-mail them to ask if they can pick you up at the airport... They will tell you "We just sold it" (Thus confirming the scam) if this happens,  copy everything to the police.
 
All the above!!! They are being WAY too nice offering to ship it AND ship it back if you don't like it! This is a 100% SCAM!!!!!!!!!!
 
If you want to confirm that it is a scam, just tell them you want to come and see it, and see what they tell you. They most likely won't even respond.
 
100% scam.  I would recommend NOT interacting with the scammer further, and be very very careful of any emails they send..
 
They did provide a phone number, so I will call them.  Flying down could be fun!

As an aside, ESCROW.COM is a reputable agency, and is who eBay uses in the background - you just don't see it.  But it is why you can buy something on ebay and get your money back if the item never actually appears.  We have used the direct when my husband has had specialized hardware shipped from the US and Europe.
 
MicheleF said:
They did provide a phone number, so I will call them.  Flying down could be fun!

As an aside, ESCROW.COM is a reputable agency, and is who eBay uses in the background - you just don't see it.  But it is why you can buy something on ebay and get your money back if the item never actually appears.  We have used the direct when my husband has had specialized hardware shipped from the US and Europe.
Click to expand...

Yes, there are legitimate escrow companies and procedures very much like described here, that's why they are able to get people to fall for their scam.  You didn't say any of the legitimate escrow companies were specified by name.

Don't waste your time calling them, this is a complete and obvious scam.......
 
They are using ESCROW.COM, and by using Google Earth and their address, appear to be a legitimate trucking firm.  We likely will pass though, or create a long weekend and fly down to take a look ourselves.
 
Heaton Truck Expert in Arlington Texas.  http://heatontruckexpert.com/

I called and got no answer, but then 30 minutes later, I got a call from the same number that I had called.  They sell BIG rigs, and just sold a Class 8 to a returning client, but he didn't have enough money to pay them the entire amount.  So, they took this in trade.  Sounds legit... but...
 
If I was in Arlington, I would be happy to run over there and check that rig out for you. A little help from a local would go a long way here (Ernie, I am not volunteering you!).

I would still check a little closer, but the email traffic is making me really suspicious. I used to run these scams down for the police department when I was in that life, and it's pretty easy to get some local confirmation, often even from the detective division. The local Better Business Bureau is another resource.

Don't let your excitement overcome your good sense.
 
Any escrow company can hold the funds. Ask if you can use an escrow co of your choosing if there is any doubt.

Like others have mentioned though, it may be the cheapest waste of $ you every did, if you get their and find that it is not what you think it is.

Better to be out $1K and have nothing than spend $50K and have something that you regret owning....... If you get there and it's exactly what you expected, add the flight to the cost of the M/H..... You wouldn't be considering this if it weren't a bigger savings than that.
 
I am surprised that they didn't weave in something about you needing to pay an extra $10K, which they will reimburse you with some gold bouillon that they will leave in the glove box.

Total Scam...


Mylo
 
There are several clues on that web site that suggest this may not be what you think. A few additional clicks & searches will add to the doubt.

How about posting the entire content of their email, along with the 'from' address, and preferably the full header of the email.
 
Hi!

I'm in law enforcement and used to work down the street from 1400 W I-20. There is an AutoNation there, not anything like pictured on the Heaton Truck Expert website. The phone exchange (817 and 945) is in a part of Ft Worth, no where near their address. Their website was created and registered Friday, 3/22/2013. If you google Heaton Truck, nothing comes up, and they have supposedly been in business since 1994. There is no Registered Agent for Heaton Truck Expert with the Secretary of State, required for a corporation in Texas.

I wouldn't just walk away, I'd run.

Randy
 
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