So, had an interesting weekend. I've been making a deal with a dude for the past 2-3 weeks for multiple EM machines. Maybe you can catch the warning signs, who knows. He is a member here (which I didn't find out until after this BS). I will do my best not to exaggerate, as this is so ludicrous I won't need to.
W, April 21 - I see an ad on Facebook Market place by a dude with several machines and message him asking for more info. He replies pretty quickly.
Th, April 22 - I ask for a general location to which he names a town about 4 hours away and says he has a bunch of machines. He asks what I'm looking for and my budget. Like an idiot, I tell him my budget and that I'm looking for project EM machines.
F, April 23 - He tells me he has a total of 4 machines within my budget and explains conditions. All look attractive, prices are at the higher end of acceptable, but okay.
Sat, April 24 - We agree on a price for the machines.
Sun, April 25 - I propose a time. 10am on May 1.
M, April 26 - He more or less accepts the meeting time and we chat a bit about more machines he might have for me if I want to look around when I get there.
W, April 28 - I check in, restate the meeting time. etc. He says his kid has a sporting event that time he forgot about, so it won't work. Fair enough.
Th, April 29 - I reply, have the check with the wife. He proposes Sat evening as an alternate. I ask what time.
F, April 30 - He said his kid's last event starts at 8pm...so he can't make it. Lots of kid sporting events go from 10am to after 8pm. I say okay, the weather was bad that weekend anyway and propose the next weekend, Saturday, May 1 @ 10am. He accepts and I say I'll check in in a couple days.
Th, May 6 - I double check, restate time, etc. He confirms.
F, May 7 - I ask for an address as he is 4 hours away and we have to leave pretty early to get there at 10. No response. Also send him my cell so he can call me if he's out or something to make arrangements. No response.
S, May 8 - 6 am, right on time, I say we're leaving. What's the address. 830, say we're getting close. What's the address? Still no response. 10am, say we're in town, cash in hand...? Also, through the drive my wife had messaged him too in case there was something wrong with my phone. 1036 still no response and didn't show that he'd even read my messages. I send him, and I quote, "Well, it's 1036. We're heading home. If you were going to flake, you could have let us know before we wasted most of a Saturday and $120 in diesel. Not cool. Thanks anyway!"
136pm, when we were almost home!, he finally replies offering a 'I thought I sent you my phone number and only have FB on my computer' ish response. If I still want them, he'll give a token deduct (that didn't even cover my fuel from the wasted trip). Half assed apologized and said he thought I changed my mind and finally gave me his phone number.
Anyway, my wife texted him while I was driving asking for a better deduct to more cover the cost of coming back, while still being reasonable. All we got was a "no thanks".
It's not the 9 hours of a Saturday wasted having to smell 6 month pregnant woman farts, not the two weeks setting up the deal, not the moving stuff around in the house to prepare for the new machines which took most of Friday night, not the $120 in fuel that was wasted, not the let down of coming home empty handed that gets to me. What really pisses me off is that, judging from his responses, his ego has built up the situation in his mind that it was MY FAULT that he flaked on me.
But you can bet your ass that if it were reversed, that he wasted 9 hours and I completely ignored him, he would be absolutely livid.
Anyway, watch who you deal with online, even with "reputable" people. And always get your destination address before leaving. Hopefully he'll read this, it's all I can do not to tag him.
