Somebody sold me a defective computer on Craigslist, how can I get my money back

1. 73

   donnaisabellaposted 12 years ago

   Somebody sold me a defective computer on Craigslist, how can I get my money back, if I can?
   
   My husband and I bought a defective computer that had been described and working excellently. When we saw viewed it, it was on and in a semi dark room. Everything looked fine until we got home and tried to turn it on. That is when we discovered the screen was all hazy and the screen resolution blurry when coming on. We took it to Compusa who told us the motherboard was about to give up and fixing it would be more expensive. We spoke to the guy who sold it to us and he claimed it had no defect and we are getting nothing from him, that was a day after we purchased it. It is now a week.

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2. 82

   kaizan28posted 12 years ago

   you probably won't however its no problem, if you find a local geek that you can get to have a look at the pc for a low price, or a university kid, they can easily either fix the pc easily, or sell the other parts of the pc on ebay for you. If you get them to even buy a new motherboard from ebay, and replace it with the one that is faulty then they should be able to do that too. Don't worry bout getting your money back, it is much more interesting doing the above.

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3. 63

   Craig Suitsposted 12 years ago

   What is it and how much did you pay?
   Kaisan is right, Craig's list doesn't get involved but report him any way.
   The problem sounds serious. It's a long shot but try adjusting the monitor brightness, contrast, etc.
   
   Best bet is to look up the fix on Youtube. There is very little not listed there.
   
   I'd send Vinny "The Bat" over. He'd get your money back in a flash.

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4. 73

   donnaisabellaposted 12 years ago

   Thanks Craig and Kaizan for the answers. We will try them and I pray it works out. The computer is custom made (Thermaltake casing) with parts assembled according to taste. We paid $200 for it. I am sure something will work out.
   
   Craig, I am just curious, where can I find Vinny "The Bat"? He sounds like a better solution though...

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5. 61

   T. R. Brownposted 12 years ago

   You can't do much in all likelihood.  Generally a classified sell Craigslist or not, is as is where is.  If you really want to pursue it, you could always try small claims court, but it probably isn't worth it and you would have a difficult time prevailing.  I would either find a local kid who can take a look at fixing the system, or simply sell it on eBay with a complete description of the issues.  You will be shocked how much people are willing to pay for broken systems on eBay, because they can part out the machines.  I sold a $225 net book with a broken screen for $160, and the buyer was thrilled.  Good Luck.

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6. 58

   Hubpage Galposted 12 years ago

   You can opt to take the seller to small claims court.  However, it could be problematic because the computer was viewed as working before the purchase was made regardless of the lighting in the room.

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