Conflict of Interest

[tfmcmahon]

I had a PPI done on a car yesterday by someone known in this community.I spoke with him last night and we discussed the price of the car and he insisted I offer the owner more than we had discussed. This sounded suspicious to me,as I am pretty up to speed on these cars and their prices.I asked him if he was getting a finders fee,to which he replyed that he was.I had contactd him first and expected him to be my agent and not an advocate for the sellor.I terminated the whole deal,as now the PPI is tainted and the price now a function of his finders fee.I found this to be a conflict of interest.I bring it to your attention as heads up in long distance deals.I sure wanted that car,but integrity means a lot to me and this behavior lacked it.Comments?

[Jeff Trask]

I just found out that a guy I sent to look at a 356 this summer bought it after he told me it was a turd! I know this is not the rule, but you need to watch out for the snakes in the grass.

It's fine to look at cars for folks, but always disclose your relationship with the seller.

[reed]

I agree 100% with your reaction to this situation. When I get a PPI, I expect the dealer/mechanic to act as my representative, even going so far as to use them as an escrow agent for the transfer of funds/title should the PPI pan out.

IMO, the integrity of the PPI demands this. If the mechanic or dealer has a financial interest in the outcome of the PPI or the sale, the inspection is suspect.

Now, if the mechanic/dealer discloses his financial interest in the inspection prior to performing it, then it is up to me to either find someone else, or relying upon his reputation, to waive any conflict of interest.

[berettafan]

Comments?

dickweed, asshat, ****head, greedy bastard, two faced punk ass bitch, etc. are the initial comments that come to mind. of course this being the S registry i should hold my comments to a higher standard...so i will only say 'i agree wholeheartedly with your decision to remove yourself from the deal and appreciate your taking the time to share your story.'.

congrats on having the stones to cancel the deal. it's important that people like your PPI guy know that not everyone is a pushover. this relationship most certainly should have been disclosed from the start. further the PPI'er should have referred you to other capable wrenches.

[kenikh]

Trust who you trust. Everyone else will surprise you, either positively or negatively. When it comes to these kinds of transactions, I don't like surprises.

[gtgroupe3]

Hell has three gates: lust, anger, and greed.

Clearly, a conflict of interest; if this PPI was a formal agreement and no disclosure was made prior to the PPI of an existing relationship or finder’s fee; they should be taken to the woodshed.

When talking about the sums of money involved with a purchase, a gentleman’s agreement is sadly simply not enough anymore. Unless you know and explicitly trust this person enough to give them whatever sum you are prepared to pay, then something a bit formal should be involved.

Knowledgeable and ethical sometimes do not walk hand in hand.

[chicagobreezz]

Since we are speaking about an ethical issue it begs the question of whether it is ethical and whether it serves any purpose to identify the culprit.

[karlusmagnus]

dickweed, asshat, ****head, greedy bastard, two faced punk ass bitch, etc. are the initial comments that come to mind. of course this being the S registry i should hold my comments ...

Erik, no need to hold your comments ... you were doing fine as it was ...
Tom, as they'd say in Ireland if they knew anything about Porsches "fair fuchs to you" (they don't as a general rule and the "h" would have been replaced ad nauseum by a "k")

It would be interesting to hear what the person known to the community would have to say, or why he didn't purchase it himself (perhaps he did).

[pu911rsr]

Tom,
Too bad if this makes you miss out on a nice car. I always say trust your gut, if you think someone is screwing you they probably are. I see less and less objectevity when it come to these early cars, the dollar signs are cloudy peoples judgement, just like anything else where money is involved.
Phil

[tfmcmahon]

It`s very clear from the responces from all of you that we are of one mind.I want to make it clear that this experience is an isolated one for me.The knowlege that I have gained on these cars has been done so with the help of many of the board members.I did press the person who did the PPI to state his case and this was his reply: " I understand from {name deleted} that you are not buying the car so I guess my arrangement{with him} is moot. Please send the check for my services to:". I will send him the link to this thread instead with all of your best wishes! Tom