Strange people and chancers...

Zogbert Splod · October 10, 2015, 02:09:38 AM

Once I had established that my new PC was doing what I wanted it to, I placed the older one on Gumtree. This is what happened:
1st responder was coming to see it - never turned up, the second responder, same thing.
Then number 3 asked, 'Will you pay for my petrol if I come and see it?'
Number 4 said that he would call the next day to arrange a time to call and he was definitely going to buy it. The next day, he called but said that he had bought one somewhere else but so that I would not be disappointed he would give me 'a few quid' for it and use it as a backup.
Then, earlier tonight number 5 wants me to bring it to his address so that he can see if he is interested in it or not.

What is wrong with those people? Or is it me?
Nah, it's them!

Webbo · October 10, 2015, 04:22:15 AM

The world is full of 'interesting people'. Everything is cool!

Webbo

BobB · October 10, 2015, 07:04:34 AM

I'm not sure how to view your potential buyers, could it be the way you described the product ? We have a policy of discarding mobile computers once they are a a year or a year and a half old. There's no second hand value to speak of so we can donate them to schools, or school kids etc. Saves all the bother of weird buyers !

Greybeema · October 10, 2015, 07:08:38 AM

Not sure I would be selling an intact PC. Even after reformatting the hard drive data can be reconstituted if you know what your at...

port perran · October 10, 2015, 08:18:59 AM

Time wasters are just that...............they don't seem to even consider the inconvenience that they cause to others.

Chris Morris · October 10, 2015, 08:32:08 AM

I would never giveaway or sell an old pc. As has been said, no matter what you do, the hard drive can be used to find all your account details and passwords. The only safe thing to do with an old hard drive is to take a sledgehammer to it.

austinbob · October 10, 2015, 08:37:32 AM

Quote from: Zogbert Splod on October 10, 2015, 02:09:38 AM
Once I had established that my new PC was doing what I wanted it to, I placed the older one on Gumtree. This is what happened:
1st responder was coming to see it - never turned up, the second responder, same thing.
Then number 3 asked, 'Will you pay for my petrol if I come and see it?'
Number 4 said that he would call the next day to arrange a time to call and he was definitely going to buy it. The next day, he called but said that he had bought one somewhere else but so that I would not be disappointed he would give me 'a few quid' for it and use it as a backup.
Then, earlier tonight number 5 wants me to bring it to his address so that he can see if he is interested in it or not.

What is wrong with those people? Or is it me?
Nah, it's them!

Don't forget that the customer is always right - except when they're wrong of course...

Yet_Another · October 10, 2015, 09:11:20 AM

Quote from: austinbob on October 10, 2015, 08:37:32 AM
Don't forget that the customer is always right - except when they're wrong of course...

Oh no. Having spent most of my working life dealing with 'customers', I can say that as they never want exactly what's on offer, the customer is always wrong!

JasonBz · October 10, 2015, 11:06:41 AM

It may be the people that use "Gumtree" - I have never heard a good word about it, but plenty of bad ones

javlinfaw7 · October 10, 2015, 11:23:27 AM

I was in a Factoy last month that process ex police and NHS computers most going abroad after wiping .they use a process that is garanteed to completely wipe the hard drive that is not available for general use yet they still remove and shred hard drives that have come computer that have come from the police with 'sensitive' information or images on them after this process, they do not recommend selling computers cleared by software available through normal commercial channels as most of this can be retrieved by recovery software

Pengi · October 10, 2015, 05:30:36 PM

When I finally moved from PCs to Macs, I took the old laptops, PCs to Jamies in Hampshire which is a charitable organisation that specialises in recycling computers.

I did keep one of the hard drives which I use for back-up.

Zogbert Splod · October 10, 2015, 10:40:59 PM

I'm well aware of the dangers of letting someone else get their hands on your hard drive, I was a partner in a software company for a number of years before I retired. I frequently have had to recover data for one of our clients who quite regularly managed to 'lose' some very valuable data.
All of my sensitive stuff, banking etc., lives on my laptop and does not ever get on to the 'working' machines.
The PC in question is too recent to be scrapped. It has only been replaced because I wanted to have a system that would easily handle multiple monitors.
So, following yet another clown who tells me that 'old' computers are worthless then offers to 'help me out' by giving me a few pounds for it, 'for parts', I have decided to give it to my brother who seems to be more than happy to find house room for a nice machine complete with 25" monitor, i5 processor and a terrabyte of hard drive, I have removed it from Gum~~boil~~tree.
End of saga!!!!!

daveg · October 11, 2015, 08:31:10 AM

Giving away a huge (as advertised) 4 seater sofa before we moved house, the chap who wanted it turned up in a Vauxhall Astra and was surprised it didn't fit inside.

He went away empty handed/Astra'd and the sofa went back into the garage to be picked another day up by a sensible young lady with a Transit.

Dave G