Asking for proof of ID on collection of car?

[MJG50 7]

I was on Twitter this morning and noticed a tweet from a car seller saying he had sold his car and had received the full amount by bank transfer in advance. However, he cancelled the sale and fully refunded the buyer as the buyer told him a friend would be coming to collect the car. The seller was afraid it was a scam and that the buyer would later claim it wasn't his friend who collected the car and demand his money back!

It got me thinking! In the past, I've received bank transfers from buyers in advance but I've never asked to see their ID to check they are the buyer. I naturally assumed no one else would know about the deal so only the genuine buyer would turn up!

Does anyone demand ID from all buyers to ensure they are who they say they are and should I do this in future?

Talking of buyers paying in advance, I'll never forget the expression on the face of a buyer who I collected from the train station when I was running 5 minutes late and had forgotten to take my phone! I think he was convinced I wasn't going to turn up and was beginning to panic! 

On the subject of taking ID, I've never done this in the past but I guess I should for test drives in the future.

 

Edited January 9, 2020 by MJG50

[BHM 994]

24 minutes ago, MJG50 said:

I'll never forget the expression on the face of a buyer who I collected from the train station

I’ll never forget the expression on the face of the buyer who’d flown into Teesside Airport from Southampton years ago for his Golf cabriolet. As I drove from the terminal he looked at the gear-lever & exclaimed “That looks funny” then asked “Oh no, is this one of them automatics!!???!!!!”. I answered “Yes” as I pointed to the plane taxiing on the runway & added “The next flight is in 2 days time”.

He took the car but wasn’t happy, you’d think it was my fault the dozy bastard didn’t read the advert or look at the photos.

 

[CRW 73]

Its something Ive often thought about when collecting cars myself.  In the vast majority of cases, I pay when I collect. However, I've always dreaded some 8 hour one way train journey to be told, "sorry, that car was collected this morning?"

Nothing to stop somebody not bidding on a DA or FA car, watching it finish, then going to collect themselves, impersonating the bidder or just winging it. Yes, they might have to pay for it, but they haven't pushed the price up unnecessarily!

 

[David Horgan 564]

Always take ID for cash sales and save in a locked file for purpose of proof of whose collected the car .

Test drive its also essential , scan copy and date and time of test drive , reg of car on paper to save if they go thru cameras and send you a NIP  

Selling on finance its absolutely essential you take proof of ID or the finance co will get nasty with you if the shit hits the fan . 

Licence is sufficient if its a photo one , not a photo one then two forms of ID with same name on , preferably passport though if no pic on driving licence .