Anyone ever heard of Expressmatch.eu?

Hi Folks

I advertised my car on buyandsell on Thursday and got a phonecall from a UK based company called Expressmatch claiming they had buyers in my area ready to purchase. The guaranteed my asking price, stated that they make their money from the purchasor who finances through them.
They seem fairly agressive in trying to sign me up!!

Anyone ever use or hear of them?

Sounds suspicious alright, I asked her if I was entering into a contract, whether I am obliged to sell through them only etc. I asked them to email me the details of their service but haven't yet received it.

Will update if I receive a response

why would a buyer here in ireland go to a UK company to buy a car in Ireland be charged for the process when they can go online for free and go to CBG, Carzone, Buy and Sell etc for free to see for themselves??


I.C

These are known as Customer Finder Services.

Here's carzone.ie's advice on it:

[broken link removed]

Ask yourself

Have you ever heard of this company in the Irish market?

How can they guarantee you the price you are looking for?

Read the contract when you get it.

I have certainly never heard of them operating in Ireland and I don't see why any car buyer would go to them.

Brendan

There is some mention of this and similar companies on The Money Supermarket

Don't do any business with people who cold call you.



Brendan

Tell them you'll pay them a finders fee after the successful conclusion of the transaction only

We have heavily edited this thread after receiving a letter from the company.

if you have experience of expressmatch , feel free to recount it, but stick to the facts of your experience.

Brendan

Here is an article from the Daily Mirror:

Great article Brendan.

"database of people waiting for scooters..." (or cars). That should be enough to make anyone suspicious!

And some more...

From boards.ie

You have to read a lot of ads to get to this one.

Some people actually give out their credit card details to cold callers over the phone!

Unbelievable, I also had a call from this crowd promising to sell my car for the asking price. The call was from a UK number and I told them I wasnt interested. I was called repeatedly over the following days. Ignored it each time and then answered and asked why I was being harrassed with calls and to take my name off whatever database they had.

I thought it sounded suspicious but can't believe what I'm reading above. Crazy.

Well I'm glad to hear the truth is coming out about these guys.
The cheek of them to send a letter to the Site Admin when it's obvious what they are at.

Mik

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/apr/26/10
"Is this really my perfect match?"
"... ... Its staff tells the car sellers it contacts that most of the fee will be refunded on the day you sell because it makes its money through the finances it offers. It adds that the registration fee is fully refunded because it makes the commission through - it refers to moneysupermarket as "our finance company." And clicking on "finance" on its website brings up the moneysupermarket home page. But when Capital Letters contacted moneysupermarket, the comparison site said it had never heard of Express Match. "This looks as though we are a partner. But we know nothing of this. We do not provide finance but information on loans. This is completely without our approval. This is now in the hands of our lawyers, who will seek to have the reference removed."

I got a call from Express Match yesterday and they said that they had matched me with a buyer for my car and they were providing the finance to the buyer. I would get a bank draft for the full amount + an extra €500 which was their commission and asked me for my credit card number to deduct the €500. I said I wouldn't give my credit card details based on a phone call and the caller, Simon Lewis, got very annoyed with me and said I could speak to his supervisor. Someone else got on and was quite abusive and said "we have to get paid for our service, if you want charity, go to oxfam". I hung up at that point. This is so obviously a scam

My elderly father was recently done for a €100. I have my own car up for sale at present and I haven't received a call this time but I have in the past on previous cars I've sold via carzone but I genearlly just ended up hanging up on them.

I blame myself because I put his old jeep on to CBG.ie and completly forgot to warn him about such scams. I called down to the house last night and he's quiet upset with himself.

Live and learn I guess.

Mahons

Here is an article from the Guardian...

A selling idea that is really hard to match

I was interested to read a fortnight ago about Hertfordshire-based Express Match cold-calling someone who had advertised a car for sale in a local newspaper. I have a similar story, but involving Vehicle Searcher. It said it would put buyers in touch with me for £79.99. I was assured there were local people looking for my car.
I have had no interest. What is the chance of getting my money back?
AM, Devon
It is odd that Hertfordshire-based Vehicle Searcher claimed it had many local buyers, as you live in a rural area and your car is an unusual Seat - and very old with 144,000 miles on the clock.
But there are other connections between Vehicle Searcher and Express Match besides the county. Both sets of terms and conditions are similar.
The Vehicle Searcher website is registered to Concept 247, whose sole director, Emmanuel Nwokedi, 37, has also been the director of companies sharing an address with Express Match.
Vehicle Searcher is owned by Sell It All UK Ltd where, until his resignation on March 28, George Constanti was a director. Constanti, a fishmonger from 1994 until his firm, Bayham Wet Fish was dissolved late last year, was also a director of Motor Help, a company which cold-called motorists who advertised cars in various publications.
On March 19, the Official Receiver wound up Motor Help in the public interest via a compulsory liquidation. The court was told Motor Help apparently linked buyers and sellers but did not check whether buyers could afford the car or where they lived.
The court heard it misrepresented its service by claiming it already had enquiries from potential buyers. And it was told Motor Help had no record of successfully selling a car using its "vehicle matching". Vehicle Searcher said it was unaware of any link with Motor Help UK. It added that it could produce details of buyers, but did not have access to its own filing cabinets.

Not sure if it's a reincarnation or a different company but recently got a call from Vehicle Network Services. They said they had found a buyer for my car ( or 5 buyers actually!) and if I paid them fee of 80sterling they would give me the details. Naturallly refused. They rang again and again and again. Last time I cut off the caller and said I am not paying any fee- she hung up on me.

This morning in a new tactic they rang to say their buyer had arranged finance for the car therefore NO fee for me- the buyer wanted to view car this afternoon in Limerick. Told them no, said they could email me the details and if I thought it was okay I MIGHT show the car. Presume that they are still trying to get credit card or bank account details in some way! Persistant and annoying.

I was also contacted by Mr. Frank Cuty, from the US, no presently in Cameroon ( saving the world from the AIDS epidemic) but shortly due home to Liver Pool ( sic) where he would like me to ship the car to him....

I got a call from expressmatch as well after advertisibng in carzone. Carzone sensibly warn all sellers of the likelyhood of these types of calls, but I would not have dealt with expressmatch anyway in an event, not even a very convincing sales pitch to be honest.
Anyway, I kept the lady (who sounded like Deirdre Barlow in Coronation street (40 fags a day type)) on the phone for as long as I could pretending to be interested, and then after about 20 mins I think, I said I would leave it at that, and give a quick call to the consumer association abou them.
It was hilarious, she went "oooooooooooohhhhhheeeeeeeee" and hung up.

I rang the european consumer agency and gave them the details of the call.

I also got an email from a guy who was interested in my car, He asked abou tthe spec of the car, and I gave it to him., (an 8 yr old S40 with 140,000 miles on the clock) and he said he was interested, but working in france, living in UK, and he would buy it unseen, and pay for shipping to UK, and pay me an extra 100 euro for my trouble (the car would only be worth a few hundred in the UK).
Wexfordman

I can't believe people fall for this.

Think of it logically, if someone has a buyer for your car they could take the fee of them. Theres no need for you to pay for anything. Unless they don't have a buyer.