I suspect I am going to be told I need to suck it up and learn my lesson, but I will feel better to get it off my chest.
I belong to a local Facebook group for parents of multiples. It's used 50/50 for chatting or selling things on to other twin parents.
Last week, a lady advertised her double pushchair for sale. It was exactly what I was looking for, advertised as well used but still in good condition. She stated it cost £600 when new, and wanted £100 for it. I responded but was a bit too late as someone else got in there before me, so just wrote that I'd be interested if the sale fell through.
The following day, the person who bought it, messaged me and said 'there had been a twist to the story', her parents had actually bought her a brand new pushchair and were going to deliver it the following weekend. She wrote that she had seen my previous message and was willing to sell the pushchair to me for the £100 she paid for it.
Brilliant, I thought. I accepted her offer, was totally thrilled, and got my BIL to collect it for me. This was my mistake. I assumed that a fellow twin mum wouldn't sell on a piece of junk, and trusted that what I was buying was worth £100.
The pushchair has various issues. Firstly it was filthy and mildewy. Not a huge problem, I just stuck it in the bath to clean it. Nothing I can do about the mildew, but decided to live with it.
One of the back wheels is VERY wobbly. I thought it was probably something like a bearing that needed replacing, so didn't think it was worth complaining about and I'd fix it myself if necessary.
Today we took it for it's first test run, and discovered that the chest clips on one of the seats are missing a part to connect them to the waist straps, meaning a toddler could climb out. This was annoying, but again I thought I'd be able to buy replacements if it became a problem.
The biggest issue occurred on our way home. The entire pushchair collapsed into a folded position, with my children still in it! Totally scary for both me and my twins, and I now obviously can no longer use the pushchair as it is clearly dangerous and not fit for purpose.
Im sure the saying 'buyer beware' probably applies here, but I am gutted that not one, but two, fellow twin parents would sell this on for a not unsubstantial amount of money.
The only place the pushchair is fit for is the tip as I couldn't in good conscience sell it on knowing it collapses. I'm so cross with myself for basically throwing a hundred quid down the drain :(