This happened back in the early 1980s, but I'm just wondering what MNs think of it? Not particularly bothered either way, but people to whom I've related the story are either highly amused or truly appalled!
Scene: we're selling our house. The buyers have been, frankly, a pain, delaying Exchange of Contracts date quite a few times with various demands, complaints, insisting on purchase price being lowered yet again ... but eventually, after we've given in quite a bit to their damands, they say they're FINALLY happy with everything and Contracts are exchanged and a completion date agreed. We proceed with sorting out the purchase of our new home, booking moving firm, and of course, the owners of the place we're buying are able to make their own arrangement for their move.
ONE DAY before bloody completion, with everything set in place for the move(s), they phone to say they've decided they don't after all like the fitted carpet that's throughout the downstairs, and they want a further £500 knocked off the price!!!! Now, they've never said a word about the bloody carpet, and we'd included it in the price, not charged extra for it, so we tell them, politely, sorry, no more reductions. Also, they're legally obligated to complete, having exchanged contracts. So what do they say? Basically, that they'll delay completion anyway, even if they have to complete eventually, just to mess us up, and the people in the house we're buying, along with movers we've booked, our solicitors, the mortgage companies and - generally - the whole thing will be a nightmare. They DON'T like the downstairs carpet and they want a reduction!!!!
So my husband gives in and agrees to knock £500 quid of the price, just to avoid this complete mess up of a delay. But I am FUMING. So I take action. I get down on my hands and knees and TAKE UP every square inch of fitted carpet, in three rooms and a hallway. For good measure, I take up the underlay too. Takes hours and hours. Next day, move begins - I give the perfectly good carpet and underlay to the moving men, who are delighted (it was, by the way, extremely good and expensive wool carpet). Legal stuff, financial stuff all goes through, we leave with removal vans and new owners move in.
I'm told their reaction, when they saw bare ground floor, was unprintable! Ha ha ... would have cost them FAR more than £500 to recarpet.
So - was I being unreasonable? The 'we don't like the carpet' stuff was just a ploy to get the price down even more. And in the early 1980s, £500 was quite a lot of money!
AIBU?
Amused or horrified?
oldgrandmama · 02/08/2013 11:11
Ha ha, suing you.
You should have offered to sell it back to them for £2k 
if they really wanted it back.
what did they say to that? the huge favour?
She hadn't sold them the carpet, they wanted £500 off because they HATED the carpet = they would have to rip it up and replace it cos it was so very vile.
OP did them a massive favour. Got rid of the vile carpet that they hated so much and knocked £500 off the house price so they could use that to buy a carpet of their liking.
bloody genius.
and how could they push it without admitting what they were actually doing?
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