Can I recover a deposit after an AI-generated puppy advert?

[mmealfredcarriere]

Please help.

I placed a deposit on a dog for sale through a popular website. I had some concerns about the breeder and I then found out that the picture they used to advertise the specfic dog I had placed a deposit on was AI generated. I asked the breeder for my deposit back. I then contacted the website that the ad was on and who took the deposit. They said I cancelled so I had to lose the deposit. It is in their T&C's that breeders can't use AI in any way.

I've initiated a chargeback with my bank but the company who runs the website is claiming that it is still my fault.

I believe that the advert should never have been allowed on the website or have been removed and I should never have been able to place a deposit on a dog that doesn't exist. Am I wrong?

Thank you.

Any site that sells animals online has to be dodgy as fuck & full of puppy / kitten farmers. The whole site should be shut down, not just that ad.

They don't sell them - they just let breeders post ads. But yes!

did you not see the actual dog before putting the deposit down. That’s a red flag already…

this. FFS puppies are not washing machines and anyone who will sell them online to any old person who will put down a deposit is not a person anyone should deal with.
PS same for any website who allows it

Thank you, I understand it was foolish but this is a major website that rehomes over 1 million pets a year in the UK and seems to be trusted - you pay the deposit to the website, not the breeder. You are supposed to be able to view the dog and then the deposit is released but that is not what happened. They are saying that because I cancelled when I found out the advert was AI generated that I am at fault when their T&C's clearly state AI is not allowed in their ads.

If anyone has any legal advice rather than just unhelpful comments, that would be most appreciated.

it doesn't "rehome" it SELLS

Which website? I got my puppy of pets 4 homes. I didn’t pay a penny until I had seen the dog in person. It was like finding a needle in a haystack but my puppy farming /scam detectors made me dismiss 99/100 adverts.

But back to your original query I can see the issue. How much was the deposit? Small claims court? And also what if you want to cancel if the dog is just wrong when you meet it and you want to cancel then? Sounds all sorts of dodgy to me!

If the terms have been breached then that would generally mean that they've breached the contract rather than you cancelled.

If they’re UK based you could try trading standards. If it’s an online match making type company then may well not be. If they’ve got any endorsements it could be worth complaining to those organisations.

Small claims would probably find in your favour if it’s in breach of their terms, but whether it’s worth the hassle of that will depend on the deposit.

It was Pets 4 Homes

They have breeders and rescue dogs @godmum56

It is £900

They said because I contacted the breeder directly to ask for the deposit back that I was the one cancelling the sale and that I am out the £900. Which I don't think is fair because the advert breached their T&C's to begin with and shouldn't have been on the website for me to place the deposit.

I’ve never used the website but their terms and conditions seem pretty clear:

Buyer Receives a Partial Refund
There are some situations when the buyer may be entitled to only a partial refund. In these situations, any deposit which has been placed, and the Pet Payments fee, will not be refunded. The buyer is entitled to a refund of their remaining balance when:

• The buyer chooses to cancel the rehoming: In the event that a buyer no longer wishes to proceed with the rehoming, the seller is entitled to keep any deposit placed to reserve a pet.

I think you would have been in a better position had you contacted them instead of the breeder - you’ve given them a loophole now, unfortunately.

In this situation I’d ask AI (I know, I see the irony) about the legal situation and to help draft a letter to Pets 4 Homes. I’m no expert but can totally see your point of view that although you requested the deposit back and may not have followed the exact process, this was as a result of their terms having been breached so you shouldn’t be held to the contract

Did you see the puppy? Does it exist?

Why did you not contact the website directly first of all?

£900 deposit??What type of dog?

It was foolish, I know but I made a mistake and contacted the breeder first. But surely if the picture of the dog was fake it shouldn't matter what I did because they breached the T&C's first? e.g. you can't cancel a sale on something that doesn't exist?

I never saw the dog and for the record, I just said I wasn't going to pick up the dog that day because I had some concerns and would they consider returning the deposit. So I never said I was cancelling - just checking with them first.

It was a golden retriever.

Is there even a dog?

Thank you, I have written with help of AI but they are just sticking with the "you cancelled, your fault" but why should I be penalised and not also the breeder who breached the terms?

Why did you pay £900 deposit for a dog you’d not even seen? Have you bought/owned a dog before?

I don't know - they removed the ad so I have no idea. Pets 4 Homes said they sold it to someone else but the ad was removed a day or two later.

Pets 4 homes is a dodgy website OP. Lots of very shady people trying to sell animals on there plus trying to buy a dog that you haven't even met is a very risky thing to do. Have you owned a dog before? Done proper research into breeds and what caring for a dog entails?

Because it was supposed to be a holding deposit so I could then go and see the dog and they wouldn't sell it to someone else. I didn't pay it to them - it was paid to the website who were supposed to hold it in escrow.

From the website

Does it cost to use Pet Payments?
The cost is a percentage of your total fee and covers our essential protection services, including secure escrow, a six-month health guarantee, and access to verified reviews. This is the price of protection, not a processing fee, ensuring you can focus entirely on welcoming your new family member home.

OP, why are you ignoring all of the people asking if you have owned a dog before?

This thread is in Legal Matters not the unsolicited speculation section.