Cheeky bit of Brokerage

bitbaltic

bitbaltic

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Boat in Milford Haven
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No wonder brokers get a bad rep.

Every so often I browse the market for Hanse 301s, to see what asking prices are nowadays.

Came across an ad on Yachtworld for a 301 in plymouth:

http://www.yachtworld.co.uk/boats/2002/Hanse-301-2549641/United-Kingdom

Looking through the pics I realised that only the 'distance' shots are of the boat in question, a 301 with white hull and red trim. The close up and interior shots are all of a 301 with blue trim, and are in fact of my own boat, lifted from the ad of the broker I bought it from, 18 months ago! You can even see part of my boat's name on the dodgers in the cockpit pic, very different from the name of the boat for sale.

Hardly bothered about someone recycling a broker's pics of the boat on the web, but putting myself in the place of a prospective buyer I'd be pretty disappointed if I travelled some distance on the basis of this ad. The neat interior isn't in Plymouth, it's in Cardiff, and it's definitely not for sale. We hear endless stories on the forum about misdescribed boats and angry punters, brokers like these aren't helping themselves.

Cheers
 
This is surely illegal and makes the broker liable for travel costs at the very least. It also has copyright issues with the original broker without his permission.

i know that here in Sweden, the smart lads take a series of "for sale" photos when they buy a car or boat. Then ten years later when they want to sell it the photo does not show the rust streaks.
 
BlueTwo said:
This is surely illegal and makes the broker liable for travel costs at the very least. It also has copyright issues with the original broker without his permission.

i know that here in Sweden, the smart lads take a series of "for sale" photos when they buy a car or boat. Then ten years later when they want to sell it the photo does not show the rust streaks.
Click to expand...

What's the point of that? You are raising expectations that cannot be met. All you do is annoy prospective buyers.
 
BlueTwo said:
This is surely illegal and makes the broker liable for travel costs at the very least.
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Why would it be illegal?

If the photos have been legitimately acquired then they can use them ..
Ideally they should state that these are of a sister ship, but if the boats are similar in condition and the photos are representative of the one being sold then there is no misguidance really is there?
 
A1Sailor said:
Perhaps the OP should contact the broker and ask why pictures of his boat are being used? Then send a bill?
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:D

Ah, well, they aren't my photos. They belong to another brokerage in Plymouth.

The boat that's being advertised has been on the market for quite a while- it was and is still advertised with yet another broker in the area, who have some (I guess) honest pictures of the interior- of which you can't see much, for all the jumble that's inside.

It's not the first time I've seen a boat misdescribed with the pics- usually it's owners photos taken in the prime of a boat for sale a couple of years later when interest has waned- but putting up pics of a sister ship without actually saying so (and so suggesting that the pics are of the boat in question) would really annoy me if I'd made a long journey!
 
bitbaltic said:
:D

Ah, well, they aren't my photos. They belong to another brokerage in Plymouth.

The boat that's being advertised has been on the market for quite a while- it was and is still advertised with yet another broker in the area, who have some (I guess) honest pictures of the interior- of which you can't see much, for all the jumble that's inside.

It's not the first time I've seen a boat misdescribed with the pics- usually it's owners photos taken in the prime of a boat for sale a couple of years later when interest has waned- but putting up pics of a sister ship without actually saying so (and so suggesting that the pics are of the boat in question) would really annoy me if I'd made a long journey!
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Indeed. Ownership and copyright of the images rests with the other broker and/or their photographer - but nobody should use images of your boat to sell another, without your consent.
 
bitbaltic said:
:D

Ah, well, they aren't my photos. They belong to another brokerage in Plymouth.

The boat that's being advertised has been on the market for quite a while- it was and is still advertised with yet another broker in the area, who have some (I guess) honest pictures of the interior- of which you can't see much, for all the jumble that's inside.

It's not the first time I've seen a boat misdescribed with the pics- usually it's owners photos taken in the prime of a boat for sale a couple of years later when interest has waned- but putting up pics of a sister ship without actually saying so (and so suggesting that the pics are of the boat in question) would really annoy me if I'd made a long journey!
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Could you put up a link to the site with photos of the real interior - just for interest....

Oh, its okay - Google was my friend. No wonder they used your boat for the interior shots. Although the other boat is not too bad, it does not fill me with a vision of relaxed days sailing in comfort - it made me think I must go and tidy my shed..... Amazing that sellers could present their boat in that way!

Our elderly Westerly was beautifully presented on purchase - there was the odd thing, but you could see she was loved and that brought out the instinct in me that we would love her too. And we do!!

Dianne
 
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I would say that there are two legal issues:

1) Copyright theft.
2) Misrepresentation.

After as a separate issue you would have to determine to what extent the theft and the misrepresentation materially impacted the situation.

Probably a rap over the nuckles in the event of legal action as well as a motive for voiding the sale with (minor ?) damages.
 
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