What a rip-off......

[Sgeir]

An elderly friend recently invested €10 (euros) from his hard won pension in a grip-thribley, supposedly a genuine Snurble. Next thing, he receives an email from the auction site admin demanding that he coughs up £10, ie GBP, not euros.

So what's going on here? Is this just another scam, and is the auction site involved? Should the trading standards people be advised?

 

[longjohnsadler]

OI!

I've sent you a PM

 

[Dipper]

I’m surprised your friend does not remember The Ancient Products (Distribution and Sale) Order 1927 SI 1927/3712 as he must have been a young man at the time these came into force.

The Order defines ‘Ancient Product’ as ‘a man made product whose design has not significantly changed since it was first produced and was patented before the date of the coming into force of this Order.’

In the Order, Article 5(b)ii states ‘Ancient products must not be sold for currencies other than those that exist at the date this Order comes into force.’

The genuine Snurble has not changed since it was first produced in 1849 and must not therefore be sold in Euros. If the grip-thribley had been a Barn Walker (a modified version produced in 1934) then that could have been sold in Euros.

I suggest your friend points this out to the auction site and offers to pay 10 Lire for it or he will inform Trading Standards.

 

[webcraft]

Perhaps the exchange rate has been set at 1-1 in preparation for our imminent entry into the Euro?