What sort of rating should this be?

I recently purchased a G-11 with polar scope and dovetail which was advertised as being in 'excellent condition'. I paid $1700 which I felt was a fair price for an excellent condition G-11 and polar scope and dovetail. The seller mentioned that the legs' anodizing was purpled and there was a rip on one of the motor covers.

When the mount arrived, it had other problems. The worm covers were missing, the polar scope was so dirty it was unusable, and the clutch washers/thrust bearing were all rusty. The mount itself was very dirty with the dirt/grease residue around the worms and anywhere else there was grease. With this exterior condition I felt the interior components were probably the same condition. I have used the mount once and it did track fine for visual use.

At this point I asked for a refund or $500 discount because this was not 'excellent condition'. It turns out the previous owner hadn't even turned it on and said he knew very little about a G-11.

He refused to give me a refund instead offering $150.

Since that point I have now taken the mount apart because I feel I am stuck with it and of course all 4 needle bearings are seized. One of the DEC bearings has rusted in the DEC housing, so this definitely needs replaced.

My question is what rating should I give this person? Is $150 discount fair for the mount in this condition? Am I out of line to ask for a refund?

thanks for any thoughts,
matt

My limited experience with Losmandy parts implies they're not very expensive. (I just paid about $45 including 2 day shipping for a replacement gear box for a servo motor)

I'd look up the cost of the various parts that need to be replaced to correct the condition of the mount to match what he described, and ask for that.

A $500 adjustment sounds steep.

The needle bearings are $11 each. The other bearings
are $112 for complete replacement set. So his offered
$150 will get you most of the way there. As for your
time and labor to clean it, its a tough call. On one hand
it does not sound "excellent condition", on the other
it is a used mount and it seems to function OK.

There is some risk with all these transactions. My
brand new from dealer G11 arrived with a broken RA motor
(dead motor), dents, bent screws, and was full of metal
shavings. After alot of correspondence, complete
disassembly and cleaning of the mount, and 2 months
it was all fixed. But what a hassle -- and thats for a
brand new one at full list price. So maybe your
situation is not so bad -- at least it works and
you saved alot of $....

I think partial refunds are always a difficult subject,
as it is possible some other buyer might have been
happy with it "as is." I think you are reasonable
to ask for money to cover the replacement parts.
A simpler solution is return for refund, but it
sounds like the time for that is already past.

Regarding seized bearings: This is not uncommon on G11,
and it can usually be fixed by cleaning out the dried
grease and re-lube. I used some electronics cleaner,
but I'm sure lots of different stuff would work.
They seem to ship (or at least mine did) with some
really cheap grease that deteriorates after a couple years.

In terms of rating, I might just state that facts:
"there was an issue with condition of the mount, but
seller was willing to work with me on it." Maybe 3
or 4 stars are in order.

Good luck!!! They are good mounts but need alot of TLC.

If it was advertized in "excellent condition" and it arrives in POOR condition. Then I think it should be noted in the ratings!Let them know that this is unacceptable. We all should be very clear in our deals. After all Buyers can't see what their getting before hand. All we have is a Sellers description and a couple pics if we are lucky. And the pics might not even be of the actual item for sale. :S
My $0.02

thanks to all for the replies.

Third person persepective is helpful for deciding on a fair rating for the other person.

thanks again,
matt

Matt,
Unfortunately there are people like this out there, and these transactions do happen. Did the seller have a 'good' rating history prior to this transaction? Has he removed his ad from Astromart? I usually hesitate, or at least use a little more caution, when dealing with sellers who have erased their transactions. I certainly would not leave him a very favorable rating in response to this transaction.

Just wanted to give an update.

The seller is giving me a refund. I should be getting a check this week.

Of course this was after I had relubed and cleaned the mount. I guess I'll consider it good experience for the next G11.

thanks for all the replies on this.

matt