The Makibox - A Cautionary Tale

[curious aardvark]

"You see officer, the guy who sold him this car is in debt to me, so I'm repossessing it." Nope, that does not work.

Actually under uk law, that's exactly how it works.

If you buy a stolen car or a car that still has payments pending on it from a previous owner - regardless how it was presented to you - you have no comeback and it can be legally repossessed to cover the original debt. Essentially you had no legal right to buy it in the first place, so your transaction is null and void.

It's why these instant mobile phone pre-buy check apps have proliferated in the last couple of years.
When buying a used car it's your legal obligation to check it's not owned by someone else before you buy it.
And yes I did use such an app when i bought my last car.

Scary - but true.

I also suspect there is a very good reason this company have shipped the makiboxes to the uk rather than say: germany or france.
They were originally supposed to ship to germany for europaen and uk distribution.
I can't see either the german or french laws allowing this kind of thing to happen.
But in the uk - oh yeah.

[Feign]

Actually under uk law, that's exactly how it works.

If you buy a stolen car or a car that still has payments pending on it from a previous owner - regardless how it was presented to you - you have no comeback and it can be legally repossessed to cover the original debt. Essentially you had no legal right to buy it in the first place, so your transaction is null and void.

First, I see again why America was so keen on getting away from the Brits.
Second, in both of those situations the guy who sold the car he doesn't own goes to jail.

Now granted, Crowdfunding pledges aren't legally binding sales, they're technically donations with vague promises attached...

Oh, wait, Makible wasn't a crowdfunded project, they were just pre-orders!

Yeah, he would be on his way to jail in the US.

[Mjolinor]

First, I see again why America was so keen on getting away from the Brits.
Second, in both of those situations the guy who sold the car he doesn't own goes to jail.

Now granted, Crowdfunding pledges aren't legally binding sales, they're technically donations with vague promises attached...

Oh, wait, Makible wasn't a crowdfunded project, they were just pre-orders!

Yeah, he would be on his way to jail in the US.

You quoted something that is not legally correct.

I see you are still under the influence that you chose to leave the Brits, we did a good marketing job there.

In the UK, in both cases, if you are a trader or you are a private person, the seller is breaking the law and may goes to gaol.

[Mechanicus]

You quoted something that is not legally correct.

I see you are still under the influence that you chose to leave the Brits, we did a good marketing job there.

In the UK, in both cases, if you are a trader or you are a private person, the seller is breaking the law and may goes to gaol.

You're right, the Brits did a great job, of religiously persecuting people until they risked their lives to leave, rather than be prisoners of mother. . .

The part you really effed up, though, was that when you finally, finally realized that you had exported people to a huge, rich continent, (twice really) you couldn't win the war to take it back.

Thanks for America, Mr. marketing genius!


All stated in good fun, buddy, you started it. Hating America is cool, I get it. Winners are used to haters.

[old man emu]

You're right, the Brits did a great job, of religiously persecuting people until they risked their lives to leave, rather than be prisoners of mother. . . .

Actually, if you are referring to the Puritans coming to the New World, their intention was to impose their restrictive religious concepts on a new world. They were the ones who did not like the live-and-let-live approach to religion that existed in England at the time. Their influence is why, as an American police officer said to me when I was telling him about the Australian way of life, "Gee, you Australians look after each other. We Americans prey on each other."

Old Man Emu