u/Auckland2701

Sold these secondhand sofas for cheap on trademe as I was moving and just needed them gone. They were a 3 seater and 2 seater fabric sofa set, both sold for $300 despite originally costing much more.

I included free delivery for nearby areas. This buyer who wanted them lived far away, so I charged $30 for the delivery on top of that. They asked if the sofas had any rips or damage to the structure on the original listing, and I said no.

I should've seen some red flags from the start. The buyer told me they couldn't pay via ping and asked to pay in cash instead after delivery. I asked them to bank transfer and they said they did, and I told them as soon as it landed in my account I'd deliver. The next day it still hadn't arrived and they then admitted to me the bank transfer had bounced back to their account. I then asked them to try and pay via ping again, and after a bit of resistance, this time they agreed.

Once they paid via ping, I went to deliver the sofas. Upon arrival, they started fussing and nit-picking over the cushions. They called them "ugly" and "old". I told them the cushions looked EXACTLY the same as in the photos, and that they weren't expected to look completely brand new secondhand. They then said I had "junk" and started shouting at their husband to shove the sofas back into my van.

I was forced to abandon the sofas as I'd only hired the van a set amount of time and was also in the process of moving. She's now demanding a refund through the trademe resolution center. She has no photos of the sofa claiming what's wrong with it. Is she eligible for a full refund?

Sold these secondhand sofas for cheap on trademe as I was moving and just needed them gone. They were a 3 seater and 2 seater fabric sofa set, both sold for $300 despite originally costing much more.

I included free delivery for nearby areas. This buyer who wanted them lived far away, so I charged $30 for the delivery on top of that. They asked if the sofas had any rips or damage to the structure on the original listing, and I said no.

I should've seen some red flags from the start. The buyer told me they couldn't pay via ping and asked to pay in cash instead after delivery. I asked them to bank transfer and they said they did, and I told them as soon as it landed in my account I'd deliver. The next day it still hadn't arrived and they then admitted to me the bank transfer had bounced back to their account. I then asked them to try and pay via ping again, and after a bit of resistance, this time they agreed.

Once they paid via ping, I went to deliver the sofas. Upon arrival, they started fussing and nit-picking over the cushions. They called them "ugly" and "old". I told them the cushions looked EXACTLY the same as in the photos, and that they weren't expected to look completely brand new secondhand. They then said I had "junk" and started shouting at their husband to shove the sofas back into my van.

I was forced to abandon the sofas as I'd only hired the van a set amount of time and was also in the process of moving. She's now demanding a refund through the trademe resolution center. She has no photos of the sofa claiming what's wrong with it. Is she eligible for a full refund?

Here's the situation:

I'm being forced out of my current rental (owner is selling to the council) and had to find a new place in a hurry. I found a new landlord (NL) through an independent property manager (PM). We signed a one-year fixed-term agreement last week.

The Uninhabitable Conditions:
NL admitted the place wasn't "completely ready" but let me move my stuff in early. We had a pre-inspection yesterday. The issues are:

• No Heat Pump: The heat pump was removed for repairs, leaving no heating/cooling.
• Live Wire: NL explicitly warned me about an exposed live wire because of the detached heat pump. Because of this, I've been told 2 out of 3 bedrooms cannot have the power switched on.
• Dangerous Deck: The back deck is missing several planks, leaving a multi-meter gap right outside the sliding door. It's a serious safety hazard.
• Tradesmen interference: There will be tradesmen working outside during the initial part of my stay there. They'll be working on the outside walls, replacing the deck, and even replacing the whole sliding back door for a day, which I have to deal with the inconvenience of. Apparently this is all because NL got into an argument with a painter who vandalized the back walls of her house with paint, and she's getting insurance to fix it.

Despite this, NL still expects full rent of nearly $700/week, with no clear timeline for repairs ("hopefully 2 weeks").

The Hostile & Controlling Behavior:
During the pre-inspection, NL's behavior was bizarre:

• Made a huge deal about 3 sink plugs, threatening to charge me if I lost one.
• Demanded to know the names of anyone I brought over.
• Claimed that even though she needed 24-48 hrs notice to come inside, she could still walk onto the property's yards anytime she wanted, despite tenancy laws.
• Lectured me on how to use the toilet (not joking).
• Texted me after the pre-inspection asking me to come back the next day so she could show me how to clean the oven "properly". I refused.

The Camera Fight:
There were 3 cameras-one in the front yard, one in the house hallway, and one in the back yard. Before we signed the agreement, she agreed to remove all of them. But at the pre-inspection, she tried to push back. She ended up reluctantly agreeing to just keep the backyard one, claiming it was for "supervising tradesmen." I agreed to let it stay initially. But today I called her and said I'd be covering it after the tradesmen left each day.

She went ballistic. She yelled at me, guilt-tripped me for not coming over so she could show me how to clean an oven and said she was doing me a "favour" by letting me move in early. She threatened that I was "replaceable" and that she could have me evicted anytime. She then hung up on me when I wouldn't fold on my boundary.

The Retaliation:
Immediately after our call, she texted me, saying I was trying to "do whatever I wanted without her consent" and said "please don't take advantage of me". She then explicitly stated, "I don't mind cancelling our agreement. I will return u the bond."

She then had the PM call me to try and get me to back down on the camera and pay rent a day early. I refused.

My Question: The official move in date is tomorrow, but I already have the keys and my stuff is there. I want out. I want to use her offer to cancel the agreement, get my bond back IMMEDIATELY (it hasn't been lodged yet), so I can move into a new rental right away. On top of that, I want compensation for the uninhabitable conditions.

How strong is my case at a tribunal if she refuses to return my bond money right away? She's now trying to blame me for this BTW, saying I was "pushy" about moving in early, and claims she's done nothing wrong.