S & S Trailer Sales Non-Roadworthy Horse Trailer Sale Intentional Ripoff Wichita Falls Texas

In June of 2009 we looked on the internet to purchase a used horse trailer that we could pick up completely roadworthy on our way to pick up some horses.

We found one in Wichita Falls, being sold by Roger Smith, and his father, Sidney Smith, under the name of S & S Trailer Sales. It was advertised as a 28' Gooseneck Stock Trailer.

Here is the ad...

28'GOOSENECK STOCK TRAILER
Reply to: sale-8buev-1206616124@craigslist.org
Date: 2009-06-05, 10:14AM

28' TRIPLE AXLE GOOSENECK STOCK TRAILER
BRAKES ON ALL 3 AXLES
TORSION SUSPENSION
24,000# GVW
ESCAPE DOOR
2 CROSS GATES
STORAGE OVER NECK
GOOD FLOOR
75% RUBBER
EXCELLENT CONDITION!
EMAIL FOR ADDITIONAL PICS
$6,500.00
WICHITA FALLS,TX
940-855-1566 940-781-4145

You will note it says EXCELLENT CONDITION and 75% Rubber.

We emailed for additional pics as the ad stated.

The photos did not show the following condition of the trailer....all tires were rotted out. Roger Smith said that 3 tires needed replacing. We said we would offer him full price for the trailer if he made it in complete roadworthy condition. Once we got on the telephone to discuss the trailer, he said he would replace the three tires and that it would be completely roadworthy at that point. He said two needed to be replaced on the trailer and one needed replaced for the spare.

When we arrived there, there were three new tires on the trailer, and the spare was rotted out.

He also said in one of his emails:

"The trailer is in excellent shape. The only thing you will need is a couple of new tires for the center axles and the spare tire has a blow out.No major rust and all the lights work."

Please take note of 'the only thing', endquote.

Then we wrote back "We need it completely road worthy when we load it...we're going from there straight to pick up horses..."

Then he wrote back: "I will if you send me 25% (non refundable) to hold balance due when you pick it up."

We sent $1700

Then we were making arrangements for the pick up...Roger emailed:

"I am getting on a plane shortly. Your contact will be my dad Sidney Smith.He is 83 and doesnt hear very well.
He goes home by 4;30 PM every afternoon. If you cant make her by then then you will have to call him and make arrangements for him to come back to unlock the trailer lot. His cell phone is 940-733-6524. You can call me tomorrow and let me know your estimated time of arrival.
Wichita Falls is about 3 1/2 hours east of Amarillo"

Now read what happened....this is our email to Roger Smith after several attempts by telephone to have him 'do the right thing'.

This letter below is to Roger Smith and Sidney Smith.

We were very disappointed that you were not willing to communicate or cooperate in resolving the issues on the 28" trailer.

When we pulled away from your place of business, we immediately discovered that there were no working brakes on the trailer. When you told us that the trailer was 'roadworthy', AND THAT IF WE SENT YOU THE NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT, YOU WOULD MAKE IT SO, COMPLETELY ROADWORTHY THAT IS, we of course, as anyone would, EXPECTED WORKING BRAKES, AND A SAFETY CHAIN AND A SAFETY BRAKE CABLE ON THE HITCH, AS WELL AS A CLEAN TRAILER, EVERYTHING TO MAKE IT ROADWORTHY AND LEGAL.

You said that the trailer ONLY 'needed' three tires, which you said you would replace. You were wrong...the trailer needed ALL new tires, including the spare. It was totally obvious to anyone who knew tires, including yourself, that every tire was rotted out. Every tire went flat on the trailer within a couple of blocks of being put on or changed when the originals went flat. Again, the trailer, even after you replaced the two you replaced, was not 'roadworthy', as you agreed. Even one of the new tires went flat within a few miles, as the 'seal' was not a finished seal, with steel showing through, so the tire went flat by leaking around the seal.

With almost all the tires going flat, except for the other new one you put on, and no brakes on the trailer, as well as no safety chain nor any safety brake line, the trailer was not the least 'roadworthy', nor in 'excellent condition' as you promised and advertised. We were unable to stop the trailer in any appreciable time, even on the flat, and even when it was empty of horses, without stepping on the emergency brake of the truck as well as the regular brakes. We ended up in the middle of the intersection.

We backed up to your place of business and called you and (and Jim went to the door and knocked) asked you to take the trailer back and give us our money back but you instead threatened us on the telephone that your wife had a gun and you would have your wife shoot us if we did not leave your place of business immediately. Val and I were stunned. We quickly called Jim (86 years old) back to the truck and immediately left the area.

These 'features' that you gave us with this 'un-roadworthy' trailer would have easily caused an accident that could have killed ourselves and/or any animals that we put on the trailer as well as other people.

In addition, the trailer divider doors would not stay closed, but were so worn out that with the slightest push of the hip of a horse, the doors popped right open. This could have been a disaster with stallions being put in each section. As soon as we put the horses in the front section, and they immediately pushed the doors open, we realized that the doors were not going to hold, and had to spend hours putting together a makeshift closing devise as well as roping the doors closed to the outside railing of the trailer.

Also, the lights were a definite issue, with many bulbs not working, again, very unsafe for the road, and the rear right signal light was not working because the bulb was broken. It took your father, and myself, and Jim over two hours to get the lights working well enough to get on the road. Once we got to the trailer repair shop, we had to replace many bulbs including the driver's said tail light assembly and many running lights.

It took two of us (Val and myself) an hour to clean the cow manure out of the trailer and off the walls, where it was stuck everywhere. The floor was not visible anywhere, so how would you even know if there was any major rust or not. In fact, there is major rust on the trailer in many places. We couldn't believe anyone would sell a trailer in such filthy condition, without even hosing it out.

Yesterday you had a telephone conversation with Jim (purchaser) that did not result in any compromise or liability or responsibility on your part for the condition of the trailer when you released it through your father, your partner in the business, last Thursday evening, June 18, 2009. In fact, you hung up on him. Your father, when we called him, simply passed the telephone to you, instead of being a man and doing the right thing. It appears...like father, like son, or vice-versa. We asked that you give us your fax number so that we could send you the invoices. You refused.

In your emails you told me that the trailer was in great condition, and once you put on a couple of tires that it would be completely roadworthy. It was not. Whether by oversight on your part or by intentional deceit, the trailer was a terrible danger, both to sell to us as a roadworthy vehicle, to sell to anyone as a roadworthy vehicle, and to put on the road at all. It did not meet the safety standards of the Texas DMV.

Subsequent to changing tires within a block or two of your facility, then changing the one we put on as your 'spare'...we limped into Decatur, TX, and happened upon a horse trailer sales and repair yard right on the highway. We stopped there, spent the night, and were at their gate when they opened in the morning. We told them our plight, and they agreed to get to work to make the trailer 'roadworthy'. They could not believe that anyone would sell a trailer like that as roadworthy, nor in 'excellent condition' as advertised by you, nor not legal for a Texas road.

They took the remaining bad tires off, and the flats, and we took them up the road to get them replaced at a tire store.

While we were doing that, they looked at the brake assemblies. Every one of the six brake assemblies were seized. Two of the drums were too bad to fix. All of the brake assemblies, along with the magnets had to be replaced.

These people at NRS Trailer were wonderful, just what we would have expected a trailer sales store to be, and what we expected yours to be. They were more than courteous, offered us refreshments, sat us in an air conditioned office, allowed us free run of the entire place all day while they repaired the trailer. Their mechanics did not even take lunch until the trailer was finally finished at 4:30 in the afternoon. It took them all day to repair the trailer, even with several people working on it. We asked them just to make it 'roadworthy', so that it would be legally safe to drive on the road with animals in it, which it took them all day to do.

This set us back an additional day, which caused us great stress, anxiety, and financial setbacks.

The bill from NRS Trailers totalled $1568.00, which if you will send us a fax number, we will be happy to fax you the bill, as well as the bills for the tires, which totalled approximately $250, totalling $1818.00.

Roger Smith and Sydney Smith and S & S Trailer Sales, Inc. are ripoff artists of the best kind...without conscience to the roadworthiness of their trailers.

DON'T BUY FROM S & S TRAILER SALES, INC. OR FROM ROGER SMITH OR SYDNEY SMITH IN WICHITA, TEXAS!!!

We'd be happy to share all emails with anyone interested.

Nancy
Ramona, California
U.S.A.