Caveat emptor

Did it come with a "how too" booklet/instructions that include clearly a motor?

What was the description of the lot?

My scooter has a battery.
Maybe you just need to buy a new battery which honestly it probably needed.

Is there a space under the seat where a battery would fit?

Did it really have no MOTOR or did it not have a battery?
You can buy those easily, you need a battery charger as well, if that wasn’t with the scooter get someone with mechanical knowledge to check what you have got.

Unless the scooter was sold in “Working condition” you won’t get money back, unless it is a very charitable auctioneer

They don't normally have a motor as such , but it should have a battery . I wonder if it would be worth phoning the auction house in case it has been taken out by mistake. They are normally quite slim and about 6 "x 9 " if it has been left out while they where demonstrating it.

Look at how the Lot was described. The description will tell you whether the battery should be with itm but, as 62Granny suggests, the battery may have been taken out, because of the fire risk, not that the scooter has a high probability of burstting into flames, but that battery fires are very difficult to quench.

I asked what the description was MOnica but the OP hasn’t returned …

They never do!

A shame because it was a regular poster.

I buy a lot of stuff in auctions (antiques and vintage) and much of it entirely online going purely on the photos and condition report supplied by the auctioneer. You really need to be careful and know your stuff. The auction house merely acts as an agent and there is usually a get out clause on condition. For example electric goods such as lamps are sold only as "decorative items" with no guarantee that they will work.

When I said it had no motor, I meant that it had no motor - not that it had no battery. He does know the difference between a battery and a motor.
I wasn't with him when he bought it and i have no idea how much he paid. I haven't asked because I think he must have paid quite a lot and is feeling embarrassed as well as angry and disappointed.
It has 2 batteries which he says are "Ok".
Thanks for the helpful comments, I was really letting off steam because I thought it was so cruel.

I have used mobility scooters for several years, have had about four o five different models of these (all the fold up to go into a car models). None of them have ever had a motor. They operate entirely from the battery and these do have a limited life and require replacing with new ones, after many recharging.

You haven’t told us how the lot was described ExDancer. I wouldn’t just let this go. If there was no indication that the scooter was incomplete or not in working order that should have been made clear, unless it was described as ‘sold as seen’ which is a red flag. If it wasn’t then he has recourse against the auction house. If he paid by credit card he can also ask the credit card company for reimbursement.

The only parft that can be described as a 'motor' is the tiller. Cannot understand how this part could be missing as it involves the hand controls, etc. However, Firstchoicemobility.com are a wonderful company which sells spare parts for very many types of mobility aids. Be worth while having a look on there to see if the part that your hubbie thinks is missing is shown and how much it would be to purchase.

Franbern

The only parft that can be described as a 'motor' is the tiller. Cannot understand how this part could be missing as it involves the hand controls, etc. However, Firstchoicemobility.com are a wonderful company which sells spare parts for very many types of mobility aids. Be worth while having a look on there to see if the part that your hubbie thinks is missing is shown and how much it would be to purchase.

Anything that moves has to have a motor to make it move. Obviously if the scooter is battery powered then it should have an electric motor in it. You can't just plug a battery into something and have the wheels go round without a motor to convert the power into motion.

I can’t claim to know anything about mobility scooters but I’ve just looked online and it appears that they do come with a 24 volt motor powered by two 12 volt batteries.
I hope your husband gets somewhere with this.

It may well be an incomplete scooter, depending on the type of scooter they have either :-

1 motor driving both rear wheels or
2 motors each driving 1 rear wheel or
1 motor driving the front wheel

I've been told not to keep 'going on' about it - so I have no more information. I reckon he's embarrassed as well as annoyed and that he may have paid more money for it than he should.
I think he's looking into buying a motor from the manufacturers, but as far as I'm concerned the subject's not up for discussion, (but I can't help wondering how long it'd have been discussed if I'd been the buyer)