broken bit

[pittam]

Hi,
please has anyone else had or is having amy experience?
I had a Neue Schule bit break while I was using it. A VERY nasty accident was narrowly averted. The company admitted that the bit had been recalled over safety issues. They asked me to return the bit + expenses caused by the incident.
However this has gone on for months now and I just see that there web site is still recalling the bit. I am at a loss now, they are just ignoring me. Is it going to take a possibly fatal accident for this company to respond. Has anyone else had a bit of theirs break

 

[AmyMay]

I think that you have to allow them time to go through the process of re-calling the problem items, which I think can take a while.

Have you telephoned them to see what stage your settlement is at?

 

[flyingfeet]

This was recalled some time ago and advertised on this site too

If you 'narrowly averted an accident' this means that there is nothing to reclaim as you didn't actually have an accident??

They should have sent you a replacement bit, but I don't quite see how they owe you anything else??

 

[boneo]

This is an on-going problem; in the search for cheaper bits, more & more are now being made in China, India & Pakistan where quality control is not always as it should be. In addition, bits have become more sophisticated, often with many moveable joints, thus any flaws are not easily seen by the vendor. Having said that, there is responsibilityto ensure that any article must be fit for purpose, and if any goods are found to be faulty, they must be either replaced, or the purchase price refunded, as required. There are still a wide range of bits made in the UK, one seldom hears any criticism of these. Buy British!

 

[XmisshorsestyleX]

[ QUOTE ]
This is an on-going problem; in the search for cheaper bits, more & more are now being made in China, India & Pakistan where quality control is not always as it should be.

[/ QUOTE ]

I should hope this is not the case when your paying £50+ for a bit... Disgraceful if you ask me

 

[flyingfeet]

Sprenger are made in China, as are Toklat (Myler).

Quality is not reduced, but the prices are - however you pay a premium for a brand name and alloys

Abbey is the only UK manufacturer of bits, however does not mean that they are 100% fault free. Plus you won't find many people wanting to pay over £40 for a standard bit they can buy for under £20!

In this case Neue Schule were aware they had a problem and widely advertised the fact. In fairness they have done everything they could in this situation!

 

[Sal_E]

Boneo, I'd love to know of this wide selection made in the UK! The majority of worldwide stainless steel products are now produced in China - quality is not reduced by this country now being the mass producer!

 

[boneo]

There is nothing wrong with the majority of the stainless steel bits made abroad, I never said there was, only that, on occassions, quality control falls short of what we should expect. This may be because a successful bit made under ideal conditions is copied by another manufacturer in another country. I am old enough to remember that, many years ago, we had a wealth of choice, all manufactured in the UK, then came an influx of cheap copies, made of stainless steel that rusted, usually from Taiwan. These briefly swept away the UK bit manufacuring indusrty, and names like Eldonian, as a manufacturer, and many others were consigned to the history book.

There is nothing wrong with bits made under rigerous quality control, but there is an old saying, that somebody, somewhere will always make a thing cheaper, let us hope it isn't at the risk of somebody's life.

Regarding the range of UK manufactured bits, there are hundreds, it is just they haven't embraced every new foible that has swept the equestrian market of late. If you believe all the advice that has appeared via this medium, there are only really three bits that are any good, the snaffle isn't one of them!

The reality is that broken bits are becoming more plentiful, it something which must be addressed.