Buyer Beware - PREMIER EQUINE

[I.M.N.]

The quality of PE rugs are definitely going down hill. I've been buying their rugs for four years, the ones I bought four years ago are still going strong and look invincible the ones I bought last year look like it'll be one winter and their done. Considering they're used across the same horses in the same environment I think that's a fair test.

Unfortunately I can't find another brand who's shape of rug I like so much.

 

[Red-1]

Hi, I am not a Premier Equine fan, I find they do not stay waterproof, so I stick with Rambo or Rhino. HOWEVER I do think they have been fair in this case.

The rug has done one winter, and I also agree that with the binding being also rubbed, it looks like the horse has rubbed on something. I don't find their response offensive, they are pointing out that even with an electric fenced field there will be posts, such as a gate post, where this could have occurred.

After all that they then offer a £25 voucher. They also offer for you to return the item, presumably for a refund, but say that this may not suit you as they no longer have any matching neck covers in stock.

As they have offered a refund, or for you to keep the rug and have £25, I am not sure what else they can do?

 

[Gloi]

When we send our rugs off to be cleaned, the person who cleans them will always mend them if we want her to. This would cost about £5 to have that strap fixed so I don't see the problem. Horses always damage rugs.

 

[Girlracer]

We will agree to disagree, I just don't find a very expensive rug last 4 and a half months (when it hasn't been used every day for that time) pretty poor. But then again I don't have much in the way of money, so buying this rug is a bit of an investment, maybe that's why I'm frustrated. Never mind the fact that I don't actually think the horse has damaged it. But I am first to share my positive experiences with companies, so it is only right that I share my less than satisfactory ones.

I will obviously get it repaired, at a small cost, but I won't be buying from Premier Equine again.

 

[swilliam]

I bought 2 PE waterproof fly rugs last year. Both split in exactly the same place - just under where the waterproof material met the fly rug fabric - within days. It seemed like too much of a coincidence so i let them know. Their reply was that both were my horses' fault, but as a good will gesture they would offer me 20% off a rug, but not one that already had 20% off. Since everything seems to have money off eventually, they weren't actually offering me anything. I've had theri sweet itch busters for my rugwrecker for several years, but last year's was a silightly different shape and didn't fit so well. I won't but from them again.

 

[Red-1]

We will agree to disagree, I just don't find a very expensive rug last 4 and a half months (when it hasn't been used every day for that time) pretty poor. But then again I don't have much in the way of money, so buying this rug is a bit of an investment, maybe that's why I'm frustrated. Never mind the fact that I don't actually think the horse has damaged it. But I am first to share my positive experiences with companies, so it is only right that I share my less than satisfactory ones.

I will obviously get it repaired, at a small cost, but I won't be buying from Premier Equine again.

In which case I can highly recommend Rambo, one of mine lasted 18 years, and was still waterproof. Lightweight even when wet, and no re-proofing!

If that is too expensive I have also has Rhino. Oldest one of those is currently 12 years old, also waterproof, a small tear on the tail flap, but not repaired as it is so minor.

My horses are also in electric topped fenced paddocks.

 

[pepsimaxrock]

If, as most posters seem to think, 6 months is a long time for a rug to last, then why on earth does anyone willingly pay £150 for a rug?
Madness.
Of course we should expect decent quality for £150.
These expensive rug manufacturers must be laughing all the way to the bank.

 

[xspiralx]

Hi OP - maybe you could share your second response to them?

Afraid I also agree that they haven't been that unreasonable, nor particularly dismissive in their response to you. You say you've been a fan of PE for years and always bought their products - this is the first time you've had any issue with any product (and it's a minor one that can easily be repaired), they've offered a £25 voucher - and you'll never shop with them again? Given that this is the first time you've had an issue I'd be inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt. If the design is faulty, wouldn't you think the other buckle would have shown the same wear?

Personally I don't buy PE products unless they are heavily discounted as I think they're very expensive - I'm a fan of Shires, JHL or Weatherbeeta for rugs which are a lot cheaper and still great quality IMO.

In your position, I may have contacted them to see if I could get something as a gesture of goodwill (because why not?) but I'd just be getting it repaired myself for a nominal cost and not losing any further sleep over it! If the rug is otherwise in good condition, it should still see you through many more years.

 

[FfionWinnie]

A company is often as much about its after sales as it is its product, and in this case neither have been very good.

Yes I completely agree and people should take heed of your post.

I am having issues with a brand new very expensive product which was faulty from the start. Absolutely everything has been suggested as the reason by the company other than their product being at fault. It's very disappointing.

A £150 rug should last longer than 4 months. I'm not sure how the horse could manage to rub that particular area as much as would be necessary to cause the damage either unless the webbing straps are just too thin to stand up to the job.

Compare their attitude to shires who refunded me the total purchase price and let me keep the rug after a fault was discovered with the stitching on the neck part. It's a ten quid fix and I was refunded the £55 purchase price within a few hours of contacting the company I bought it from. Quite simply I know who I will be buying rugs from in future and have bought two shires rugs since I got this excellent customer service (one exactly the same) and have had no issues.

 

[Wagtail]

To be fair, it does look as though the rug has been rubbed quite a bit (there is a hole which is obviously been rubbed on something below the tear). Looks as though it could have been done in the stable. Does the horse get rugged to go out and left a few minutes? Many horses will cause rub damage against stable doors etc. Had it been me, I would have bought a piece of webbing off eBay and sorted it in five minutes myself. I would have been delighted with the £20 voucher. I honestly don't think this is a quality issue.

 

[conniegirl]

Gory but there appears to be other damage to the front of the rug just above the buckle, it really does look like your horse has rubbed it and done the damage that way.

 

[Wagtail]

It's on the neck of the rug so looks like a rub caused over the stable door.

 

[Honey08]

It's not great, is it. I can see why you'd be fed up, but it would be very difficult to prove either way. I don't think it's been caught on something, it would more likely tear right off (seen it happen!). It looks like either a rub or friction from an overly tight rug. The only way to prove that it was the rug is if the metal part is significantly sharper than the other strap.

My friend bought a new PE turnout in Oct. I've been fully expecting her to have problems with it after reading threads on here, but its been a good rug. Stayed waterproof, fitted well. It was a very heavy rug even when dry though. I may well buy one for mine next year if they move away from the pink colours. But I will wait til Black Friday, as they were all half price for the day.

I think their responses haven't been good customer service, it sounds like a standard reply to every complaint. (Just what Rambo said too when my friend's £400 rug broke after a month). However their gesture of a voucher is good. Buy your fly mask and spend the money you've saved on repairing your rug, then all is well.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

I took a photo of it and sent it to Premier Equine a week or two ago when I first noticed it. After some correspondence and requesting more photos I took more yesterday - it's now worse. It looks obviously to me like the buckle has worn the webbing from the inside out rather than the other way around. I was told it was horse related damage before I had even sent the photos.

It honestly is the attitude and response I've had, I have given them every opportunity I think, I haven't asked for money, I don't want a new rug - Honestly the £20 could probably get me a new fly mask which I could do with! It's the complete dismissal of the issue and tone of email that has led me to this post.

How has it worn from the inside out though? Pressure would have to be put on it surely? Maybe the neck cover doesn't fit your horse so every time his head goes down pressure goes on the rug, that's how lots of horses get their manes rubbed out, after all.

 

[Palindrome]

Gory but there appears to be other damage to the front of the rug just above the buckle, it really does look like your horse has rubbed it and done the damage that way.

It's on the neck of the rug so looks like a rub caused over the stable door.

To me the damage/small hole in binding on the left looks like it has been caused by the edge of the metal buckle rubbing. That's probably where the edge of the buckle seats when the rug is fastened.

 

[Girlracer]

Do you know what, as ridiculous as this sounds, if she had replied to me and said along the lines of "I'm ever so sorry you've had this problem, it may well have been caused by your horse rubbing on something, but regardless it is really inconvenient and we're sorry. Please accept our apologies and a £20 gift voucher" I would have thought oh wow, I wasn't expecting anything, how good of them. But instead I was just told from the get go that it was my own fault. That to me is poor customer service.

As I have tried to emphasise above, the damage to the rug is not the main issue here, I just feel like they could have taken some of the slack here - not pin it all on my poor old boy!

The reason I will now choose not to use Premier Equine, is more because if in future we experience a problem with an expensive item, I want to know that the company will take responsibility for that issue and help to resolve it, never mind the fact that an expensive rug should last longer than 4 months.

I wondered if it was when he has his head down to graze that the pressure applied is rubbing the buckle thin, that's how it looks to me - but it seems to fit him well. Premier Equine come up pretty big, but he is very big in the wither, so that is possibly the reason.

An example of how good customer service can boost a company can be seen with Ariat, who are maybe a little too lax with their replacements, but equally they have a fabulous reputation. As has been made obvious from previous posts with regard to Premier Equine both on here, Facebook and other sites this is the norm for this company. It's very disappointing.

 

[Girlracer]

To me the damage/small hole in binding on the left looks like it has been caused by the edge of the metal buckle rubbing. That's probably where the edge of the buckle seats when the rug is fastened.

That is my opinion.

 

[I.M.N.]

If, as most posters seem to think, 6 months is a long time for a rug to last, then why on earth does anyone willingly pay £150 for a rug?
Madness.
Of course we should expect decent quality for £150.
These expensive rug manufacturers must be laughing all the way to the bank.

I agree.

 

[Moomin1]

If, as most posters seem to think, 6 months is a long time for a rug to last, then why on earth does anyone willingly pay £150 for a rug?
Madness.
Of course we should expect decent quality for £150.
These expensive rug manufacturers must be laughing all the way to the bank.

I don't. I never pay more than £60 - £70 for any rug. Of course the rug manufacturers are laughing all the way to the bank. Rugs are extortionate and the companies cash in on those who are willing to pay for them at that price, despite the fact that however expensive or good quality a rug is, horses will be horses, and can easily rip/damage any rug at any given time.

 

[xspiralx]

I don't. I never pay more than £60 - £70 for any rug. Of course the rug manufacturers are laughing all the way to the bank. Rugs are extortionate and the companies cash in on those who are willing to pay for them at that price, despite the fact that however expensive or good quality a rug is, horses will be horses, and can easily rip/damage any rug at any given time.

But are they extortionate? My JHL full neck HW turnout rug cost me £70 and it's just done its fourth winter. In that time it's had a couple of clips replaced and a minor rip repaired, and it's otherwise in great condition and should last another few winters. I have some turnout rugs that I've had for 12+ years and they're still going strong. I wouldn't pay £150 for a rug because I think it's unnecessary, but if you can get 10 years out of that rug it's still not extortionate.

When people talk about rugs 'lasting' only 6 months, I think that's nuts unless you have a rug trasher. It's not unexpected if you have to replace some clips or tears during the life of the rug - but that doesn't mean it's no good and fit for the bin.

 

[Palindrome]

I don't. I never pay more than £60 - £70 for any rug. Of course the rug manufacturers are laughing all the way to the bank. Rugs are extortionate and the companies cash in on those who are willing to pay for them at that price, despite the fact that however expensive or good quality a rug is, horses will be horses, and can easily rip/damage any rug at any given time.

I disagree, a good quality rug will be less likely to rip and last longer. I have noticed a big difference in quality/toughness of material in my Swish rug (about £40-50 new) and my Rhino (bought £75 second hand). Both are supposed to be 1200D but the material of the Rhino is thicker, tougher and more waterproof.

 

[Moomin1]

I disagree, a good quality rug will be less likely to rip and last longer. I have noticed a big difference in quality/toughness of material in my Swish rug (about £40-50 new) and my Rhino (bought £75 second hand). Both are supposed to be 1200D but the material of the Rhino is thicker, tougher and more waterproof.

I wasn't saying a good quality rug wouldn't last longer. I was saying that whatever the price or quality of the rug there is always a chance it will be trashed. That's why I never pay those prices, and my horse isn't even a rug wrecker. FWIW, most of my rugs are still going strong after 6 years, and they all vary in quality.

 

[Honey08]

I don't think a good quality rug is much different from a lower priced rug. The longest lasting rug I've ever seen is a 10 yr old Derby House turnout that cost £30. Like I mentioned previously, my friend's £400 rug bought the same week lasted less than a month.

I'm just in the process of selling a big pile of second hand rugs belonging to my rich neighbour for charity. There are all kinds of makes, same size, been on the same horse, and the quality doesn't seem very different. Ironically the Rhino is the only one with a rip.

 

[noblesteed]

I found their customer service great. I complained about a pair of boots that had started to come apart and they replaced them with new ones. However they were the 2nd pair of the same boots to come apart in the same place as I had bought 2 pairs in the sale. They would only replace one pair as I admitted the first pair had been used during turnout. I am fully expecting the new pair to come apart too!
My friend paid around £150 for one of their rugs last winter and it's ripped in places. The horse isn't a rug ripper either.
I won't be buying anything from them again - their customer service was fine for me but the quality of their products seems to be a bit iffy given the prices they charge. Weatherbeeta all the way for me - never have a problem with any of their rugs!

 

[TPO]

You got a better response from them than I managed!

In 2012 I bought a brand new combo rug from them that cost approx £130. The first time my horse had it on it fell apart. There must have been faulty stitching that I didn't notice when I took it out the bag and put it on. It was the nylon strap that the surcingle attaches to that completely came away from the rug. Not only did it fall off but it damaged the rug material and left holes.

I contacted PE as I had seen it happen so it wasn't anything caused by the horse or him being caught in anything.

PE customer service (?) were rude and dismissive. Blamed me for not checking the rug before use (it was brand new straight out the bag) and said it wasn't their problem. There was no offers of replacements, vouchers or even an apology. She "supposed" that she could send me a square of material to get the rug replaced.

The end result was I had to pay out £60 to have rug washed (all rugs have to be washed- even if only worn for half hour before falling apart!!) and repaired- making it an even more expensive rug. I would never buy from premier equine again not recommend them to anyone.

I'm only surprised that there aren't more people who've had bad experiences with them

 

[samlf]

I agree with others that from the photo it does look plausible/likely that the horse has caught it on something.

However, I will not buy anything from them after buying a fly rug a number of years ago that was so thick and heavy it was unuseable when the weather was above 15 degrees and sunny (Ie whenever you'd need a fly rug!) and notifying them of this immediately (within 48hrs of arrival), their reply was very short and they refused to refund despite distance selling regluations applying. I should have notified trading standards but to be honest I couldnt be bothered and voted with my feet.

 

[cronkmooar]

You got a better response from them than I managed!

In 2012 I bought a brand new combo rug from them that cost approx £130. The first time my horse had it on it fell apart. There must have been faulty stitching that I didn't notice when I took it out the bag and put it on. It was the nylon strap that the surcingle attaches to that completely came away from the rug. Not only did it fall off but it damaged the rug material and left holes.

I contacted PE as I had seen it happen so it wasn't anything caused by the horse or him being caught in anything.

PE customer service (?) were rude and dismissive. Blamed me for not checking the rug before use (it was brand new straight out the bag) and said it wasn't their problem. There was no offers of replacements, vouchers or even an apology. She "supposed" that she could send me a square of material to get the rug replaced.

The end result was I had to pay out £60 to have rug washed (all rugs have to be washed- even if only worn for half hour before falling apart!!) and repaired- making it an even more expensive rug. I would never buy from premier equine again not recommend them to anyone.

I'm only surprised that there aren't more people who've had bad experiences with them

I have no idea what has caused the problem with the strap BUT I would say I have a Rambo Duo which is 4 years old and all straps and fastenings are attached as they should be.

I got the Duo after returning a PE Trio which I used for a couple of days and leaked like a sieve.

I have had personal experience of their customer service and it is shocking. Rude doesn't even cover it. I particularly liked how their response to my wanting to return a faulty rug was for me to just buy another one off them for 1/2 price with nothing being done about the one I had paid full price for. Work that one out!

I sent it back and demanded my money back.

For what its worth OP, if your horse hasn't caused the damage I would be fed up too. I personally would not buy anything off them ever again

ETA - I did get my money back as they found it leaked too. This seems to be an on going problem with them too.

 

[thatsmygirl]

You got a better response from them than I managed!

In 2012 I bought a brand new combo rug from them that cost approx £130. The first time my horse had it on it fell apart. There must have been faulty stitching that I didn't notice when I took it out the bag and put it on. It was the nylon strap that the surcingle attaches to that completely came away from the rug. Not only did it fall off but it damaged the rug material and left holes.

I contacted PE as I had seen it happen so it wasn't anything caused by the horse or him being caught in anything.

PE customer service (?) were rude and dismissive. Blamed me for not checking the rug before use (it was brand new straight out the bag) and said it wasn't their problem. There was no offers of replacements, vouchers or even an apology. She "supposed" that she could send me a square of material to get the rug replaced.

The end result was I had to pay out £60 to have rug washed (all rugs have to be washed- even if only worn for half hour before falling apart!!) and repaired- making it an even more expensive rug. I would never buy from premier equine again not recommend them to anyone.

I'm only surprised that there aren't more people who've had bad experiences with them

I found their customer service great. I complained about a pair of boots that had started to come apart and they replaced them with new ones. However they were the 2nd pair of the same boots to come apart in the same place as I had bought 2 pairs in the sale. They would only replace one pair as I admitted the first pair had been used during turnout. I am fully expecting the new pair to come apart too!
My friend paid around £150 for one of their rugs last winter and it's ripped in places. The horse isn't a rug ripper either.
I won't be buying anything from them again - their customer service was fine for me but the quality of their products seems to be a bit iffy given the prices they charge. Weatherbeeta all the way for me - never have a problem with any of their rugs!

A rug does not just rip on its own without help from the horse in some way.
Same as straps that come off, if its faulty stitching the rug will be fine and the strap would just part from the rug, if there's holes left in the rug a force has been applied. Only takes a minute for a horse to rip or make a hole, the fact the rug is new doe not make the companies liable.

 

[pepsimaxrock]

Well thats me sorted. PE are off my list of suppliers. Not that Ive bought much as their prices are ridiculous and they rely almost totally on online sales saving them money working with retailers.
I have bought a dressage saddlecloth for a good price (Black Friday) and some eventing boots from them - but no more.
Good luck OP - Im glad to see this thread has turned round a bit in your favour. x

 

[EmmasMummy]

If, as most posters seem to think, 6 months is a long time for a rug to last, then why on earth does anyone willingly pay £150 for a rug?
Madness.
Of course we should expect decent quality for £150.
These expensive rug manufacturers must be laughing all the way to the bank.

I used to spend £60 in a sale and have a rug last 3-4 years. Oldest was 6 years old and worn every winter! They were Rambo.