Do dealers deserve a bad reputation?

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KatB

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Just a ponder really. I brought my girl from someone who could be described as a dealer. Now I had heard a bit of negative info from her, through someone who had brought a horse from her in the past. However, I had also heard alot of positive stuff about her from people I knew, so decided to take a "risk" although I won't be ashamed to say i was a little bit concerned for a short amount of time!!

Anyway, I have got to know the person I brought her from and actually really rate her, but it made me think, it could SO easily have gone the other way and she would have been labelled to me as just another "dodgy dealer"....I could then have easily passed info on saying "I heard from someone that said X about them..." and voila, we have a dodgy dealer...

SO, what I am getting at is when do dealers deserve the rep of being a dodgy dealer?!
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It depends completly on the dealer, but I don't think all of them fit into the "dodgy" dealer category. In fact I think most are probably fine so long as you have done your research beforehand. However a friend did once work for a dealer who was definatley of the dodgy variety, who has now dissapeared.
 
One of the best horses I've had was bought from a dealer.
and it annoys me when people say ''ooouuu there dealers though'' when they don't know anything about them.

Its the bad ones that tar the rest of them with the same old brush.

would you say the same when buying a car from a forecourt,
''oooouu yeah but he's trade...stay well clear!''
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I have bought from a dodgy dealer, horse was fab. I wonder if its as black and white as one person having a bad experience then bleating about it - when you all to often dont hear about all the good experiences.
 
I have bought many from the same dealer in cheshire and a couple from a lady in runcorn, they were excellent I got guarentee off first one and the first horse I bought from chershire one we did not gel combined with the fact he kept getting angleberrys on his sheath, which needed removing surgically. The dealer took him back swopped for another of my choice and gave me money for the excess of my insurance. The runcorn lady made me come back to see the mare on sevreal occasions and spoke to my instructor and asked her opinion on how she thought the mare would be managed by me as I was not a complete novice at the time but in no way experanced and only when she was happy the mare would be looked after and I would be safe on her that she sold to me. They are IMO good dealers.
When I started riding at 10 on a RS I could not ride off the lead the lady who also a dealer tried to sell my mum a pony, mum who never been near horses in her life was not so sure said dealer could talk anyone well novice into anything, said pony nearly killed me by bolting onto main road few months later IMO bad dealer
 
I bought my horse of 'a dealer' who also runs a riding school/riding club/livery yard. He made me ride the horse 3 different times & then (when my tongue was hanging out for him) sent me home to think it over. I think people need to be honest about their capabilities as often they over horse themselves & then the seller (or dealer) gets a bad rep. Mind you there are dodgy ones out there - it especially angers me regarding children's ponies. I heard of one who lunges the legs off ponies before the child comes, or they will pretend to know the pony for years. Really puts kids at risk
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I think the biggest opportunity they missed was a few years ago when a group of them wanted to start a licensed dealers scheme so that legitimate dealers could join and adhere to certain standards and behaviours thus protecting themselves as well as the public.

I don't trust dealers and for me it has negative connotations but I also realise not all dealers are bad. If there were a registered dealers scheme they would get my business but at the moment there is little protection for the buyer and that is a worry. A bit like I would only hire a 'Corgi' registered plumber.
 
Some dealers are great, some are awful, and some are just okay, as happens with private sellers.
I think why dealers get such a bad rap, is that dodgey dealers sell dodgey horses over and over again, whereas a private seller will only sell horses occasionally, so they just get heard about a lot more.
IMHO when dealers deserve their rap as dodgey, is when they repeatedly sell horses innapropriately. Everyone can make a mistake or two.
 
Agree definately do your research first, call the vets in the area see what they think of them, search HHO - I did that and found nothing but praise for the dealer I ended up buying from.

You would research a private sale so why not a dealer, TBH it is buyer beware be it private sale or dealer, I met some terrible liars viewing privately owned horses did the research and had some lucky escapes.
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If you are not knowledgeable yourself, best thing you could ever do is take someone with you who is.
 
sadly i think there are dodgy dealers out there, fortunatly i ve a great one that i ve bought my sons ponies from and also my saint of a mare, even though when i went to see her i went oooow tb i dont think so!! like i bit chunkier me.
when you go to look i think your gut instict is normally right, take some one experienced and be realistic about what you should be getting, not just ooow thats pretty and dont they ride it well, you can alaways get a quicker one as you get better, you wouldnt buy a ferrari for your first car so why buy a horse with a big engine!!
sadly some dealers see customers as pound signs and sell them whatever they want rather than what going to be suitable for there job.
 
Sellers deserve the reputation they earn.

Glad your horse worked out well and not all their horses are advertised as private sales and come with lameness and psychotic tendencies.
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I agree nickirhia99, but with researching them, it would be SO easy to be swayed by one piece of information, that could then turn out to be not as it seems anyway? I just wander how many dealers get tarred by one person when actually maybe its not accuarately describing the full picture?!

The person I brought L from let me go and try her on a couple of different occasions, wanted me to be there for the vetting, so I could be 100% sure everything that was discussed was discussed in the detail I wanted it to be. She has also actively kept in touch with me since to see how we are getting on. Yet 1 review of them could have told a completely different story?!
 
I think you get what you pay for - I've bought my last 3 horses from Vere Phillipps - and I'd go to him every time rather than risk private sellers. He knows what I want and my level of riding, and as long as you are honest, then you can get just what you are looking for. And he has an immaculate reputation which he is very keen to keep, so would never sell a dodgy horse.
 
There is truth in the saying that bad news travels fast! People are more willing to bad mouth someone rather than offer credit.
Saying that.......my sister did a very short stint at a dealers/breakers yard and was horrified at some of the practices that went on.
She was asked to leave when she told the parents of one child that the 11.2 lead rein super star they were about to try had infact only been on the yard for a month and only just backed.
 
Although there are undoubtedly some very dodgy dealers out there I think it must be very difficult for the honest ones to really keep their reputations in tact.

At the end of the day they are selling horses in quantity. They to a certain extent will never know the full history of the horse and therefore have to describe it to sellers based on secondhand info they have been given and also what they have learnt about the horse in a short time of having it.

Combine that with sellers who will more than frequently over-rate their ability or what they want from a horse and there is bound to be a conflict somewhere along the line, no matter how good and honest a dealer is.

So for me, a good dealer is one that would describe a horse accurately to the best of their knowledge, be prepared to say to a potential purchaser that the horse they are eyeing up and likely to buy is unsuitable, and if things go wrong shortly after a sale be prepared to offer a no quibble refund/exchange.
 
I viewed a good few private horses and got really fed up with the lies.

I ended up buying through a very reputable dealer and I would go back to her again without a doubt.
 
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I agree nickirhia99, but with researching them, it would be SO easy to be swayed by one piece of information, that could then turn out to be not as it seems anyway? I just wander how many dealers get tarred by one person when actually maybe its not accuarately describing the full picture?!

The person I brought L from let me go and try her on a couple of different occasions, wanted me to be there for the vetting, so I could be 100% sure everything that was discussed was discussed in the detail I wanted it to be. She has also actively kept in touch with me since to see how we are getting on. Yet 1 review of them could have told a completely different story?!

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Exactly and that is why you should take someone experienced with you, you should be able to look at the bigger picture for yourself one comment should not sway an experienced person from being able to make up their own mind. Several on the other hand and a pattern is forming?

I wonder how many private sellers if you could ask people who know of them would get all positive reports, I think it is quite unlikely.

I bought from a dealer and like you they have kept in touch and we tried several times before committing to buy her, but maybe I was just lucky.
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Completely 100% agree B and J. The person I brought from was very open about where she brought L from, and how much she knew (or didnt) about her. She also has people go back to her time after time, because she is more than happy to try and resolve any issues given the chance.... how many dealers are similar but get tarred because they weren't given the oppurtunity to amend it?

It is a difficult one.
 
Indeed, but how many dealers would be written off someones list before even seeing a horse? Lucky's old owners are actually borderline dealers I believe, as they generally sell no more than 3 a year... and buy unbacked horses to produce more often than not.
 
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There is truth in the saying that bad news travels fast! People are more willing to bad mouth someone rather than offer credit.
True but it works the other way too, I have recommended four people go see the dealers two are going this weekend and two are bought subject to vettings
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Ben_ Jerrys - totally agree.
 
I'd love to be able to afford veres prices! But unfortunately alot of people cant... I agree wthough, he is fantastic at his job and so deserves to be able to charge those prices
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I think some times it is even more difficult than reputation. I bought a horse through a well known local dealer with a good reputation. The horse turned out to be completely unsuitable, whilst I don't think the dealer himself was responsible for this I had a great deal of trouble sorting things out and lost a lot of money (things resolved just before it went to court) so it was how he dealt with the situation that was the problem. Having said this I haven't ever heard anything bad about him since, I have been very carefully not to bad mouth him, and whilst it is not excusable from a professional I think he was in a new situation and did not deal with it well. I personally would never go to him again for a horse but I would say to anyone else buyer be aware.

I now only buy horses through people I know personally, I would rather pay more and know what I am getting plus know that they would be reasonable when discussing problems than ever take the risk again.
 
I bought Chancer from a breeder/dealer. She was wonderful, spent a very long time finding me exactly what I wanted and still keeps in touch as to how he is doing.

Before I bought from her, I did some research and also spoke to the BSPA who she registers her horses with. They confirmed she had a good reputation for gypsy horses and did not deal in "rubbish".

If you go in with eyes open, state exactly what you want, ensure you try out and/or take someone with you who is very experienced and are happy with the horse and get a vetting with bloods then you should be ok.

I think a lot of the problem is that people buy from dealers without enough experience or don't take along some who really knows what to look for, do not give the dealer exact requirements and are truthful about their experience/ability and don't get the horse vetted that often run into problems or get taken for a ride in a lot of the times things don't right.

Also dealers dealing in the cheap end of the market are more likely to have some horses with issues.
 
Would it be an idea if people posted their positive experiences of sellers/dealers instead of only negative ones? On this thread, we know who the allegedly "dodgy" seller was, or did before it was deleted, but we have no idea of the identities of the ones posted by people who have good experiences. So we might know who to avoid, but we don't know who to go to! I accept that different people will have different experiences and it won't always go right all the time, but as people have said, a "good" dealer is not necessarily one that pulls the equine equivalent of a rabbit out of a hat every time. It's often the experience of buying, the dealer being honest even to the point of saying "I don't know" and the after sales service that counts.

I expect dealers have to beware of being taken for a ride themselves (excuse the pun) by buyers who over horse themselves, but if it's like many other spheres of life, you sort of develop a "nose" for those and may well decline to sell in the first place and try and avoid the problem that way.

It would be so nice to be able to buy with confidence, especially when you're not the bravest of riders, but not necessarily a novice.
 
I've only had positive experiences when using dealers, have also bought 2 horses from the breeder & they were always exactly as described (including the negatives).
Unfortunately every time I've been to a private seller, the seller has been dishonest so would be very wary of buying privately again.
A good dealer has a reputaion to consider, something that a private seller doesn't have to worry about.
 
I bought my current horse from a dealer. She was straight to the point although a little blunt and he is exactly as described I also have a very good friend who is a dealer.
I think its like car dealers there are many good ones but its the rip off merchants that get the press.
 
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I think you get what you pay for - I've bought my last 3 horses from Vere Phillipps - and I'd go to him every time rather than risk private sellers. He knows what I want and my level of riding, and as long as you are honest, then you can get just what you are looking for. And he has an immaculate reputation which he is very keen to keep, so would never sell a dodgy horse.

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ditto, i bought 2 from him and they were everything he said they were. he even pointed out their quirks and likely responses the first time they were asked to do certain things, and was spot on. i trust him enormously and will be back there like a shot when i can. i recommend him to people all the time too.
the list of dealers i wouldn't go to is rather longer than the list of dealers i would...!
 
I bought K from a dealer and had no probs. In fact he was a liveries horse and came up for sale a few weeks after I had been there, she called me up, told me about him and said I would really like him. Took a my friend with me who is experienced et voilà!

I know people who've had problems but is a case of buyer beware regardless where you get your horse from.

FYI, Corgi isn't for plumbers, it is a body that oversees the safety of gas installations...
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Like anything else, some are good and some are bad. Unfortunately we hear of the bad experiences more than the good. I dont know how these 'bad' dealers can keep selling nutty dangerous horses that could kill or injure somebody. How can they live, knowing this, i dont know. And how do they get away with it. Some private sales are just as bad. Im lucky enough to know of a great sports horse importer who is so honest and even gives you 3 months warranty to make sure you have made the right choice. If the horse was to even buck once or twice in his owner ship he would tell you that it had done so. Would go back to him time and time again. So there are some good ones out there as well
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