Dodson and Horrell completely ignored my complaint...

khalswitz

khalswitz

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 May 2012
Messages
3,778
Location
South of Scotland
Visit site
Just wanted to share my frustration. I sent a complaint to D&H last week, as on opening my bags of ERS Pellets (which I regularly order from them as my local feed shop doesn't stock it), they had a load of loops mixed in with them that looked like this:

IMG_0945-1.jpg


To me, these look nothing like ERS Pellets, which look like this:

ERS_Pellets.jpg


But rather more like Barley Rings, which look like this:

Barley_Rings_02.jpg


The reason I feed ERS Pellets is because my horse had EPSM, and needs a super low sugar and low starch, but high oil and high fibre diet, which is fine, but he is a poor doer in reasonable work so needs high energy too, which is a difficult combination to find. ERS Pellets are designed for racehorses that tie up, so are ideal - however being contaminated with Barley Rings is horrific, as Barley is minimum 50% starch!!!!!!

I sent in a complaint, with the above picture, a week ago. D&H hasn't even bothered to respond. Which I think is ridiculous, considering they sell this as an 'Ailment' feed, and make such a song and dance about contamination control for racehorses etc (this is racehorse feed!!!!).

So I sent them another email today telling them that I won't be buying from them again due to complete lack of customer service. So now I'm looking for an alternative!!!

I'm looking for a high energy feed (11-13MJ/kg) with less than 10% combined sugar and starch... as far as I'm aware this rules out most conditioning cubes, all of the A&P Molasses and Barley free range except Fast Fibre which is only 8MJ/kg, and pretty much every mix going... any ideas??
 
why don't you call them instead?

emails and post aren't the best ways to get a quick response and a week really isn't that long at all (I would imagine they have a lot of correspondence to get through and would also need time to check exactly what happened and how).
 
millitiger said:
why don't you call them instead?

emails and post aren't the best ways to get a quick response and a week really isn't that long at all (I would imagine they have a lot of correspondence to get through and would also need time to check exactly what happened and how).
Click to expand...

I tried calling the first day, but didn't get answered (a problem I've had with their feed line before as well).

TBH personally I think a week is plenty long enough for a correspondence marked COMPLAINT - at least for a response like 'I'm sorry, we're looking into this, will get back to you'. I think having no response at all within that period is ridiculous - yes, they will be busy, but they will have someone whose JOB is to deal with letters/emails etc. I could understand a few days, but nothing in a week? When I've had to make complaints to other equestrian companies, I've had a reply in a day or so - because dealing with complaints is important.

Sorry, I run my own business myself, so I know how important it is to be on top of customer services, and when other companies don't make the effort it does frustrate me...
 
Calm and Condition is 12.5MJ?

Found this has worked for my girl well.

Releve from Saracens is another option but does come in at 12% for starch and sugar combined

I would however be on the phone till I got an answer of someone, ive always found them to be so helpful :(
 
dianchi said:
Calm and Condition is 12.5MJ?

Found this has worked for my girl well.

Releve from Saracens is another option but does come in at 12% for starch and sugar combined

I would however be on the phone till I got an answer of someone, ive always found them to be so helpful :(
Click to expand...

I'll try them again on the phone, but do think it's bad they haven't got back.

C&C is no good, comes in at 13% starch and 5% sugar, so too high :( The energy levels were perfect but just too high in starch... it's a nightmare trying to find a high energy, low sugar and starch feed!! Most low sugar/starch feeds are for lami so they're all low energy... hence why I'm so disappointed with the lack of reply regarding the barley rings in my feed, as ERS pellets were working really well for him!

ETA - I have literally just had an email back replying to my second email. They have apologised for missing my complaint from last week, credit where due.
 
Grass pellets and a balancer?? Or Topspec performance cubes. I would seriously give Topspec a ring, excellent customer service and knowelegable staff.
 
My two go-to products for this sort of scenario are Equijewel and Copra. I've got three on Copra and one on Equijewel at the moment, and the three healthy ones are looking great, with lovely coats and masses of controllable energy! The not so healthy one is maintaining her weight, and feeling well enough to buck and bounce around in the field, which she wasn't doing a month ago when I thought we might be saying goodbye!
 
I agree with S4S.

I also agree OP, there's no excuse for not promptly getting back to customers. even if it's only to say we are looking into it and will contact you at a later date.

I stopped using Dengie after I found a foreign body in some Alfa-A and on ringing to complain got a really unhelpful woman on the phone who told me I couldn't possibly have found it in the feed. So, not a big user of brands who's customer service dept basically call me a liar :p

Hopefully D&H will be more on the ball now, and hopefully it will prove that the feed is what it's supposed to be :)
 
I used to have a highly sugar intolerant WB (think colic if he even had a mouthful of something he shouldnt) that struggled to keep weight on. I had him on Hi-Fi with Performance balancer (Baileys) and Linseed from Charnwood Mills. He piled on weight and never had another episode. Was alot cheaper than normal feed too!

Hope that helps!
 
Capriole said:
I agree with S4S.

I also agree OP, there's no excuse for not promptly getting back to customers. even if it's only to say we are looking into it and will contact you at a later date.

I stopped using Dengie after I found a foreign body in some Alfa-A and on ringing to complain got a really unhelpful woman on the phone who told me I couldn't possibly have found it in the feed. So, not a big user of brands who's customer service dept basically call me a liar :p

Hopefully D&H will be more on the ball now, and hopefully it will prove that the feed is what it's supposed to be :)
Click to expand...

D&H replied saying it did look likely to be Barley rings - the composition looks different, there's (for want of a better term) 'bits' in the rings that aren't in the pellets, and it is a different colour and consistency. It's not ERS pellets in a different shape as different smell/colour/consistency - I thought it looked like barley rings but didn't have any on hand to compare consistency. They did also say that they do run different feeds in batches through the same machines (hang on, I'll quote as it's easier):

"The photograph clearly shows Barley Rings. Our production team make every effort to flush out the system between each batch of product and will also discard the first few bags from each batch run to make sure that the system is clear. This process is usually extremely effective, so for you to have found Barley Rings in your bag of ERS Pellets is not only very disappointing to you but also to us. Please be assured that I will raise this matter with our Mill Manager to try and prevent a repetition of this problem."

Auslander - I will take a look at those too. Anything I don't have to feed in too high quantities is ideal, as he can be finicky and won't eat a huge amount of feed... he's also fussy about me adding oil, and won't eat linseed, and won't eat enough unmolassed sugar beet... he's blooming' tricky.

Checked out the Topspec Performance cubes - there's no info on the sugar/starch levels, does anyone know or should I just phone them?

PercyMum - I have him on the Bailey's Stud balancer at the moment, as the high protein levels suit his muscle problems really well, so he gets balancer, ERS, Alfa-A Oil (but not too much or he gives up eating, he has previously had teeth problems so he's fussy about too much chaff). Have previously tried linseed but he's fussy about it - won't eat Outshine either.
 
Last edited:
Capriole said:
I agree with S4S.

I also agree OP, there's no excuse for not promptly getting back to customers. even if it's only to say we are looking into it and will contact you at a later date.

I stopped using Dengie after I found a foreign body in some Alfa-A and on ringing to complain got a really unhelpful woman on the phone who told me I couldn't possibly have found it in the feed. So, not a big user of brands who's customer service dept basically call me a liar :p

Hopefully D&H will be more on the ball now, and hopefully it will prove that the feed is what it's supposed to be :)
Click to expand...

Thats interesting - the aforementioned sugar-intolerant horse had a very bad colic episode when he had Apple Hi-Fi by accident as it was in a normal Hi-Fi bag (apple Hi-Fi had very high sugar levels). I called Dengie breathing hellfire and brimstone as it could have killed my horse and they paid for all the vets fees and gave me £500. Doesnt excuse their massive error but at least they paid out quickly and with good grace.
 
Pop a complaint on their facebook wall.

I had a similar issue with a dog food company, a found a much larger different shaped piece in my puppy food, they ignored several emails (including photographic evidence) and in the end I posted on their wall. Amazingly about half an hour later I had received a response, an apology and a gift voucher to apologize.
 
khalswitz said:
D&H replied saying it did look likely to be Barley rings - the composition looks different, there's (for want of a better term) 'bits' in the rings that aren't in the pellets, and it is a different colour and consistency. It's not ERS pellets in a different shape as different smell/colour/consistency - I thought it looked like barley rings but didn't have any on hand to compare consistency. They did also say that they do run different feeds in batches through the same machines (hang on, I'll quote as it's easier):

"The photograph clearly shows Barley Rings. Our production team make every effort to flush out the system between each batch of product and will also discard the first few bags from each batch run to make sure that the system is clear. This process is usually extremely effective, so for you to have found Barley Rings in your bag of ERS Pellets is not only very disappointing to you but also to us. Please be assured that I will raise this matter with our Mill Manager to try and prevent a repetition of this problem.".
Click to expand...

That's good then. Well, bad, but you know what I mean hopefully :p
 
PercyMum said:
Thats interesting - the aforementioned sugar-intolerant horse had a very bad colic episode when he had Apple Hi-Fi by accident as it was in a normal Hi-Fi bag (apple Hi-Fi had very high sugar levels). I called Dengie breathing hellfire and brimstone as it could have killed my horse and they paid for all the vets fees and gave me £500. Doesnt excuse their massive error but at least they paid out quickly and with good grace.
Click to expand...

Luckily I spotted the object so it didn't get as far as a bucket luckily, so no harm no foul in that respect, nobody got hurt.
 
khalswitz said:
Auslander - I will take a look at those too. Anything I don't have to feed in too high quantities is ideal, as he can be finicky and won't eat a huge amount of feed... he's also fussy about me adding oil, and won't eat linseed, and won't eat enough unmolassed sugar beet... he's blooming' tricky.
Click to expand...

Equijewel may well suit then.You feed small amounts and it's very palatable. I feed it to the one mare because she won't eat copra, and she hoovers it. She has a major heart problem, and really struggles to keep weight on, so her feeding regime is geared towards small, highly nutritious feeds with no added fibre so that she can digest them very easily. She has a 500g in the morning, and 1kg in the evening with enough soaked grass nuts to mix her supplements in, and is looking much better already. Thats the max amount, recommended for rescue/rehab cases btw. When Alf was on it, he had a double handful morning and evening, and was blooming to the point that I had to stop feeding it!!
 
Capriole said:
That's good then. Well, bad, but you know what I mean hopefully :p
Click to expand...

Haha, yes I know what you mean. Feeling a bit better now they've gotten back in touch. I was just getting grumpy because of the lack of reply - it is a pretty serious thing to have the wrong feed in a bag!!

Will have a good look at some of these alternatives though.
 
Auslander said:
Equijewel may well suit then.You feed small amounts and it's very palatable. I feed it to the one mare because she won't eat copra, and she hoovers it. She has a major heart problem, and really struggles to keep weight on, so her feeding regime is geared towards small, highly nutritious feeds with no added fibre so that she can digest them very easily. She has a 500g in the morning, and 1kg in the evening with enough soaked grass nuts to mix her supplements in, and is looking much better already. Thats the max amount, recommended for rescue/rehab cases btw. When Alf was on it, he had a double handful morning and evening, and was blooming to the point that I had to stop feeding it!!
Click to expand...

Sounds good - I will go and have an explore of this... :D
 
Maybe message one of the Sparkle Sisters? They have a lot of feed experience with mega fussy ponies with special requirements...
 
What about spillers response slow release cubes? I think they're aprox 11mjDE/kg . I'm unsure of starch levels but found they were higher in fibre than even most ordinary low energy cubes and much lower starch than most condition/competition cubes.
 
I've just switched my Cushings mare to simple systems high fibre cubes. They are low sugar, low starch, straw free and although she's only been on them a week, I can already see the difference, she has much more energy now, even becoming a `pita' as she's on box rest. Another plus, I can put them in her snack ball.
Long and short, I'm very impressed with these so far, might be worth a look, or maybe mix them with some copra?
 
Louisech said:
Have you looked at Rowan Barbary's 'Solution Mash'. It is less than 10% combined starch and sugar with 11.0 MJ/Kg. Marketed as suitable diet for ESPM.
http://www.rowenbarbary.co.uk/horse_feed_products/dietary_needs/36
:)
Click to expand...

OMG... this has less than 6% combined sugar starch, and is soaked no less chewing required...will have to see if I can get a sample and see if he eats it.

Looks like a few to try then!!!!

Will also take a look at % on spillers slow response (Have a feeling when I phoned Spillers before they told me the Winergy feeds were better suited for him, but obviously he won't eat enough chaffy stuff...) and the simple systems...
 
khalswitz said:
OMG... this has less than 6% combined sugar starch, and is soaked no less chewing required...will have to see if I can get a sample and see if he eats it.

Looks like a few to try then!!!!

Will also take a look at % on spillers slow response (Have a feeling when I phoned Spillers before they told me the Winergy feeds were better suited for him, but obviously he won't eat enough chaffy stuff...) and the simple systems...
Click to expand...

Solution Mash is brilliant, I use it on my three mares, one with Cushings and other two are TB, they love it and look so well on it. If you contact Rowan Barbary they will send you a sample and all the information, brilliant service from them.
 
Heidi1 said:
Solution Mash is brilliant, I use it on my three mares, one with Cushings and other two are TB, they love it and look so well on it. If you contact Rowan Barbary they will send you a sample and all the information, brilliant service from them.
Click to expand...

This^^

I had a starch intolerant tb on it and he maintained condition very well on it while hunting :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top