Help. Sold a saddle with a cracked tree that I didn't know about - wwyd

RubyFrench

RubyFrench

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Recently sold a Wintec saddle that I brought second hand, although fairly new in March. I sold it on very cheaply, but the person has just told me it has been checked by a saddler and it has a broken tree.

Now I could probably count the number of times I used this saddle, and this was only for hacking, barely trotted in and never cantered in, so it must have broken from this light use or I brought it broken.

The person is asking what I am going to do about it, well I don't know. Apparently she has been quoted £120 for a new tree, more than she paid for the saddle. The money she gave me for the saddle I put towards a new saddle so I don't have the money spare and I don't want a broken saddle either!

Please help, I feel really guilty but don't know what to do about it :(
 
How long ago was the saddle sold, and had she used it before getting it checked?
If the saddle was truely broken and you have sold it on, I would say you owe her an apology and the money back for the saddle.
 
The problem is proving that it was broken when you sold it to her, how do you know she hasn't broken it herself?
Did you ever have the saddle checked after buying it second hand? If I was confident the saddle was in good order when I sold it, I'd say tough luck and it would cost her more than a new saddle to take you to a small claims court.
 
SNORKEY said:
The problem is proving that it was broken when you sold it to her, how do you know she hasn't broken it herself?
Did you ever have the saddle checked after buying it second hand? If I was confident the saddle was in good order when I sold it, I'd say tough luck and it would cost her more than a new saddle to take you to a small claims court.
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This^^^
 
Where did you sell it - did you sell it through ebay or was it to a friend/aquantance?

If they bought it from ebay or an auction site - then legally i think its a case of "buyer beware". To be honest,even if they bought it straight from you im not sure that if they checked it themselves, its not a case of that anyway - as long as you arent a professional saddler then surely it would also be a case of "sold as seen" ??

(thinking that Im sure i read somewhere one time that as long as you are just a normal member of the public rather than a professional in whatever field, you cant be expected to know if there is something wrong with something you are gettign rid of - certainally thats the way it works with things like cars....)

If you are feeling really kind, then you could maybe compromise and have the saddle back and refund the cost of the saddle. BUT only do that on reciept of a written report from the saddler that they used IMO, cover your back with something from a proper professional before you accept their word for it.

How long have they had it? Youve only got their word for this dont forget and if they have had it for a little while it could easily have happened since its been in their posession and they are trying it on....

Good luck, hopefully it will be ok - I hate selling things now cos if theres something you dont spot and they go over with a fine tooth comb when they get it its horrible being accused of trying to deliberately con someone.
 
This happened to me. I refused to refund because 1. The saddle was bought through the small ads and everyone knows that's a buyer beware situation when it comes to private sales 2. I was sure the saddle was ok when it left me and 3. I didn't believe there was a problem, knew the saddler involved who was a snob about second hand saddles at the best if times and believed he was angling for a new sale

The buyer threatened legal action but I never heard anything more
 
depends how they purchased it. If it was cash in hand then I would tell her to take a running jump. She might have broken it herself and even if she didnt she saw it before she handed the money over.
 
Racergirl said:
Where did you sell it - did you sell it through ebay or was it to a friend/aquantance? I sold it via a buy and sell horse tack website on facebook.

If they bought it from ebay or an auction site - then legally i think its a case of "buyer beware". To be honest,even if they bought it straight from you im not sure that if they checked it themselves, its not a case of that anyway - as long as you arent a professional saddler then surely it would also be a case of "sold as seen" ?? she didn't even look at it when we met to exchange cash/saddle, she said she was running late for a lesson so took it from me, told me to count the cash and then ran off to her car and off she went. i honestly had no idea that it was damaged, i had been RIDING it for christs sake, my poor horse!

(thinking that Im sure i read somewhere one time that as long as you are just a normal member of the public rather than a professional in whatever field, you cant be expected to know if there is something wrong with something you are gettign rid of - certainally thats the way it works with things like cars....)

If you are feeling really kind, then you could maybe compromise and have the saddle back and refund the cost of the saddle. BUT only do that on reciept of a written report from the saddler that they used IMO, cover your back with something from a proper professional before you accept their word for it.

How long have they had it? Youve only got their word for this dont forget and if they have had it for a little while it could easily have happened since its been in their posession and they are trying it on.... she has had it for 1 week now

Good luck, hopefully it will be ok - I hate selling things now cos if theres something you dont spot and they go over with a fine tooth comb when they get it its horrible being accused of trying to deliberately con someone.
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i feel sick now! EVERYTHING i do seems to backfire on me!
 
Assuming you sold it for less than you paid for it (ie you didnt sell it to make a profit) and it was under £100 then tbh the person who bought it took a risk buying a cheap 2nd hand saddle didn't they, it's not like you *knew* and therefore have a moral obligation to pay the money back.
It also depends on if it was ebay whether you want negative feedback ect. You definitly don't have a legal obligation to pay the money back.
People always want something amazing for nothing these days. I brought a dodgy saddle off ebay a couple of years ago, I only paid about £100 for it, I took the risk, it didn't pay off and I sold the saddle on again.
Its where the phrase Buyer Beware comes from.
 
I agree with above. How do I know she hasn't dropped it and broken it herself? I know it's very mistrustful but unfortunately that's the world we live in! Plus if you are not a dealer it's surely 'buyer beware'?
 
Is it Wintec that give a lifetime guarantee on the tree.

Didn't they used to advertise them with a truck running over them.

If so tell her to contact Wintec.

Other than that you have done nothing wrong. She had the opportunity to check it out and didn't. Its hardly like selling it through the post on ebay.

Forget it, she could have done anything to it in a week.
 
Oh RubyFrench, dont feel bad - its not your fault !!

TBH, when I was writing that lot out I was wondering if Id come across as a total b1tch - im really glad that all of us are saying the same thing to you - Im afraid its hard luck on the girl who bought it.

Have a hug - but dont be feeling that its your fault !
 
To be honest I'd be inclined to tell her to contact wintec about it. You didn't know and you're not a saddler, plus she should have checked it over before running off with it. You offered no guarantees and you're not a business. Contact her, tell her you didn't know and suggest she contacts Wintec themselves for further advice. Don't feel bad about it though, you've done nothing wrong.
 
Firewell said:
People always want something amazing for nothing these days. I brought a dodgy saddle off ebay a couple of years ago, I only paid about £100 for it, I took the risk, it didn't pay off and I sold the saddle on again.
Its where the phrase Buyer Beware comes from.
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NO goods must be fit for purpose and as described, if purchased thru Paypay, and Ebay will always side with purchaser, any vendor on Ebay should be aware of this.
 
I think i'd agree with the 'buyer beware', especially as she didn't check it on collection! I was unfortunate enough to sell a used saddle on ebay & had the buyer get really nasty & demanded return because......the flocking was misaligned so totally unuseable!!! WTF, used saddle, flocking will have moulded to previous horse of course its not going to be perfect!!! Issued full refund, ended up with unwarranted Negative feedback :mad: Qualified saddler had checked saddle previous to sale as well which made me even angrier, afraid there are many dishonest people out there :(
 
Thanks everybody! I feel a lot better now! I didn't sell the saddle on eBay so I guess it is even more so "buyer beware" for her as she doesn't have any protection from eBay? I feel like linking a copy to this thread in my reply to her, there are some good suggestions! I haven't had the courage to reply to her yet, still feeling nervous!! Eep
 
It would be exceptionally difficult to break a plastic tree, like the ones Wintecs are fitted with. You would, literally, have to drive a car over it when it was very cold and brittle.

I would have real problems believing that it was broken in the first place, never mind that you rode on it and didn't notice. My guess is that it just doesn't fit her horse and she wants her money back.

Buyer beware I'm afraid, especially as she had every option to check it before handing over her money and did not bother.
 
I have looked through previous messages between us and I am pretty sure I didn't give her my address, only the town I live in. So I guess I will wait and see if I do get a letter.
 
Hi, you're not on buy & sell horse tack west midlands are you? And from the Hagley area... If so I believe your buyer may have posted about it on there... Just a heads up...
 
Wow, she sounds a... welll... :p

Put a factual reply saying that she had ample chance to check the saddle before paying, that it was not broken when you had it, and she's a chancer!!!
 
TBH if it were me, and since there is no proof either way, I would offer half the money back as a goodwill gesture. The horse world is a small one and you never know when or where you might meet her again.
 
I assume you sold the saddle as seen so it's up to the buyer to inspect their purchase as soon as they get it and inform you of any issues straight away?
How do you know that the buyer hasn't damaged the saddle and is trying it on with you?
Unless the buyer can prove it was faulty when they bought it from you then it's tuff.
Don't feel guilty in to giving her any money, don't take the saddle back and don't give her a refund.
 
I would be telling her to go forth and multiply. Wintec saddles havea lifetime guarantee, so if you are feeling generous then tell her that, I would worry less about being given a bad rep buy the buyer, sounds like an idiot, she should have checked it prior to buying it.
 
my friend had exactly this happen to her when she sold a saddle on ebay! they said the tree was broken blah blah but she had had it checked by a saddle fitter before she sent it, it was a scam! people are so unscrupulous they will try anything to rip you off!! she told her to take a running jump and never heard from her again
 
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