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

I recently took a friend's older style Wintec dressage saddle in to have the plastic points re-fitted as they had cracked and broken. He offered to check the tree as well as its very common that the plastic trees on the older style saddles were prone to cracking. I think he quoted about £75 to replace however he said a large number of cases they should be covered by warrantee where it was evident there was no evidence of breakage, dropping etc etc. I would seek advice from your local saddler. Luckily my friend's saddle was ok but he sees a lot with cracked trees.
 
Hedwards said:
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...
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so what if she did?

the seller on this thread has publicly stated she honestly doesnt think the tree was broken while it was in her posession and only had light use anyway.

it was bought from a second hand advert. The buyer has had it a whole week and could have broken it herself in the meantime.
She didnt check it herself before buying it.

'Caveat emptor' is the phrase here.


Tell her you await the letter from her solicitor with interest because sending that alone will cost more than the cost of a new tree.
 
A week has elapsed since you sold the saddle, anything could have happened in that time.

TBH .- as she paid under £120 for the saddle she should have checked it over carefully. Presumably if she didn't know the saddle had a broken tree until the saddle told her then it is reasonable to suppose you wouldn't know either. Seems odd in a way to go out and buy a cheap saddle then get a saddler out to fit it. Good chance it would go tits up really.
 
Hedwards said:
Lula - I was just letting the OP know... The message on Facebook is not particularly nice and Id want to know if it was me!!
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ah, i wasnt critisizing Hedwards, just didnt want the OP to feel intimidated by hearing the buyer was slagging her off publicly
 
Hedwards said:
DS - I had considered it... :D not my place to get involved...
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Hahaha!

I bought a wintec saddle cheap off facebook a few months ago, the plastic points needed repairing I found out afterwards when I went to change gullet before saddler came, but my OH (uber-mend-anything-man) mended them and I have a cracking saddle, so my saddler said when she came to fit it. :D

I knew it was a risk, but it's just one of those things you have to chance.
 
rockysmum said:
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.
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Agree they come with a lifetime tree guarantee.
http://www.wintec.net.au/company/elastiflexTree.html
 
This will get interesting if the buyer appears here!

For what it's worth, it took a week for the buyer to know about the problem once her saddler arrived, therefore she hadn't even noticed herself. Or checked!

Tough titties I say..
 
Thanks so much everyone :) I am just going to cease all contact with her! I think this thread would be good evidence to show her solicitor!

Hedward (can't quote on my phone) thank you very much, I have blocked her so cannot see her post, so what I can't read can't hurt me :)
 
cptrayes said:
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.
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Exactly!
As a professional saddler of 25 years I have yet to see a broken synthetic tree through normal wear and tear, I'm not saying it's impossible just VERY hard to break one and the saddle will show signs of damage on the surface.
I offer a free saddlery (all saddlery) safety check for people who want their saddles, bridles etc checked before and after sales to stop this sort of thing happening but very few people ever bother, hope you get it sorted and if I were you I'd require proof that the tree is actually broken before I parted with any money, Oz :)
 
My thought exactly. Ask for a written statement from the saddler. I am a cynic and think that anyone buying a saddle this way is unlikely to want to call out a saddler - why not do that in the first place?
I have some good second hand saddlers but ALL have been fitted by and purchased from a saddler.
 
Could someone PM me a link or the name of the fb group please ? :)
I think the person is chancing their luck TBH, but curious to see what they are saying. :)
 
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