Rogue Dealers - what can we do about them??

[Hester]

Having had a terrible experience recently and seen Watchdog on 21 November, what can we poor horse-buyers do about the rogue dealers that are out there? I am not referring to people who don't know what they are buying and blame it on the dealer, but on those who are genuinely duped by a complete fraudster.

I have contacted various solicitors (but the horse is not worth as much as the bill would be) and am currently in touch with Trading Standards who have referred my case to the Office of Fair Trading.

Can we horse owners and buyers not do something to combat the rogues out there?

 

[Bess]

Did you get the horse vetted?

 

[henryhorn]

Sadly it's always been that way and most likely always will be.
Buying a horse unless you are very experienced should be undertaken very carefully, with expert help and a vetting.
To put yourself in the hands of a dealer is madness, and most professional horsepeople can spot their dodges when they view with you.
I went to see a supposedly out of work pony for a client earlier this year.
They claimed it hadn't been ridden for months when it napped with my client, yet it was obvious from the wafer thin shoes without risen clenches it was in regular work.
They were so dodgy it was laughable, the man attempted to lead the pony out of the yard and further up the road so it couldn't nap back to the yard, then when I insisted we ride it from outside the gate, he lunged forwad and tried to grab it as it turned to dive back in the gate!
The small claims court is the best place for your fight, get as many expert witness statements as possible as to the horse's faults and a video if you can if it misbehaves with an experienced rider.
Sorry this has happened but he saying "Buyer beware" is one to keep in mind when buying always.

 

[Happytohack]

Name and shame is the only way, however we might get sued ourselves for slander. The only way to find out who the genuine dealers and the dodgey dealers are is by word of mouth.

 

[Rosyryan]

Name and shame to trading standards office or word of mouth?

 

[MagicMelon]

Not really. The law is buyer beware isnt it? So really, its up to the buyer to know what they're doing (ie. ask the right questions, get it vetted etc.).

What would be the legalities of setting up a website which named and shamed these dealers?? Is it allowed (ie. people who'd had bad experiences told the site)?? Or are you not allowed to do this type of thing?

 

[the watcher]

We can, where we have been sold something unsuitable we can go to Trading Standards, we can also go to small claims court..it is not just the customer who is suffering here, the animal has gone to an unsuitable home too. And when these dealers are prosecuted we should name and shame .

We could all join Horsewatch to be in a network of knowledgable people, we could all join the BHS and get involved..that way potentially meeting hundreds of nice and helpful horse owners..therefore not having to resort to the dodgier dealers.

We need to squeeze rogue dealers out until there is nowhere left for them to go, we need to cut down on the unfit and unsuitable horses they buy at auction to resell

 

[Tufty]

You will prpbably discover that there are many people who have been conned by dealers and unfortunately the only way not to be conned is experience, experience and more experience. Most dealers rely on novice people with too much money and niaivity. There are some simple rules to follow but even then all are not guaranteed.

What annoys me is that people still pay in cash in this world, so therefore helping the dealer to avoid the Inland Revenue and also every day small time dealers advertise on well known web sites as private sales when they are dealers. It is really worth taking someone with you who you trust and who has many years of experience in buying horses if you are a novice or word of mouth. But dont get me wrong some of the genuine private sellers are just as bad as they probably got stitched up with whatever they are selling in the first place.

My friend bought a horse two years ago that was totally unsuitable for her and had many bad habits, she put it up for sale are i quote she said, "If I was stupid enough to buy it surely someone else out there would also be stupid enough to buy it from me, I cant be the only idiot buying a horse !"

 

[annaellie]

I agree with jella I have bought a few of my horses from dealers but they had good rep which they were very good with me. I decided to buy a pony for my daughter the dealer i normally used did not have anything sutiable I went to a private seller asked loads ponie seemed great there was a show near us that done toddler classes and told the lady thats what I wanted the pony for so my daughter who always comes to shows could get involved. She told me she is great at shows. We took the pony the show and it reared and reared with my child on this happened a few times tried the pony in hand classes again it reared. One of my horses had an injury and could only be used as broodmare, the lady that came to look at her was the yo of were i bought this pony from and said oh you still got her the the reason they sold it was there child wanted to show but its a rearer at shows. So yes private sellers can be as bad

 

[Tufty]

I think we may all get sued if we started a name and shame website. but I think this site is very good at detective work without mentioning any names we usually are able to give people warnings. But at the end of the day it is buyer beware and there are also alot of peope who expect "the perfect horse" - let me know when you find one!

 

[the watcher]

Actually you can name and shame if the person's name is already in the public forum, for example if they have been prosecuted in a criminal or civil court..which is why I will always push for this to happen

 

[Tufty]

wish there were more people like you . But unfortunately most of these so called dealers dont get their names in the public arena. If you look on horse deals, horse select, horsemart there are loads of adverts without peoples names on themor the other thing that they do is they sell horses on behalf of clients, I wonder how people stand legally if they buy a horse from a person that sells on behalf of another person, who would they reproach surely the dealer/seller would say "they told me it was fine, seemed fine to me, etc but I have only had it 2 weeks etc" people have to be rally careful.

I think the prime candidates to be fleeced are the non horsey parents who's daughter/son is looking for their first pony. I have seen so many of them over the years being fleeced by these people.

 

[equinewhispers]

A support group has been recently set up for anyone who has had bad experiences with horse dealers, particularly the one featured on Watchdog.

If anyone would like join please PM me and I will send you details.

Together we can hopefully make a difference.

Whispers