Saddle fitters/retailers!

[Dovorian]

OK, need a saddle for a new horse, not looking for bargain basement - around £1K for good fit, suitable for purpose and fits the rider. So how on earth do saddle sellers expect to be paid to bring saddles out? Have been quoted £75, with no guarantee they will have anything to suit.

Is it me, or is this a bit of rip off Britain?

 

[pootleperkin]

I think that with the price of fuel at present, you can't expect a tradesperson to come to you without charging a fee - after all, they might have something suitable, but you might choose not to buy it, leaving them completely out of pocket.

Some of the saddlers I used in the past didn't charge, but I think travel expenses are just too high now and they would lose their margin - after all, no matter how much the saddle costs, they will still make a similar-ish amount of money on it.

I recently paid a £50 set travel/assessment fee and bought a £700 saddle, which the saddler had to order in for me. So she made two visits and spent around 3 hours with me in total for £50 plus whatever she made on the saddle. I don't think that is too rip-offy? Obviously I would rather not pay £50, but I see it in terms of a one off cost that is only the price of a set of shoes or so!