Should I have to pay for brand new rug to be altered to fit!

rocketdog69

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Opinions please peeps!

I recently purchased a brand new sweet itch rug to the cost of £200. I rang the company concerned to order it and was asked what size of rug did my horse normally wear. I gave them the size and described the horse in detail ie Andalusian that was gelded late so has big chunky neck, broad chested, cob size head, bit wider between the eyes than normal cob sized horse, chunky in build and 15.2hh.

My new rug arrived and I put it on my horse. It was a snug fit which I expected but after having worn it for a week, I noticed it was rubbing his shoulders.

I contacted the company and was asked to provide photos of my nag wearing the rug so they could see where the problem was ie, was he wearing it in the correct position etc etc. I was told the pictures would show them where the problem was and if necessary they would then alter the rug at my expense plus postage.

Frankly I was gobsmacked to be asked to pay for any alterations. I mean brand new rug, the best on the market and blinkin expensive, you would expect surely that having paid so much money you would get a product that fitted to perfection and not to have to fork out more money after having already paid £200 quid!

Thanks guys!
 

Fazzie

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Did you order just a standard size? unless it was made to measure then they probably can charge if it needs altering. such a pain though as youve paid alot of money and expect it to fit, so understand completely where your coming from
my coloured mare is very stocky and Ive bought tons of rugs and the same things happened as with yours but luckily i have other horses so they just inherit them instead
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ooh and your horse sounds loooveely
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D

Donkeymad

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Unless it was made-to-measure then, yes, I think they are perfectly entitled to charge. Sorry.
 

ISHmad

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[ QUOTE ]
Unless it was made-to-measure then, yes, I think they are perfectly entitled to charge. Sorry.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree. One of our horses is incredibly difficult to get the correct rug sizing too OP, you have my sympathy.
 

rocketdog69

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The company concerned decide what size of rug to send you based on your horses rug size and anything else you can tell them that might help. If they had asked for a million more measurements I would have gladly given them to them.

If you were buying an expensive turnout rug and it didnt fit you woud take it back and get another size, you wouldnt expect to be told by the company that they would alter it at your expense!!!!!

I'm perfectly aware of my legal rights having gone through trading standards and been passed on to consumer rights people and under the sale of goods act the rug is not fit for purpose for which it was purchased and I intend to pursue the matter to a satisfactory ending.
 

black_horse

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cecildog- tbh i think your being a lil harsh on the company. rugs are not made to measure. the only reason you could have in asking them to adjust it at their expense is if it was made to measure.

why bother asking our advice if your to ignore it! i hate customers like yourself...
 

katylee

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but if you brought a rug from a tack shop they would tell you to try it on a clean horse or with a clean rug underneath and then they would swap it if it didnt fit. not after you have used it for a week.
 

black_horse

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[ QUOTE ]
but if you brought a rug from a tack shop they would tell you to try it on a clean horse or with a clean rug underneath and then they would swap it if it didnt fit. not after you have used it for a week.

[/ QUOTE ]

agreed, i work in a tack shop, your either get a refund,swap or set the price off against the purchase of another rug.

your statatory rights do not include items that dont fit. They include items that are not in a satisfactory condition at point of sale,damaged goods or goods deemed unsafe.
 

teddyt

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Unfortunately i dont believe that the rug is not fit for purpose just because its rubbed the shoulders, that is down to the fit being too tight. I know thats the size they recomended but you tried it on and accepted it and continued to use it. If they had actually seen the horse i.e. like fitting a saddle, thats a different matter but by using the rug you have accepted it as being ok, even though it is probably too small.
Put another way -Say i went into a shop for a dress and told someone my measurements and they suggested a size 10. i tried it on and it was too tight but i got it anyway, instead of changing it for a size 14 or a refund. I cant then expect them to alter it at their expense, i accepted it, even though it was the wrong size.

Annoying for you i know but thats my view, sorry
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emma69

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Absolutely. It is like buying a pair of shoes, wearing them for a week then realising they rub / cause pain on the ball of your foot etc. The largely fit in the first place or you wouldn't have worn them (or in the case of the rug, the horse has worn for a week) then problems have occurred. The vast majority of shoe shops wouldn't take back shoes after a week's wear (and quite rightly so) nor would they pay for alterations I think it perfectly reasonable to charge for alterations, as you had the option to check the fit in the first place (most rug companies will exchange if it doesn't fit if you try it on a clean horse / with rug) but you clearly didn't check the fit well enough if it is now rubbing. The rug is perfectly good for the intended purpose, it just doesn't happen to fit your horse - if I bought a pair of size 11 shoes they wouldn't fit me, but they would be perfectly fit for the purpose - the definition under law applies to the goods, not the specific person and whether it fits them or not.
 

Cyberchick

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Sorry I agree with teddyt and I think you are being very unreasonable about this.
Yes you paid a lot of money but at the end of the day the company can only ADVISE of the best size as they are not there fitting the rug for you and horses are so different in shape. You can get a 14.2hh wearing a 6'3 and a 16.1hh wearing a 6'3.
I think they are being quite fair actually in saying they will alter it at your expense and not many companies would do this as you tried it on and I presume walked the horse around in it and let him put his head down etc and then chose to keep it.
 
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