Should Magasines be held responsible

Can we not take responsiblity for our own care? I for one shake the mags out b4 purchase. As for this Co being difficult (which I would not touch with a barge pole), people are keeping it in business. If their custs are all not happy then there are plenty of choices, they can move. Mags base part of their income on advertisers, who are they to suggest what we do & do not read/see? They are not breaking any laws & if people can read then they have the intelligence to make up their own minds.
 
This company does advertise on flyers, it also advertises within the magasines themselves as well, so discarding the fliers does nothing.

As for 'Can we not take responsibility for our own care' well yes we should but then when you are new to horse ownership & you need ie insurance, & you see a company advertise extensively in 'Respected Equine Press' potential customers assume (wrongly) that the company is well run & looks after their client base. Unfortunately this belief is often misguided.
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You mention 'I would not touch with a barge pole'....did you find this from their advertising? OR have you heard bad reports via other people?. Obviously from other people. Some people don't hear this & sign up believing they are with a reputable company. Oh & just because someone is not breaking the law does not mean they are acting in a proper manner.
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As for those saying 'I'm happy with the way things are' ..........This is the attitude that if a problem is ignored or doesn't involve me at the moment then I'll ignore it and it will go away. Extremely selfish & self centred. One day you will have a problem & seek help & people will turn their back....you are now.
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As for those saying 'I'm happy with the way things are' ..........This is the attitude that if a problem is ignored or doesn't involve me at the moment then I'll ignore it and it will go away. Extremely selfish & self centred. One day you will have a problem & seek help & people will turn their back....you are now.
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That's a bit uncalled for and a ridiculous thing to say!
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What you are suggesting is (although a nice idea and I agree with the sentiment) completely unfeasible. I appreciate this company have had a lot of bad press, and I'm aware that there have been many complaints about them however they are still in business and must have some customers who are relatively happy otherwise they would not still be in business.

Insurers are regulated by the FSA, and answerable to the ABI (Association of British Insurers) and the Insurance Ombudsman- THESE are the institutions set up to protect people from companies who do not play fair- it is not for a horsey magazine to decide whether or not a company is suitable for it's readership!

Besides, how would a horse magazine go about ascertaining whether these complaints should be upheld?

If you are that concerned perhaps you should write to this magazine with your views rather than accusing those that don't share them as being extremely selfish and self centred? Might be a bit more constructive?
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There is nothing that says that H&H or any other magasine has to take advertising from any particular company. If they receive complaints about the company thern it is perfectly within their power to cancel the contract & if they wish forward the complaints to the relevent authorities, rather than compounding the problem by continuiing to carry the adverts.

You say' Ridiculous thing to say'....but that is what you are doing...Yes..... because you are 'happy with the way things are'
 
Yes, I am happy with the way things are and would suggest that those looking for insurance recommendations might find a publication like 'Which?' magazine more useful than seeing what drops out of H&H.

As I say, in a perfect world then yes- totally agree but we don't live in a perfect world and H&H can't possibly be expected to be seen to have given it's stamp of approval to every company whose adverts it publishes.
 
Howabout HHO people getting together to report any dodgy equine insurance companies to the FSA, insurance ombudsman, so that something can actually be done. Given the stories i've heard both online and through my OH, there has to be something for them to take a look at. Maybe a collation of instances would help them along.

Obviously would have to be done by email rather than on the forum, but just a suggestion - kill off at source/improve rather than indirectly through magazines.
 
Do you really think that's it's reasonable for every single publication to "vet" the companies that advertise with them, and us to then put trust in what they deem approved companies?
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I for one would never place that amount of trust in the media - I like to make my own mind up.
 
Not asking for a stamp of approval by H&H, stamp of approval has never been mentioned or wanted....would be impossible....but considering no one has mentioned any company name we all seem to know the company we are talking about & as one person has said 'wouldn't touch them with a barge pole'
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If we all know how bad a company is, then H&H & other publications must as well, so why are they continuing to let them peddle their questionable services in their respected magasines.

Sometimes income should not be the deciding factor
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No one has mentioned vetting companies.....

It's great not to put your trust in the media...but at some point you try & make an informed decision & this invariably is made from the printed word. These companies only tell you the good things...of course they aren't going to tell you that they may sit on claims, not pay out, find reasons not to pay out etc when every other will pay out in similar circumstances.

Personal recommendation is great but sometimes there is no one to recomment you
 
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No one has mentioned vetting companies.....

It's great not to put your trust in the media...but at some point you try & make an informed decision & this invariably is made from the printed word.

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True, but an advert in a magazine is not going to convince me, and to make an informed decision I would need a lot more information then a couple of adverts in equestrian magazines. I may see the flier in a magazine and then decide to look into the company further, but I would never think "They are advertised in H&H so it they must be good"
Perhaps you should credit H&H readers with a little more intelligence.
 
I think many on this forum are being 'wise after the event'.

Anyone who accesses this site will know of the problems some insurance companies cause & it is unlikely anyone on here would become a client. However many times new people come onto this site & ask questions & then find out the terrible truth.

Again personal recommendation is great but alot of people don't have access to these recommendations for this service. The initial advert would not make you sign up but it probably will make you phone up for a quote. All the right noises are made by these companies & as we all know with any insurance.......you never know how good the company is until you have to make a claim. Then you find out
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If you dont like what the magazine is doing, dont buy it. I stopped buying any of the equine magazines about five years ago, when I realized how little useful content there was compared to advertizing space. At £3+ per time, it costs almost as much as a book anyway, and books have a far greater useful information:space taken up in my house ratio.

The magazines exist to make money; if you dont like what theyre doing, let them know why, and then stop buying them, and see how many likeminded people you can convince to do the same. There is no point in complaing if youre going to keep giving them money anyway.
 
What about renowned bad dealers then? Should H&H allow them to advertise?

I won't go on and on as I have kind of made my points already but one final thing I will say is that I think if H&H were to start doing what you suggest I actually think it would make things even worse for consumers as they would potentially be lulled into a false sense of security. Sadly, what you are suggesting could not be implemented in the simple, unilateral way you describe.

If individuals have a problem with any service provider they should personally take it up with that provider and if they are unhappy with the outcome they should persue it through the relevant regulatory authorities.
 
Any way, thanks everyone for the debate...I'll say goodbye now because although I've been sure not to mention the name of any company I will not be surprised if I am banned for a while
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....I hope not because a bit of lively debate about something of importance is needed occasionally rather than discussing if 'Pink trimmed bridles are the next must have item'.
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Thanks to all who took part
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LOL you won't get banned! If admin weren't happy they'd have removed the thread by now I would imagine.

You are quite right, it is nice to have a debate about something like this now and again
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Unfortunately although I would like to agree with you; I don't think it's only down to magazines like H&H to police such companies as these!!, as there are many other ways of sourcing them (ie the internet) that leaves unsuspecting customers well and truly in it when it comes to making a claim. However, seeing as there seems to be such overwhelming evidence of customer dissatisfaction perhaps the insurance ombudsman/trading standards should be the ones to take a closer look at companies who do not deliver the service they advertise. I enjoy the magazine and although all the adverts can be a bit if a pain the rest is very good.
 
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When the 'bad dealer' stories were in the press, Horse And Hound were questioned as to why they allowed them to advertise in the magazine.
I think they stated it was illegal discrimination to refuse advertising on such grounds.
 
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