Thunderbrook Feeds - your thoughts & experiences please

maisie06

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The people who own it are the rudest, vilest people I have ever met and on that basis alone I wouldnt feed it if it was the last feed one earth :lol: Lots of forums/FB groups wont allow the brand to be mentioned at all as it just causes such grief with the company owners

However I also dont like the ingredients, so even if they were lovely, charming people it still wouldnt be for me :)

I agree, so so rude.... I would stick to Dengie!!
 

Shilasdair

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I agree, so so rude.... I would stick to Dengie!!

I called the Spillers helpline the other day, to ask about ingredients (for one horse's allergy issues) and the lady there was lovely - found out the actual feed composition for me, and e-mailed me within what seemed milliseconds.
So I'd recommend Spillers customer service too. :)
 

IveRunOutOfNamesToThinkOf

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Sorry this is an old thread, although I’ve read it all and doubt I’ll be accused of being an employee!

I joined specifically for this post although a long time reader and member of some Facebook groups which this opinion may not be welcome

I’ve been a user of TB for a while now, have heard the issues regarding customer service and to be honest I’ve dismissed it (rightly or wrongly) as my horse was happy and I’d not experienced it personally

However after a recent delivery issue I contacted them (a little worried after hearing not so good things) and all went well, lady who answered was empathetic and very nice, couldn’t give me a solution but asked me to email a photo of damage, came off the phone relived and happy

After the email was sent the responses were rude and very much coming across as suggesting I was lying to receive free items and on the one phone call we had he was a little scary sounding. I only wanted a replacement to a damaged item. Awful customer service, not on the whole, just from the one person who was clearly the “boss man”
 

Genuinerider

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Sorry this is an old thread, although I’ve read it all and doubt I’ll be accused of being an employee!

I joined specifically for this post although a long time reader and member of some Facebook groups which this opinion may not be welcome

I’ve been a user of TB for a while now, have heard the issues regarding customer service and to be honest I’ve dismissed it (rightly or wrongly) as my horse was happy and I’d not experienced it personally

However after a recent delivery issue I contacted them (a little worried after hearing not so good things) and all went well, lady who answered was empathetic and very nice, couldn’t give me a solution but asked me to email a photo of damage, came off the phone relived and happy

After the email was sent the responses were rude and very much coming across as suggesting I was lying to receive free items and on the one phone call we had he was a little scary sounding. I only wanted a replacement to a damaged item. Awful customer service, not on the whole, just from the one person who was clearly the “boss man”
To be honest after the flying accusations from this lot about working for the company! I kind of suspected they were in fact working for a rival company! Anyway, I’ve been really pleased with the product and my horse is doing really well on it ??I’ve had no reason to contact customer service and would be the first to be like a dog with a bone if I felt they were not being reasonable. Keep trying and demand your consumer rights. I hope you get it sorted out :)
 

Shilasdair

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To be honest after the flying accusations from this lot about working for the company! I kind of suspected they were in fact working for a rival company! Anyway, I’ve been really pleased with the product and my horse is doing really well on it ??I’ve had no reason to contact customer service and would be the first to be like a dog with a bone if I felt they were not being reasonable. Keep trying and demand your consumer rights. I hope you get it sorted out :)

The ruder you are, the more we all believe you belong to this notoriously rude company, Thunderbrooks.
And no, I work in education. And I know what most of the respondents on this thread do for a living - they are NOT rival feed companies.

As an aside, I can't quite believe how stupid Thunderbrooks must be if they don't realise that their/your behaviour damages their reputation.
 

Genuinerider

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The ruder you are, the more we all believe you belong to this notoriously rude company, Thunderbrooks.
And no, I work in education. And I know what most of the respondents on this thread do for a living - they are NOT rival feed companies.

As an aside, I can't quite believe how stupid Thunderbrooks must be if they don't realise that their/your behaviour damages their reputation.
Oh dear… clearly a case of the ‘kettle calling the pot black’ In education? Wow.. you’ll know then everyone has a right to an opinion!! Mine is evidently different than your own but, you can get over it.. it’s fine and it’s not worth showing yourself up for. Enjoy your education!!!
 

brighteyes

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Now I want to ring Thunderbrooks up just to see! I don't even use their feed. Are they a bit like Simple Systems with few outlets and palletised stuff you have to buy in bulk only or what. I've never seen their products about nor heard of anyone who uses them so I would think they can't afford to be snippy at folks. I wonder if they have read this thread - which I have come across since I tend to be lazy and look for 'What's new' rather than trawl each forum.
 
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Genuinerider, you’ve joined and posted just 9 times and all about Thunderbrooks and don’t seem to like anything anyone else says about them. Surely, you can see how it appears you work for the company/have some connection.

Everytime this thread pops up, it just reminds me how incredibly awful their customer service is. Not the best advert for a company is it.
 

tallyho!

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When you go back to the basics, research what you are going to feed, spend time educating yourself on all the analysis... you then do not need to rely on companies that make these compound feeds to suggest their products. Even less, rely on facebook posts.

What this allows you to do is find safe ingredients from trustworthy sources of any brand, and avoid being "blinded by science" reading company blurb - there is truth in what they are saying I'm sure but will it work for you? That's the question.

No one knows your horse as you do.

What an amazing time of information prosperity we live in today. I love the different opinions and if I find something new and interesting I like being able to get the search engine out and analyse the info for myself and decide if it will work for my combination of horses.
 

Cowpony

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Tax person here, working for a big drinks company :D. I feed TB products to my horse, as she gets very itchy if she has any soya at all in her feed, and I found it impossible to find any other brand which doesn't have soya or alfalfa in it. I've never had to call them, so can't comment on their customer service, but my mare loves the meadow nuts and muesli. She won't eat the Synergy on its own but eats it when mixed with the rest of the stuff. She's looking good, seems happy and settled on it. If that changes I'll look for something else to feed her, but for the moment I'll continue using it.
 

Shilasdair

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Oh dear… clearly a case of the ‘kettle calling the pot black’ In education? Wow.. you’ll know then everyone has a right to an opinion!! Mine is evidently different than your own but, you can get over it.. it’s fine and it’s not worth showing yourself up for. Enjoy your education!!!

Oh, you absolutely have a right to an opinion (this is a bit of a contested point in HE at the moment though, regarding 'cancel culture' but we won't go there) and to state it on this thread.
It's a matter of credibility online - so I believe Cowpony's post above, saying she's happy with the feed as she's a long term user, posts about other topics, is a member of the community - but I don't believe yours.
 

PurBee

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I’ve enquired by email with TB about feeds im interested in and wanting to find out more. They were helpful, got response and follow-up exchange responses within a few days.
I’m encourged by this as i contact via email many feed companies and i’ll get a response from 30%!

I cant comment on their feeds, as im yet to use them, except to say they offer organic feeds, which most suppliers dont at all....so thats a plus if thats what youre after.

Yet really the true measure of any company is not how good they are at selling their products, or even if their products are any good - its how they behave when you, their customer, have a problem with what theyve supplied you.
Are they willing to exchange? Even a whole pallet of stuff thats ‘wrong’ in some way?

I’ve ditched good feed product companies due to them not taking the financial hit of them giving me the wrong feed. I buy in tonne bulk so if an order goes wrong its a significant loss for me financially if the company wont replace.
Inversely, ive had companies of haylage brands who’ve replaced a whole tonne of feed when it was ’unsuitable’.
That’s stellar customer service and im still their customer.
( I do mean un-feedable when i say unsuitable,(mouldy, wrong ingredients/toxic plants) - not that the pallet was stacked wonky and im a fussy muffin!)
 

FireCracker238

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In peoples experience does the attitude just come from TB themselves or does it filter out into their stockists? I've never dealt with Thunderbrooks directly, but I have issues with their main stockist in my area, enough so that I feed my lot another feed brand ?‍♀️
 

TPO

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In peoples experience does the attitude just come from TB themselves or does it filter out into their stockists? I've never dealt with Thunderbrooks directly, but I have issues with their main stockist in my area, enough so that I feed my lot another feed brand ?‍♀️

TB themselves. I havent had any contact with the male but spoke with the female and she was awful.

I have seen him online being aggressive and abusive towards others.

Absolute bargepole.
 

Nasicus

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"The customer service is bad"
"Well, I haven't had any experience with the customer service but..."
Where's the logic in that? Great if you like the feed, but that's not what is being debated here.
 

pansymouse

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I use TB Hay Cobs as treats - they're like cat nip to my horse. As we get through less than two bags a year I'm happy to keep using them. She doesn't like any of their other feeds and gets Pure Veteran Mix as her main hard feed.
 

Fjord

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I was using TB hay cobs for Fatty McFatface but they were quite pricey and not as low calorie as Baileys fibre plus nuggets. So I switched and Fatty hasn't noticed.

Plus I read the whole thread from the beginning and was halfway through before I realised it was so old!
 
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Fransurrey

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In peoples experience does the attitude just come from TB themselves or does it filter out into their stockists? I've never dealt with Thunderbrooks directly, but I have issues with their main stockist in my area, enough so that I feed my lot another feed brand ?‍♀️

The founder in my case. They used to give seminars and I went to one. The seminar was basically trashing every other feed out there and farming practices (but conveniently never mentioned that organic does not mean chemical free), but I agreed with their reasoning behind their product. At the time I worked in gastrointestinal disease research and so sought out the founder, who is supposed to have a PhD in the field of nutrition, so I was looking forward to chatting about the gut. The moment I revealed that I was a scientist she bolted - literally hurried off and comically avoided me for the rest of the 'social' aspect of the meet up. Other people noticed it, to the point I was asked what I'd done to upset her. I can't bring myself to feed the product of a company that cannot even engage in basic discussion of something they 'believe' in.
 

HBB

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I liked their Herbal Chaff and muesli.
I've also had a problem in the past with one of their products which meant I had to contact them. I found him to be very helpful via email and my problem was resolved, until I went on to FB and read an extremely condescending post on their page regarding the issue I had found with their product. I have avoided using them since.
 

Genuinerider

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Oh, you absolutely have a right to an opinion (this is a bit of a contested point in HE at the moment though, regarding 'cancel culture' but we won't go there) and to state it on this thread.
It's a matter of credibility online - so I believe Cowpony's post above, saying she's happy with the feed as she's a long term user, posts about other topics, is a member of the community - but I don't believe yours.
After commenting as a new member regarding my experience with TB, I was then subjected to sarcasm, mockery, accusations - I was not just experiencing this from yourself but from others! Do you really think that is a persuasive way to encourage engagement on other posts? To suggest I have no credibility because I am a ‘Newbie’ is discrimination! Not only that.. a number of you came across as absolute bullies! I simply commented truthfully on my positive experience with the company? It’s seems because I am able to provide positive feedback - this didn’t meet with expectations or approval and I was then bombarded with sarcasm and accusations- It’s not me with the issue here!! It’s the example you’ve set which doesn’t sit well with me. Why should I bother to comment on other posts? I don’t sit at home trolling through horse & hounds forums … if there is something I google and the subject is in the forum then fair enough and that doesn’t mean to say I have to comment. I’m reading through ppl’s advice/experiences which may possibly help! Just like this thread, everyone is entitled to post their experiences and not be ridiculed for it!
 

TPO

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The founder in my case. They used to give seminars and I went to one. The seminar was basically trashing every other feed out there and farming practices (but conveniently never mentioned that organic does not mean chemical free), but I agreed with their reasoning behind their product. At the time I worked in gastrointestinal disease research and so sought out the founder, who is supposed to have a PhD in the field of nutrition, so I was looking forward to chatting about the gut. The moment I revealed that I was a scientist she bolted - literally hurried off and comically avoided me for the rest of the 'social' aspect of the meet up. Other people noticed it, to the point I was asked what I'd done to upset her. I can't bring myself to feed the product of a company that cannot even engage in basic discussion of something they 'believe' in.

Well said

I am most definitely not a scientist but when I tried to discuss their feed (base mix) on the phone with the "brains" behind it she got extremely rude and aggressive. I wasn't challenging anything at a PhD level; simply asking basic questions.

At that point in time (late 2010/early 2011) the Base Mix bag and the website didn't have ingredients available, possibly also no nutritional analysis iirc. I was spoken at like I was stupid despite her ot being able to answer the simple questions that a stupid person asked.

The people behind the brand are diabolical
 

Follysmum

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Wouldn’t touch their feed for one reason only. The silly man that’s involved. Lots of other companies that do similar or even better examples are

Simple systems
Emerald green
Northern crop growers (Graze on)
Agrobs
 
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brighteyes

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After commenting as a new member regarding my experience with TB, I was then subjected to sarcasm, mockery, accusations - I was not just experiencing this from yourself but from others! Do you really think that is a persuasive way to encourage engagement on other posts? To suggest I have no credibility because I am a ‘Newbie’ is discrimination! Not only that.. a number of you came across as absolute bullies! I simply commented truthfully on my positive experience with the company? It’s seems because I am able to provide positive feedback - this didn’t meet with expectations or approval and I was then bombarded with sarcasm and accusations- It’s not me with the issue here!! It’s the example you’ve set which doesn’t sit well with me. Why should I bother to comment on other posts? I don’t sit at home trolling through horse & hounds forums … if there is something I google and the subject is in the forum then fair enough and that doesn’t mean to say I have to comment. I’m reading through ppl’s advice/experiences which may possibly help! Just like this thread, everyone is entitled to post their experiences and not be ridiculed for it!
BUT do you work for them?
 
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