Where do I stand legally?

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Paddy Pony

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I have a very nice saddle but it has caused me so many problems this year that I have missed out on a whole season. I purchased a made to measure/fitted saddle in January. It was delivered by the fitter in February it was slipping a long way to the right on first hack out. I started jumping in it in March and it felt like it was too far forward but the horse was not telling there was any problems at this point jumped again in April and it was slipping forward and to the right then the 8 week check, it was altered and re flocked, May again it was slipping so called saddler out, it was altered and more flocking added to try and level up the underneath because of it slipping. End of May I went on a day rally, saddle slipped forward causing pony to buck me off (little sod I thought I had got away with it but he put a last one in for good measure).
No call out in june as only hacked all month.
Jumped in July and pony was bucking and rearing not sure if it was a bad day or saddle.
August went jumping and saddle was lifting off ponies back a shooting forward so far it was over his martingale strap, he was bronking for England trying to get me off his neck. Called fitter who narrowed gullet and put more flocking in. This made it sit very high and me perch on top. Mid September fitter brought out another saddle for me to try that had point and balance straps on. yes it was better and decided to add those to mine.
a week later tried with new straps, it was still high at this point, it slipped around again and when took off the pressure points were all on ponies withers and nothing at the back, so not and even spread. Called saddler again who made the gulet wider agina to take a sheepskin numnah to relieve pressure of shoulder also said pony has a forward girth groove and i need a shaped girth, so I ordered one. 3 weeks later I was able to try it all out. It still moved forward just hacking and last night I hired a school to jump and now the saddle it lifting up off ponies back so much you can get your arm in between it and his back. It slaps down on the pony and hits me in the bum.
I have mentioned on a number of occasions that it is not symmetrical underneath the pads are completely different, the one on the right is a lot smaller, this is probably was is causing it to slip sideways

I want a refund. The saddle is not 12 months old and I really dont think it is going to fit. I fed up with the pony trying to bite when I do the girth up and dancing around when I put the saddle on his back. My jum;ing has got so much worse I now seem to stand up rather than lean forward almost trying to compensate for it lifting so far. Im only 7 1/2 stone so it is not me making it move like this. The fitter has tried different things but now has said I need to sell it and she can do nothing more for me. I purchased a made to measure saddle from her and it has not happened. Where do I stand legally for a refund?
So 8 months later I am £755 plus 90 for a girth plus £70 for sheepskin and ££ for the call outs worse off with a sore pony and still no fitted correctly saddle.
 
OMG! That is discussing service!

I'd demand a full refund, do this in writing and keep a copy. State that you feel that the saddle is not fit for purpose and if you don't get any joy from your terrible fitter, call trading standards re sale of goods act 1998.
Good luck and I hope your refunded soon and that your poor pony finally gets a fitted saddle.
 
Have you had another saddler out to check the fit, and is your saddler qualified and registered ? I'm wondering if you can demand a refund after 8 months use if you accepted the refits when they were done. Your pony will have changed shape during the year, so perhaps getting it checked by another saddler would be your best bet.

BTW, using a saddle you knew didn't fit for 8 months really wasn't good for your pony.
 
I would pm sbloom, a saddler on here usually has good advice in these situations. I do think £755 is very cheap for a good M2M saddle!
 
Im not a saddler so as for saying that I knew it didnt fit my pony I had my doubts so that is why I was asking the questions, I was putting my trust in them as a professional. It is amazing what people tell you once you start having problems.
I accept that he may have changed shape a little but he gets about the same amount of work all year and I keep him trim all year too.
£755 was good price yes but now I know why. It is leather on top and has the serge underneath and it is only a small seat. It obviously was not made to measure but the measurements taken and the off the shelf one to be made to fit those measurements.
Pay cheap pay twice is the saying isnt it?
 
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Is the saddle a specific brand? or the saddlers own?

Is your saddler a registered saddle fitter?

Does saddler deem saddle to fit now? In which case getting a registered saddle fitter to confirm it doesn't and write a letter in support of this.


It also makes a difference whether it was true M2M or not with regards to any resale value it may or may not have, as opposed to components put together like I think the saddle company does.
 
ester said:
Is the saddle a specific brand? or the saddlers own?

Is your saddler a registered saddle fitter?

Does saddler deem saddle to fit now? In which case getting a registered saddle fitter to confirm it doesn't and write a letter in support of this.


It also makes a difference whether it was true M2M or not with regards to any resale value it may or may not have, as opposed to components put together like I think the saddle company does.
Click to expand...

How did you know which brand it is?
It seems now that the fitter is not a registered one, and has done a course with the company that makes them. She does deem it to fit now yes. I have a chap to call in the morning who doesn't sell brands as such but who can put me in the picture with regard to it. It was called a made to measure but the fitter but Im sure now that it is not what most of us wall call it. Its an off the shelf one that is altered to fit as best it can. This fitter also buys and sells second hand saddles and goes out to fit them. I have started to hear some horror stories and the company and fitter.
 
by brand I meant the company that makes them, have you spoken to them about the problems you have had with their fitter? They may be able to help.
 
I think you've left it a long time to put your foot down. Have you asked for a refund before and been refused one?
 
Challenging given how long it has gone on for.

However- in my opinion, a good saddle fitter would not have needed to be called out so many times to adjust saddle for the SAME problem (in this case slipping forward). I would also say that a decent saddle fitter may have done the right thing and suggested that actually, the saddle wasn't a good fit for your pony in the first place and so it would be best to look for something else. If a saddle needs that much adjustment, surely it isn't a great fit?

I would be contacting the saddler to discuss your dissatisfaction and then contacting the company they work for. Keep a record of all receipts, conversations etc, just for your own memory and to back you up as evidence. A second opinion is always worth it too.
 
Paddy Pony said:
How did you know which brand it is?
It seems now that the fitter is not a registered one, and has done a course with the company that makes them. She does deem it to fit now yes. I have a chap to call in the morning who doesn't sell brands as such but who can put me in the picture with regard to it. It was called a made to measure but the fitter but Im sure now that it is not what most of us wall call it. Its an off the shelf one that is altered to fit as best it can. This fitter also buys and sells second hand saddles and goes out to fit them. I have started to hear some horror stories and the company and fitter.
Click to expand...
I knew which brand as soon as you mentioned serge and the fact it's been widened and narrowed. Sad that after all these years they're still offering the same appalling service.
 
Typical saddle company problems...I had sae thing happen to me but I refused to pay for the saddle when it arrived as it blatantly didn't fit
 
Never liked the look of these saddles and I have met one of their fitters and wouldn't have her fit for me. There seems to be an awful lot of them offered for sale second hand which I don't think is a good sign either.
 
You may still have some recourse under the sale of goods act as the saddle clearly isn't fit for purpose, although for a full refund you may have missed the boat but that's open to discussion as the fault was apparent earlier and clearly the company was aware of the fault as evidenced by all the additional fittings and changes that have been made. The company has made some effort to fix the problem but this has been ineffective so you may still be entitled to some refund/exchange, even if its not the full amount, as despite all efforts it still isn't fit for purpose.

You should also get an independent expert to assess the saddle and complete a report. If all else fails gather your evidence together and think about small claims court.

Some useful advice on this site http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/sale-of-goods-act

Have a good read of your consumer rights, write out all the issues and the dates when they occurred and the dates that you contacted the saddler and when adjustments were made, contact the company and start quoting the various bits of the legislation and you might find that they have a significant "attitude adjustment" once they realise that you are aware of their legal responsibilities and your rights.
 
I did assume it was probably a saddle company saddle by the OPs description, but didn't want to presume that it wasn't one the saddler had made up. Hence I think she should get the company to recommend and alternative fitter to come and assess the saddle. I think like other more expensive brands that use a group of fitters Wows etc the quality of the fit depends on your local fitter.
 
Good luck with that company. I bought a dressage saddle made to measure but the saddle flaps were far too long for me. I was naive and didnt know as was my first dressage saddle. Unfortunately only used it a handful of times before my mare was PTS (nothing saddle or back related) and I held onto the saddle incase it fitted a new horse. New saddle fitter tried it on new horse and said tree was twisted so I sent an email to them to say this due to the lack of use it had and there is a guarantee on it. I got a very horrible response back from them claiming there was no way the tree could twist and if I were to send the saddle back to them and they be right then it would cost me a crazy amount for their time to check it! Would never recommend them to anyone. I also feel that their fitter takes advantage of people with a lack of knowledge regards saddles and looking back on it, I dont think the saddle was made to measure at all for me or the horse.
 
The first thing you need to do is to get an independent saddler out to give you a written report on the saddle and how it fits your horse. You will have to pay for this.
The British Equestrian Traders Association will be able to advise you of someone local that can do this.

Once you have this and it states the issues with the saddle you can send a copy of the report with a letter from you asking for a full refund as the saddle was not fit for purpose.

Some horses are very difficult to fit with a stock saddle so I do have some of my saddles custom made which although more expensive give me a good saddle that will last a lifetime (if not longer).
 
I think you have left it too late to be honest.
Has horse changed shape sinecure original fitting?
Om the saddle has had lots of work done to it too.

Better just to trade if in and buy another.
Probably try a different saddle fitter too!
 
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