Saddler #2

If you are stumbling upon this post without warning, please feel free to refer to this post for background... and it might be useful to read this post too: Saddler #1

Saddler #2

The second saddler came with recommendations from another friend at the yard, so I thought it must be a good sign. I contacted them in early April. They took a while to get back to me and in the meantime another friend was due to have her saddler round and offered to share an appointment. So I left the booking the appointment with this Saddler 2 until I knew when my friend's appointment was going to be. Hers was taking a while and as these guys could come sooner, so I decided to pay for the whole call out myself (£45 for just a call out!) with this saddler that had been recommended. 

Last week they came and basically looked 'horrified' and said it's not suitable for R at all and I should take it up with the original saddler, as they don't want to do anything to it. They said the panel below was too hard and there was not enough material for them to flock it, etc. They said I'd done the right thing by padding it up with a gel pad which improved the fit.

I was obviously quite upset and shocked having had such a condemning assessment of the saddle. After all, I had spent a lot of money only about 9 months earlier in getting it specifically made for Rainbow, so I felt a little hard done by. I wasn't expecting such a total dismissal. 

So asked these saddlers if they had any saddles they could recommend/sell to me while I was going to take up the issue with the original saddler. I wasn't really in the position to buy a new saddle, but if our current saddle was so unsuited and I was to get any money back for it, or if it was going to take a long time to get it fixed by the original saddler I would need a saddle in the meantime. They said they would get back to me with quotes for a Thorowgood dressage saddles, as I had expressed interest in getting a dressage saddle anyway. I felt good about the appointment and their way of dealing with me during the appointment, but what has now transpired is their total lack of spur. The appointment was over a week ago and they still haven't emailed me information on saddles and prices! They know how 'desperate' I was for a fitting saddle and almost prepared to spend the money, so this should be just an easy sales follow-up from their part. But I have not yet heard anything. And I don't feel that I, as the customer, should have to chase them up for prices for a saddle – especially when they wrote in the invoice they also gave me, that 'follow up with prices for a Thorowgood saddle' and took measurements of Rainbow for it.

I have now also spoken to yet another lady at the yard, who has been their customer and she's said they had never got back to her about various items she'd ordered from them. She has heard nothing! And she was prepared to spend a lot of money with them, having already spent a lot as well. I run a business and I don't let my clients wait one single moment if they contact me for my services. Totally baffling to me. It only makes me think that they must be really busy with more important clients... So, no, I don't think I'll be dealing with them either.