Read the OP’s posts. OP says she asked her to remove this thread.
[QUOTE=mvp;7925753]
What? How do you know Meyers is reading this thread?[/QUOTE]
I know of two people, at least, who bought saddles from Colleen. They patiently waited months for the saddle (which is not unusual). During this wait period, Colleen was not responsive to texts, emails or phone calls about when the saddle might arrive. Both saddles did arrive (yay!). And then when the saddle needed adjusting, Colleen never responded to email, texts, or phone calls to come out and check it. That was it. Once she made the sale, she was out of there.
Buyer beware–definitely–on working with this saddle fitter.
[QUOTE=Sparkybella;7926321]
I know of two people, at least, who bought saddles from Colleen. They patiently waited months for the saddle (which is not unusual). During this wait period, Colleen was not responsive to texts, emails or phone calls about when the saddle might arrive. Both saddles did arrive (yay!). And then when the saddle needed adjusting, Colleen never responded to email, texts, or phone calls to come out and check it. That was it. Once she made the sale, she was out of there.
Buyer beware–definitely–on working with this saddle fitter.[/QUOTE]
Similar story. I’ve known 3 people who purchased saddles from her. One waited 2-3 months with no communication and then could not get a response when the new saddle arrived but didn’t fit. Another waited close to a year and ended up with a saddle that was not what was ordered (seat size/leather/color differed from what they wanted), and a third waited longer then I’d think was necessary for an “off the shelf”(?) saddle (no custom options, no tricky fitting) and was told that it was the maker’s delays.
The saddles are nice, and for years I’ve heard positive things about her ability to fit… but there are plenty of other reps who carry nice saddles and know how to take measurements & make adjustments, keep you in the loop while you wait for the pricey item to arrive (even if it does take a while) and then make sure you’re happy with it.
Yikes! sounds like several unhappy customers! I’m very glad to know this information.
[QUOTE=jn4jenny;7925625]
Obiwan, I really encourage you to tell Patrick Saddlery and Adam Ellis that based on your communications, Colleen is doing this with multiple brands. Patrick Saddlery and Adam Ellis are quite literally down the street from each other, and Fairfax Saddlery (which handles Kent and Masters) is nearby too. They’re all members of Walsall Equestrian Society, and I’m guessing the other WES members would appreciate a heads-up that a previously excellent buyer is not completing orders.[/QUOTE]
Already done. I emailed this thread to Patrick earlier this week. He has read it.
I’ve got news! The events of today, while on my way to the barn Colleen called. She brought up this thread, her mild unhappyness it was still alive, and how it had reached a vast amount of people and was causing quite a sir in her office with many calls. I don’t think just from customers but also from her suppliers and others she deals with. I asked her some questions inspired by all of you, like, ‘if you were having problems with Adam why didn’t you let me know’. Her response was that Adam was not fulling communicating and that he would say he was working on my saddle, she was just relaying his info. I don’t understand why if that was the case, Adam so freely offed up the information that he hadn’t even started my saddle and didn’t plan to, to me.
Nor does that explain why Patrick saddlery won’t do business with you either (I was to chicken to prod her about my patrick saddlery conversation).
Also mentioned by her is that for me to really understand what was going on she would have to put Adam in bad company and cause his reputation to crumble. AND that she would have to reply directly to this forum to set us all strait and know what is really going on. Which she plans to do (unless she convinces me to delete it {I don’t know how, and won’t}).
Moving on, she showed up at the barn. Due to a pep-talk from a wonderful fellow boarder I started right out that I was uncomfortable doing business with her after the whole situation, “here is your loaner saddle, it is clean, good bye”. On comes the ‘your horse is really hard to fit and you’re going to have lots of trouble unless you chose ME!’.
In my back pocket was the ‘I had to call the police to get you to call me back’ card, to which she responds, I kid you not, “The police never called me”. Um, yes they did. They called back telling me they spoke with you (or at least someone in your office, unless your office people thought the police were trying to buy a saddle). When you call me 5 minutes after the police said they spoke to you, I’m just going to throw caution to the wind and say that, that was not a coincidence.
After many more ‘your horse is hard to fit’'s, I told her I’d struggle around with others and if it got really bad I’d give her a call some other time. So off she went!
I do hope she does follow through with setting us all strait. I really would like to know why I was lied to for 5 months and why this isn’t the only saddle maker who has her account on hold.
Cheers, thank you all for your help! You’re all wonderful.
I am glad this ended well for you, and glass raised to Discover card, but I do wonder what happened to your original 2k. Hoping that question might be answered in the forthcoming explanation.
So with all those excuses not once did she offer you back your 2,000?
I look forward to her posting here and offering her side of the story to clear things up.
In another field I have had to deal with a “certain type” of “expert” who markets goods and/or services. Some of these particular types are truly expert and produce excellent work - when they produce it. BUT their MO is a looong history of bad deals (the link posted above to the BBB complaint was nearly a year ago) and it doesn’t change, year after year.
Occasionally they will come through and that will bolster the record of recent good deals. That will encourage new customers to say to themselves “well she/he had an unfortunate run of bad luck, but it is all over now” and go ahead with a new transaction - ending up out money, with nothing to show for it. And usually a few houseguests are helping out as well on reputation enhancement.
Adam Ellis should know she is throwing him under the bus. He may not think so, but she could do him damage - rumors live forever. He needs to terminate his relationship with her, now, and say so publicly. He needs to NOT let her tell his story without an answer to the public. This is how business is these days - don’t let someone else run over one’s public image, because it is likely to matter long term.
Glad you got your money back, OP! I vote with those who say to start over - new saddle-fitting, as well as new saddle order. Hope you and your horse are happily saddled soon! 
I find it sadly hilarious that several people pointed out her MO (oh your horse is so hard to fit, only I can fit it), and she followed the exact MO today with OP :lol:
(I just assume my horse is permanently crippled from having only ill-fitting saddles in her life, as I had never heard of this wizard woman before.)
[QUOTE=Obiwan;7926574]
I’ve got news! The events of today, while on my way to the barn Colleen called. She brought up this thread, her mild unhappyness it was still alive, and how it had reached a vast amount of people and was causing quite a sir in her office with many calls. I don’t think just from customers but also from her suppliers and others she deals with. I asked her some questions inspired by all of you, like, ‘if you were having problems with Adam why didn’t you let me know’. Her response was that Adam was not fulling communicating and that he would say he was working on my saddle, she was just relaying his info. I don’t understand why if that was the case, Adam so freely offed up the information that he hadn’t even started my saddle and didn’t plan to, to me.
Nor does that explain why Patrick saddlery won’t do business with you either (I was to chicken to prod her about my patrick saddlery conversation).
Also mentioned by her is that for me to really understand what was going on she would have to put Adam in bad company and cause his reputation to crumble. AND that she would have to reply directly to this forum to set us all strait and know what is really going on. Which she plans to do (unless she convinces me to delete it {I don’t know how, and won’t}).
Moving on, she showed up at the barn. Due to a pep-talk from a wonderful fellow boarder I started right out that I was uncomfortable doing business with her after the whole situation, “here is your loaner saddle, it is clean, good bye”. On comes the ‘your horse is really hard to fit and you’re going to have lots of trouble unless you chose ME!’.
In my back pocket was the ‘I had to call the police to get you to call me back’ card, to which she responds, I kid you not, “The police never called me”. Um, yes they did. They called back telling me they spoke with you (or at least someone in your office, unless your office people thought the police were trying to buy a saddle). When you call me 5 minutes after the police said they spoke to you, I’m just going to throw caution to the wind and say that, that was not a coincidence.
After many more ‘your horse is hard to fit’'s, I told her I’d struggle around with others and if it got really bad I’d give her a call some other time. So off she went!
I do hope she does follow through with setting us all strait. I really would like to know why I was lied to for 5 months and why this isn’t the only saddle maker who has her account on hold.
Cheers, thank you all for your help! You’re all wonderful.[/QUOTE]
[B]Thank you for filling us in.
Did she say she was going to place $ 2,000 back into your CC account?[/B]
[QUOTE=enjoytheride;7926627]
So with all those excuses not once did she offer you back your 2,000?[/QUOTE]
Funny thing, it was only after she left that she texted me and asked if I would like a refund check.
[QUOTE=Obiwan;7926703]
Funny thing, it was only after she left that she texted me and asked if I would like a refund check.[/QUOTE]
LMAO. I would say a BIG FAT NO to that!!!
CLASSIC!!!
[QUOTE=Obiwan;7926703]
Funny thing, it was only after she left that she texted me and asked if I would like a refund check.[/QUOTE]
She just needs to return money to your CC account.
Refund check would be too much hassle, because then you would have to send it to your CC company anyways. Plus, it might not clear.
I don’t think eventing78 is a troll. I am pretty sure it’s someone from my barn who posted in her defense.
CM is very well regarded in our barn, and one of her saddles is the envy of all the riders. I hope this is just a rough patch for her. She really does excellent work.
I also want to point out the other saddle fitter our barn works with has a very high opinion of CM’s work and has had nothing but good things to say about her.
OP, I am sorry it has been tough for you. I hope that you and CM both get back on track and start the new year off in much better shape!
[QUOTE=starhorse;7926595]
I am glad this ended well for you, and glass raised to Discover card, but I do wonder what happened to your original 2k. Hoping that question might be answered in the forthcoming explanation.[/QUOTE]
I’m glad Discover refunded the money to the OP but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It was not Discover’s fault and the OP should have gotten the saddle fitter to give her the refund. This is the sort of thing that raises credit card prices up for everyone!
Plus I’d be pissed that the saddle fitter still has that 2k! Even though you have the money refunded she doesn’t deserve to have it.
[QUOTE=Jaegermonster;7925805]
the saddle fitter still has the original $2000. The OP is being reimbursed by Discover, no one is reimbursing discover as of yet.
so yeah the saddle fitter is making out. I wouldn’t buy a rock from her much less a saddle.[/QUOTE]
From what I understand, merchant credit card services companies usually hold money from their merchants so they can fulfill refunds and, in the OP’s case, a chargeback. For my company, my credit card services company withholds funds from my bank account for about two weeks. So, in CM’s case, let’s say she ran $5K in credit card transactions today. The credit card company would hold on to that money for two weeks. Instead of depositing $5K (minus processing fees) into her account, they will now only deposit $3K into her account (minus processing fees AND chargeback penalties). They will therefore get paid back $2K plus all fees.
So, the bottom line is that Discover will get their money back.
Don’t ask me what will happen if she has no credit card transactions in the queue. I don’t know what would happen in that case.
https://www.dalpay.com/en/support/chargebacks.html
A little education for us all! If you don’t care to read, it says the CC will take the money right out of her merchant account… the one that when she takes any cc the money goes through. Unless she outright stops accepting plastic, my cc will get the money back. Plus they will charge her a fee
As for the reason I chose to do a charge back? I’d already initiated it before making contact, at that point I was worried I’d lost the money. There was no point in canceling the charge back and praying she would send a passable check in the mail.
Plus I pay my credit card fees, the fact that I have to pay them and now I needed to use one of the more advanced services offered by the fees charged, I’m grateful. Most of us moan about these fees, but I find it nice to know that when I got into a bad situation they had my back. For the hundreds I’ve paid in fees, this one scary situation was definitely worth it.
