vxf111 I think you are exactly right. They only care about making the sale. Of course they have not offered to pay for my veterinarian to come out a third time. Why does she think her opinion is going to change? Both the rep and her manager have pretty much already said they are more knowledgable in this area than my veterinarian. She has also commented that the independent saddle fitter was not trained like her in France so she doesn’t know how these CWD saddles are supposed to fit. She will never admit she has made a mistake and it is her responsibility along with CWD to correct it.
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Guess the real problem is that your horse also wasn’t trained in France 
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Oh I forgot to mention as well one of her solutions to the shoulder/wither soreness was for me not to use the first billet strap. She instructed me to use the last two since that would take some pressure off the shoulder. That sounds like a good long term solution. A custom fit saddle and I am not able to use the correct billet straps.
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It’s a good thing you are sharing this here w everyone. If you decide to pursue the routes mentioned above, you will be able to have a clear timeline. If any of this was by text or email, all the better! Good luck!
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What type of saddle did you end up with?
I have ended up with a Meyer saddle, and both my horse and I love it, so far. They are a much smaller French brand, known for being designed for shoulder freedom and movement. It is also a wider tree than the CWD, which my horse needed, to insure a good fit. Broke my darn arm the day before it got here on trial 
, I have just started getting back on, and easing into things, but so far so good. My trainer has been riding him in it since the beginning of December, and he has been going great!
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That’s a new one. You need someone else to “break in” your custom saddle? Seriously?
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US Federal law only protects cardholders for a limited time — 60 days to be exact — after a fraudulent or incorrect charge has been made.
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I put my purchase in dispute long after 60 days. I had correspondence proving I had tried to resolve the problem on an ongoing basis…I would guess close to a year.
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Apparently neither does the CWD fitter, if you can’t even use the first billet.
Have you shared your experience in Facebook groups with a large number of CWD owners/ CWD’s target market (such as the HJ tack groups and show chatter pages?) I found that helpful when I was going through my own custom saddle Hell — and wondering if maybe I was just not on the right page with my rep. I found many people with similar experiences and received several messages from individuals who’d gone through similar problems with the same rep. Knowing I wasn’t alone really helped me push for a return.
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Oh yeah – and, by the way, Stubben is okay with this model as well. They even want a little bridging “so the back has room to come up”.
Glad you got your money back — well, for the saddle anyway.
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I put in a dispute with my credit card and they have begun an inquiry. They never mentioned there was a sixty day timeline. I also filed a compliant with the Attorney General’s office today as well. I hope one of them can help me.
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I have not used the Facebook groups. Are there specific pages that you would recommend?
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I have seen many brand reps post in High End Used Saddles, so that would be a good one (with the caveat that your post would have to be framed as a “possibly for sale” Ad, in which you could outline the fit issues you have and your wanting to recoup more than the 33% restock fee would allow.
You can also run a search on the Groups tab for VA- specific groups, HJ groups, and so on. Stick to those with large memberships and a lot of active posts (the group info will show you how active it is).
There is also a Saddle Fit Questions and Answers group, which is modded by pro fitters. It can take a while for a post to get approved (and you will get a lot of advice from non-fitters), but it is a really good resource. There are independent SMS fitters and brand reps in the group, and the more active folks are extremely helpful.
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I did just this, not with CWD but with a bespoke British brand that starts with an A and rhymes with Fadam Fellis. Saddle flat out did not fit. I got an attorney involved (thanks, Mom!) and got the full price of the saddle back. I was out the two fitting fees I paid for though.
I now have a bespoke Black Country that I LOVE. It might end up tight on my young horse though, as she still has a lot of growing to do and the saddle is hitting its width limit. We shall see!
EDIT: It did not come easy. Both Fadam Fellis himself and the fitter were both real peaches to deal with, so I had to go through the parent company the fitter worked for (who had since fired her for poor work quality).
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If you know a lawyer (as a friend), a nasty letter piled on top of the AG’s office inquiry along w the bank inquiry might move things along even faster. I say “as a friend” as I don’t want to to have to spend more money. Good luck! I hope you win!!!
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When did you get your BC? Recently? I adore mine and have been toying with replacing it at some point (with the exact same thing) in the future but my fitter says BC has become more and more difficult to deal with and that’s sort of turning me off a little.
Within the last 3 years. They were superb! I combined the Dante seat/twist with the wexford flap, and put K-panels on it. So, 100% custom.
The first iteration, the flap wasn’t big enough or the right shape for the forward flap, which put the calf block in a really weird spot. It also had a “black country” name plate on the back of the cantle, which I specifically said I didn’t want.
They built me a whole new one, within 2 weeks, and fixed both problems. No fuss about it, just built a new one.
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Can confirm, I’ll not be purchasing from BC ever again. They’re mine own custom horror story and pretty much told my shite fitter (who I’ll also NEVER recommend to anyone in the Ohio or surrounding states) “tough tits” and never responded to me.
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I think you read my post wrong. BC was awesome to work with. “Fadam Fellis” was atrocious.
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