A couple of threads are going around about people’s experiences with bad customer service, but it may be helpful for COTHers to know where to go for GOOD customer service.
Whose customer service have you been particularly pleased with?
If you’re in or around the Lehigh Valley, you can’t beat Leid’s Shoe and Saddlery for leatherwork. I’ve shown up with more bizarre requests for tack alteration and their work has never been less than stellar. Same goes for their blanket repair services.
In Canada, I have had great experiences with the following (off the top of my head, will add as I remember)
- Vision Saddlery
- Equestrian Factory Outlet
- Picov’s
- Herbs for Horses
- Willow Equestrian
US tack stores that have fantastic customer service for shopping across the border:
- Haggertys sun shirts
- Farmhouse tack (this is the only place I have bought huntcoats for the last few years and don’t plan on changing that anytime soon!)
VTO Saddlery. If I order something and it’s out of stock, they’re quick to email me and offer something like swapping for another product, different color, free exchange, etc.
I’ve also had great luck with SmartPak, but I feel like a lot of people do so I won’t go into details.
Dover sets the industry standard in my opinion assuming you are buying and returning if necessary to the store. I am done with Smartpak personally.
Kate Wilson who own Dutchess Bridle Saddle.
Great saddle fitter, have been a fan and recommending her for years.
Also I have had good eexoerience with Adam’s Horse Supply.
The Tack Room, Camden (SC). Also has a website.
In Grand Rapids, Michigan: Millbrook Tack. They’ve really been focusing on customer service lately and it shows.
(Plus their text coupons are awesome)
Tack n Rider in Wellington FL
Horsetech and Soft Ride Boots - both have been nothing but exceptional every time I order from them. My horse(s)/dogs have been on Horsetech supplements for years now and I have I think 6 or 7 pairs of Soft Rides from over the years. 
Forgot to add Fosters & Smith - I’ve used them for years and service is exceptional too (along with prices!).
[QUOTE=ChasPonyCat;8649185]
A couple of threads are going around about people’s experiences with bad customer service, but it may be helpful for COTHers to know where to go for GOOD customer service.
Whose customer service have you been particularly pleased with?[/QUOTE]
All the King’s Horses in CT near the NY line- Danny has the best customer relations of any tack shop I’ve been in. He has always made sure it truly was right, ordered anything I wanted and was the best for helping with pony club and 4-H. I’ve never known any other shop to be as helpful as his has been through the years.
Riders Warehouse- ordered a girth and it arrived 3 days later to Canada, sooner than an order placed the same day to a Canadian company.
Canadian company- I have had good service from Pleasant Ridge Saddlery, though I use them primarily for basic stuff.
Farmhouse Tack - online, at shows, in store. Always wonderful service and they go the extra mile. LeCheval Tack- extremely nice and went out of her way to find a belly guard girth that fit with the saddle. Price for girth was best in the US too. Adams is always good. And British store Equine and Country for great prices (even better when there is a sale) on Pikeur with great customer service (done by email as I am in the US).
Used to like Smart Pak until they started playing price games like Dover for sales and coupons. Also really tired of “coupons” that don’t apply to anything in the store. The exclusion list is close to the whole catalog. What a joke.
Dog & Pony Show. Online only. A pleasure to work with
FashionHorse.com. There was an issue with one order that I had with them, and they really impressed me with how they handled the communication and resolution–they went above and beyond to make sure I was happy. I haven’t had problems on any other order.
CrownJewelDesign.com also has fabulous customer service.
Adam’s Horse Supply and Schneider’s are my first two stops when shopping online. If Riding Warehouse had a more diverse inventory, they would be my first stop.
Herbs for Horses (Guelph, Ontario) - they custom-mixed me a tri-amino blend when I was having a hard time getting it up here. Even when our dollar was better, it was still cheaper to have them custom-mix than to buy from the US (even if I picked up in the US). My order is ready quickly and they let me pick up directly from head office since I work in the same town.
Quillen’s - Paris, KY - when I was down for Rolex a couple years ago, I wanted to get engraved plates on one of their gorgeous halters and lead ropes. Quillen’s told me the normal lead time, but I only had one time I could spare to get back and pick it up, so they rushed it for me at no extra charge to make sure it was ready. I use this set for shows, but since my horse rehabbed all last year, it’s been sitting in a storage trunk in a basement. Pulled it out yesterday and with no cleaning or oiling, it still feels amazingly soft and supple. Great leather!
Santa Cruz Animal Health - good prices, fast and efficient service
http://www.scbt.com/animal_health/ultracruz_supplements.html
Lucky Braids - had a gallon shampoo bottle leak all over the place during shipping and they more than made it right.
C4 Belts - Sent me a replacement belt three times when the pattern kept flaking off. I will admit that I finally gave up on that pattern, but not on their belts.
I’ve had good luck with Dover, other than their shipping policies. Have also had good luck with SmartPak.
The Clothes Horse : The owner is fantastic!
Browband with bling : Would order again and again if only I had more bridles!
ehi-us.com : for their lovely products! I wanted to get their Bit butter and was getting ridiculous shipping quotes from Dover (72$) and the rest… I’m in Québec. Well, they shipped directly to me for 12$ and sent me a great lipbalm at no cost!
Dover has always been great for me to buy (and sometimes return to) from. I have never had a problem with Dover, either with the products I ordered or with the service. (I’ve returned only because of sizing, never for anything else.)
Back in the day, it was Kauffman’s in NYC. That store, if I spelled it correctly, used to have all the things we needed for horse showing and for daily riding. No problems ever.
