Ingatestone Saddlery Centre - www.ingatestonesaddlery.co.uk

wanted a saddle prepared to pay a lot of money roger turned tried three saddles that didn't fit even though he'd seen the horse. When I asked if he had other bearing in mind they have hundreds in their shop. He said didn't have any that would fit him. Took all of ten mins at most and then left still have no saddle for my horse. Customer service nil

Have been going to ISC for many many years and can honestly say, have not a negative word to say about them. Their staff are first class, many young yes, but super knowledgeable and when you find someone who lacks knowledge in a certain area, they go and find someone to help rather than simply bluff.

Whether you're there spending £16 on fly spray and the kids spending an hour window shopping or spending a fortune, you always get treated the same.

Bonus is a decent café on site too

Keep up the great work

Marc

Went there yesterday with the intention of buying my daughter everything for her new pony! What a joke. Had to approach at least six members of staff for help. None seemed knowledgeable nor keen to be helpful. Nobody wanted to move from their position to assist on another aisle! When paying (begrudgingly as it was my daughters birthday and she would have been very upset to leave empty handed) the scruffy older lady on the counter didn't seem bothered that we hadn't been helped and failed to say please or thank you at all during the transaction. A fellow customer actually helped us find the things we wanted. When we complained to customer services, again a scruffy looking older lady seemed very uninterested. I highly recommend not to go there. You are better off in Harrods!!!

If you want good customer service then avoid the older members of staff. They seem to think they are doing you a favour just by being there, grumpy and rude. God forbid you complain...

The younger members of staff can be really helpful but don't go there for advice...

As said the cafe tucked away in the back is a little gem and get place for lunch and a horsey chat with friends.

Saddlery prices are reasonable and there is a fair selection but books and dvd's are expensive, much better to buy from amazon.

If you buy anything be aware that they seem to believe that the Sale of Goods Act does not apply to them! So make sure that all expensive items are bought using a credit card so that at least you can get help from the card company to recover your money ;-)

I have been using Ingatestone Saddlery center since they opened the store.

The selection of products is very good and prices have improved over the last few years coming down to match surrounding (although most smaller saddlery centers have been pushed out of the market)

The staff have always been hit and miss to be honest, I've found two or three members which will bend over backwards to help you, they really are very good, on the other hand there are some which are very rude, abrupt. I have found this is normally with the older more senior members and often involves the customer service side of things (i.e refunds, exchanges etc)

Shame as this store could be far more inviting if they had some sort of customer service/communication training.

The final blow came when after purchasing the THIRD bale of haylage which was off, (and I do not mean a slight smell, damp etc) This was almost black, absolutely foul smelling and full of sticks and debris and have had two other horse owners tell me they would not feed it to their horses.

I was sneered at by one of the (believed to be the co-owner) and another member of staff at the customer service desk and after telling me they often have people 'moaning and bitching' about the smell of Haylage she then told me to carry the 20kg bag back into the store so they could 'have a look' at it.

No mention of a refund or any kind of apology for this being the third time in two weeks.(the other bags I had just thrown away)

Would maybe expect that behavior from a junior Saturday girl but certainly not a senior member of staff.

Overall disgusted with the way I was treated and will most certainly be taking my business elsewhere.

Ordered a rug for my horse on their website, arrived the next day-well packaged, even got a text in the morning telling me the time I would get my order. Fantastic service-will definatley use again :)

I regularly use Ingatestone for all my horsey stuff including feed and bedding. Always found them helpful and reasonable. A very pleasant atmosphere in the store.

I had a saddle fitted in November by their saddler Roger on my 9 year old horse. My horse was definatly not an easy fit! The saddle had to be made with a deeper gusset so had a 4 week wait. However it is perfect, Roger came out and checked it once it arrived and I love it. Fits my horse and very comfy for me. 5* service from the store and from Roger.

brought some riding boots! Amazing value for money, & superb fast delivery!! Very helpful :) Would recommend, & i will deffiently be shopping online there very soon!

Just tried to buy a foal rug over the phone so I could have next day delivery. Most unhelpful staff member on the phone, questioning me why I want to buy over the phone. Rather rude.

Customer service has slightly improved inside the store, but I don't think I will bother with it again. They are obviously not wanting to sell!

Until moving to Suffolk I regularly used Ingatestone Saddlery. They are very competitive and have a very good choice. Whenever an item was out of stock, they would place it on order and then phone once it was in the store.

If I ever need large expensive items now I still travel down (75 miles) to buy from Ingatestone Saddlery. I cannot find anywhere in Suffolk to compare.

I have never purchased a saddle from them so I am unable to comment on the saddlery side but for everything else I give them 5*.