Reply from Ride EquiSafeOct 24, 2023
I have to say that I was quite disappointed to receive this review and feel the need to outline all of the facts.
We started working with you in early June to schedule a group appointment and after significant coordination, were finally able to nail down a date to have a rep travel to you in Michigan in August. We also scheduled a group educational session that was delivered in the interim to provide an overview on safety equipment. The rep traveled several hours with an SUV full of products and we also shipped boxes of additional products from our base in North Carolina.
Based on our understanding of the clientele, we had people interested in air vests and we thought that the clients looking for body protectors were primarily children. Thus, the sub $400 prices that were quoted were for children’s body protectors and the products that were brought for the appointment were based on that. Bringing full size runs of every single product we carry is physically not possible given the volume, so we do our best to bring representative samples based on what’s in stock, knowing that we can measure and order as necessary. It’s simply not possible to bring every single size of air vest and body protector to a fitting that’s many hours away. I will also mention that all prices of every product we carry are clearly outlined on our website.
The rep that was sent is one of most experienced fitters and has been with the company nearly since its inception. There was one body protector out of the entire group that was a tricky fit and a protector was sent per the measurements taken by the rep. Upon receiving the protector, the client felt that it was too snug, so we redid the measurements and sent the next size protector, which the client also felt uncomfortable with. We reconfirmed the measurements and rather than a body protector, the client has now decided to switch to an air vest, which by its nature feels less constricting than a body protector.
Last, it is true that the air vest manufacturers are no longer making vests that have pockets, as riders were putting things in the pockets while riding (go figure!) and the items were creating risk of damage to the air chambers. While pockets are certainly convenient, what is being purchased is a safety product and we make our recommendations to clients based on fit and effectiveness of the product, not pockets.
We are grateful to have helped so many people in your program get into the appropriate safety equipment and will continue to provide the ongoing support whenever it’s needed. :)
