Buying Equipment a Duty of Care

[spavo]

A Question for everyone.

When beginners are buying equipment who has the duty of care to make sure the equipment is correct. Our club will advise beginners on the length, weight, and possible depending on the demands and needs advice to the make and model, but this is rare, normally advice to buy a "goodish riser" and not so good limbs as well grow out etc.

Now on Wednesday and Thursday of this week several beginners have bought equipment over the internet (not one on e-bay purchase this year thank God), but every bit of equipment that has been done this way some part is was incorrect (3 sets) i.e. wrong arrow rest (it just doesn't fit) completely wrong spine arrows.

Now if they walked into any dealer they would say that the rest doesn't fit try this, two members went the local quicks and got that level of care. Should the same duty of care be done over the internet or is it down to the club to pre screen potential purchase's, is it possible for an internet based company to notice, should they have a bit on the order form stating first every archery purchase.

Just throwing it out their to see what people think.

[not dead yet]

internet purchases from known retailers?????????

lack of brain at retailers i would say.


then again a first time buyer should browse the shop atleast

pete

[Furface]

I would say that the duty of care as far as the club is concerned extends as far as saying "Take the advice of an expert before you purchase, and only use the internet when you are totally confident that you completely understand that advice. Going to a shop is preferable for the first few purchases as you will get that advice". We cannot be held responsible for the acts of others away from our clubs. Would a driving instructor be neglecting his duty of care if, having been taught safe driving, his student drove over the side of the Cheddar gorge?

[Robert]

If you go to a shop you'll be paying for the advice and expertise of the retailer and you should expect them to suggest appropriate kit for you at the level you are currently shooting at.

If you choose to go down the distance selling route you get cheaper product but no comeback if *you* choose an inappropriate combination of (say) riser , limbs , rest, arrows - how is the retailer to know you are trying to assemble a bow and not buy an ILF riser for yourself, some non-ILF limbs for a club bow a rest for your mate to save on postage and arrows for your wifes compound ?

I'm not sure that the legal sounding "duty of care" applies in either case but in the former you'd be entitled to redress from the retailer *if* you follow their expert advice *and* as a result come out with (say) massively mis-spined arrows. Not aware of this actually happening though...

There are, sadly, a number of cases of new archers following the latter route and ending up with a dogs breakfast of a bow...

[spavo]

Originally Posted by not dead yet

internet purchases from known retailers?????????

lack of brain at retailers i would say.


then again a first time buyer should browse the shop atleast

pete

The Retailers are well known, and I have personally used all of them

Originally Posted by Furface

Going to a shop is preferable for the first few purchases as you will get that advice". We cannot be held responsible for the acts of others away from our clubs.

Nearest Archery shop is nearly a 4hr road trip

Originally Posted by FURFACE

Would a driving instructor be neglecting his duty of care if, having been taught safe driving, his student drove over the side of the Cheddar gorge?

harsh but fair

[JaniceH]

Unfortunately with the cost of everything being a really big issue, not everyone has the means or the funds available to ignore the cheaper online prices. Especially if its a VERY long way to a good archery shop, not everyone has transport either.

Weve got a form in the back of our 'beginners archery book' which can be filled out by the coach. It has things on it like: Preferred bow length/Estimated Draw Weight lbs/Estimated Draw length/Suggested Arrow length/Recommended Spine choices/Sight/Bow stringer/Finger tab/Bracer/Armguard. This could easily be used for an online shopping list, although I would probably check out what I wanted to buy exactly with my coach first.

It also has a recommended equipment list (bracing height gauge/bowsling/spare string details etc) together with Optional extras.

May not be the best way of doing things, but sometimes people dont have much of an option. £50 difference in price would pay my food bill for a week.

[darthTer]

When someone is buying blindly over t'internet, the retailer has no idea if the good are to be used together or not....

If you expect a retailer to question the contents of EVERY order to make sure of the intended use, the overall cost of interet good will increase as retailers will need extra resources.

Buying over the phone, is different since you can actually comminicate with the retailer and check that all the bits fit correctly.

As with a lot of things, communication is the key. If the buyer doesn't ask question of the folk who know - shop or clubmates - then they are the ones at fault 100%

What would be wrong, would be if the item was returned unused and a replacement was refused.....

Duty of care lays completely with the buyer!!!! No one else.

[spavo]

Originally Posted by darthTer

When someone is buying blindly over t'internet, the retailer has no idea if the good are to be used together or not....

If you expect a retailer to question the contents of EVERY order to make sure of the intended use, the overall cost of interet good will increase as retailers will need extra resources.

Buying over the phone, is different since you can actually comminicate with the retailer and check that all the bits fit correctly.

As with a lot of things, communication is the key. If the buyer doesn't ask question of the folk who know - shop or clubmates - then they are the ones at fault 100%

What would be wrong, would be if the item was returned unused and a replacement was refused.....

Duty of care lays completely with the buyer!!!! No one else.

Good Point's I wonder if, one the order form they could have has a "industry Standard"

Complete bow being order
Complete Beginner

totally understand that Retailers have got the resources to question everything but if flags where put into place then in the long run could save time and money, their's noting worse for a beginner all happy about his purchases to be told that they need to send some back or they have wasted their money

[BorderBows]

Am i right in saying that you have, with all internet/mail oder transactions covered by a law that gives you 21 days to return the goods without question...
This might be a UK only thing, but you cant be expected to buy under a you bought it, Tough luck trade style.

The colour is not the colour i saw on my screen so i dont want it has been used with us before... Pain in the backside for us, but one we take on the chin.
If the retailer does not want a "this doesnt fit my riser, return, then they should add it to the web page or cataloge. Product X is not compatable with product Y.

What do you think?

[spavo]

Originally Posted by BorderBows

Am i right in saying that you have, with all internet/mail oder transactions covered by a law that gives you 21 days to return the goods without question...
This might be a UK only thing, but you cant be expected to buy under a you bought it, Tough luck trade style.

The colour is not the colour i saw on my screen so i dont want it has been used with us before... Pain in the backside for us, but one we take on the chin.
If the retailer does not want a "this doesnt fit my riser, return, then they should add it to the web page or cataloge. Product X is not compatable with product Y.

What do you think?

That would work.