UKC

I bought two harnesses off eBay, military surplus grade 1 advertised as in full working order they arrived and I couldnt see any damage, I got a email from the company a month and a half after I started using them saying:
We have been made aware that the repair and test on the harness you have purchased may not meet the requirements laid down by (EN12277).

We would ask that you stop using this item and use the EBAY returns process to return this item to us free of charge for a full refund.

If you have any questions relating to this, please respond to this email.

Regards,

The description did not say they had been repaired, just that they where grade 1 and fully working.
I pulled the padding of the waist strap way back which revealed that it had been cut and stitched back together on both harnesses.

After using them and trusting my life in the equipment and then to be told this is terrifying.

Do I have legal ground to get more than just a refund and my life "luckily".

In reply to Floatingboater:



http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=637236

In reply to Floatingboater:
Stop buying f*cking safety gear off ebay.
Atleast it's been recalled.
Black diamond, petzl and DMM recall gear all the time. Sold as new yet is faulty.
Do you see people sueing them after using the gear for a year. No

In reply to Floatingboater:

Apart perhaps from an apology, what more do you think ought to get over and above a refund?

In reply to Floatingboater:

I just can't understand this whole buying from Ebay thing when it comes to kit that will hold your life. Even buying second hand I'd personally be wary as you've no idea what falls gear has taken or if it's some copy. Thats no reflection on the honest members on here selling kit but I just value my life far too much to save a few quid.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

Yeah agreed. Gears always on ebay for a reason.

In reply to Floatingboater:
Just dont buy soft safety gear, Harness`, Ropes, Slings, anything with slings or cord on it. etc second hand. Especially from Ebay where theres no traceability as to its provenance.
Theres too many people prepared to scrimp on safety gear that cant always be correctly inspected visually

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:


Because people want to sell it?

In reply to Floatingboater:

I think that this whole thing has played out OK. Yes the harnesses were repaired and this wasn't mentioned. But they as i understand it they were repaired properly and tested. However this still didn't seem quite correct so they were with drawn a refund offered

So yes the risk was greater than a new harness. But its not true that you were in effect climbing with no protection

In reply to Floatingboater:

Phone the Citizens Advice Bureau for advice, they're very helpful. I doubt you'll get much, but they'll let you know one way or t'other.

In reply to Floatingboater:

No way am I taking whippers onto a harness and rope bought from some complete stranger... If I was that short of money I would just solo diffs, or boulder.

In reply to Floatingboater:


Oh, grow up.

You bought a cheap second hand harness from eBay, you didn't inspect it, didn't notice there were any issues, and decided of your own volition to use it for climbing. Nothing happened, and the seller owned up and contacted you to offer a full refund. A good chunk of the responsibility of you being "terrified" lands on your feet.

So out of this you come out with your life "luckily", a full refund, and a valuable life lesson to always inspect your kit regardless the provenance and to not be a cheapskate when your or other people's lifes depend on it. You never know, that could save somebody's life in the future.

In reply to Mr Lopez:

The harnesses were advertised as new not second hand. They were not as described.

In reply to marsbar:
If these were the ones selling at £12 -99 each youve got to ask yourself what did you really expect for that price ?

http://tinyurl.com/h848dyq
{Thanks TMM for the link}

In reply to Floatingboater:


Can you demonstrate to a court that you have sustained a financial loss?

If not, you might sue for distress, inconvenience, trouble and upset.
Good luck with that!

If I were you you I would move on with my life, having learnt a few things. - Try using your head when buying kit on which your life depends in the future.

In reply to Mr Lopez:

And it's not just their life. Imagine him as a belayer with that harness. Everyones going to get f*cked and he's gonna feel terrible standing at the bottom of the crag harnessless, watching climber rock on down. He's the climbers anchor after all

In reply to zimpara:


all the more reason to buy from a credible source in the first place?

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

This. Why on earth would you ever buy a used harness from eBay - are you nuts?

In reply to Floatingboater:

I call troll

In reply to Floatingboater:

http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2016-04-07/suffolk-trading-standards-seize-o...

In reply

http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2016-04-07/suffolk-trading-standards-seize-o...

In reply to Gills:
http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2016-04-07/suffolk-trading-standards-seize-o...

In reply to Floatingboater:



I commented in the other thread on this & as a someone who was a trained re-seller of specialist rope access gear, climbing gear & as a climber myself I have a better understanding than most.

The seller basically mislead buyers & his reply of """"We have been made aware that the repair and test on the harness you have purchased may not meet the requirements laid down by (EN12277).""".... is the biggest understatement I have ever heard, & proves that even the ebay seller does not know the EN standards & what goes into them & what you can & can not do to "repair" equipment.

Fecking numbnuts the lot of them...

In reply to Floatingboater:

Easy to say with hindsight, but a refurbished Petzl harness, advertised as 'cut, repaired and tested' and sold on Ebay for £12.99 says to me 'Do not touch with my life'. A bit of common sense and worst case scenario thinking needs to be appied to shopping for safety gear on Ebay I think. Particularly anything linking into the belay system as it could potentially endanger my climbing partner also.

In reply to Floatingboater:

Could you post a photo of the offending harness so we can see how obvious or otherwise the repair is and maybe get an idea of the quality of the repair, ie. is it some good quality stitching that doesn't look out of place on a harness/sling or wold it look more at home on a shirt or jacket.
Thanks.

In reply to Mr. Lee:

The description was changed later (see other thread) initially it said new and surplus to requirements. It was changed after the complaint and then withdrawn.

In reply to 99ster:

There's nothing wrong with a used harness that's a private sale from someone who maybe didn't use it much. It's a bit different when it comes from a trader.

In reply to Floatingboater:


The only thing that terrifies me is that people are buying used, life critical equipment from dodgy sources (anything other than an authorised retailer) and being to ill informed or to lazy to perform a satisfactory evaluation of its condition. That's only terrifying because it puts other peoples lives at risk.

In reply to Floatingboater:

Ask for compensation, he might give you a new harness.