27th August, 2013 The Danger of Recommendations

As a ‘Recommended’ Associate it seems a little ironic to be telling people to beware recommendations. Here I am referring to those given on public forums, perhaps on Facebook, in answer to questions like “Which farrier do you recommend” or “Which saddler would you recommend?”  Often there are several given and I wince as I realise that there are names on there that basically keep me in business through nasty handling techniques or poorly fitting saddles. No-one can refute the recommendation publicly, either because the forum moderator won’t allow it, or because of the fear of legal action for defamation, and people will rarely make the effort to privately message the original poster as even that has to be put in writing. You might argue that they should but the fact is they don’t.