Did you know Mothercare's Policy on Buggy Boards???

[Toothache]

I went into Mothercare yesterday to enquire about buggy boards. The assistant almost popped a blood vessel explaining to me that they don't sell them as they don't believe in them!

And that if you use a buggy board then the guarantee on your buggy/pram/pushchair is void!!

Apparently the guarantee is only valid for the pushchair to be used for one child, and are not able to cope with the weight of 2. Therefore, they are m ore likely to be damaged.

Surely there are Pushchair manufacturers that also sell buggy boards to go with them????

Do buggy boards cause THAT much damage to pushchairs?

Also, how the heck would the manufacturer know that you'd been using a buggy board?

Experience/views/comments all welcome.

It is true about the guarantee being void if you use a buggy board

Sorry - no experience otherwise.
Others will be able to help much more

Hi toothache
I had heard on mumsnet before about this policy, but chances are your pushchair is out of guarantee anyway. We've been using a buggy board on a graco and its back wheels haven't given up yet. You can sort of understand the manufacturers point as they didn't design the pushchair to have another child standing on the back axle and I am sure they would try and wriggle out of a replacement if they thought you had been using a buggyboard. I'd get one anyway I couldn't have survived without one

Keepingmum - I haven't bought the pushchair yet... so it certainly isn't out of guarantee!

The back axels broke on my ds's Britax Solo Travel System when he was 8mths old. I hadn't used a buggy board and it was supposed to be suitable for up to 3yrs old.

Britax woulddn't fix it unless I packaged it, sent it 400 miles and even then they wouldn't give me an indication of the cost or the length of time I'd be without it. I disgrace IMO. I only got 8mths use out of it, hence why I'm buying another one. I just don't want to use a buggy board, damage to occur and then be left with yet another broken buggy that the manufacturer won't fix.

Do any Pushchair company's sell buggy boards that WON'T invalidate the guarantee?

My mothercare travel system survived a buggy board with no ill effects. It also coped well with having a 4 yo stood on the back of the basket or, on a few occasions, curled up in the shopping basket.

I guess the manufacturers have every right to void the guarantee if you've damaged your pushchair with a buggy board unless their product is specifically designed to take one. If you've used the same pushchair from birth for your 1st child, like KeepingMum said, chances are that it is out of guarnatee anyway.

You can get pushchairs with a built in step at the back.

Nope, Buggy is brand new and only ordered online yesterday....

We've always used an Aprica pushchair (Windsor Prestige I think) with a swivelling handle and it has a broad strong step which has been a great buggy board alternative for 2 older siblings - we turn the handle so that the baby in the chair is facing you, then the toddler stands between you and the chair, under the handle - they love it as they get to look at eachother...... although I now want to buy an umbrella fold buggy and use a buggy board or 'seat2go' as the pushchair takes up so much space folded in the car boot. Also Peg Perego (I think the same as Mamas & Papas?) make a good pushchair (Pliko?) with an equally broad strong step behind intended to take a toddler, and I've used a friend's one and it's great (apart from when you need to lie the baby flat when there's no room for the toddler...)

Mountain Buggy will honour warranty but only on the new models and only if you use the buggy board they recommend. Fair enough really.

Mothercare don't believe in them? - for goodness sake they'll believe in them when they have finally sorted out their own pushchairs to take the additional weight and fancy flogging a few themselves.

3 wheelers which huge steps at the front can easily have a child sitting on them. but dont tell mothercare we do this

my guarentee is invalid anyway as dd2 weighs aove the recommended weight.