Pramsled Reviews 

Reply from Pramsled

Updated Feb 4, 2024

Hi Tania,

Thank you for taking the time to update your review and for the extra information you’ve provided. In response to your update, I felt there would be some benefit in updating my original reply too as it might help to offer some additional reassurance to the explanations offered earlier. Overall, I’m really sorry to hear that your experience hasn’t been positive. But I really appreciate the time you’ve taken to feedback especially over the past few months to improve the slide ability which has been very beneficial. Again, the TrustPilot reply box only allows a very limited character response. So we’ve needed to keep our reply short to fit with this. As a small family business we put a great deal of weight behind trying to provide a high level of customer service and your opinion is very valuable to us. So I would be very happy to discuss things further if need be.

Kind regards,
Craig Hudson

1) “The materials are flimsy/cheap, with polystyrene half tubes and a plastic-like sheeting, complete with sticky pads” … “equivalent products made of similar materials (like baby change mats or waterproofs) are either significantly cheaper or presented in a much more high end finish and fabrication”
The materials are very high value. We tested many types (during development). None performed more excellently to do the job. The sled works in a very arduous environment. The performance of the materials is critical to the design and they have a very structural role to play (in contrast to a changing mat or rain cover for example). Despite this, the durability far outlasts many other soft-type products and is testimony to the design. Both sheet and bumpers need very high strength to resist the continual impact from the pram wheels. Yet, they also have incredible flexibility. This is needed for bending around very tight spaces in the home (e.g. door frames). The thickness of the sheet is a very high grade too. It needs to be very wear resistant to withstand the continual sliding, but also needs to be foldable in two directions (for assembly). It can’t be too thick else it would be tricky to roll into shape (so the design is optimal). The materials are also picked to be very lightweight (especially the foam bumpers) which is key to making the ride handling easier. They’re also waterproof & mould resistant which is essential for wet environments. The presentation is something we’ve worked on meticulously to get right too. However, most of the components are only visible for a short duration anyway because the assembly process involves folding the sheet in a clever way that neatly wraps around the internals to leave an elegant minimalist appearance. Overall, we believe the flex fit represents excellent value for money given the many unique benefits it provides. As a small family business we will naturally have larger than average overheads. Many costs we have incurred we have not passed on. The price is comparable (or better) than many other baby essentials.

2) “it doesn’t slide that well on our carpet”
The slip is well balanced for usability and safety. Additionally, your feedback over the past few months on this topic has been very beneficial. We hope to offer a special polish to address this in the future. Many thanks!

3) “it takes an hour to assemble”
We’ve tried to make this stand out on the website as we understand that assembly is not for everyone. However, it makes the product more affordable for the customer. Lots of other products require assembly too (including prams and cots). It is an advantage many are happy to benefit from.

4) “I would expect [the product] is also visually more attractive”
The assembly guide is straightforward and ensures a good finish can be achieved. Also, from the first use, the product will take on the mud etc. from the pram wheels. So it will naturally have an appearance aligned to this environment.

Reply from Pramsled

Nov 14, 2022

Many thanks for the great feedback!

Reply from Pramsled

Nov 2, 2022

Hi Grace,

That great to hear! Many thanks for the time you’ve taken to review us!

Best regards,
Craig & Rebecca

Reply from Pramsled

Updated Mar 22, 2022

Hi Jayne,

Many thanks for taking the time to feed your experience back to us. The Pram Sled is a unique invention that we’ve worked relentlessly on over many years to get every aspect of the product right. Not just on the functionality and benefits that the product itself provides, but also on the website and overall customer experience too. So I’m really sorry to hear that your impressions haven’t been as positive as we’d have wanted. While I realise you may not feel able to change your opinion at this stage, I’m hopeful that you would allow me an opportunity to address the comments you’ve made with the aim of building confidence about the product itself.

Overall, we’re a small family business and put a great deal of weight behind trying to provide a high level of customer service. So your opinion is very valuable to us. If you have any queries with any of the information below or would like to discuss anything further then please email us at info@pramsled.co.uk and we’ll do everything to provide this to you as best we can.

Kind Regards,
Craig & Rebecca Hudson


1) "When it arrived I was disappointed to find that the sled is made up of plastic sheeting and foam blocks."

The Pram Sled is incredibly fit for purpose and the materials it is constructed from have been well researched and all perform excellently under the conditions and environment they are subjected to. Structurally, the product is formed from a flexible sheet which is a key aspect of the design from which it derives much of its success. It has high strength in tension where needed (for sliding forwards and back), but it also flexes (compresses) easily on the sides and edges. So it can bend and squash to fit through tight spaces in the home and reach areas that would be unachievable if it was any stiffer (more rigid).

The flexibility also means it can fit any pram, as well as providing a compact fitting finish every time. This is quite a clever feature because it means it only uses the minimum floor space necessary, which further improves manoeuvrability in every situation.

To talk a bit about the foam cushions (blocks), these too are extremely well suited for the job that they do. They help to make the design super lightweight, which makes it very agile. Not just for sliding with the pram on it, but also for moving it into position in preparation for docking. The cushions also have enough stiffness to resist the continual impact from the pram wheels. Yet, they are soft enough to hug the wheels (to give a nice snug fit) and help with squeezing through limited access areas in the home too.

The soft-type design also means that it’s much kinder on the home furniture. So it won’t damage skirting boards or doorframes if it gets bumped into them (which would be more likely if the design was stiffer).

The flexible sheet and foam cushion components are also recyclable. Plus, there is good ground on the sustainability that is provided by using the product too. That’s because by using it, the floor says clean. So it saves use of floor cleaning products (which typically come in single-use plastic packaging). It also saves on the electrical & heat energy consumed in the process (especially if using a professional carpet washing vacuum cleaner). But probably most significantly, it increases the longevity of the floor because it’s not being continuously damaged by the pram wheel dirt. So it doesn’t need to be replaced as soon. By extending the usable life of the home floor, the Pram Sled represents both a significant environmental, and cost saving.

They’re waterproof and mould resistant too. Which is vital for the wet & muddy environment it needs to work in. It’s also easy to sweep/wipe clean and is foldable for convenient storage.

It’s also worth noting that aside from the Pram Sled, there are many other examples of successful consumer products that are also made from various forms of flexible sheeting and/or foam cushioning. This includes; pram rain covers, baby changing mats, airbeds, yoga mats, rucksack dry-bags, flexible water containers, rain coats, etc. Even for instance a high quality faux effect leather armchair, when broken down into its material parts, would consist largely of faux effect (plastic) leather sheet covering and foam cushion filling. The purpose of listing these is not to disparage, but only to draw on their success and, in a similar way to the Pram Sled, highlight that all these products perform very well in the environment they’re designed to work in.


2) "…in my excitement to receive the product I had already opened it all, which made it non-returnable. I would have returned immediately otherwise."

We’ve put a great deal of care and consideration into the returns policy to ensure that we’re able to provide as much time and appropriate opportunity to return the product as possible if in the event that you do decide to change your mind. We’re also very happy to refund the product as long as it’s still in a condition where we would be able to resell the item (e.g. hasn’t been used, part-assembled or damaged etc.). With that in mind, the product only really becomes non-returnable after the assembly has started, and there are a series of safeguards in place for peace of mind to ensure we’re able to protect the customer from doing this unintentionally. To provide transparency, I’ve given a condensed summary of this process below…

In the run up to buying a sled, we’ve taken great care to describe the product in detail on the website to ensure the information about what the product does, as well as the images and video content that we show, is well organised, clear and straightforward to understand. Particularly, the advantages of its flexibility, the ingenuity of the end cushions and the requirement for care with the assembly.

After purchasing and when the product arrives, we provide several reminders (electronically and by physical copy) which offer help with accessing the instructions and highlight the preference of doing this before attempting assembly. Details of how to get in touch if you have any queries if anything is unclear etc. is also provided. All of this is in advance of being able to open the product, so that it gives good knowledge about what to expect ahead of time.

When it is opened, all of the components can be removed and inspected by hand. At this stage, you have full control to assess the quality and the presentation of the items etc. as well as additionally having access to a hard copy of the instructions guide to make sure you’re happy that the product is the right choice for you before deciding whether to commit to starting the assembly.

Additionally, there is a separately sealed clear packet that the flexible sheet item is placed inside. This can also be handled and, inspected through the transparency before being opened. Placed over the seal of this packet is a clearly labelled sticker which includes a polite reminder asking not to open it unless the product intends to be kept. In order to open the packet, the sticker seal must be either removed or separated into two.

At this point, returning the sled to us is still absolutely fine.

Breaking this seal is when the assembly is considered to have started. After that, if the product was returned to us, we’d be unable to guarantee that it would arrive back in a condition where we would be able to resell it. Additionally, assembling the sled means that it must be fitted to a particular pram size. So it becomes a custom made product which is no longer one size fits all (as advertised). This is another reason we say on the website that we’d be unable to accept returns after this stage.

This does not affect your statutory rights.

With the above steps in mind, getting to the position where the seal is accessible to break is not achievable without first having several well-spaced opportunities to gain a good prior knowledge about the product. Additionally, all the steps involved leading up to that point provide significant opportunities to return the product before needing to decide whether to go ahead with the assembly.

Put together, these steps ensure every opportunity to have a conscious intent about wanting to commit to the assembly, even at the earliest availability of being able to break the seal.

Customer satisfaction is incredibly important to us. So in addition to providing transparency, the reason for explaining this in detail is to show the great level of care and thought that we’ve put in to providing a positive experience. We’ve also worked hard to provide a level of service that not only allows customers to be sure about their purchase when they make it, but also allows them to change their mind if they’d like to in an appropriate, timely manner and at as late a stage in the process as possible.


3) "The video for assembly was clear but wasn’t the easiest process. It is really fiddly to put together as neatly as it is advertised..... Even if it worked perfectly and we had managed to put it together as shown in the pictures without wrinkles I would not feel satisfied"

While the assembly is straightforward, it does need to be done with care to allow it to work to its full ability. From reading your description of how the product has turned out, it would make sense for this capacity to have not yet been reached. However, I’m sure the reason for this will be simple and I’m confident we’d be able to find the solution. In advance of posting this reply, I’d previously emailed some quick things to check over (which may have gone into your email spam folder), but I’ve summarised them here:

a) Ensuring the sides are rolled up nice and tight will provide significant structure.
b) Use a few of books to help pin down the sheet when rolling makes the process easier.
c) Ensuring the cushions fit snug against the wheels provides a tension stiffening effect.
d) Making sure the cushions sit at the side edges will give a neat result.
e) Lock the pram front wheels and apply the brake to give added stability when sliding.
f) The slidability can be increased for carpeted floors - see tips in the user guide.

These are all mentioned in the instructions, but it would be worth re-checking as I’m sure at least one of these would give you a much better result. But that said, if it’s something you’d like to progress, then it would be very beneficial to send over some photos or a quick video of the pram on the sled (our email address for this is info@pramsled.co.uk). This would mean I’d be able to take a look and get back to you as soon as I can to offer a solution.

It’s also worth mentioning that investing the time on the assembly will be paid back many times over because of all the significant benefits it gives. But even if you’re unable to neaten out any wrinkles you may have, then much like a pram rain cover, it will still perform the job it needs to do equally well.

Additionally, all the information we provide about the product is something we continually review and, following your feedback, has prompted a series of tweaks and improvements on the assembly info to provide even better clarity moving forward.


4) "…it does slide on my floor all be it not easily"

The slidability of the sled has been carefully selected to give good usability and safety in the home. There are tips on increasing the slip and also on sliding technique at the back of the user guide which will help with this if needed.


5) "Considering the cost of the product I do not consider this value for money."

The best way I can think to respond to this is to make some comparisons to highlight the value of the product and show that it adds up to be many times greater than the cost. We believe the Pram Sled represents excellent value for money and is very well priced considering the many unique benefits it provides that are not possible with any other product. The monetary cost savings and other benefits are listed below…

a) The cost of replacing a damaged carpet or wooden floor caused by the continual exposure of dirt and grit from the pram wheels is significantly more than the cost of a Pram Sled. The Pram Sled acts as a barrier to protect the floor which keeps it clean. This increases the floor’s longevity and so avoids the need to replace it as soon.
b) The cost of needing a downstairs cot or Moses basket is saved (which is much more than the cost of a Pram Sled) because it enables the pram to be additionally used for daytime naps.
c) The cost of buying floor cleaning fluids, hiring a carpet washing vacuum, or paying for a professional floor cleaning service to clean the wheel dirt off the floor is avoided.
d) One hour of effort is saved at least every week on unnecessary and repetitive tasks every time the pram is used; even if the pram is used just once a day. This is because the pram stays ready for use on the sled. So even with rapid folding prams, it avoids multiple back-and-forth trips to the front door to unpack, assemble and load up the pram ready for an outing. Then unload, dismantle and store the pram back away when returning home. These savings are even better if previously, your only pram storage option was not immediately accessible e.g. in a car boot, garage, garden shed, or under stairs cupboard.
e) Further manual effort is saved (after every outing) by avoiding:
i) Cleaning wheel dirt off the floor, or …
ii) Washing the wheels before coming home, or…
iii) Applying & removing wheel covers (which also means your hands stay nice & clean).
f) It keeps the hallway tidy and accessible, and frees-up essential car boot space (if either of these were previously your only pram storage option). This is because the pram can be slid into a more convenient location in the home instead.
g) It promotes more baby sleep. Using a Pram Sled means your baby can continue to rest undisturbed in the pram when returning home. This is because you don’t need to lift them out immediately at the door to fold the pram away (so it reduces the risk of waking them).
h) It also enables safer sleep by allowing the pram to slide next to you in the home for continual close monitoring. This is essential because newborns cannot be left to sleep unattended in a porch or hallway for instance; even the area is large enough to accommodate a pram.
i) The price is comparable to many other baby essential products, and is only a fraction of the cost of a pram, which makes it very affordable.


6) "…the material that the sled is made of is flimsy and not durable in a busy household."

The durability of the Pram Sled has been tested considerably. Many thousands of tests have been carried out over many months in a variety of extreme conditions which have all proven the design to show incredible resilience. Additionally, we’ve personally been using a sled in a 3 wheel configuration in our own home since November 2020 (over a year) and it continues to perform well. Compared against other soft-type products on the market, e.g. baby changing mat, or pram rain cover for instance, we’ve needed to buy more than one replacement for each of these during this one-year timeframe. Considering our Pram Sled is almost always in use, it makes a very compelling case because the durability has far outshone. We’ve also had a great deal of very good feedback from many other customers too.


7) "The instruction manual also points out to keep pieces for repairs were it has ripped."

The efforts we’ve made to test and verify the durability of the product means I’m able to say with certainty that this is not expected to happen. We’ve chosen an incredibly high thickness grade for the sheet such that, if it were any thicker it would actually start to become a struggle to roll up during the assembly. So it is extremely tough, resilient and long lasting.

During ordinary assembly, we do provide some connectors (as well as a couple of spares) as part of the normal process of making the sled. Resourcefully, these can also double-up as a quick and easy solution to counter for potential extreme circumstances, for instance in the event of sliding over screws or nails. Interestingly, this type of condition was also tried during one of the testing phases and also proved to be very successful, but in any case this would understandably not be considered to be normal operation.

Like many other products, it is normal (and actually considered quite handy) to provide something along these lines e.g. a bicycle tyre puncture repair kit, sewing kit for clothing or buttons etc. but again, the best example here is the Pram Sled we use in our own home on a daily basis, as this has not been required.

Reply from Pramsled

Updated Sep 6, 2021

Hi Anna,

Many thanks for the positive feedback!

Best regards,
Craig

Reply from Pramsled

Updated Sep 6, 2021

Hi Jonathan,

Many thanks for taking the time to review!

Best regards,
Craig

Reply from Pramsled

Updated Sep 6, 2021

Hi Colin Colin,

Many thanks for the time you've taken to give us a great review!

Best regards,
Craig

Reply from Pramsled

Sep 6, 2021

Hi William,

Really appreciate the feedback you've given thank you!

Best regards,
Craig