One of the challenges faced by aspiring lifters in Oz is finding good quality equipment at a decent price. Thanks to our geography, some of the big names in lifting gear can be difficult to deal with, and not many will ship what you need when you need it. And then there’s the costs involved with international postage.When I got on to Gripped, I had none of these headaches. But I did have an odd thing happen the first time I made a purchase through their website; I was charged a delivery fee… and not a small one. Being the occasionally vocal critic I am, I shot off a Facebook message to the Gripped page, advising them of the fact that I’d been charged shipping for something that should have been free, or at least much less than the amount applied.
I had a response almost immediately. Dave – who has been my go-to guy ever since – apologised for the site glitch and refunded my money. He even gave me a free shipping promo code, to ensure it didn’t happen again. From here, a real dialogue began, and soon enough I found myself doing some freelance Research and Development for Gripped.
They are a young business, so Dave and his associates have been keen to work with athletes and serious lifters to make their products better wherever possible. I was only too happy to offer advice where I felt it was appropriate. Things like removing the velcro from the knee wraps in Gripped’s Hard Core range (velcro is not permitted in Powerlfting federations), as well as suggestions on their selection of straps, and stress-testing the mechanism in their lever belt when it first hit the market.
By providing genuine products at great prices, Gripped have done well by me, and by their customers Australia-wide. I look forward to seeing what they have in store for the future.