FireMoo169
New member
Harmony has come out with a new seat which looks just like the Defender 360 but with a bright red cover and deeper head wings (& double the price). This sounded great to me (except the price) but I couldn't even find the seat on their website to compare against other seats in its class, so I emailed the company. I had also asked why I hadn't been able to get the Defender lately, I've looked at least twice a week for the last 6 weeks.
This is what they had to say:
Thank you for your interest in the Harmony Defender!
The Defender is exclusively sold at Walmart.com and due to its recent popularity - they have been running out quite often. We are shipping them new stock all the time and you should see some available soon…
However, if none are available - we would be happy to quote shipping you one directly. Kindly provide your full mailing address, and we can send you a price to direct ship units to you...
Yes – the SECURE Commander is our product and is exclusively sold through specialty stores. It includes higher-end fabrics, extra foam and has outboard Side Impact Protection. Unfortunately, the price is due to the channel it is sold thru…
Best regards,
HARMONY CUSTOMER CARE
I would say that the specialty stores have a pretty high profit margin on this seat since it is basically the same as the defender (mind you I don't even know the dimensions on this seat yet, so it may be wider, at which point you can by a steel reinforced frame seat for cheaper). With its head wings, cushion and cover I would pay maybe 40-50 dollars more than the Defender, but that's it.
I do have to commend Harmony's customer service, I have contacted them a couple of times regarding different things and have received prompt responses. They sent a longer crotch buckle with no questions asked. If your rider has thicker legs you will need this, or if you are getting up to the higher harness positions you will need this as well. This last email I sent to them was on a Saturday, early afternoon, and they responded to me the same day. I was impressed.
So if anyone is in the market for a narrow combination seat capable of 3 across, or an easy to use, inexpensive combination I would still recommend trying to find the Defender before forking over the extra cash for the Commander. PS the Defender is a great for people who have to adjust the harness a lot due to different riders (ie. Grandparents or child care).
This is what they had to say:
Thank you for your interest in the Harmony Defender!
The Defender is exclusively sold at Walmart.com and due to its recent popularity - they have been running out quite often. We are shipping them new stock all the time and you should see some available soon…
However, if none are available - we would be happy to quote shipping you one directly. Kindly provide your full mailing address, and we can send you a price to direct ship units to you...
Yes – the SECURE Commander is our product and is exclusively sold through specialty stores. It includes higher-end fabrics, extra foam and has outboard Side Impact Protection. Unfortunately, the price is due to the channel it is sold thru…
Best regards,
HARMONY CUSTOMER CARE
I would say that the specialty stores have a pretty high profit margin on this seat since it is basically the same as the defender (mind you I don't even know the dimensions on this seat yet, so it may be wider, at which point you can by a steel reinforced frame seat for cheaper). With its head wings, cushion and cover I would pay maybe 40-50 dollars more than the Defender, but that's it.
I do have to commend Harmony's customer service, I have contacted them a couple of times regarding different things and have received prompt responses. They sent a longer crotch buckle with no questions asked. If your rider has thicker legs you will need this, or if you are getting up to the higher harness positions you will need this as well. This last email I sent to them was on a Saturday, early afternoon, and they responded to me the same day. I was impressed.
So if anyone is in the market for a narrow combination seat capable of 3 across, or an easy to use, inexpensive combination I would still recommend trying to find the Defender before forking over the extra cash for the Commander. PS the Defender is a great for people who have to adjust the harness a lot due to different riders (ie. Grandparents or child care).