Choosing a brand..HELP

Hello,
I am living the furniture nightmare..We are on a limited budget and ended up buying a Berndardt from Dillards.MISTAKE #1. It is less than 1 wk. old and looks like its been used and abused. Dillards is picking it up minus 15% AND delivery. I am now $500.00 in the hole for "new" purchase. Mother in law has direct buy membership and offered to help me buy a new piece if I go through there. They carry Flexsteel and a few other brands in my price range which is pretty small at this point. My question is the warranty on Flexsteel the same if I go through Directbuy and #2 what other brands are decent in the2,500.00 range.I am not the kind of person to keep furniture and recover it but I don't want a piece of junk either.Thankyou for any advice

Unfortunately the brand you selected is not known for quality, though I'm surprised you could see a deterioration in that short a time. What exactly are your issues with the piece? The reason I ask is to try to help you head off any issues on a re-purchase. Another thing you may want to consider is to ask Dillards to forgo the 15 % restock fee if you buy something from them off their sales floor. Most retailers will agree to that.

If you go through Direct Buy or any authorized retailer your warranty will be intact.

Flexsteel is generally strong and durable, though its certainly not highly crafted or tailored. For $ 2,500, you can buy a first class sofa without compromising. You don't say if you were looking at leather or fabric, but as an example take a look at the Bradington Young closeout deals here on the forum (vendor classifieds). They will blow Flexsteel right out of the water on build quality and comfort. The deals are out there, but you won't find them at Department Stores and have to search them out.

http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...Clearance-Sale

After begging forever and then having my husband call and plead again they won't budge on the 15% or delivery pick up. I am so discouraged but I will NOT be purchasing there again! My cushions are flat on the back and the seat cushions are showing impressions.They consider that "normal".I do not want to straighten the sofa every single time we get up.I will try to upload a picture because it is unbelievable. I looked over the B.Young and they are not quite the style we are looking for. We want fabric,no slipcovers,I think the style falls under transitional? Do you know of any other brands we could look at? I wish we lived closer to you so we could just come in.Thank you again

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Originally Posted by paulette

After begging forever and then having my husband call and plead again they won't budge on the 15% or delivery pick up. I am so discouraged but I will NOT be purchasing there again! My cushions are flat on the back and the seat cushions are showing impressions.They consider that "normal".I do not want to straighten the sofa every single time we get up.I will try to upload a picture because it is unbelievable. I looked over the B.Young and they are not quite the style we are looking for. We want fabric,no slipcovers,I think the style falls under transitional? Do you know of any other brands we could look at? I wish we lived closer to you so we could just come in.Thank you again

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Try an EECB to Dillard's corporate. Usually that 15% fee is waived for items that the customer feels are defective or something is amiss. To send an executive email carpet bomb read here http://consumerist.com/2007/05/how-t...rpet-bomb.html

As for new furniture I would check out what furniture stores are local to you and see what they have, then come back here and ask questions on what items you liked.

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Originally Posted by paulette

After begging forever and then having my husband call and plead again they won't budge on the 15% or delivery pick up. I am so discouraged but I will NOT be purchasing there again! My cushions are flat on the back and the seat cushions are showing impressions.They consider that "normal".I do not want to straighten the sofa every single time we get up.I will try to upload a picture because it is unbelievable. I looked over the B.Young and they are not quite the style we are looking for. We want fabric,no slipcovers,I think the style falls under transitional? Do you know of any other brands we could look at? I wish we lived closer to you so we could just come in.Thank you again

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You may have purchased a sofa that had down cushions in it, which will flatten out when sat upon and never be really 'straight' per se. If that's a feature you want, be sure to stay in poly-dac (Qualux) and fiber cores, and also consider a tight back sofa which will always keep its shape and crisp form.

Delivery costs money to and fro, but the 15% restock fee should be able to be factored out or reduced to just cover a credit card surcharge if the item was paid for in that manner (2 to 3%). You'll have to get to the Store Manager as he's probably the only one who has authority to waive it or reduce it. Explain to him your dismay at the piece without getting emotional and them tell him what you want in order to remain a Dillard's customer (you'd be surprised how many customers do not offer up a solution as what would make for a reasonable resolution).

Take a look at the Taylor King Cozy Creations line. There's a lot of sofa here for the money, its made correctly and in the USA, and will meet your budget price points in a mid-grade fabric. I like this product a lot for best bang for the buck that will stand the test of time in durability.

http://www.taylorking.com/products.php?func=show_static&d=CC_brochure1&m=12! 0

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Originally Posted by drcollie

If you go through Direct Buy or any authorized retailer your warranty will be intact.

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I've never worked with DirectBuy, but it's my understanding that they charge a high membership fee, plus you have to pick up anything you buy or arrange your own transport from their warehouse to your home. I understand that fees and policies can vary by location, as they're a franchise business.

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Originally Posted by aaron

I've never worked with DirectBuy, but it's my understanding that they charge a high membership fee, plus you have to pick up anything you buy or arrange your own transport from their warehouse to your home. I understand that fees and policies can vary by location, as they're a franchise business.

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I have heard the same things, that's why I suggested checking local dealers to see if DirectBuy was really a deal or not.

The Directbuy memberships are high and you do have to arrange delivery but my mother in law already has one so I will be ordering through her membership :) otherwise I would not use them. I've figured I will have to pay delivery no matter where I buy from since I live outside of DFW. The furniture is about 50% off give or take. For example the Taylor King Expressions sofa is $1,122.00 ssshhh)but I am not leaping into anything without shopping around. Thank you so much for looking out for me and helping me make the right choices.

Just for fun I took a look at that. I sell that sofa (Taylor King Expressions in A-grade) for $ 1,309 and delivery to Texas is about $ 265. No membership Required. :)

There are a lot of reviews of Directbuy on the internet and it seems as though the majority are negative. Some of those people are really upset. Apparently if you buy very large amounts of furniture you can come out ahead. Unfortunately many subscribers never reach that threshhold. Other comments referred to the quality of the merchandise. It sounds as though there is a mixture of good quality stuff and not so good quality stuff.

One of the things about operators like Direct Buy is service levels. They are designed as a clearing house for all categories of goods and are not specialized or knowledgeable about a product specifics as is a specialized dealer. If price is your only concern, then you can go for it, like buying from Amazon.com. But if you anticipate any service needs you're pretty much left out in the cold. And most customers are really mostly concerned about price. They forget about service levels until they need it.

Examples?

Let's say you get your new sofa and there are skipped stitches on a cushion seam that leaves a gap in the fabric between that and the welt seam of 1/4". If you buy from a reputable furniture store, it can get taken care of in minutes. They call the maker, arrange for the cover to get back to them (UPS, etc.) and know how to get an R/A done on a product along with which person to call at the manufacturer usually within a hour or two of your contact with the dealer. With operations like Direct Buy, you're not going to get that level of service, most likely you won't get a response at all and wind up sewing the seam up yourself.

Buy a leather sofa and there's a small scuff on it from the delivery company. Not bad enough to return it, or even contact a leather restoration expert. Just scuff. A dealer will get you a small bottle of touch-up at no charge mailed to you in a few days. Do you think an operation like Direct Buy would source that touch-up? Doubtful.

Or even at another level.... Your furniture arrives and you are HUGELY unhappy with it . Its not defective, you just don't like it for any number of reasons. With Direct Buy - you own it. Done. You get a manufacturer's warranty and that's it. In my experience 95% of all dissatisfaction issues are NOT warranty based. That's right...95%. Customers may have mis-calculated the scale, made a serious mistake in cover selection, have a perceived warranty issues that really isn't or a spouse goes ballistic over the cost and there is buyer's remorse...this happens. If you buy through a good dealer, they are going to work with you on a return/exchange in some manner. As of this writing, I currently have three customers (long-distance) that I am re-ordering product for because they were very unhappy with what they received. This doesn't mean its a no-cost transaction for the customer to do trade-outs (mostly delivery charges to and fro or some restock charges), but the point is a good dealer will try to make things right in some manner. Everyone shares the pain a little but at the end of the day the customer isn't stuck with something they don't want. As a dealer, I have an outlet for the returns and can put them on my sales floor. A franchise like Direct Buy does not. A dealer is not obligated to do that sort of thing, so it will vary from one to another, but those that try to do the right thing by their customers WILL work to find a solution to the dis-satisfaction that is palatable for all.

And that is why you find so many negatives about operations like Direct Buy. There is no service support with the sale and very little or no recourse if you don't like what you purchased.

I've read another complaint, which is that even if you confirm that DirectBuy carries a specific brand, they may not carry all lines within that brand. I heard somebody complaining that they had picked out some top-of-the-line kitchen cabinets, confirmed that DirectBuy offered that brand of cabinets, signed up, tried to place their order, and were told that they could only buy the lesser grades of cabinets from that particular manufacturer through their membership. DirectBuy's standard policies make it very difficult to get a full sense of what you will be able to obtain through your membership until after you sign up.

Thankyou so much..I think I may pass up her offer to order through her membership. I did not think of service issues and that's what brought me here in the first place. I am shopping and taking my time. I was talking to a friend about my dilemma and she said that for her kids playroom they bought a Bauhaus? She said its comfortable and really easy to clean. Can you tell me anything about this brand? I also saw a Robin Bruce sofa, are they any good?It would be in a kids area as well.

The company Direct Buy is mentioned occasionally in this forum and more frequently on the Gardenweb forum with many comments both pro and con on the merits of the company. Here is an article from the September 19, 2011 edition of Furniture Today regarding this company:

S&P Lowers Direct Buy Corporate Credit Rating

Merrillville, Ind. - Standard & Poor's has lowered the corporate credit rating of DirectBuy Holdings here to CCC from B, saying the outlook is negative in the face of declining membership and ongoing legal issues.

The ratings agency also said it lowered the rating on DirectBuy's $335 million in senior secured debt to CCC and revised down its "recovery rating," saying it expects modest recovery for lenders (10% to 30% should the membership club default on the payment.

DirectBuy CEO Scott Powell did not return a call seeking comment.

Founded as United Consumer Club, DirectBuy is a consumer buying service that boasts of 400,000 members on its website and says it offers more than one million products with no retail markup. Instead, the company charges consumers membership fees reportedly in the $3000 to $4000 range for two- to three- year terms.

The S&P report said that DirectBuy has been experiencing monthly declines in membership levels sice February 2010 because of the weak economy and labor market.

It also noted that DirectBuy is facing lawsuits alleging it misrepresented the cost of goods to members -- something S&P said it believes has contributed to the membership decline and will hurt its performance going forward.

DirectBuy was acquired by private equity firm Trivest Partners in December, 2007.

If some good Samaritan would pass the word to GardenWeb I'm sure it would be appreciated by many of their readers. That forum has not allowed me to post on it for the past 3 years and does not return my requests asking why it has done that.

HA! I got thrown off Garden Web too, Jeff. First time you mention the name of your company they toss you off, that's why.

Its also why I started this one!

Not to defend GardenWeb, but some forums are for consumers only, and most business-related posters are only there to shill for their company.. As a forum moderator for a consumer-oriented website, I've found that the "do not identify your business" policy sometimes works better.

However, not notifying the member as to why their posts have been deleted or why they don't have posting priveleges is just poor management of the forum.

I do love this forum, obviously!

regards,

The problem at Garden Web (which is owned by NBC) is they don't monitor anything until someone complains and then they simply click off the person from the list. I put hundreds of hours into that list on posts, then someone asked me the name of my store in a post. BING! Someone complained (probably another person in the trade) and they sent me packing. There are no mods on Garden Web lists, just ADMINS at NBC Corp that react to complaints.

They have pretty remarkable traffic, and a lot of good content that is... Hard to find. Weak search, weak interface. I'm surprised NBC doesn't update it a bit.

I got kicked off GW, too. Actually, the moderator "Tamara" (if she even exists) suspended me "temporarily" and I told her she could suspend me "permanently," for all I care--so she did. :) There are some really great (and talented!) people on that forum, and I miss chatting with them. But there are also a few really nasty people who go around reporting others, including those I used to refer to as "the spam patrol." They seemed to take it personally when someone posted spam, and would get snarky and even angry and would report people post-haste. (Seriously, what kind of grown person does this?) I remember your posts on the furniture forum, Duane, and was astonished to learn that you were booted, since you so clearly were not using the forum to promote your business, but in fact sharing a wealth of information that had nothing to do with your store. So while another person in the trade might very well have reported you guys, my guess is that one of the zealous GW regulars, who considers himself/herself the guardian of the forum, is probably the more likely candidate.

I haven't used GW much lately but remember how quick they could pull the trigger to ban someone. I was amazed they would ban the open honest person saying they are working for so and so but the spammers and corporate marketing hacks rarely got removed.

It's still a great resource but you still find some of the bad ones posting in there and have to be careful of spammers, trolls and the worst of the bunch IMO the person paid to market certain products/brands as if they were a consumer who just bought it.

One of the things to consider with someone like Direct Buy is after-the-sale service, which is going to be non-existent at worst, and a miserable experience at best. There are service issues on about 15% of all new purchases, ranging from a chip in a leg to a cushion that doesn't feel right, or perhaps a mark that occured during delivery. Although its tempting to buy on price alone, you will wish you were dealing with a dealer that works on your behalf if something goes wrong.

An example is one that occured last week. A customer ordered a sofa I had in stock and we shipped it UPSFREIGHT, and the forklift driver tore the leg off the piece, damaging it extensively. I was notified of the damage at 10 a.m. and by noon I had given the customer a full refund on the piece so he wouldn't have to deal with the damage headaches. I do all the claim work and salvage/repair back to the maker to see if it can be fixed. You're not going to get that level of service with an operation like Direct Buy, who would more likely tell you to file a claim with your carrier and you'd have a broken sofa in your home for 7 to 10 days and a mound of paperwork to complete after the inspector comes by.

My problem with Gardenweb was that every few months someone would ask a question about how they could find a good quality sofa that could fit through a narrow door or down a narrow stairway. That is exactly the type of furniture my company specializes in and which cannot be found anywhere else. Initially some of my customers recommended my company to these people. However when I attempted to respond directly I was blocked and I was later informed by one of my customers that her attempt to recommend my company was also blocked after that.

Jeff Frank
Simplicity Sofas

Okay, I'm going to chime in here a bit as for six years I was the admin for the official site for George Harrison started by himself and subsequently run by his family and did further work for the official site for Paul McCartney.I was hired by both in the first case beating out six hundred applicants so I do have some knowledge of what this web site forum thing is all about and how to run one successfully, long term. Not small sites, not unofficial, and I understand the set ups for some of these sites. I also understand why some rules need to be in place, the reasoning for those rules is not always the clearest to members. Some sites do this very well and even when they are marketing their own products have guidelines for keeping rules in place. You can do marketing of your own product quite successfully without being the admin or moderator slash and burn type. That just back fires every time long term.

GW, seems to run by a policy of "no warning" which I completely disagree with. It turns off potential members. I've seen other sites do this as well. One a political site for Americans living abroad EXCEPT you couldn't talk about certain topics whether relevant to the day or not and they mass banned about forty people one day. Ridiculous move. Word gets around when you have a large site that is mismanaged. If you want to keep potential new members coming back and old ones happy you have rules, yes but, you have guides that are flexible too. For instance, a polite referral to the rules the first time someone breaks a forum rule is better than a "you're outta here" approach. ESPECIALLY if you know the member to be helpful and otherwise good for your forum.

I will just say out right I think banning with zero "heads up" beforehand to members is a knucklehead way to run a forum. I have moved away from that work now as it can be twenty four seven. I did it for seven years and that was enough for me. I'd like to have a LIFE of my own. hahaha.

Duane, when I started my quest I read all your posts there and wondered where you went, found you here and never went back there. Reading between the lines I figured they'd pulled one of the old "quick ban" moves. I'm just one example. They'll lose members looking for info of the type found here, and only here now.

There are "members" you can ban in a heartbeat, no regrets. Spammy post, semi-literate, IP from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bangalore, the Philippines, the Ukraine... it's a no-brainer to ban fast and hard. I banned somebody today, no warning, who was posting fake endorsements on one of my site for somebody I know. So many people fall for the "I'm a SEO/SEM expert" argument from somebody who thinks website promotion involves little more than spamming blogs and forums.

Gosh yes, Aaron and I take out those spammers so fast that most the time no one ever sees them. The good thing about this forum software is we can remove a spammer and their posts in very few keystrokes, record their IP address and ban them from re-registering in less than a minute. We get pretty good at seeing them - most all the time their English is either poor, or they embed website links in their posts.

Spammers are a whole other ball game!! I don't include them when mentioning members. Russia and China ip addy..lol. Most members never see how bad spamming can be on forums. Admin hats off to you and glad I don't deal with that myself anymore. phpbb did not have all the gizmos that vbully does so I wrote a few scripts for ours myself.

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Originally Posted by aaron

There are "members" you can ban in a heartbeat, no regrets. Spammy post, semi-literate, IP from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bangalore, the Philippines, the Ukraine... it's a no-brainer to ban fast and hard.

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Speak of the devil....

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Originally Posted by lijane

Now more and more countries celebrate Christmas. Different country will choose

different way to welcome it. In China, a growing number of Chinese celebrate on

Christmas Eve by eating Christmas dinners with friends or relatives. They will

exchange cards or gifts with close friends and relatives. It is no doubt that

giving gifts is an integral part of the Christmas celebrations and it is no

exception in China. Every year, people will spend lots of time on choosing
Christmas gifts. Sometimes they feel

miserable on choosing it. However, they feel pleasant when they decorate their

house with light, paper lanterns, flowers, etc. With these decorations, you

will have a happy mood.

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Banned, original post (and actual spammed URL) deleted.

If the recession of the last 4 years has any type of a silver lining, it was that I didn't have to click thru 10,000 Direct Buy Infomercials at all hours of the day and night. And I've heard the horror stories from those who have accepted the "special invitation" and attended the on-site presentations. About as low-pressure a sales pitch as having to sit down with a time-share salesman.