Problem with H&M Yardley Leather

I have a Envelop sofa in Yardley that is appx 15 months old. We had it made with one cushion instead of two. It is our retirement sofa and it is beautiful.

Recently it was sent back to H & M for a broken band and while it was there I had the seat casing replaced because my dog scratched it shortly after I got it. (They are not allowed on the furniture, it was an accident.) I paid $400 for a new seat casing. It was returned to me about a month ago. When I received it I noticed the leather did not feel like the original, it felt coarse, like the nap was raised. After one week I noticed a stain and wiped it up with a damp cloth and to my horror the dye came off. Needless to say, I was SHOCKED. I had the original sofa for over a year and not only did it not stain, I had wiped it with a damp cloth numerous times and never had any problems. I have also noticed this casing aging at an alarming rate, after one month it looks older than the one that was a year old. I called H & M directly and spoke with customer service, Ann, and she has instructed me to return it to the factory so they can take a look at it. I am frustrated and would like your opinion. I researched this purchase for months before deciding on H & M, toured the factory, read your forum, tested samples, everything I was suppose to do and now I don't feel H & M is being responsive. I think they had trouble matching the original so they dyed a piece. I see dye stains on my core cover and drips of dye on the back of the casing. I am wondering if that is why the dye came off. I feel that if the replacement cover that I was charged for was going to be of inferior quality I should have been told. I would have chosen to keep my scratched casing. I would appreciate any input you could offer and how you think I should proceed. Thanks so much

I've been seeing some problems with Yardley leather recently - and have a customer's 4 month old sofa and loveseat that is currently at H&M for evaluation because of pigment loss on it. I'm waiting to hear back on it right now, as to what is causing it and remedies. I do see a LOT of variance with Yardley - sometimes it coarse, other times smooth. At times it looks very dry, other times not so much. For the time being, I am suggesting customers select another hide until we can figure out what's going on with it.

As to your situation with the casing, you should always work through your selling dealer whenever possible to get replacement panels and the like. They know who to call to get things done for you. Its a mistake to try to work directly with the customer service department at any maker yourself, the system is designed to service and work with the dealers. If you can, go back to your selling dealer and explain the problem and get them to work on your behalf. Usually its not wise to replace a seat casing as it can easily be repaired at H&M for little or no charge, something like scratches are not usually too hard for them to fix.

FYI, dyes have to be sealed in when they're done. I can't tell you why you have drip stains on it, but that's not what I normally would expect to see.