The wait begins

Ordered my City Sofa yesterday in the program Cavalier Mocha with Black Nickel nails. Sadly, adding the nails took it out of the quick ship program, and I am told to expect it to take 10 weeks. They actually won't put the order in until Monday, so I have at least until then if I decide to make any changes in the cushions or nails.

I got the Ultra Down cushions. They really kind of pushed it. There was no up charge, because they said as a premier dealer of some sort H&M gives them the Ultra Down at no extra cost, so that is all they order. They would put it through with standard cores if I insisted but there was no way for me to try a standard core first because all their sofas have the Ultra Down, and it would be the same price. I was OK with the comfort of it and I just hope the Cavalier leather is not one that stretches a lot.

For some reason the sample boards they have with the nails did not have the Black Pearl or the Black Nickel nails on it, so I was not able to actually see them. Is there any way to get a single nail sample or something before they actually start building it, when changes are still possible?

Wow, a single piece of 17" x 17" leather for a headrest cover was 150.00. I only got one. The arms covers would have been the same price, but I didn't think would look right over the arms because they would probably cover part of the nails. I can put it over the arm if I want and I can always order a second, but I expected it to be under 100.00. I do wish I could order them elsewhere at a better price and I probably would have gotten 2 or 3.

The price had gone up to over 3200.00 for the sofa somehow! I was orignally quoted 2799.00 before the last price increase. They told me the nails were a 300.00 upgrade and when I was surprised and mentioned that I had gotten prices that ranged from 110.00 to 140.00 for that she exclaimed that that was below cost and why anyone do that. They did match the price of another local dealer on the sofa at 2699.00 so I did go with them and paid the up charge for the nails. I could tell that was non negotiable.

So that has been my experience with my local Stickley dealer. The actual sofa price was competitive but not the lowest price I was offered and I did end up paying more for the upgrades. They did price match but only locally. Stickley is a national dealer and I just thought I would share some info on the local prices around here for those wondering how they compare to shopping online. I really liked my sales person, which is important, and if I hadn't I wouldn't have gone there. I am comfortable with their reputation for helping to resolve any issues after the sale which was a big reason I decided to order locally this time. If they had stuck to their new price of over 3200.00 I would have ordered long distance. You just have to balance for yourself the cost and your comfort with the reputation of your seller and go from there.

Now for an ottoman...

I thought I should clarify something. I did not share the names of any online sellers I got quotes from with my local dealer, nor did I ask them to match anything I got online. Our discussions were limited to prices available from another local Brick and Mortar store.

Sadly, adding the nails took it out of the quick ship program

Actually it does not. I do it all the time.

For some reason the sample boards they have with the nails did not have the Black Pearl or the Black Nickel nails on it, so I was not able to actually see them. Is there any way to get a single nail sample or something before they actually start building it, when changes are still possible?

Sure - your dealer can get that for you. They also need to get a current nail sample board for their store, they have been available for some time.

premier dealer of some sort H&M gives them the Ultra Down at no extra cost

There is no such thing in H&M Dealer World as a "Premier Dealer". What they are doing is "gaming" the system H&M has in place for dealer floor stock and putting your order in as Dealer Floor Stock, hence the "Free" Ultra Downs and falling out of the Quick Ship Program. It's basically a cheat and a dupe not so much on you - but on Hancock & Moore. Lot of dealers are like that, though, they're not the only ones. Many years ago, Jack Glasheen (founder of Hancock & Moore) asked me to not do that - and I have so much respect for him that I never have, though it would be quite easy to do. I place ethics above sales. I mention this only because I don't want others to think there are "Free" Ultra Downs available on any special order pieces because some dealer is "bigger" than others - there are not.

Good luck, glad you are pleased with your purchase and your selling dealer.

Well, Duane, they aren't you, but they are local. I don't want to deal with the headaches of ordering long distance, shipping companies and possible damage, etc. I am sorry to hear about the way they do this. What advantage is there for them to do it this way? They did say without the nails I could get it quick ship. I don't really understand the incentive they have to do it this way, especially since I originally said I would prefer the standard cores anyway.

I can't speak for another dealer - however I can tell you that adding nails adds about 2 hours to the production time, and doesn't take it out of Quick Ship.

Some dealers "bank" their program orders and classify them all as floor stock, which gets them the Ultra Down Cores at no charge. Then they apply a customer order against that "bank" of orders. While they are not supposed to do that - some do. My guess is your adding nail trim goes against that "bank" which may have a later ship date since its an ongoing order sequence, but I can't say for sure. Perhaps Stickley hauls their own freight out of the Carolinas with their trucks? If so, that means your order has to wait for others to be ready so their is a bulk load to pickup. That is a possibility.

All I really can say for certain is if I were to order a 9840 in Cavalier Mocha w/nails for a customer in CT, the order would be done at H&M in 3 weeks and then appx 2 1/2 weeks transit time via Sun Delivery. Generally 5 1/2 weeks from day of order to in your home on the East Coast corridor.

They told me the nails were a 300.00 upgrade and when I was surprised and mentioned that I had gotten prices that ranged from 110.00 to 140.00 for that she exclaimed that that was below cost and why anyone do that?

Oh! The things some salespeople say!

I thought the same thing about the nails. Going through my mind, was, "you are probably right, they wouldn't..." Which is why I mentioned it. I knew I was paying more for that item when I did it. But I took the entire thing into consideration, the matched price, the higher cost of "accessories" against the advantages of having a local business to deal with. I read your previous posts several times. They are delivering the furniture, so they will be on the hook for any damages, not a delivery company. I also got 18 months of "free" financing, which was not necessary since I have the money to pay for it. But it does make it easier I admit, if I decide to splurge a bit on an ottoman, especially since I also got the lower price on the sofa. Maybe some day I will be one of those people who can walk in and write you a check for 50,000.00 worth of furniture and not blink, but I am not there yet. As nurse, can you imagine what that would do to the cost of health care, if I were, lol?

I read your previous posts several times.

http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...r-via-Internet

http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...-long-distance


If you ever decide to open another location in Connecticut, you will have all my business and recommendations.

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Originally Posted by drcollie

I can't speak for another dealer - however I can tell you that adding nails adds about 2 hours to the production time, and doesn't take it out of Quick Ship.

Some dealers "bank" their program orders and classify them all as floor stock, which gets them the Ultra Down Cores at no charge. Then they apply a customer order against that "bank" of orders. While they are not supposed to do that - some do. My guess is your adding nail trim goes against that "bank" which may have a later ship date since its an ongoing order sequence, but I can't say for sure. Perhaps Stickley hauls their own freight out of the Carolinas with their trucks? If so, that means your order has to wait for others to be ready so their is a bulk load to pickup. That is a possibility.

All I really can say for certain is if I were to order a 9840 in Cavalier Mocha w/nails for a customer in CT, the order would be done at H&M in 3 weeks and then appx 2 1/2 weeks transit time via Sun Delivery. Generally 5 1/2 weeks from day of order to in your home on the East Coast corridor.

They told me the nails were a 300.00 upgrade and when I was surprised and mentioned that I had gotten prices that ranged from 110.00 to 140.00 for that she exclaimed that that was below cost and why anyone do that?

Oh! The things some salespeople say!

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HA! You will not get me one step further north from where I live now.....brrrrrrr.....no way!

If anything - I'll go south!