Re: Bradington Young Sale Days
"Quality Control" is Workmanship Defects that are not caught before the piece is shipped, simple as that.
At every manufacturing facility you have workers that build the units, then a final inspector that goes over the piece to make sure its done correctly before its boxed and shipped. There are two layers, the first is the line workers who should 'catch' anything before it goes to the next station, and lastly the inspector before it goes in the box. When pieces are shipped with defects, it shows a lack of attention on the part of the work force and low morale. All humans make mistakes - we all know that. However, where there are too many "mistakes" going out the door, its indicative of going beyond that and a workforce that has no pride in what they do, and that translates into poor Management.
What is even more telling is the speed and efficiency of correcting those mistakes, and when companies fail to do so, it destroys confidence in the brand. When the Customer Service team doesn't really care, it's a sign of a real issue.
I take each problem piece personally - probably more so than I should. I want them taken care of as fast as possible and in a no-nonsense way to my customer's satisfaction. It keeps me up at night when they don't. In thirty years of doing this, I have established a good reputation and like to maintain it. When suppliers ship out products that have issues, and then are slow to remedy, it will make me drop the line or at the very least de-emphasize it as it reflects directly upon my store.
Quality Control is why I dropped Leathercraft as a supplier. Too many problem pieces and management failed to address over a period of time. Bradington Young is on thin ice and I am waiting to see if things improve after the Hooker merge of all their systems. I will not hesitate to drop the line if they do not. I certainly will not promote it with a sale period right now, and the B-Y Rep is avoiding my store as I think I have scared him off with my rants on their QC.
The upholstery furniture business as a whole is like a tube of toothpaste. It's easy to squeeze it out and really difficult to get it back in. Returns for correction are always difficult and lack a sense of urgency, especially among the transportation companies. For that reason my preference is to represent only the highest quality furniture with the best quality control (less returns) and should a problem arise they take care of it quickly. That company in leather upholstery is Hancock and Moore.
Re: Bradington Young Sale Days
I have been off and on considering Bradington Young as a more affordable option to Hancock & Moore. Any updates to your 1/14/17 post about quality control issues? Are you still off of the Bradington Young bandwagon?
Re: Bradington Young Sale Days
I continue with my Bradington Young dealership because many of my customers want to buy it, however I have no plans to promote it beyond what I do now. Their Customer Service is sub-standard and glacial in response, and for most people that's not an issue as only a small percentage of pieces require it. However if there is an issue with the items purchased it can be difficult to get resolved in a timely manner.
With the exception of sectionals, H&M products in the Just in Time Program will get you B-Y price points with Hancock and Moore quality and service.
Re: Bradington Young Sale Days
I have 2 Bradington Young Recliners that I bought last November and they are fabric. Probably a bad decision, but so far they are holding up fine. I am single and no kids or pets. I emailed Duane about some recliners from Hancock and Moore this past weekend. They were in the Just in Time Program and are leather. They were about equal in price- $50 difference for a much better product. The BY recliners are fine, but the "finishing" work is nowhere as neat as Hancock and Moore. Little things like spacing of nails and welts. I know because in 2015 I bought 2 Woodbridge Recliners and the upholstery on those pieces was perfect. They were in a promotional program and a great buy. I sold them in a consignment shop and they sold in 3 days. However, I was not as knowledgeable about leather as I am now. I did not like the leather but that was me. I believe it was called Ryder Wine. It was too slick and I got hot. Other people may love it. I wish I had known about Duane last fall and I probably would have ordered H &M from him rather than the BY recliners. You can't go wrong with Hancock and Moore. And from everything I've read Hancock and Moore will "make it right" on valid issues. The next pair I will save my money and get a really nice leather in H&M.