Hello and H&M purchasing at NC stores

[gkholdridge]

Hello,
First timer so please excuse any protocol errors.
Duane, thank you for creating such a wealth of knowledge for the consumer.

My husband and I live in Maryland and have two sons in college and two golden retrievers. We have been transferred numerous times and lived in the following states, CA, IL, MO and currently MD.

We are looking at leather sofas when our research landed us at this forum. I received price quotes on Hancock and Moore from several NC High Point and SC, Florence retailers and in checking their BBB rating all are rated A+. Paying in full prior to seeing the product makes me nervous but all the Carolina stores have the same policy. They quoted $3308 City Sofa and $3098 City Loveseat both in class 2 protected Aspen Saddle with the addition of nail head trim. Has anyone had experience with any of the SC or NC retailers? Delivery to WI was quoted at $445.00 total. I have worked with a store in IL for years and when I mentioned the H&M prices her jaw dropped. What do you think - too good to be real?

[yooper829]

I think if you have Duane price those pieces for you, you will be even happier!! Just send him a PM with your options as well as your zip code and your town. One thing about comparing pricing between dealers:
http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...=7826#post7826

It makes sense and something you don't think about!

[juliepooch]

I have purchased three items through/from Duane within the past 18 months even though I could have purchased from other dealers. However, in addition to price, I have the confidence of knowing absolutely that if ANYTHING goes wrong, Duane will do everything in his power to make it right. Price ultimately is not the sole consideration.

Regarding the Better Business Bureau ratings see http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...usiness+bureau

[aluebcke]

I live in Southwest Michigan and have been to a few furniture dealers in IL, IN, and MI....we don't have a dealer nearby (closest is 1-1/2 hour away).

I was surprised by the limited knowledge the dealers had on H&M and leather selection....most were friendly and well-meaning, but some gave me false information. One dealer in MI swore that there was no H&M promotional program, others told me the leather I ordered would be exactly like the samples (which is not true, esp. in certain hides). The IL stores had the higher prices (if I'm recalling correctly)....but they're close to Chicago, so that might have been why.

I checked Duane's pricing at the start of our process, and he is very competitive (lower than the 5 or so "local" dealers I checked)...but more importantly, he goes the extra mile in helping customers with their choices (and being very honest about his opinion of the leather options and manufacturers). And I know he'll stand behind the product (as will H&M) if there are any issues.

I usually wouldn't make such a large purchase long distance, but have no concerns with doing so through Duane. (We will be purchasing two sofas, a chair and two ottomans from Duane soon.)

I tend to be very indecisive (and that holds true with selecting a leather) and Duane's been awesome!

[drcollie]

Hello,
First timer so please excuse any protocol errors.
Duane, thank you for creating such a wealth of knowledge for the consumer.

My husband and I live in Maryland and have two sons in college and two golden retrievers. We have been transferred numerous times and lived in the following states, CA, IL, MO and currently MD.

We are looking at leather sofas when our research landed us at this forum. I received price quotes on Hancock and Moore from several NC High Point and SC, Florence retailers and in checking their BBB rating all are rated A+. Paying in full prior to seeing the product makes me nervous but all the Carolina stores have the same policy. They quoted $3308 City Sofa and $3098 City Loveseat both in class 2 protected Aspen Saddle with the addition of nail head trim. Has anyone had experience with any of the SC or NC retailers? Delivery to WI was quoted at $445.00 total. I have worked with a store in IL for years and when I mentioned the H&M prices her jaw dropped. What do you think - too good to be real?

We're not too strict on protocol around here...welcome. Only spammers get treated harshly, and its OFF WITH THEIR DIGITAL HEADS!...lol

They require payment in full ahead of time? Odd...I wasn't aware of that. At my store, its 20% which I think is fair (enough to keep folks from walking away from an order, but doesn't tie up all your money for three months).

Which model City were you getting quotes on? There are two series... 9840 is the smaller and less costly one, 9844 is the larger. It the 9840 series, their prices are decent but not earthshaking.

Are you sending these to WI or MD? If MD, a sofa/loveseat via Sun Delivery go for $ 333 via Sun Delivery Service. If WI it varies by zip code, but in the south end of the state $ 430 (zip 53xxx)

There's a thread here on the forum buying local vs long distance. Worth a review if you have concerns as it addresses pros and cons. Good luck!

BBB is pretty useless. You can literally 'buy' your rating from them if you play their member$hip game$ (which I refuse to do so). Don't put too much faith in a BBB rating, but I know there is not much else out there to judge by.

[gkholdridge]

Thank you to everyone for the information and advice. It is clear that the personal relationship Duane enters in to with his clients has been the foundation that has grown his business. In my husbands business we understand the importance of customer service and that price alone should not be the only determining factor in a purchase. I'm disappointed, to put it mildly, to learn that the BBB is not worth any merit. Defeats the purpose of aiding the consumer.

Regarding the payment in full, Duane, I did not state it correctly. The Carolina discounters request a 30% deposit up on placing the order and they will accept a credit card for that portion. The stickler for me is that they require the balance in full when the item(s) arrive at their warehouse. Once it arives at their warehouse you must send them the balance in the form of a check. When they receive the check they then contact the delivery service and schedule. It is about 3-4 weeks from the time they cash your check until you see the goods.

[gkholdridge]

Thanks for the link and actually that is why I did not mention the dealers names when I mentioned prices.

I think if you have Duane price those pieces for you, you will be even happier!! Just send him a PM with your options as well as your zip code and your town. One thing about comparing pricing between dealers:
http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...=7826#post7826

It makes sense and something you don't think about!

[gkholdridge]

The sofa is the 9840 and 9839. Our cabin great room is not large enough for the 9844 which is also deeper. Both items are for our cabin in WI. We live/work in MD so we can visit WI more!

[drcollie]

Thank you to everyone for the information and advice. It is clear that the personal relationship Duane enters in to with his clients has been the foundation that has grown his business. In my husbands business we understand the importance of customer service and that price alone should not be the only determining factor in a purchase. I'm disappointed, to put it mildly, to learn that the BBB is not worth any merit. Defeats the purpose of aiding the consumer.

Regarding the payment in full, Duane, I did not state it correctly. The Carolina discounters request a 30% deposit up on placing the order and they will accept a credit card for that portion. The stickler for me is that they require the balance in full when the item(s) arrive at their warehouse. Once it arives at their warehouse you must send them the balance in the form of a check. When they receive the check they then contact the delivery service and schedule. It is about 3-4 weeks from the time they cash your check until you see the goods.

BBB is somewhat akin to a "Paid" Consumer Reports if you will. If you're a dues-paying member, they work to clear your complaints and if you're not, they leave you out in the void. It's an organization that runs on dues from businesses, so you can be pretty sure that any business that is paying won't get slammed too hard, and any business that isn't paying dues won't get much attention! Its a toothless tiger... Also keep in mind that in most any internet forum asking about buying experiences, you are much more likely to hear a negative than a positive. When folks have a good experience they usually just go on about their business, but when it goes sour, they will often post in every venue they can find to tell of the bad experience.

Want to know the reason that many of those companies won't accept your credit card for final payment? Its because of chargebacks if the customer is unhappy about the piece or suffers buyers remorse. You can't do a chargeback on a check! It's long cashed before your furniture lands, and then the only legal recourse is to go to court. I am one of the few internet sellers that will accept a credit card for final payment. Do some people do chargebacks? You bet they do....which is why on my order forms you are required to sign the Terms of Order which states a lot of things, among which are that the customer understands that damages are the responsibility of the shipper, and that the only basis for a return is workmanship defects, and some other legalese.

Buyer's Remorse is not frequent, but when it occurs its usually because of color selected or they picked the wrong frame for their room. When that happens, its usually some manufacturing defect that is claimed by the customer (and 98% of the time none exist), then a request to replace the 'defective' product with a different frame in a different color, etc. That's the hard nature of the business, and it can get unpleasant. So the other companies simply eliminate that chargeback possibility by demanding a cash payment for the bulk of the purchase. I work on the premise that most folks are honest and decent, and I build a trusting relationship with my clients. Trust works both ways! Customers trust me to give them honest information and work to get their order to them quickly and efficiently and I trust them to be square with me as well. It works 99% of the time.

I do get taken advantage of as a merchant a few times each year by those that are not (I have some REALLY good stories) - but its not so frequent that I have to change payment policies. But a lot of other merchants will react to even one bad customer chargeback experience and go with an ironclad payment policy instantly.

[gkholdridge]

Most of my furniture purchases were with Toms Price when we lived in IL. They deliver the furniture themselves as long as you reside in IL. When the furniture arrives at your home you check it for damage and pay the delivery person the balance. I have paid by check for everything as I think it fair to help out the retailer buy not incurring additional credit card fees especially when they provide a fair price and awesome delivery. I was not comfortable with the Carolina situation even though one company told me they use Home Delivery Service because of their excellent practices and very low damages. Of course if you are the one person whos furniture is damaged it hardly matters that there is only one claim a year.

Duane, what would the claim process be if, for example, I ordered a Hancock and Moore piece from you and it arrived at my home in WI with abrasions or scratches on the brand new leather? Do I refuse delivery and return the item and then have to pay for redelivery of another sofa?

I have moved enough times, 7 times in 24 years cross country, to know that while some companies are much better than others even a good company can have an accident. We had a great company move us from Chicago to Annapolis. I had almost every case good crated. Guess what? My dresser ended up with a small dent on the top the size of a nail point. Never found the culprit but something poked through the slats and the cardboard to dent it. The dresser was sent to a good refinisher but it was an inconvenience. The moving company did cover the expense but I believe that is in part becuase my husbands company has a large volume business agreement with them and they would be foolish to bite the hand...

Thanks,
Grace