H&M Leather Failure

[leather questioner]

Then the representative should have told me to (a) contact the dealer or (b) find a professional leather restorer, not to order products for a home repair.

In any event, thank you for your input.

[Ci2Eye]

Then the representative should have told me to (a) contact the dealer or (b) find a professional leather restorer, not to order products for a home repair.

In any event, thank you for your input.

Is your dealer not helping you at all? My experience with furniture issues has been that the dealer can work with the furniture maker and then if they aren't successful, they can assist with repair vendors they have a relationship with.

I understand this furniture is over two years old but a good dealer should still offer some help.

[drcollie]

Open

[drcollie]

I brought this topic up with the CEO (Jack Glasheen) of Hancock & Moore today while we were talking about other things, specifically to your wear issue on the Document. Though you are not my customer and I really should not get involved at this level (it should be through your selling dealer), I did so because I wanted his feedback and recommendations on the issue.

He would prefer that you do NOT have it painted by a leather restoration person, but instead send it back to H&M (he said I gave you bad advice on that, !mea culpa!). He would like to see it personally if you will get it back to them. If he feels the leather should not have shown this wear, he's going to recover it for you at no charge, with new leather as need be - it will not be touched-up. It will also get brand new back and seat cores, the legs re-finished and the whole piece cleaned up before going back out again. If he feels the leather was performing correctly and it was due to failure to clean and body oil issues, then he will only charge you for the leather used that needs to be replaced and no labor charges (and you still get all the deluxing at no charge). It would not be a large expense, if any, and your piece will look like new.

Now, you have to pay the freight each way, or get it to Hickory NC yourself - but that's a long trip from TX to NC. I would suggest you put it out out for a bid on www.uship.com, which seems to work very well for this sort of thing and get a round trip quote if you can. Less transit time, it would probably be at H&M for 7 to 10 days and when it comes back, it will be like a new sofa. You can also check with A&O Delivery in NC or UKAY out of New Jersey for quotes to blanket wrap ship 2-way.

No other company will do this that I am aware of. Most furniture makers don't want to do any repairs, but want to sell you a new piece. H&M is the only company I know of that will repair anything they made, at little or no charge. All they ask is that you be truthful with them in describing the issues. Be honest with them, they will treat you right and that's why I'm such a huge fan of the company.

[leather questioner]

Contact info?

[drcollie]

Just give a call to the same number you had contacted them prior and tell them you want to return the piece for evaluation and repair.

[elcrox]

Duane that is going above and beyond by both you and H&M. Well done.

[Ci2Eye]

I'm not the person with the problem but still, on behalf of all of us consumers, thank you for going above and beyond to help this person. Apparently their store wasn't helping and Hancock and Moore is set up like GM or Ford in the sense that the corporate office really doesn't handle repairs; the dealers do that so this individual was getting nowhere trying to deal directly with H&M. Thanks to you, they now have an avenue towards a resolution. Hopefully it will work for them. Personally I'd be very grateful for your help but even though I'm not the one with the issue, I'd still like to extend my gratitude to you for helping a fellow consumer.

[drcollie]

One of the great things about Hancock & Moore - and I truly mean this - is they will happily engage with their dealers over the phone. They do not have an 'Ivory Tower' mindset like so many companies do, where the owners and executives stay away from the dealer base and you simply cannot speak with them. I talk with the CEO of Hancock and Moore on average about once a week, often just to call him with some whacky idea I have. By comparison, in 24 years of being a Bradington Young dealer, I have never had contact with their CEO, that person is just not available. That makes a real difference and I try to put myself in the consumers shoes. If I help someone who is not my customer at no charge, and with no expectations, then just imagine how hard I work for MY customers! Ci2Eye, you know on you own H&M chair you bought from me a few years back how I went to work for you to get that one issue corrected. I'll tell you a little secret, too...the fastest way for a dealership to lose their Hancock & Moore account (other than not paying their bills) is to not service their customer base, post-sale, its not tolerated for long.

I lose a few sales here and there on items because if people spend enough hours cross-shopping, they will eventually find someone who will beat my price (even though I am pretty aggressive on price). If they ask me to match that price or beat it, I will almost always decline. They don't understand that, but the reason is because I am THAT DEALER who will spends hours and hours on post-sale issues with them should they arise, to try to make it right. The lowest price guys won't do that, they put off their customers once the item has been paid for.

Recently a customer was unhappy about his H&M sofa because of 'defective leather' on the inside back of the piece. It was simply fat wrinkles - which are a hallmark of a fine leather that hasn't been processed to death, but that customer didn't understand that concept and considered it sub-standard even after a through explanation. As a dealer, I have two choices: 1) "It meets production standards and nothing further will be done", or 2) "Let's see what we can do". I know that (1) is the correct legal answer, but it leaves an unhappy customer. and (2) is going to cost me money out of pocket. I usually go with (2), and in this instance the entire inside back is being re-covered at no charge and I am also paying the re-ship charges. So yes, it costs me several hundred dollars to do this as customer goodwill but that's also the reason I can't be the rock-bottom dealer on price. I have to have margins to meet to be able to do this sort of thing - the bottom price guy doesn't have it and will be the dealer that won't respond to issues. Service can be important if you need it, and I have a pretty solid rep for following though on that for my customers.

[Ci2Eye]

One of the great things about Hancock & Moore - and I truly mean this - is they will happily engage with their dealers over the phone. They do not have an 'Ivory Tower' mindset like so many companies do, where the owners and executives stay away from the dealer base and you simply cannot speak with them. I talk with the CEO of Hancock and Moore on average about once a week, often just to call him with some whacky idea I have. By comparison, in 24 years of being a Bradington Young dealer, I have never had contact with their CEO, that person is just not available. That makes a real difference and I try to put myself in the consumers shoes. If I help someone who is not my customer at no charge, and with no expectations, then just imagine how hard I work for MY customers! Ci2Eye, you know on you own H&M chair you bought from me a few years back how I went to work for you to get that one issue corrected. I'll tell you a little secret, too...the fastest way for a dealership to lose their Hancock & Moore account (other than not paying their bills) is to not service their customer base, post-sale, its not tolerated for long.

I lose a few sales here and there on items because if people spend enough hours cross-shopping, they will eventually find someone who will beat my price (even though I am pretty aggressive on price). If they ask me to match that price or beat it, I will almost always decline. They don't understand that, but the reason is because I am THAT DEALER who will spends hours and hours on post-sale issues with them should they arise, to try to make it right. The lowest price guys won't do that, they put off their customers once the item has been paid for.

Recently a customer was unhappy about his H&M sofa because of 'defective leather' on the inside back of the piece. It was simply fat wrinkles - which are a hallmark of a fine leather that hasn't been processed to death, but that customer didn't understand that concept and considered it sub-standard even after a through explanation. As a dealer, I have two choices: 1) "It meets production standards and nothing further will be done", or 2) "Let's see what we can do". I know that (1) is the correct legal answer, but it leaves an unhappy customer. and (2) is going to cost me money out of pocket. I usually go with (2), and in this instance the entire inside back is being re-covered at no charge and I am covering the re-ship charges. So yes, it costs me several hundred dollars to do this as customer goodwill but that's also the reason I can't be the rock-bottom dealer on price. I have to have margins to meet to be able to do this sort of thing - the bottom price guy doesn't have it and will be the guy that says (1). Service can be important if you need it, and I have a pretty solid rep for following though on that for my customers.

Yes, Duane, I certainly remember your efforts and the end result turned out beautifully. I still appreciate your help and I know not every dealer would have done what you did but I was your customer so in a sense there was an expectation that you would work to address the issue. In this case though you aren't the selling dealer, this isn't your customer, this furniture is three years old and it's hard to discern what happened and why. Yet, you still intervened with the CEO of the company to help so that really is going above and beyond and I thought you were owed a Thank You for such an extraordinary measure.