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Thread: Difficulties with Local Furniture Store & Manufacturer's Quality - Need Serious Help

  1. #1
    sajehill Guest

    Default Difficulties with Local Furniture Store & Manufacturer's Quality - Need Serious Help

    Hello ...

    I will try to make this as brief & coherent as possible. My stomach is in knots right now.

    Back in August I purchased 3 pieces of solid wood bedroom furniture (made by the Amish) from a local furniture store ... a dresser, nightstand, & chest. I purchased this furniture directly off their showroom floor. I inspected it for damage prior to my purchase & it seemed fine. When the furniture was delivered, I discovered that the dresser was too small for my clothes. I also found that the side panels were quite rough on all three pieces, as if they had not been sanded properly. I hadn't bothered to run my hands over the side panels in the store. However, since this roughness was on all 3 pieces, I assumed this was normal for this furniture. I contacted the store owner regarding the issue with the dresser & she agreed to let me exchange it for a larger size. I had to wait 10 weeks for this larger dresser to be built.

    When the larger dresser was delivered, the top three drawers did not open & shut smoothly. They dragged across the openings in the body of the dresser when opened & banged against the body when I tried to shut them. I also noticed that the silver metal drawer glides were visible when looking at the dresser head on. I also noticed that the side panels of this dresser were as smooth as a baby's bottom ... not at all rough like on the nightstand & chest. The dresser also had some nicks & gouges in the wood. As I took a closer look at the nightstand & chest, I saw that some of the metal drawer glides were also visible when looking at them head on! After some frustrating conversations with the store owner, she finally agreed to take back the furniture & return it to the manufacturer for repair or replacement.

    The furniture was picked up from my home on November 24th. My repaired or replaced furniture was received in the store on February 3rd. The store owner left a message on my answering machine that the repaired furniture had been received, that she had inspected it, & she asked me to call to schedule delivery. Since I wanted my conversations with this woman to be in writing, I emailed her saying that with all the problems I found with the furniture & how long the manufacturer had it that I was surprised it had only been repaired, not replaced. I asked for verification that the furniture was without the problems I had originally found with it ... that there was no roughness or other damage to the wood, that the metal drawer glides were not visible, & that all drawers opened & shut smoothly. I told her that if the furniture was delivered to me & I found any of these problems, I would refuse delivery & expect a full refund. I told her I was not going to play back & forth games with the manufacturer. Her response was that I could not receive a refund ... the furniture was no longer "new" as it had been in my home, she had inspected it, & I needed to schedule a time for delivery. I responded by telling her that I would schedule delivery only with the understanding that I would examine the furniture when it arrived in my home & that if I found any of the problems I noted, or any other problems, I would refuse delivery & she would need to once again return it to the manufacturer. I told her I understood that she was the middleman in this transaction & not responsible for the furniture's construction, but that I had spent a great deal of money for this furniture & that I had the right to expect it to be constructed properly. I noted that the Amish are known for high standards of craftsmanship & that these standards were not evident in the furniture I had received. I once again stated that if the furniture was not constructed properly, I would return it & expect a refund or for her to once again return it to the manufacturer to make it right.

    In all our correspondence about this furniture, she has never addressed my concerns. She has only stated that she has inspected the furniture & that she finds no fault with it, but she apparently found no fault with the previous furniture either! She won't say to me "don't worry, there are no drawer glides visible, there is no roughness," etc. She has been pushing for me to schedule delivery. I told her we can schedule delivery for sometime late next week but once again added that if any of these problems I've noted are evident in the furniture, I will refuse delivery & she will need to either refund my money or contact the manufacturer to have them addressed. This is the response I just received from her:

    "Your furniture has been inspected; I find no fault with it. The furniture is not new and not returnable to me. You got the original furniture in 8/15. If you do not take the furniture back, it will be abandoned furniture 30 days from today and disposed of."

    Do I have any recourse here? I realize that the furniture may indeed be free of any problems, which would be great. However, if it does have any problems, I feel as if I am being forced to accept delivery as if I don't, the furniture will be considered "abandoned" & disposed of.

    The manufacturer, if it matters, is a company called Simply Amish. They supposedly stand behind their merchandise. My understanding is that they hire Amish builders to construct their furniture. I have, however, never been able to find reviews online of either the furniture or the company, & they don't appear to be a member of the BBB.

    Please help. I am sick about this.

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    Alexandria VA
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    Default Re: Difficulties with Local Furniture Store & Manufacturer's Quality - Need Serious H

    Sounds like you bought the wrong furniture.

    If you do a search here on "AMISH" you will find plenty of comments on it. I don't know where people get this sense that the Amish build great things, they confused quaint with quality is my guess. Amish furniture is production furniture, not highly crafted. The fact there are metal glides in the furniture is proof of that, high quality pieces do not have those. They appear to have gone to great lengths to satisfy you, and my takeaway is that you expect more from the furniture than it is capable of delivering. I would accept the furniture - because they WILL dispose of it otherwise - and chalk it up as a life lesson. If you still feel strongly about it once you have had it in your home, then contact an attorney and go to court over it, though you will have to make a case that the floor models were substantially different than what you received.

    Sometimes you just made a bad buy and have to move on. Good luck
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
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    Default Re: Difficulties with Local Furniture Store & Manufacturer's Quality - Need Serious H

    Addendum. I see your other posts to the forum were also a complaint with a furniture company back in September. It's very unusual for one person to have two major issues / complaints in furniture in such a short period of time.
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  4. #4
    sajehill Guest

    Default Re: Difficulties with Local Furniture Store & Manufacturer's Quality - Need Serious H

    Unusual, yes ... possible, also yes. I have contacted an attorney who thankfully is willing to help me.

  5. #5
    Labrador Guest

    Default Re: Difficulties with Local Furniture Store & Manufacturer's Quality - Need Serious H

    Which of the manufacturer's lines did you purchase, and what's the species of wood? Posting the pictures you took of these problems would be a tremendous help! And you're very lucky, by the way, to have found a lawyer who does pro bono work in this area of law!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    The Woodlands, Texas
    Posts
    328

    Default Re: Difficulties with Local Furniture Store & Manufacturer's Quality - Need Serious H

    Quote Originally Posted by sajehill View Post
    Hello ...

    I will try to make this as brief & coherent as possible. My stomach is in knots right now.

    Back in August I purchased 3 pieces of solid wood bedroom furniture (made by the Amish) from a local furniture store ... a dresser, nightstand, & chest. I purchased this furniture directly off their showroom floor. I inspected it for damage prior to my purchase & it seemed fine. When the furniture was delivered, I discovered that the dresser was too small for my clothes. I also found that the side panels were quite rough on all three pieces, as if they had not been sanded properly. I hadn't bothered to run my hands over the side panels in the store. However, since this roughness was on all 3 pieces, I assumed this was normal for this furniture. I contacted the store owner regarding the issue with the dresser & she agreed to let me exchange it for a larger size. I had to wait 10 weeks for this larger dresser to be built.

    When the larger dresser was delivered, the top three drawers did not open & shut smoothly. They dragged across the openings in the body of the dresser when opened & banged against the body when I tried to shut them. I also noticed that the silver metal drawer glides were visible when looking at the dresser head on. I also noticed that the side panels of this dresser were as smooth as a baby's bottom ... not at all rough like on the nightstand & chest. The dresser also had some nicks & gouges in the wood. As I took a closer look at the nightstand & chest, I saw that some of the metal drawer glides were also visible when looking at them head on! After some frustrating conversations with the store owner, she finally agreed to take back the furniture & return it to the manufacturer for repair or replacement.

    The furniture was picked up from my home on November 24th. My repaired or replaced furniture was received in the store on February 3rd. The store owner left a message on my answering machine that the repaired furniture had been received, that she had inspected it, & she asked me to call to schedule delivery. Since I wanted my conversations with this woman to be in writing, I emailed her saying that with all the problems I found with the furniture & how long the manufacturer had it that I was surprised it had only been repaired, not replaced. I asked for verification that the furniture was without the problems I had originally found with it ... that there was no roughness or other damage to the wood, that the metal drawer glides were not visible, & that all drawers opened & shut smoothly. I told her that if the furniture was delivered to me & I found any of these problems, I would refuse delivery & expect a full refund. I told her I was not going to play back & forth games with the manufacturer. Her response was that I could not receive a refund ... the furniture was no longer "new" as it had been in my home, she had inspected it, & I needed to schedule a time for delivery. I responded by telling her that I would schedule delivery only with the understanding that I would examine the furniture when it arrived in my home & that if I found any of the problems I noted, or any other problems, I would refuse delivery & she would need to once again return it to the manufacturer. I told her I understood that she was the middleman in this transaction & not responsible for the furniture's construction, but that I had spent a great deal of money for this furniture & that I had the right to expect it to be constructed properly. I noted that the Amish are known for high standards of craftsmanship & that these standards were not evident in the furniture I had received. I once again stated that if the furniture was not constructed properly, I would return it & expect a refund or for her to once again return it to the manufacturer to make it right.

    In all our correspondence about this furniture, she has never addressed my concerns. She has only stated that she has inspected the furniture & that she finds no fault with it, but she apparently found no fault with the previous furniture either! She won't say to me "don't worry, there are no drawer glides visible, there is no roughness," etc. She has been pushing for me to schedule delivery. I told her we can schedule delivery for sometime late next week but once again added that if any of these problems I've noted are evident in the furniture, I will refuse delivery & she will need to either refund my money or contact the manufacturer to have them addressed. This is the response I just received from her:

    "Your furniture has been inspected; I find no fault with it. The furniture is not new and not returnable to me. You got the original furniture in 8/15. If you do not take the furniture back, it will be abandoned furniture 30 days from today and disposed of."

    Do I have any recourse here? I realize that the furniture may indeed be free of any problems, which would be great. However, if it does have any problems, I feel as if I am being forced to accept delivery as if I don't, the furniture will be considered "abandoned" & disposed of.

    The manufacturer, if it matters, is a company called Simply Amish. They supposedly stand behind their merchandise. My understanding is that they hire Amish builders to construct their furniture. I have, however, never been able to find reviews online of either the furniture or the company, & they don't appear to be a member of the BBB.

    Please help. I am sick about this.
    Ok, I'm REALLY confused! Your previous review of the other pieces you bought mention the return & refund of the bedroom furniture...from the same store??

    If you experienced such "difficulties" with them before, why would you ever go back & buy from them AGAIN?

    There are no photos posted in either review, so none of us here can ascertain whether your complaints are warranted, or you're just being nit picky about minor aesthetic issues. Duane has read both your reviews thoroughly it seems & concluded you just bought the wrong stuff from the wrong people: twice.

    If you read a lot on this forum, you'll hear Duane continually try to hammer home several points:
    1) "Amish" furniture is a gimmick & it sounds to me as if you bought it hook, line & sinker. Sorry, that's not the store's fault you didn't do your homework. If the furniture is sold(verbally) as Amish, yet isn't written anywhere on the product's tag or detailed description then who's really to blame here that you took a sales rep's word as the bible truth?

    I can put some cat's litter box droppings in a really nice pretty package & call it whatever I want. I can charge whatever I want too. If someone comes along & buys that pitch & purchases my packaged litter box droppings: am I to blame? Or the person who fell for the pitch without really looking inside that package?

    2) If a particular retailer jumped through not legally required hoops for you before on an item you were displeased with, then technically speaking, they've gone above & beyond what's required. You may feel as though you're entitled to more, but the fact remains: you're not. Be thankful & grateful for what they did do. It could've been much, much worse of an outcome.

    3) after reading your posts, I'm getting the sense you had VERY specific expectations regarding the pieces you purchased, yet on both occasions your expectations were not met. Both were ordered pieces, not floor models, correct?
    If you just absolutely have to have what you're envisioning in your mind, & custom ordered pieces keep coming up short, maybe you're better off just purchasing floor models instead? At least that way, you'll know EXACTLY what you're getting & there won't be any surprises.

    4) I may be way out in left field on this, but this all just could be buyer's remorse camouflaged as "defective, low quality" pieces. I used to be in sales & in my new career field of interior design I do still deal with sales & I've seen it a thousand times. You'd be amazed at the stories ppl will come up with once that return period has passed & they know they're stuck with this thing unless...
    I'm not saying that's the case here, but 2 REALLY negative experiences within several months of each other regarding the same retailer is just too bizarre to be believed.

    My advice to you is: in the future, DON'T ever take some sales rep's word as the last. Do your homework & become an educated consumer. If you make a regretful purchase, own up to it & take it as a learning experience. After the return period has passed, no retailer has to legally do anything to correct issues that just aren't there.

    I know it's not what you want to hear, but sometimes the truth hurts. What doesn't hurt is the valuable lesson learned for the next time.
    Last edited by Asomer; 04-08-2016 at 09:39 AM.

  7. #7
    Join Date
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    Default Re: Difficulties with Local Furniture Store & Manufacturer's Quality - Need Serious H

    I re-read your post & a few things stood out I hadn't noticed initially:

    The bedroom furniture were floor models you say you "inspected thoroughly," yet all these serious flaws they visibly had you somehow missed??

    The dresser was picked up to be repaired/replaced & was gone for 10 weeks. In that 10 week time period you only just then noticed the metal drawer glides were clearly visible from head on, not in the prior to purchase inspection?? So, that missed your initial thorough look over in the store prior to purchase as well & only then became apparent once the other issues began...yea I'm sorry, but this is just not adding up. And, it's sounding more & more like buyer's remorse dressed up as "defective goods."

    I'm really NOT not trying to sound dismissive of your situation. But, there are several very clear discrepancies in your story & if I were this store's owner, I'd be doing exactly what they have done & are doing:

    They offered to repair &/or replace the floor models you thoroughly inspected prior to purchase, & you agreed to that resolution(thus, where their "take delivery of paid for & repaired/replaced goods as per agreement, or we'll consider them abandoned" stance is coming from.) ALL the while, literally months are going by & you keep discovering issues with the other items that you somehow missed in your initial inspections, & in your 10 week living with & observation time that are questionable, at best. Now, they're rightfully dialing back their willingness to assist you anymore in this. Too much time has passed & there's never been any acknowledgement by the manufacturer nor the retailer that the pieces are indeed defective/not up to snuff...so, this isn't a warranty issue at all. It's a you bought junk & only realized it after it was too late kinda issue. That's no longer their problem, since the return period has long since lapsed. And, since nobody's spoken of this being some sort of a warranty issue/resolution type situation, it's not the manufacturer's problem anymore, either.

    I suspect the lawyer who was assisting you, has probably come to that conclusion as well & told you as such. I'm truly sorry you had to learn the importance of being an educated consumer like this, but the bright side is you have.

    At this point, there's no use crying over spilled milk: sell the furniture on Craigslist or eBay, take that money & go buy real quality furniture from a reputable company that you've diligently researched.
    Last edited by Asomer; 04-08-2016 at 04:16 AM.

  8. #8
    Jenny Guest

    Default Re: Difficulties with Local Furniture Store & Manufacturer's Quality - Need Serious H

    Edited. See below.
    Last edited by Jenny; 04-08-2016 at 10:03 AM.

  9. #9
    Jenny Guest

    Default Re: Difficulties with Local Furniture Store & Manufacturer's Quality - Need Serious H

    Quote Originally Posted by sajehill View Post
    Unusual, yes ... possible, also yes. I have contacted an attorney who thankfully is willing to help me.
    From the accommodations the store owner made for you, the repeated returns, and your admission that you didn't fully inspect the size/finishing in the store, it doesn't sound like you have a particularly strong legal case. It's important to keep your costs in mind in situations like this. Many smaller firms will offer a free initial consultation with an attorney so that they can evaluate whether to take you on as a client, but if you want your problems solved, keep in mind even a first year associate bills at minimum $150-$200 an hour in most places.

    I understand you're worried about accepting delivery. But accepting delivery and scheduling delivery are two different things - only the former has legal significance. You haven't seen the items yet, and maybe the new ones won't be so bad. You can absolutely schedule delivery and still reject the items once you have an opportunity to inspect. There's no point in refusing to even schedule delivery in the first place on the assumption the items "could" be damaged or of inferior quality.
    Last edited by Jenny; 04-08-2016 at 10:44 AM.

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Difficulties with Local Furniture Store & Manufacturer's Quality - Need Serious H

    Quote Originally Posted by Jenny View Post
    From the accommodations the store owner made for you, the repeated returns, and your admission that you didn't fully inspect the size/finishing in the store, it doesn't sound like you have a particularly strong legal case. It's important to keep your costs in mind in situations like this. Many smaller firms will offer a free initial consultation with an attorney so that they can evaluate whether to take you on as a client, but if you want your problems solved, keep in mind even a first year associate bills at minimum $150-$200 an hour in most places.

    I understand you're worried about accepting delivery. But accepting delivery and scheduling delivery are two different things - only the former has legal significance. You haven't seen the items yet, and maybe the new ones won't be so bad. You can absolutely schedule delivery and still reject the items once you have an opportunity to inspect. There's no point in refusing to even schedule delivery in the first place on the assumption the items "could" be damaged or of inferior quality.
    I totally agree with Jenny on this. But, it sounds more & more like a buyer's remorse situation, hence the hesitation & work around on even scheduling delivery.

    Sajehill has admitted nowhere in writing, on either the product's description, or in the invoice did it specifically mention this furniture as being "Amish." According to the OP, the sales rep said that & they took that rep's verbal word to the bank. They didn't do further research to verify the validity of that, went ahead with the purchase, supposedly thoroughly inspected the pieces prior to purchasing & only after 1 item had an immediate(but, not in the store immediate?) defect noticeable did they begin having repeated issues with the other items in the purchase & the store.

    There's too many parts of their story that just don't make any sense, or add up. All of the written paperwork signed off on by the OP associated with this purchase does not state any of the sales rep's supposed info on the furniture & the OP even states themselves, there's no way to actually PROVE misrepresentation because it all boils down to a he said/she said thing.

    OP is in a pickle here & only reasonable, realistic way to fix it is admit they made a poor purchasing decision & look into selling the furniture to make back whatever they've lost in this.

    Or, accept the fact you didn't do due diligence on your behalf as an informed & educated consumer & as Jenny says, the furniture may now be to your satisfaction. So, have it delivered, put this learning experience behind you & enjoy the furniture.

    Jenny's right: no attorney will take this on a pro bono basis & the cost of hiring one isn't worth it when you don't have the facts on your side.

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