Furniture Protection Plans - Worth It?

I am searching for a new sofa and recliners in leather. Last week I found BY and spent considerable time in the store. After talking with the sales person, he told me that we didn't need to worry about sunlight damage because of the leather had a protective coating on it. Hmmm? And he also recommended Guardsman Gold Complete Furniture Protection Plan.

I am wondering if a furniture protection plan is worth buying. I want our furniture to last and don't have a problem doing yearly maintenance, conditioning, cleaning, et cetera. Sales person told me that BY has a two year warranty, whereas, Guardsman would give me five years of protection.

Thoughts?

I do have three children that are not rough on furniture. They do snack occasionally while watching tv. Have a small dog that doesn't go on the furniture at all.

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Originally Posted by CAmom

I am searching for a new sofa and recliners in leather. Last week I found BY and spent considerable time in the store. After talking with the sales person, he told me that we didn't need to worry about sunlight damage because of the leather had a protective coating on it. Hmmm? And he also recommended Guardsman Gold Complete Furniture Protection Plan.

I am wondering if a furniture protection plan is worth buying. I want our furniture to last and don't have a problem doing yearly maintenance, conditioning, cleaning, et cetera. Sales person told me that BY has a two year warranty, whereas, Guardsman would give me five years of protection.

Thoughts?

I do have three children that are not rough on furniture. They do snack occasionally while watching tv. Have a small dog that doesn't go on the furniture at all.

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Take a good look at the Guardsman warranty online-it doesn't cover much.

If you read the online reviews for Gaurdsman, you'll see that they make it almost impossible for you to submit a claim. The hoops and deadlines are atrocious.

he told me that we didn't need to worry about sunlight damage because of the leather had a protective coating on it

False. A finished leather (and semi-aniline) is coated, but that is because its pigmented, there is no UV protection in the topcoat. Any pigmented coating is - at the end of the day - a form of paint, and any painted surface will resist sun fade better than an aniline or dyed color. So yes, you will get less fade with Finished than Aniline, but the UV rays will take the color out of anything in a room, be it furniture, carpets, wall paint, rugs and even wood flooring.

he also recommended Guardsman Gold Complete Furniture Protection Plan.

Of course he did. That is almost pure profit for the store. And as far as I am concerned its a rip-off. You will almost never get a payout if you have a claim, and typically they will put you in a blame cycle where they say the dealer is responsible for the claim or the manufacturer, and both of them will deny a payout, leaving you holding the bag. Additionally, the product application of these plans can and does result in leather failure on certain hides. The chemicals they apply in these various plans are not tested on the leather and I have seen several instances where it cause the topcoat on the hide to fail, rendering the product useless. The damage appears slowly usually a year or longer after application and the top of the leather flakes off. Companies that sell these plans then blame the manufacturer saying the leather is defective. When the piece is returned to the manufacturer, its send out to a lab for testing, and if any unapproved product has been put on the leather any claim is denied. Only use the approved product on the leather. For most, it will be a kit like what I have in the store by Leather Solutions, who service the bulk of the trade in North Carolina. Do you maintenance regularly with these kits and your piece will last for years.

Sales person told me that BY has a two year warranty

False again. B-Y's warranty is published here in the forum, under LEATHER. They do not warranty the cover (leather) and the rest of the piece, with the exception of motion mechanisms has a limited lifetime warranty on it.

I really dislike salespeople that 1) Don't know their product line 2) Outright lie.

Thanks, Duane! More research on my part.

It is very frustrating for the buyer to go into a store and spend quite some time talking to a salesperson only to find out he isn't knowledgeable or is choosing to be dishonest.

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Originally Posted by CAmom

It is very frustrating for the buyer to go into a store and spend quite some time talking to a salesperson only to find out he isn't knowledgeable or is choosing to be dishonest.

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Yes, it absolutely is :( I'm so sorry that you had to encounter that. There's so much misinformation out there, especially from floor sales people that will say anything to get that commission. It's a pity too that the the law doesn't treat what they say as representations by the company, so they pretty much get away with it.