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Thread: Dr. Sofa

  1. #1
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    Default Dr. Sofa

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    Recently a customer of mine took delivery of a Leathercraft Sectional in NYC. Despite best attempts at measuring ahead of time, it would not fit into the apartment elevator on the day of delivery. The long piece of the sectional was simply too long. As you might imagine, this gets everyone pretty excited at 3 p.m on a winter day when a $ 8,000 sectional is sitting on the sidewalk and no one knows what to do with it.

    Jeff's Simplicity Sofa Co focuses its entire marketing theory on selling pieces that come apart for this very reason, and there are apparently many buildings in NYC where pieces simply won't go in.

    I remember hearing about Dr. Sofa, a company in NYC that specializes in solving these issues. They respond almost immediately, take the new sofa apart, cut it into pieces, then haul it upstairs and re-assemble Price is $ 469 for the service:

    http://www.drsofa.com/

    Out of viable options, the delivery crew exhausted, my customer called Dr. Sofa and had them come out. I asked him to take photos of the process, so I could see how they do it. They got there promptly (arriving in an old Ambulance - they have a sense of humor) and by 8 p.m. it was done. Here's some of the photos taken during the process, and my customer said he was very pleased with the result.

    I'm pretty shocked by what I see. This is a SERIOUS take-apart of an expensive piece, and as you can probably imagine the warranty just went out the window.

    A lot of my suppliers were curious to see these as well, so I emailed them to them. I've been after Hancock and Moore for years to give us something we could break down into segments for customers if needed, and until they saw this Leathercraft piece they never responded much to my request. Well, the good news is they called me up yesterday and said that they don't want to see a customer have to do this to a piece, so they would custom modify pieces to break down if needed (custom charges apply) so Dr. Sofa doesn't have to cut into the frames.

    If you happen to live in a place where egress is difficult, be sure to measure or send photos of EVERYTHING. Your apartment doorway, the elevator, the outside door to the apt building entrance, etc. Applies to suburban homes with basements, too. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. When in doubt, have the pieces made to come apart so you don't have to do this to your new purchase when it arrives. Its an added cost, and if you move you have to have them come back in and take it apart again....not to mention never-wracking, I'm sure!
    Last edited by drcollie; 01-05-2011 at 07:00 PM.
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Dr. Sofa

    Egad. I don't think I could bear to watch my new sofa disassembled like that. "Call me when it's over."

    It's a good thing they know what they're doing.

  3. #3
    Riddle Guest

    Default Re: Dr. Sofa

    One has to wonder what that does to the durability of such a large, heavy piece of furniture.

  4. #4
    harland Guest

    Default Re: Dr. Sofa

    Quote Originally Posted by aaron View Post
    Egad. I don't think I could bear to watch my new sofa disassembled like that. "Call me when it's over."

    It's a good thing they know what they're doing.
    He didn't go to sofa surgery school to be called 'Mr'...

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Dr. Sofa

    I'm not real keen on it, and of course it adds $ 469 to the overall price as well. That same money could be applied to custom making the frame at the maker so Dr. Sofa isn't needed. I try to go over egress with my customers on every order (and we did on this one as well) but missed on the elevator height. Into the building, and into the apartment was no problem, the roof of the elevator wasn't high enough.
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  6. #6
    Join Date
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    Default Re: Dr. Sofa

    A word in defense of Dr. Sofa -- They are available 24/7 to take care of the type of emergency that your customer ran into. They have been doing this for many years and I have never seen or heard a comment from anybody complaining about the quality of their work or that they ruined a piece of furniture. (They do this for wood furniture as well.)

    My business is making sofas and sectionals that fit into tight spaces (and small elevators) so I have followed Dr. Sofa for several years. In some ways they may even be considered competition to my company. They seem to be a highly reliable company with an excellent reputation.

    Jeff Frank
    Simplicity Sofas

  7. #7
    Join Date
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    Default Re: Dr. Sofa

    Heck yes, they provide an invaluable service when you're out of other options. But, just like going to the ER to get stitched up - if you can avoid the injury ahead of time you're better off!
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  8. #8
    Mickey Finn Guest

    Default Re: Dr. Sofa

    We pride ourselves on the durability of our work. Actually, every joint that gets taken apart is nailed and screwed back together and then special metal brackets are screwed into the junctions. We could say it is now "better than new" but so as not to disparage any manufacturer we always say "as good as new".
    Now, as to warranty: Every sofa manufacturer gives different warranties to their sofas and case goods. Dr Sofa guarantees every section and area that we work on. In most cases, the seams on the cushions or the fillings wear and tear before there is a problem with the frame. I have never seen a reputable manufacturer deny a claim on these items. We are also unique in our field because we offer wood repair and refinishing, custom upholstery and restoration, and custom sofas (up to 220" single units). This is why we are rated #1 in our area.

    http://www.drsofa.com
    Last edited by Mickey Finn; 02-03-2011 at 04:32 PM.

  9. #9
    Join Date
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    Default Re: Dr. Sofa

    Glad to have you on the forum, Dr. Sofa. Your team responded quickly and efficiently to our sectional sofa crisis in NYC that is the subject of this thread. That piece just was not going into that elevator....

    However, I do have to disagree with your statement that a reputable manufacturer would not deny a warranty on a piece that has been disassembled like you do. I think every one of my suppliers would absolutely deny a warranty claim on these pieces, without a second thought. In fact, the comments I hear when I show them the photos is "There goes that lifetime frame warranty!"
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  10. #10
    Mickey Finn Guest

    Default Re: Dr. Sofa

    From One Dr to Another,
    We have never had a "disassembled by Dr Sofa" real wood frame fail. If that would ever happen, we would gladly repair it even beyond our regular warranty period. BTW: Do you have any idea of how many lifetime frames have ever failed?

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