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Thread: Careful out there when shopping....

  1. #1
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    Default Careful out there when shopping....

    A couple of things are happening in the furniture business these days for YOU - the consumer - to be aware of.

    1) Stores are still going out of business. Even though they are failing, some unscrupulous operators will still take your money for special orders and yet the manufacturer may put your order in the HOLD file because the dealer is behind on paying their bills. Unfortunately, its very difficult for you as the consumer to tell what store is healthy and which ones are not. The manufacturers cannot tell you by law. However you may be able to call a maker and ask whom they RECOMMEND you purchase from? If they are having difficulty with a dealer not paying their bills and orders backing up in a HOLD file, its doubtful they will recommend you contact a poor-performing dealer. Ask around, find other customers who have recent dealings with that store and see if all went well...if other customers are having trouble with a store you'll certainly hear about it on the internet somewhere.

    2) Some internet dealers are taking orders for, and selling brands for which they are not an authorized dealer. At best you are buying grey-market product (slipped out the back door of an authorized dealer) and at worst you could be buying an imitation with a premium label put on it like a fake Prada handbag or imitation Rolex.

    Tipoffs to this are: 1) no brick and mortar store (P.O. Boxes are a giveaway) which all furniture manufacturers require of their legitimate dealers, pricing too good to be true, and lack of mentioning the brand on their web site yet they will quote it for you in an email. If you choose to buy from one of these sources and run into an issue or problem with a purchase, these type of operators cannot get service for you from the manufacturer.

    Here's an example of this kind of operator....he operates out of his home in Florida with no storefront, just a P.O.B. and a phone number, and if you check the dealer websites to see if he's an authorized dealer you won't find him listed (But he has a cute puppy on his website!):

    www.leatherdepot.com

    Any legitimate store will have a showroom and have on their website directions or address to their store as well as hours of operation.
    Last edited by drcollie; 04-16-2011 at 05:58 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
    Join Date
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    Default Re: Careful out there when shopping....

    This residence appears to be their street address. Anything in particular bring them to mind, or shouldn't I ask?

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Careful out there when shopping....

    You can ask!

    I had an inquiry to price match on an item and I always verify that the price lower than mine is legitimate. It doesn't take long to figure out an opertion that is a "shell" such as www.leatherdepot.com and not an authorized dealer and as such I declined the price match, then reported this web operator to the manufacturer. They in turn went after this person immediately and told him to cease and desist. This is for the consumer's protection as much as it is in the manufacturers interest because in essence we are trying to shut down someone who is operating on the fringes of what is legal - especially important when this guy holds himself out to be a dealer for products on his website and he is not.

    Even if he is shipping genuine product, he cannot service it should a problem arise. So it's truly Buyer Beware with some of these guys on the 'net.
    Last edited by drcollie; 04-16-2011 at 05:59 PM.
    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
    AZJoe Guest

    Default Re: Careful out there when shopping....

    Does paying with a CC, offer some protection against the people who take order deposits, and then vanish?

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Careful out there when shopping....

    Perhaps. I'm not well-versed in Bankruptcy Laws but I bet some here on the forum are.

    Credit card companies can do chargebacks which pull the money out of the merchant accounts but if there is no money to actually get - they can't pull it out if none exists. And any merchant who is playing a shell game with his customers is sure to have multiple bank accounts and that one the credit card funds go into is kept dry or nearly so. So while you have some protection in that manner, its not strong. Some enhanced credit cards (Platinums, etc) may have their own protection program and that's what you'd really want to use on a deposit if all possible. That's buried in the fine prints of some cards but probably worth looking into.

    When a store goes bankrupt, you stand in line with the other creditors. You will be behind the banks, the IRS and state taxing authorities, landlords and perhaps suppliers. You may eventually get your money back, depending on how much is generated from the liquidation and how the courts divide up the settlement. It might take some time and you may only get pennies back on the dollar. Each situation is unique, of course. Others here will probably know how that works better than I as I have NO experience with Bankruptcy and never intend to!
    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: Careful out there when shopping....

    This is leatherdepot . com:

    View Larger Map

    Would you leave a deposit for your order after seeing where he operates from?
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  7. #7
    Matthew Guest

    Default Re: Careful out there when shopping....

    Their email address is billleather@bellsouth.net. That's just lazy. They have the domain, may as well set up a contact email to match the domain. I don't really trust any business these days that uses a personal email account.

  8. #8
    harland Guest

    Default Re: Careful out there when shopping....

    Quote Originally Posted by AZJoe View Post
    Does paying with a CC, offer some protection against the people who take order deposits, and then vanish?
    I've had to file several of these sorts of claims in the past few years, mainly about merchandise that was delivered broken. I try to work it out with the merchant, but after a few attempts and no satisfaction, I reach for the 'scorched earth' policy. Obviously you can't use this all the time, otherwise the CC company drops you like bad news, but for those few times when you really get bilked, it can be your last hope.

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