Buying a sofa without sitting on it?

[simplyjeff]

This is one of my favorite topics!

As a consumer the thought of paying thousands of dollars for a sofa that I have never sat on is terrifying. Unfortunately, my business is based on convincing others to do exactly that.

Simplicity Sofas is a manufacturer selling direct to consumers all over the country from our High Point, NC factory. We do not sell to retailers (including Duane.) All of our products are exclusive and cannot be seen or sat on anywhere except for our small High Point factory showroom. More than 75% of our customers ask where they can see the furniture before they buy.

For some reason when I was trying to raise financing to start the company 5 years ago this situation was a sticking point for financial investors familiar with the furniture industry. The solution, however, was very simple.

1. We started by selling to customers who had a desperate need for the special type of furniture we made (designed to fit through extremely narrow doors and stairways) and were willing to take a chance because there were no other alternatives other than low-end IKEA stuff.

2. We made absolutely sure that every one of these early customers had an outstanding furniture buying experience and we made sure we received written testimonials from every customer which could be passed on to future customers. To this day every single customer receives an email within 24 hours after their order is delivered asking how they like the furniture, what they thought about the customer service they experienced and whether there are any problems that need to be addressed. When problems occur they are taken care of immediately.

3. The biggest concern of a customer buying furniture sight unseen is what happens if there is a problem of any kind or if it is uncomfortable or if they just don't like it once it is in their home. To address this concern the company created the furniture industry's first Total Satisfaction Warranty and Return Policy which stated If you do not like our furniture for any reason whatsoever you may return it for a full refund including all shipping charges for a period of one year after purchase.*
(* The Total Satisfaction Warranty and Return Policy has no exclusions, exceptions or limitations. It exists solely for the protection of our customers, not to protect our company.)

4. In the early days our customers flooded the national customer review sites such as Yelp and my3cents.com with outstanding reviews until most of these review sites refused to accept any more submissions from our customers and deleted all the ones they had received.

5. As our fanatically loyal customer base began growing all over the country several of our customers let us know that if we had any prospective customers who lived near them who wanted to try out our furniture they would be happy to show off the furniture in their homes. We instituted a program where we offered our customers $50 each time they showed off their furniture. The payment was not contingent upon a subsequent sale, but over the history of the program more than 50% of all customers who first saw our furniture in another customer's home ended up buying from us.

6. The steps outlined above eventually brought us to the attention of nationally recognized "customer experience" professionals whose careers were based upon convincing major corporations that outstanding customer service could actually be more profitable than cutting costs by outsourcing customer service departments to India (among other recommendations.)
If anyone is interested I would be happy to supply links to some of those articles.

So, now when somebody asks me whether it is OK to buy furniture sight unseen from one of the dozens of e-commerce sites my response is, "ARE YOU CRAZY?" Anyone who buys their furniture online without having tested it out first is taking a huge risk unless they have done a lot of research first and know they can trust the brand and the merchant.

Jeff Frank
Simplicity Sofas

[KNEEBITER]

I purchased the Kingwood which I think is no longer made. Not my photo but same one.

I would love to know what style of sofa you purchased. I'm trying to narrow down the choices. I'm okay with taking a limited risk in order to get the quality I want at a price I can afford.

[squirt]

I am also nervous about buying a sofa (and chair) without sitting on it, but live in a very remote area and getting to a H&M store is a challenge. Considering the 4700 Member Apartment sofa as well as the ashmore or chase chair. Thoughts or reviews? thank you!

[travis]

I'm nervous also. I'm considering the 4111 Garden sofa and matching chair. I'd appreciate your thoughts or reviews. So happy I stumbled upon this site. Duane is so helpful and responsive as are all the members.

[EJCN1970]

I puchased a 5635 Anderson sofa and matching chair from Duane without ever trying it out and would do so again. Now selecting leather from a small swatch is a leap of faith.