First i want to say thanks for this forum and how much i wish you had a store in my area! i could really use some information and advice on a fabric sofa.

I recently purchased a Stickley sofa, fabric, and have had nothing but trouble with the cores. Upon delivery one core was crushed and did not rebound; and the pillow had the zipper sewn in crooked. They sent replacement cores (8 weeks later) that did not fit the covers so the local store where i made the purchase said they could make cores much better than stickley had provided.

Their inspector said the cores compressing was his number one problem and that no one made a good core these days; Stickley included (although their customer service manager said otherwise). He further said they optioned out the cores and you never knew where it was coming from or how it would fit.

The store delivered the cores they made in-house and they are one piece of hard foam, with batting on the top and bottom with a gauze cover; not cloth. I could have made this; not quite what i would expect for a $3,300 sofa, but maybe I'm wrong. I was also told to make sure the core was covered in cloth as a sign of a good core.

I'm perplexed since i thought Stickley was a top brand, but after this experience i am not sure what to do next. The store has offered to get one more set of replacement cores, but they said it will be the same as before, or i can get a refund. I can wait a couple of weeks and talk to the local rep when he returns from his mission trip, but don't know that will help with this situation.

Am i wrong to expect a core to be made better than a piece of foam with batting on the top and bottom? Shouldn't a brand new sofa have a core that does not compress after one week?

If i chose the refund route, what brand can i go to for a better sofa? It's not like there are lot of folks jumping around, i live alone and work full time and have no pets or kids; just want something well made that will have a comfortable cushion that doesn't compress after one week.

Any thoughts, information or suggestions would be appreciated.