Careful out there when shopping....

[drcollie]

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.