Re: Chair Fabric Wearing Prematurely-What To Do?
I'm answering this from home so I don't have my Jessica Charles fabrics here to pull a swatch or look at content, but I can tell you that in every maker's line there are some lousy fabrics, mostly (as you would expect) in the lower price grades. Good fabrics* are not the inexpensive ones, and they tend to be the higher price grades (speaking in generalizations, of course). You may have picked a poor performing fabric....it happens. While consumers should look at content, thickness, density of weave, and resistance to stretching when selecting a fabric, the vast majority select only on Color, Pattern and Price. I try to intercede in my store when i see a customer is selecting a poor fabric and encourage them to seek another. While the chair frame and springs might 'last a lifetime' the fabric cover certainly won't. On average, most upholstered fabric pieces that are used daily will need a re-cover in 10 years. Some will go a bit longer, some less. Mostly only the top blends of Linen/Cotton/Wool can go 15 years or longer, and now we are into $ 125 a yard material.
So...what to do now?
Your salesperson is correct in that covers are not warrantied unless defective. But are they defective? There's the million dollar question. I would NOT expect to see noticeable wear or fade on chairs that are 8 months old, and if I were your selling dealer I would be looking to have them returned to the factory where I would anticipate they would probably agree something is amiss if they are as bad as you describe. If they determine they are defective, they are going to recover the chairs and return ship them to you at their expense. However, the hook is you have to get them to High Point NC where the Jessica Charles factory is located. I see you are the Pacific NW, so that's going to not be inexpensive - a blanket wrap service is going to charge you around $ 400 to return them - do you feel strongly enough that the cover is defective to return them? In my experience, about 2/3's of upholstery returns that are done are not defective and it has to do with either buyer's remorse or normal wear and tear. So, you have to really be sure that there is markedly substandard performance of the cover before going through the return process.
If you do want to return them, your selling dealer will need to get a Return Authorization from Jessica Charles. I am personal friends with the owners of Jessica Charles and know them to be very fair men who will usually err in favor of the customer if there is an issue. They want you to be happy with the product and I have seen them replace things that I never would have, and I'm not kidding. I have also had (more than one) customer return product on many occasions and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it - so like I said, you have have to be fairly committed that there is a viable issue. A good dealer will step you through this process and work with you to help expedite this - a bad one will say 'there is nothing we can do' and leave you swinging in the wind on it.
Hope that helps!
* A quick note. Everyone thinks that Microfibers are durable and long lasting. They are not. They are nothing more than a 100 % Polyester fabric that uses super-fine strands that are resistant to retaining dirt and soiling (i.e., they are easier to clean). Polyester will pill with wear - we all know that from clothing. Buy a Microfiber if you must for cleaning ease (I would never own any upholstery that is 100% polyester), but don't expect it to be durable over time.
Hope that helps!
Duane Collie
Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.