Boswell's Furniture

Review: To Whom It May Concern My mother and I purchased a Robert Michael Mainstreet Sectional from Boswells Furniture on September 27, 2012 for $2,799.00. We also purchased the additional protection plan for $319.97 with the anticipation of having this substantial and costly piece for a long period of time. This was a large purchase, and my mother and I spent some time in the show room sitting and testing the display to ensure it would be the type of furniture we desired. The sectional was ordered and delivered in November. The first day we had the sectional, upon delivery, the back support beam snapped. I contacted Boswells immediately and they picked up the sectional, repaired it, and returned it promptly. After having the sectional a short while, it became apparent that it was not performing as expected. The seat cushions and back cushions have broken down within the first six months of possession. The chaise cushion does not stay on the sofa when sat on, and every seat in the sectional is difficult to get up from without assistance. The final straw was when the arm rest collapsed when I leaned onto it to turn off a lamp. After the arm rest broke collapsed, I contacted Boswells to communicate my concerns with the sectional and its lack of performance when it was under a year old. He assured me that this manufacture was reputable, and that on occasions some pieces from any manufacture had issues, and promised to send a repair man to my home to address the concerns. I also shared with him, one of the additional focuses of my concerns was the seat that my husband sat in, who is a larger man (63 and 250lbs), and although I acknowledged that he was larger, I expected the furniture to hold up better than it had within the first six months. The owner communicated that he would order a new cushion core and have his repairman look at the cushion bracing to see if there were any issues. The repair man was sent to my house the following week, the week of June 17th, 2013. He collected the arm rest that had broken down and examined the seat. He communicated that he could tell that it slightly given way, and would discuss with the owner repair options. I discussed with him the difficultly of all the seating areas, and placing boards under the cushions was discussed. I additionally showed him how the chaise cushion slides off the couch when sat upon. He also communicated he would discuss correction options with the owner. The repairman returned the repaired arm rest the next day repaired, and communicated that he had not been able to identify additional resolutions to the other concerns (ie slipping cushion, sunken in seat bracing, etc) because the owner was not in, but would discuss them with him. At that time, my mother and I asked about the return policy because putting boards under the seat cushions of a sectional that was less than a year old and cost nearly $3,000 was frustrating. He communicated that it was a case by case situation and we needed to contact the owner. Although he repaired the arm, I have not been contacted again with the repair solutions for the other concerns, or a date of when the cushion core that was allegedly order would be replaced. We contacted the owner the following week on Thursday, June 30, 2013 via telephone. We would had made contact sooner, but were anticipating being contacted about the cushion core. Upon speaking with the owner, we asked what our options were because of our frustrations with the sectional that cost nearly $3,000. The owner communicated that it was Boswells practice to repair pieces in the home and that was our option. When we asked if it was possible that this was an abnormal piece and if it was a lemon considering the numerous issues, it was less than a year old, and it had broken the first day of possesion, the owner became aggravated and communicated that he had no idea what we were doing to the piece or how we were utilizing it. We assured him, we sat on it, and utilized it like anyone would utilize a sectional, and were curious if there was a way to either get a replacement one, since we have had issues with it since the first day we have had it, or if we could obtain a store credit to acquire an alternative piece. At that point the owner raised his voice and became hostile towards my mother, which I observed because he was on speaker phone. He communicated that they would only repair the sofa and that the furniture was not made to support people the size of my husband and myself. At this point, taken aback, my mother ended the phone conversation by asking what the next step was. The owner communicated that he would be contacting me when the cushion core came in for repair. It has been three weeks, and I have not heard from Boswells. Additionally, I located an area where the seam of a main cushion has loosened and is coming unraveled. I have not contacted Boswells about this new concern or to follow up on the cushion core replacement because of the hostile way the owner interacted with my mother upon last contact.Desired Settlement: We are completely dissatisfied with the customer service and product. We originally wanted either a replacement sectional, or a store credit to purchase an alternative piece. It is unacceptable for a piece which cost nearly $3000 to break the first day of possession and breakdown within the first six months. However, due to the way we were treated, we are requesting a full refund of $3371.61 and will take our business and hard earned money elsewhere.

Business

Response:

As of the response, Boswells Furniture and customer have already agreed to a furniture use charge and a balance refund. In order to fulfill Revdex.com requirement for a response this would be Boswell's rendition of this transaction. In my opinion, this customer did not anticipate service required after the purchase and perhaps would have been better served by a style designed to be less soft sitting and casual. Selling production furniture requires frequent service, from broken frames, failed mechanism,color wearing off leather, foam breakdown, and seam sewing. Contributing to our success as a family business is our skill and prompt attention to service issues. If possible, we service in home rather than shipment back to the factory as some. This customer had a broken back board that we picked up and returned the same day. An arm had punched through the padding was detached an reinstalled the next day. Because a heavier man was using one end, a replacement cushion core was ordered. Coincidentally, the foam core arrived the same day as this complaint was placed on my desk. During one conversation with the customer, over all deck softness was a concern. While awaiting the replacement cushion core, boards were cut and foam secured to build a secondary underneath deck that would have provided exceptional support for this customer's preference. This would have been the first time required for this company and would have been installed in home with me present. I take exception to the characterization of hostile with this customer. Impatient, yes. I assumed some service would be necessary, issues that were brought to our attention were addressed expeditiously, and we had in place a plan to provide a firmer deck and replace cushion for a heavier man. Words spoken to me were lacking appreciation for our efforts and the home environment that our service man experienced was more negative that any other home remembered. I would like to acknowledge that working out a solution to this complaint with the daughter has been accomplished respectfully and I appreciate her cooperation. Going forward, I think furniture of a different style and company will provide this customer firmer seating, less casual appearance, and I hope less service requirements.

Keith/Boswells

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 9627376, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. Boswell's contacted me the day after I filed the complaint, and worked diligently with me to come to agreeable terms. I appreciated their willingness to have an open dialogue to resolve the issues at hand.

Regards,