Carol House Furniture Inc

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/11/20) */
Pilling is not considered to be a defect, it is just the nature of some fabrics and excess fibers will come through and ball up on the surfaceThe manufacturers recommend using a sweater shaver to remove the fibers
However, we have submitted
photos to the factory on behalf of the customer since they feel that the pilling is excessive
One of my customer service representatives is in contact with the factory and our sales rep to see what can be done under the manufacturer's warranty
I do not have a solution at this time, but we are trying to see what the factory will do for our customerMy rep emailed the customer today to let them know we are working on this, and will follow up with them

This is the response I received from our contact at *** *** after they reviewed the photos: "You should see the same thing if you check the floor display product and show the consumer other product display examples (not just the panel) and you will see the issue reported is not valid concerning the planking as all our tops are made the same way, even as the consumers hardwood floor that is shown in the background of the picture too, with multiple planking with various mineral streaking in the planks for various natural grain tones from the tree. Chair seats and the finish panels are glued up different as you can also see on your floor sample product with “side by side planking” and are not the same as the top planking. Confirm what you work out but maybe they need to order solid painted tops and seats if they don’t like the natural wood grains and the varying tones." The options we have offered are from our store owner and we believe that they are more than fairThere is no defect found with this set per the manufacturerWe are trying to work out a solution, but we cannot issue a full refund on custom order merchandise that is not found to be defective

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/02/26) */
A 20% custom order cancellation fee was charged on each custom order piece, and a 10% restocking fee was charged on each stock piece per our store policiesCustom orders are not returnable and 20% is charged when an exception is madeThe money
also remains on account as an in-store creditAlso, Carol House offers free delivery, but not free pick up
The owner did speak with the customer and advised that we would waive all restocking fees if they gave us another chance and reselected to something else in our store, as well as issue a $gift certificate for a future purchase to show that we care
The customer refused this offer and requested a refund to be issued instead
An exception was made, all fees were split in half, and a refund was issued for the remaining balance
No further action will be taken by Carol House at this time
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2016/02/27) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
No, we do not find the Carol House response acceptable as it contains inaccuracies, half-truths, and outright deceptionWhen we met in person at the owner's (*** ***) Maryland Heights location over defective furniture & the unfair restocking fee we were being charged, *** only agreed to split the fee in half, and no mention of any gift certificate, waiving of all restocking fees, or the "The money also remains on account as an in-store credit", whatever that meansIt is our firm belief that we have been treated unfairly and unscrupulously by the owner of this business that lacks moral standards or conscienceIn brief summary, the following will explain why we believe the way we do about how we have been treatedOn 12/29/2015, we went to Carol House Furniture in Valley Park to purchase furniture for a newly purchased houseWe were greeted by a saleslady identifying herself as "***"We explained our needs including the desire for a queen sized power adjustable bed which she showed us, soon to be joined by a man identifying himself as *** the manager*** convinced us to consider a king sized bed which, unlike the queen bed, would have two power bases & mattresses which would allow for each side to be adjusted independentlyWe then were shown a king sized sleigh style bed that *** assured us would be a perfect match with the power base & mattress as he & his wife have this exact setWe then bought the complete bedroom set with the understanding from *** it would be delivered in a week, but she had to write on the ticket three weeks delivery just in case - it took three weeksWhen delivery was made on 01/26/2016, one of the Carol House employees that deliver & setup informed us (as he said a "heads up") that this particular power base and bed does not fit together properly and it would likely start shimmeying or shaking when the power base was used and that he suggested we go to the hardware store, buy some "L" brackets & screws to connect the power bases to the bed frame by drilling and screwing together, as that is how Carol House has fixed the problem in the pastAfter the delivery men had gone we took a closer look at the bed and discovered the mattress & power bases were of different lengths in that the mattress was two inches shorter that the power base, and there was an approx11" combined gap between the headboard & footboard and the mattresses which made it impractical to useWe then called Carol House & complained about this to *** who in turn asked for pictures to be sent of this situation which we did*** said she would talk to *** about this & get back with usWe waited until 11:AM the next morning, then called Carol House again to find out what *** had to sayWe were told *** was off & would be out until SaturdayWe then asked to speak with the on-duty store manager which turned out to be *** *** requested more pictures of the situation which we sentLater *** agreed that the problem was not acceptable and said he would call the store's owner, *** ***, to seek a solutionWhen he got back to us after he talked to the owner, he said *** said he wanted to make us happy & wanted us to come back in and pick out a different set of our choosing, and we would only have to pay more if the chosen set cost more, and conversely, if the chosen set should cost less than the original set we had paid for, we would be refunded the differenceThe following day we returned to the Valley Park store, met with *** & *** ***, and picked out a different bedroom setAll seemed fine until we were ready to settle up & leave when *** told us that there would be a 5% restocking fee charged, and that it would be two weeks before deliveryWhen we objected to this she left & came back later with *** *** said the restocking fee would be considerably more than 5%, actually over $dollarsWe objected to this entire ordeal & requested our money back & that Carol House come and pick up their bedroom furniture which was untouched, & totally unused*** informed it would be picked up on 02/09/166, & the restocking fee would be $which included a $pick up fee, and that our refund would be made after the furniture was back in the store, minus the restocking feeHe provided a hand written breakdown of all this which can be provided, if neededIt might be noted that the furniture was picked up on 2/which, according to *** ***, is the scheduled furniture delivery/pick up by Carol House for the Union, MO areaThe delivery men confirmed this, and that it was no problem to pick it up as they had a delivery on our very street & a delivery one street over this very same dayAlso, it should ne noted that *** *** has yet to acknowledge in any way what his employees informed us of in that this bed did not fit the power base nor mattressHe has refused to assume any responsibility or try and remedy the Serta mattresses shortness, instead he suggested we take it up with the Serta CompanyHe sold us these defective mattresses & should be held accountable for the product he chooses to sellAlso, we were inconvenienced & deprived of our bedroom for a month because of all of this*** *** should be ashamed of himself, but from everything we have experienced it is apparent the man has no moral conscienceFurther, there was no attempt by *** to try & settle this matter until too late as the bedroom set had already been picked up by his employees when we received his email which was unacceptable, and too lateOne final point, on the internet site of Carol House Furniture it is advertised "SATISFACTION GUARANTEED" "When you shop at Carol House Furniture your satisfaction is guaranteedOur products must meet our standards first, and then yoursIf you have a problem before, during, or after the sale, just let us know, so we can be sure you are happy"The real truth about Carol House needs to be exposed as it is not the same Carol House that ***'s & ***'s father, *** ***, started in & built the company into what *** & *** merely inherited when *** died*** would likely be ashamed of those two were he alive today

Please see attached documents to reference dates and comments on pieces mentioned below.On March 3rd, a sale was written for a month layaway on a Queen mattress and adjustable baseIt was noted in the comments of the sale that "mattress is not returnable as it is discontinued"The bed was
delivered September 6th, The customer reported that she was not satisfied with her mattress, so we made an exception to allow a reselection under Serta's day comfort guaranteeThe reselection credit was written on November 18th, The customer reselected to a new mattress on November 25th, Another exception was made to reduce Serta's delivery fee from $to $We attempted to contact the customer on January 24th, and had to leave a messageAt that time, we explained that the day comfort guarantee was expiring since it dates back to the day of deliveryWe are not able to leave bedding in the home once a reselection is authorized, because we need to turn the mattress back over to Serta in order to receive credit under their comfort guaranteeOn March 28th, we contacted the customer again to advise that payments were required and delivery had to be set by the end of April.The customer currently has a mattress in her home that needs to be returnedIt was delivered almost seven months agoShe has been given approval to keep it for now to avoid further delivery feesIt cannot be returned if any customer damage is foundThere is a new mattress being held at our warehouse until the sale is paid forThere is also a nightstand being held in layaway from May of last yearThe owner has agreed to extend these layaway items one more timeThe total current balance due is $- significant payments are required to continue to hold these items, and the next payment is due by April 20th, 2017. Both sales must be delivered and the existing mattress must be picked up by July 31st, We are not able to extend these offers any further than thatThis extension is the final exception being made by Carol HouseIf the items are not paid for by July 31st, the sales will be cancelled and the comfort guarantee will be voidedLayaway cancellation fees will apply, and any money left over will remain on account per our store policies

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:Yes I had the uncomfortable sofas for months but on the second set of cushions.I was told it had month warranty and the tag I have from the sofas state years on the cushions,unless that has changed.I feel the fact that there are no Bauhaus sofas with coils in the cushions at Carol House is consumer fraud.My next question is how many customers purchased the Bauhaus sofas from Carol House,or how many did Bauhaus sell nationally under this pretence of having coils in the cushions.Ifeel Carol House is responsible because they whom I purchased it from.I would like to resolve this as easily as possible,lets be reasonable at this point all I want is a refund of what I paid.If not my next step will be Missouri Attorney General,then Federal Trade commission for advertising
Sincerely,
*** *** *** ***

I spoken with the businessThey are talking about bringing the cushions to replace the ones that were defectiveThey are also bringing material to stuff the backThey have not made any offers before thisThey want to stuff the cushions first and see if it going to happen againI also told them
that I don't want anything else from their company

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me
Sincerely,
*** ***

The sofa was tagged incorrectly from the manufacturer and stated that the seat cores did have coilsThis issue has since been corrected by Bauhaus and on our samples.When this was brought to our attention, we offered to allow a reselection to anything in our storeOur store policy for returns is
five days from delivery, but we were able to offer this option after the customer had the sofas in his home for ten months, due to the error made by the manufacturer on their informational hang tags. The customer would receive full credit for what he paid towards new furnitureWe would pick up the sofas in his home and deliver the new set at no chargeThe customer would be responsible for any difference in price it he chose a new set at a higher price.When the customer did not agree with this solution due to the difference in price in the new set he chose, we explored other options with our Bauhaus sales representativeBauhaus is now manufacturing inner spring coil seat cores specifically for this customer to correct their labeling errorThis is what the customer originally expected at the time of sale, so it will solve the original issueWe also offered the customer a $refund or a $gift certificate towards a future purchase for the inconvenience of coming to the store multiple times, in addition to providing the cores he wanted.We also offered to discount the sofas with the incorrect seat cores in his home for him to keep them as isThe customer refused this option also, and wanted to take further action.At this point, the coil seat cores are on order and will be replaced by Bauhaus to correct the issueIf the customer is not satisfied once the new inner spring coils are installed we are willing to let him return both sofas with a 20% cancellation feeWe are solving the original seat core issue, and also offering a discount or gift certificate for his inconvenience to show we care

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/11/11) */
On April 2, we delivered a King size headboard, footboard and rails, as well as a King size mattress and two king (twin extra long) box springsThe customer also purchased a mattress protection plan that includes a King size mattress
pad
The customer called April 3rd with concerns about the dresser (which we later exchanged for a manufacturing defect)While our service technician was there for the dresser he did take photos and measurements of the bedThe width of the mattress was feet and 3-inches, leaving about inches of space between the bedding and the railsWe advised the customer that the gaps are normal, the bedding is supposed to be centered on the slats and there should be a few inches of space left for a comforter
The customer called December 1st because the veneer was peeling on her footboardWe sent our technician out again under the manufacturer's warrantyHe took pictures and found no defect, just some small areas of customer damage which he touched up in their home as a courtesy
The bedding that we delivered is a King set, with two box springsA Queen bed would only measure about feet wide and would have a single box spring (unless they custom ordered a split box)The mattress pad that we delivered would not fit a bed that wasn't King size
Used bedding cannot be returned unless it qualifies for a replacement by Serta, which would only occur if it was found to be defective
The furniture is out of the year manufacturer warranty that our technicians take care of
The customer did purchase a year protection plan for customer damage and structural issues on their bedroom furnitureThey can call Montage to report that the bed is coming apart where the rail attachesClaims must be reported within days of when the damage occurred or when the customer noticed it
No further action will be taken by Carol House at this timeThe customer can contact Montage at X-XXX-XXX-XXXX Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (1500, 7, 2015/11/11) */

We have been in contact with the customer and found that the protection plan denied her claim. We got [redacted] to overturn their denial. We are mailing the parts we have to the customer and [redacted] has authorized to send one of their technicians to the customer's home to install them at no charge. So as far as we know they are being taken care of by the protection plan.

The warranty company called me Thursday December 1, 2016 and offered a $500.00 check , and I could keep the chairs I have, or I could return 4 chairs for a refund of $1000.00 store credit. The 6 chairs I purchased are no longer available , so if I returned only 4 of the 6, the chairs would not be a...

matching set.I paid over $2000.00 for the chairs, $1300.00 for side bar, $500.00 for the mirror, I would like the company to replace my furniture with a complete matching set.

The Lane recliner was delivered on December 18, 2013. The customer requested service in March of 2014. Repairs were made under the manufacturer's warranty and parts were ordered to resolve the issues. We attempted to contact the customer and left messages in August of 2014 when the parts...

arrived to schedule the installation. Mr. [redacted] called our service department in March of 2015 to schedule an appointment for the parts to be installed. This was already out of the one year manufacturer's warranty for labor, but since the parts were ordered within the first year we agreed to install the parts at no charge. When the customer advised in April of 2015 that he was unhappy with the quality of the piece we offered a reselection. Our concern in exchanging the recliner was that he was unhappy with the quality and had several service issues, so a new recliner in the same style would not resolve the issue.Mr. [redacted] contacted us again in June of 2015 about his reselection. At this point the recliner had been in his home for over a year and a half. We attempted to schedule a service appointment so one of our technicians could inspect for any possible customer damage. We needed to determine if the recliner was still eligible for return. The manufacturer would not take the recliner back outside of the one year warranty, but Carol House was willing to help the customer on our end. Mr. [redacted] called us back in July of 2015 trying to schedule parts to be installed again, instead of choosing the reselection. He contacted us again in October of 2015 about reselecting again, and we requested that he send photographs since we had been unable to schedule with him for several months. Again, we just needed evidence that the recliner was not abused and still eligible for reselection. Mr. [redacted] did not contact us again until January of 2016. Again, we requested photographs of the recliner. Once the photographs were received in February, the customer was approved for a reselection to anything in our store with a 10% usage fee and a $50 pick up fee for our delivery drivers to deliver the new piece and pick his up for return. He was also advised that we would waive the $50 fee if he brought the recliner back himself.The reselection credit was written on February 4, 2016 and it was valid for 30 days. At the end of February Mr. [redacted] said he wanted to exchange the recliner for the same item and not pay any fees. Our service department advised that if he chose to get the same recliner, it would not be covered under a new manufacturer's warranty. We strongly advised again to reselect to anything in our store due to the multiple issues he had in the past. We also advised that we would waive the $50 pick up fee if the new sale was over $500, because it would qualify for free delivery.On February 22, 2016 Mr. [redacted] went to our Valley Park location and spoke to our General Manager. He was advised that the 10% usage fee still applies. He requested to speak with our owner.I spoke to our owner and advised the customer on February 26 that the standard usage fee when an exception is made out of the manufacturer's warranty is 10% per year, as well as the $50 delivery charge. The recliner is now over two years old. The usage fees have already been reduced, and the delivery fee has been waived. We could authorize the reselection, or void the credit and he can keep the original recliner.Our last contact with Mr. [redacted] was on March 3, 2016. We advised that the 10% usage fee still applies, and the reselection authorization was only extended one more month. No further action is being taken at this time, but the credit is scheduled to be voided on April 1st if it is not used.

I don't feel them offering me $1000.00 store credit for 6 chairs and matching buffet that I originally paid over $3200.00 is a fair resolution. The original repair technician that came out to my house, said that the damaged furniture pieces could not be repaired or replace.This is a matching set that is no longer available. The only way to have a matching set would to be to go back to the store and replace all the pieces. $1000.00 in store credit would only cover cost of a few replacement chairs,that would not match the other pieces. I would like this company to credit me the entire amount of my original  purchase, so I can get a set of 6 chairs and a buffet that match.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
When they delivered the furniture to us, the delivery folks saw there was a difference and so they called Carol House and told them. Immediately after that, the delivery people left. We got a call from Carol House and the woman called and offered us some money if we would keep the set, we told them no, because we wanted what we ordered. A manager at the store, [redacted], asked to bring a chair in. We brought the chair in and he said it was what we ordered. We came back home. He didn’t look at the table. They sent a person out who took a look and he pointed out the differences and agreed we didn’t get what we ordered. He told us a table was a butcher block, we didn’t order that. Chair were different shades, one is darker than the rest. The wood is different from the table. We didn’t order any planks. We ordered solid table and solid chairs that matched. We never got a call to pick up the table and chairs from us, that is not true. We got some calls back we will give you a discount ($500) off but we would have to use that $500 in their store, or we could pick something else out in their store, or if we would return it, we would have to pay a restocking fee (20%) which makes no sense because they were at fault as we did not get what we ordered. I haven’t heard anything since May 19. We want a full refund, we feel we deserve this. We have not used the table and chairs out all.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/06/08) */
CUSTOMER PURCHASED RECLINING SOFA, RECLINING LOVESEAT AND POWER RECLINER ALONG WITH A 5 YEAR PROTECTION PLAN ON MAY 10,2013 AND WAS GIVEN A PAMPHLET INSIDE A COMPLEMENTARY BOX OF CLEANER. THE PAMPHLET HAS WHAT IS COVERED AND WHAT IS NOT...

COVERED. I CAN SUPPLY YOU WITH A COPY OF THE WARRANTY IF YOU NEED IT. UNDER "WHAT IS NOT COVERED (CONTINUED) R. WEAR-RELATED REPAIRS OR DAMAGE, SUCH AS BUT NOT LIMITED TO FADING, RUST OR CORROISON, NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR, SEAM SEPERATION, STRESS TEARS, LOSS OF FOAM RESILIENCY, ETC. THIS IS A PROTECTION PLAN, NOT AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR MANUFACTURER DEFFECTS. CUSTOMER CALLED IN 1/21/15 AND SAID HE WAS UNHAPPY WITH THE QUALITY OF HIS PIECES, ALL THE CORES WERE HAVING PROBLEMS. HE WAS UPSET THAT [redacted] DIDN'T COVER BREAKDOWN OF CORES BUT WE OREDERED ALL THE SEAT CORES AT NO CHARGE TO CUSTOMER, BUT LET HIM KNOW THERE WOULD BE A $50 AN HOUR CHARGE TO INSTALL THEM. WE COULD EITHER GO OUT AS A COURTESY, HUGE ACCEPTION BY THE OWNER, ITS WELL OUT OF THE 1 YEAR LABOR WARRANTY, HE COULD BRING IN HERE FOR THE SHOP TO INSTALL BUT IT WOULD STILL BE AT A CHARGE OR HE COULD BE GIVEN A LOCAL REPAIRMAN THAT WE USE AND HE COULD HAVE HIM COME OUT BUT WE AREN'T SURE WHAT HE CHARGES. CUSTOMER WASN'T HAPPY ABOUT HAVING TO PAY LABOR. WE ADVISED THE CUSTOMER THAT THE CORES WERE HERE ON 3/19/15 BUT HE WAS STILL ANGRY THAT [redacted] DOESN'T COVER THE REPAIR BUT HE WILL LET US KNOW WHAT HE WANTS TO DO. ON 4/7/15 WE WERE TOLD BY OUR SALESMANAGER CARL TO FED EX THEM TO THE CUSTOMER. WE HAVEN'T HEARD FROM THE CUSTOMER SINCE WE FED EX'D THEM TO HIM. I'M NOT SURE WHERE HE GOT THE $475 CHARGE. I DON'T THINK WE WERE ABLE TO GIVE HIM AN ESTIMATE OTHER THAN $50 AN HOUR. WE ARE STILL WILLING TO SEND OUT A TECHNICIAN TO INSTALL BUT WE CAN NOT DO AT A NO CHARGE BASIS. WE FEEL WE HAVE MADE A HUGE EXCEPTION TO EVEN GO OUT AND INSTALL THEM. THERE IS ONLY A 1 YEAR LABOR WARRANTY THROUGH THE MANUFACTURER AND NORMALLY WE DO NOT OFFER TO GO OUT AFTER THE FIRST YEAR THE CUSTOMER HAS TO BRING IT IN TO US FOR THE SHOP TO INSTALL BUT WE ARE WILLING TO MAKE THE EXCEPTION FOR THE CUSTOMER.

We are still able to offer these options from our original response:We are willing to send out one of our technicians at no charge to the customer, but we cannot guarantee that this can be fixed in their home. If the items need to be brought to our shop to be repaired, we would still be willing to do the labor at no charge. However, the customer would be responsible for a $50delivery charge each way for our drivers to pick up and redeliver. We still cannot guarantee that these issues can be fixed, as there are no longer any parts available for this set.

Our store manager has contacted the customer. The chairs are in perfect condition and covered under warranty. However, we would like to offer $100.00 off of their financed balance, or a $200.00 gift certificate towards a future purchase just to show that we care.

I do not consider the matter closed, and you are correct, I am very dissatisfied with Carol House. I purchased a $6200.00 plus bedroom set from them after I built my house--Carol House Employees delivered the furniture, and put it together. Since Carol House delivered and put together the furniture, the furniture has not been moved. I would have been completely unaware of this issue due to the legs being tucked under the trim, the only reason I found the broken legs is because I was down plugging something into the outlet. It's absolute (expletive removed) that; 1- Carol House employees did not mention broken legs when putting furniture together, 2- they did not offer to send a repair technician out, they wanted me to bring in the 500 lb pound dresser in myself. Please tell me how I am going to to do that? Should I call a moving company to move the dresser for several hundred dollars for their mistake? 3- I am sure they pay a high amount of money for reputation management online so whenever anyone is dissatisfied or files a complaint you, the Revdex.com tell them to (expletive removed) off. There is no way to review them on any other site, Google, Facebook, Etc. and the manager didn't even have the decency to call me back. Terrible customer service. All around terrible.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/06/25) */
Our store policy is a 10% restocking fee for all cancellations. We offer free delivery but not free pick up. Every home is different, and it is the customer's responsibility to measure their home to ensure the furniture will fit. When the sofa...

did not fit and came back on delivery, the sale was cancelled and therefore a 10% restocking fee was charged. Other furniture stores would have charged for delivery and pick up, which could have resulted in upwards of $200 in fees. Our policy is to split the restocking fee in half if the customer reselects to something different in our store and transfers the funds to a new sale.
An exception was already made by the owner, and the customer's restocking fee was split to 5% even though she is not reselecting. We are prepared to refund the remaining deposits, but still charging a total of 5%. No further action will be taken.

We did receive a photograph from the customer that shows a stained area on the upper headrest portion of the recliner. Stains are not covered by the manufacturer's warranty, which is what our technicians handle. The customer did purchase the 5 year protection plan through [redacted] covers...

specific incidents and accidents that are reported as soon as they happen, such as stains. Our service representative contacted the customer after we received the photo and referred them to [redacted] to start a claim for the stain. This was back in October of 2016. We have not heard back from the customer until now.Our service representative, [redacted], left a message for the customer today to try to get some more information on this complaint. We need to know if this was ever reported to [redacted] back in October. They require that all claims be reported within 30 days, so we are concerned because she will be denied if she tries to report it now.This recliner is very popular and we do have some extra parts in stock at this time. We have the fabric for the inside back available. We would be willing to have our shop install it for the customer at no charge if they can transport the recliner to our Maryland Heights location. It would have to be left here, and then we could call them when it is ready for pick up.I attached a copy of the photo we received from the customer. Again, this would not be considered a defect under the manufacturer's warranty. We are willing to install parts at no charge to try and help the customer. This would typically be on a charge basis of $50 per hour.We will continue to try and contact the customer with these options.