Gish's Furniture

The customer ordered two custom-made beds on August 16, Since they are custom-made, they generally take 8-weeks to be completedThey were delivered to the customer on November 15, They called on December 6, and said the odor of the finish was making them sickAs a courtesy, we picked up one king-sized bed on December 7, 2016, and brought it back to the warehouse to air outWe called them on March 23, and April 25, The customer did not return callsThe customer called at the end of April and asked us to hold it a couple more weeksShe said she would callWe called her again on June She asked us to hold it until after July because it was not a convenient time for herThey finally took delivery on July 27, They were both present in the room and inspected the bed to make sure it was acceptableThe male customer was putting levelers on the feet of the bed when the delivery team leftHe signed the contract acknowledging that he had received the bed in good condition.We were contacted by the store manager on Saturday, July 29, via email, She said that Mrand MrsX said there was a large crack on the headboard, She forwarded the email to us from the customer which included picturesShe stated that the headboard was cracked and said, “Given the huge crack and unpleasant experience, we are asking for a return with a full refund.”We spoke to the delivery team when they returned that dayThey vehemently denied that this crack was present at the time of deliveryThey stated that the customers were in the room and inspected the piece “with a fine-toothed comb." We are able to provide sworn statements from both of the deliverymen, if need beSeveral members of the logistics team who have decades of furniture knowledge and experience viewed the pictures and were in agreement that someone probably attempted to move the bed incorrectly which in all likelihood resulted in cracking the headboardThey also felt that the crack would have been too obvious to miss at the time of deliveryOn August 1, 2017, Susan Demailed her, stating that she was perplexed as to why they described this as an “unpleasant experience.” We offered to have it repaired at their cost because we felt it was not caused by usWe are providing a copy of that email, She emailed Susan back, stating that she wanted a refund.In regards to the store manager promising to make a new bed: This person has worked for Gish's Furniture for many years and is fully aware of the policies and protocolShe strongly denied that this was ever promised to the customer, and we have no reason to doubt this.On August 2, 2017, Susan again emailed her, stating that she had spoken to the owner, who felt, although it was not our fault or obligation to do so, we would pick up the headboard, free of charge, and have it repaired by the CraftsmanAgain she declined the offer, threatening legal actionWe are sending a copy of this as well.On August 4, 2017, Susan responded, reiterating that we were offering this free of chargeThe email (which is included in this fax as well), stated that we let repairs VS complete remakes up to the discretion of the craftsmanAgain, the customer replied that this was not an option.The craftsmen who provide for Gish’s Furniture use safe, approved varnishWhen furniture has just been made, it may have some odor, however, this is no different than odors that you would have in a new car, new paint, new carpet, etcthat fade over timeWe feel as though we went above and beyond trying to please this customerWe let it up the craftsmen to decide what can be done with the furniture, because they are the expertsUltimately, we feel they were not answering phone calls and delaying the redelivery because it was not "convenient” for them, for reasons other than the odor.Heather sent me the pictures of your headboardIt perplexes me as to why you’ve described this as an “unpleasant experience.” feel our company has given 10% for you regarding sales, craftsmanship, delivery as well as customer service.You ordered the bed in August of 2016, and took delivery of the bed in mid-NovemberYou then called a month later to say that you did not like the odor (due to the stain)We sent a truck out from Lancaster, Pa, to Maryland and picked it up FREE OF CHARGE as a courtesy to you, We brought it back and stored it in the warehouse and charged nothing for a storage feeYou asked us to hold it until SpringWe called you and you did not respondWhen contact was finally made, it was not convenient for you at that time to have it delivered, so we continued to store itYou finally took delivery AGAIN, FREE OF CHARGE on July After the delivery (which you inspected) you contacted the store and said the headboard was damagedWe've reviewed the pictures and I’ve spoken to the delivery teamIt looks as if someone attempted to move the bed after it was assembled, and a crack developedThe delivery team is confident that it was not cracked at the time of delivery.This being said, we feel as though we have already gone above and beyond the scope of our services, and we will not issue a refundHad we caused the damage, we would have it repairedThere is no way for us to know what occurred after the delivery.If you would like it repaired, there will be a fee involvedLet me know if this is what you would like to do.Sincerely,Sue DCustomer Relationship Manager

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:The company argued that products with the same finish should have the same qualityWe’d like to remind the company about the theory of quality managementThere are only a few greatest companies in America achieving Six Sigma - a quality metricTo achieve Six Sigma, a process must not produce more than defects per million opportunitiesNo one claims they produce defectsWe don’t think Gish’s furniture has achieved such a high quality level, which means they produce more defective itemsIn addition, their salesman and delivery team agreed that what happened to our bed happened to others beforeTherefore, theoretically and practically, this company does provide defective produces with the same finish.The company keeps saying that taking the bed back to air out Free of Charge as a courtesy to us, disregarding the fact that they had the responsibility to do so given the defect of irregular odorThey have never thought about what kind of inconvenience they have brought to the customer: we had endured headaches for weeks due to those smells last year; we had to vacate our master bedroom waiting for the bed for several months and now even a broken bed got stuck in the room; and we paid thousands of dollars almost one year ago to receive nothing but unprofessional customer service.Repair or replacement is not an option to us
Regards,
*** ***

August 22, 2017Interesting enough both beds were finished with the same finish which is produced by *** *** ***Complainant for some reason had issue with the one bed and not the otherThe varnish used on these beds is approved by the EPA and OSHAThis is not a defect of product, nor is it an issue that falls under Gish's Furniture's responsibilityThey contracted with us to have built for them a totally custom bed according to size, specs and colorWe upheld our obligations according to the ContractHindsight 20/we made the mistake of trying to go above and beyond in service for this customerWe should not have been willing to go pick up the furniture, hold it for them for months, and then redeliver an item for a complaint that was simply a matter of preferenceNo good deed goes unpunishedWe dispute the response and have documented the attempted communicationEven after the communication issues, the fact that we fulfilled our end of the contract and obligations according to the bill of safe, and the damage that occurred to the bed, we are still willing to send it back to the craftsmen for repair or replacement, Free Of ChargeOur generous/nonobligatory offer of assistance is being spurned and we are forced to formally withdraw that offer as of 9/1/2017Sincerely,Michael G.President

The customer ordered two custom-made beds on August 16, Since they are custom-made, they generally take 8-weeks to be completedThey were delivered to the customer on November 15, They called on December 6, and said the odor of the finish was making them sickAs a courtesy, we
picked up one king-sized bed on December 7, 2016, and brought it back to the warehouse to air outWe called them on March 23, and April 25, The customer did not return callsThe customer called at the end of April and asked us to hold it a couple more weeksShe said she would callWe called her again on June She asked us to hold it until after July because it was not a convenient time for herThey finally took delivery on July 27, They were both present in the room and inspected the bed to make sure it was acceptableThe male customer was putting levelers on the feet of the bed when the delivery team leftHe signed the contract acknowledging that he had received the bed in good condition.We were contacted by the store manager on Saturday, July 29, via email, She said that Mrand MrsX said there was a large crack on the headboard, She forwarded the email to us from the customer which included picturesShe stated that the headboard was cracked and said, “Given the huge crack and unpleasant experience, we are asking for a return with a full refund.”We spoke to the delivery team when they returned that dayThey vehemently denied that this crack was present at the time of deliveryThey stated that the customers were in the room and inspected the piece “with a fine-toothed comb." We are able to provide sworn statements from both of the deliverymen, if need beSeveral members of the logistics team who have decades of furniture knowledge and experience viewed the pictures and were in agreement that someone probably attempted to move the bed incorrectly which in all likelihood resulted in cracking the headboardThey also felt that the crack would have been too obvious to miss at the time of delivery. On August 1, 2017, Susan Demailed her, stating that she was perplexed as to why they described this as an “unpleasant experience.” We offered to have it repaired at their cost because we felt it was not caused by usWe are providing a copy of that email, She emailed Susan back, stating that she wanted a refund.In regards to the store manager promising to make a new bed: This person has worked for Gish's Furniture for many years and is fully aware of the policies and protocolShe strongly denied that this was ever promised to the customer, and we have no reason to doubt this.On August 2, 2017, Susan again emailed her, stating that she had spoken to the owner, who felt, although it was not our fault or obligation to do so, we would pick up the headboard, free of charge, and have it repaired by the CraftsmanAgain she declined the offer, threatening legal actionWe are sending a copy of this as well.On August 4, 2017, Susan responded, reiterating that we were offering this free of chargeThe email (which is included in this fax as well), stated that we let repairs VS complete remakes up to the discretion of the craftsmanAgain, the customer replied that this was not an option.The craftsmen who provide for Gish’s Furniture use safe, approved varnishWhen furniture has just been made, it may have some odor, however, this is no different than odors that you would have in a new car, new paint, new carpet, etcthat fade over timeWe feel as though we went above and beyond trying to please this customerWe let it up the craftsmen to decide what can be done with the furniture, because they are the expertsUltimately, we feel they were not answering phone calls and delaying the redelivery because it was not "convenient” for them, for reasons other than the odor.Heather sent me the pictures of your headboardIt perplexes me as to why you’ve described this as an “unpleasant experience.” feel our company has given 10% for you regarding sales, craftsmanship, delivery as well as customer service.You ordered the bed in August of 2016, and took delivery of the bed in mid-NovemberYou then called a month later to say that you did not like the odor (due to the stain)We sent a truck out from Lancaster, Pa, to Maryland and picked it up FREE OF CHARGE as a courtesy to you, We brought it back and stored it in the warehouse and charged nothing for a storage feeYou asked us to hold it until SpringWe called you and you did not respondWhen contact was finally made, it was not convenient for you at that time to have it delivered, so we continued to store itYou finally took delivery AGAIN, FREE OF CHARGE on July After the delivery (which you inspected) you contacted the store and said the headboard was damagedWe've reviewed the pictures and I’ve spoken to the delivery teamIt looks as if someone attempted to move the bed after it was assembled, and a crack developedThe delivery team is confident that it was not cracked at the time of delivery.This being said, we feel as though we have already gone above and beyond the scope of our services, and we will not issue a refundHad we caused the damage, we would have it repairedThere is no way for us to know what occurred after the delivery.If you would like it repaired, there will be a fee involvedLet me know if this is what you would like to do.Sincerely,Sue DCustomer Relationship Manager