Gish's Furniture

The customer ordered two custom-made beds on August 16, 2016. Since they are custom-made, they generally take 8-16 weeks to be completed. They were delivered to the customer on November 15, 2016. They called on December 6, and said the odor of the finish was making them sick. As a courtesy, we...

picked up one king-sized bed on December 7, 2016, and brought it back to the warehouse to air out. We called them on March 23, and April 25, 2017. The customer did not return calls. The customer called at the end of April and asked us to hold it a couple more weeks. She said she would call. We called her again on June 6. She asked us to hold it until after July 15 because it was not a convenient time for her. They finally took delivery on July 27, 2017. They were both present in the room and inspected the bed to make sure it was acceptable. The male customer was putting levelers on the feet of the bed when the delivery team left. He signed the contract acknowledging that he had received the bed in good condition.We were contacted by the store manager on Saturday, July 29, 2017 via email, She said that Mr. and Mrs. X said there was a large crack on the headboard, She forwarded the email to us from the customer which included pictures. She 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 day. They vehemently denied that this crack was present at the time of delivery. They 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 be. Several 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 headboard. They also felt that the crack would have been too obvious to miss at the time of delivery. On August 1, 2017, Susan D. emailed 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 us. We 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 protocol. She 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 Craftsman. Again she declined the offer, threatening legal action. We are sending a copy of this as well.On August 4, 2017, Susan responded, reiterating that we were offering this free of charge. The email (which is included in this fax as well), stated that we let repairs VS complete remakes up to the discretion of the craftsman. Again, the customer replied that this was not an option.The craftsmen who provide for Gish’s Furniture use safe, approved varnish. When 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, etc. that fade over time. We feel as though we went above and beyond trying to please this customer. We let it up the craftsmen to decide what can be done with the furniture, because they are the experts. Ultimately, 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 headboard. It 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-November. You 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 fee. You asked us to hold it until Spring. We called you and you did not respond. When contact was finally made, it was not convenient for you at that time to have it delivered, so we continued to store it. You finally took delivery AGAIN, FREE OF CHARGE on July 27. After the delivery (which you inspected) you contacted the store and said the headboard was damaged. We've reviewed the pictures and I’ve spoken to the delivery team. It looks as if someone attempted to move the bed after it was assembled, and a crack developed. The 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 normal scope of our services, and we will not issue a refund. Had we caused the damage, we would have it repaired. There is no way for us to know what occurred after the delivery.If you would like it repaired, there will be a fee involved. Let me know if this is what you would like to do.Sincerely,Sue DCustomer Relationship Manager