Melanie Mauldin & Co

Dear MrsBetts, I am writing in reference to ID # [redacted] My client [redacted] wrote to you concerning an order for custom made furniture I have been in business for approximately years and this was the THIRD job the [redacted] 's have hired me to complete on their behalf The furniture in question was ordered especially for the living room in their home in [redacted] , NY I have been ordering custom made furniture from a wholesaler in North Carolina for over years now I have never had an issue with them You should know that I offered [redacted] styles of furniture, one more traditional and one less traditional There were many email exchanges back and forth and ultimately [redacted] chose the less traditional furnitureThe vendor ONLY makes the frames of the furniture and does not offer fabrics The designer must select fabric elsewhere, order it and ship it to the vendor to be applied to the furniture This makes EVERY piece of furniture that they do, a CUSTOM piece of furniture Mrs [redacted] was, as always, offered several dozen fabrics to choose from She ultimately chose, with my direction, fabrics and trimmings for each piece of furniture as well as for every throw pillow I even have emails from Mrs [redacted] urging me to order one of the fabrics quickly, so as not to hold anything up I was told the room should be mostly complete by a specific date due to the fact that they were having a party I later learned that the party was OUTSIDE and no one from the party would even be inside of the house to see the roomMrs [redacted] and I went over each piece planned for the room multiple times We even stood in the room with a tape measure to verify sizes Once satisfied, [redacted] placed the order for fabrics, trimmings, and furniture though me She paid for these items, in advance, because of the custom nature She either paid with a check or a credit card I arranged for and was present for the delivery of the furniture I inspected all wooden legs, since this is typically the portion of the furniture easiest to damage There were no issues She initially let me know that they did not like the layout and that her husband *** did not like any of the furniture and wanted to "return it all" They decided to try a different layout and, without me, moved all of the furniture around I was then notified by [redacted] ...."I hope you checked the furniture carefully, because there is a nick in one of the legs." It is my firm belief that the [redacted] 's nicked the leg while moving furniture around, yet tried to blame the furniture delivery company She also took issue with the fact that there was a ripple in the fabric of the velvet sofaof the chairs for the room needed to be slightly shorterThese items were picked up, repaired and returned to Mrs [redacted] at no additional cost to her I met with Mr [redacted] in their home one evening to discuss the furniture He ultimately agreed that the room is oddly shaped and that there was no way we could have ordered larger furniture for the room He admitted that he was not crazy about the "style" of the furniture because it was not traditional enough for himHis wife, [redacted] , said that she "loved" the furniture, and told me which were her favorite pieces He seemed to be content and we agreed that the room would look much better if it were accessorizedWe spent several hours discussing the various options available to them, as well as moving the furniture around in different configurationsWe had discussed using brass and glass side tables, so I brought a sample of one to show them and left it on the premises for them to decide if they liked the ideaMrs [redacted] called at some point to say that she "loved each piece of furniture individually but wasn't sure that she liked them all together" Again, we discussed how accessories would change the look of the room I traveled to their home twice after that with accessories Mrs [redacted] continued to say that they were probably not keeping the furnitureAt that point, I discussed with Mr [redacted] that I did not see the point in continuing to shop and spend my time looking for accessories until they committed to the furniture He said that he understood my point and would have a conversation with Mrs [redacted] I have never heard back from him on this issue I had previously accessorized the rest of the home and there is an outstanding invoice for several thousand dollars which remains unpaidThere was also a chandelier, purchased by me, that was damaged by Mrs [redacted] 's electrician for which I paid, out-of-pocket, to remove, repair, and re-hangWhen my trucker did this, again at no cost to Mrs [redacted] , he was scheduled to pick up the brass and glass table which was "on loan" to them The housekeeper claimed that she could not reach either Mror Mrs [redacted] and refused to let him pick up the piece At one point, [redacted] suggested that if [redacted] decided that he did not like the furniture, they would simply donate it to the [redacted] *** and take a tax write off They have fluctuated back and forth about whether they like the furniture One day they do and another day they do not My position is very clearMrs [redacted] was absolutely aware that we were ordering CUSTOM MADE FURNITURE In fact, we had ordered furniture from this same company for other homes of her's, and those pieces are now located in other rooms in her current homeShe was presented with either drawings or pictures of EVERY piece of furniture PRIOR to ordering All pictures include measurements and details such as nail head trim designShe then paid for the furniture PRIOR to orderingOnce the furniture was APPROVED and PAID for IN FULL, I placed the orderI do not understand the change of heart, but it is now the concern of Mrand Mrs [redacted] I am not sure whether Mr [redacted] has decided that he does not like the style furniture that Mrs [redacted] chose, or perhaps he believes she spent too much money on the furniture without his approvalRegardless, it is not my issue The ultimate complaint to you was that the furniture arrived damaged and/or was not what they ordered In fact, it was PRECISELY what they ordered and any minor damage was repaired in a timely manner and returned to their home Also, it was Mrs [redacted] who stopped communicating with me and had her husband take up all communication with me I spoke with him many times and tried to resolve the issues of this long standing client Beyond that, Mrs [redacted] began to say that she was not happy with anything I had done and started to complain about a fabric not matching her bedroom, when in fact, it was THE fabric that SHE and her husband CHOSE She emailed me a photo of the sample saying that "this is the fabric we want"Once ordered and fabricated into a window seat, she decided that she didn't think it "matched" At that point, I decided to step back If you have any questions regarding this letter or the order for furniture, please feel free to either email me or contact me by cell at [redacted] Best regards, [redacted]

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: Melanie delivered us furniture that was not according to the agreed upon floor plan that she drew to scale Two of the chairs are too large and do not fit behind the couch as they were supposed to in the plan Moreover the legs are scratched and damaged by someone she hired to make them shorter.Two of the stools she delivered to us are of a very poor quality and extremely unsturdy - they tip over whenever anyone sits on them.She delivered us a bench cushion that is too big for our bench, has wrinkles all over it and is not put together well.She purchased an antique chandelier which had missing parts and could not be hung.She had our piano bench upholstered and returned it with missing parts rendering it unusable.She has admitted via numerous emails all of the mistakes she has made and said she would take back some of the items for return and has not done so despite repeated requests from us.Finally, we believe that Melanie did not live up to the terms of our business agreement with her She was supposed to charge us a 30% mark up on items purchased She gave us word documents that she drew up herself and when we started to suspect that she was overcharging us, she refused to supply us with the direct invoices from the end supplier despite us asking her over and over again These direct receipts are important for warranty issues as well Given she no longer communicates with us, it is important that we have these direct receipts from the vendors Why won't she supply them? We suspect it is because she is running a fraudulent business.We have worked with Melanie for over a decade, spending over $100,with her and have never had any issues with her work Something happened this time and we are not sure why she was so distracted and did such a poor job Sincerely, [redacted]

Dear Mrs. Betts,   I am writing in reference...

to ID #[redacted].  My client [redacted] wrote to you concerning an order for custom made furniture.  I have been in business for approximately 30 years and this was the THIRD job the [redacted]'s have hired me to complete on their behalf.  The furniture in question was ordered especially for the living room in their home in [redacted], NY.  I have been ordering custom made furniture from a wholesaler in North Carolina for over 10 years now.  I have never had an issue with them.  You should know that I offered [redacted] 2 styles of furniture, one more traditional and one less traditional.  There were many email exchanges back and forth and ultimately [redacted] chose the less traditional furniture. The vendor ONLY makes the frames of the furniture and does not offer fabrics.  The designer must select fabric elsewhere, order it and ship it to the vendor to be applied to the furniture.  This makes EVERY piece of furniture that they do, a CUSTOM piece of furniture.  Mrs. [redacted] was, as always, offered several dozen fabrics to choose from.  She ultimately chose, with my direction, fabrics and trimmings for each piece of furniture as well as for every throw pillow.  I even have emails from Mrs. [redacted] urging me to order one of the fabrics quickly, so as not to hold anything up.  I was told the room should be mostly complete by a specific date due to the fact that they were having a party.  I later learned that the party was OUTSIDE and no one from the party would even be inside of the house to see the room. Mrs. [redacted] and I went over each piece planned for the room multiple times.  We even stood in the room with a tape measure to verify sizes.  Once satisfied, [redacted] placed the order for fabrics, trimmings, and furniture though me.  She paid for these items, in advance, because of the custom nature.  She either paid with a check or a credit card.    I arranged for and was present for the delivery of the furniture.  I inspected all wooden legs, since this is typically the portion of the furniture easiest to damage.  There were no issues.  She initially let me know that they did not like the layout and that her husband [redacted] did not like any of the furniture and wanted to "return it all".  They decided to try a different layout and, without me, moved all of the furniture around.  I was then notified by [redacted]...."I hope you checked the furniture carefully, because there is a nick in one of the legs."  It is my firm belief that the [redacted]'s nicked the leg while moving furniture around, yet tried to blame the furniture delivery company.  She also took issue with the fact that there was a ripple in the fabric of the velvet sofa. 2 of the chairs for the room needed to be slightly shorter. These items were picked up, repaired and returned to Mrs. [redacted] at no additional cost to her.   I met with Mr. [redacted] in their home one evening to discuss the furniture.  He ultimately agreed that the room is oddly shaped and that there was no way we could have ordered larger furniture for the room.  He admitted that he was not crazy about the "style" of the furniture because it was not traditional enough for him. His wife, [redacted], said that she "loved" the furniture, and told me which were her favorite pieces.  He seemed to be content and we agreed that the room would look much better if it were accessorized. We spent several hours discussing the various options available to them, as well as moving the furniture around in 100 different configurations. We had discussed using brass and glass side tables, so I brought a sample of one to show them and left it on the premises for them to decide if they liked the idea. Mrs. [redacted] called at some point to say that she "loved each piece of furniture individually but wasn't sure that she liked them all together".  Again, we discussed how accessories would change the look of the room.  I traveled to their home twice after that with accessories.  Mrs. [redacted] continued to say that they were probably not keeping the furniture. At that point, I discussed with Mr. [redacted] that I did not see the point in continuing to shop and spend my time looking for accessories until they committed to the furniture.  He said that he understood my point and would have a conversation with Mrs. [redacted].  I have never heard back from him on this issue.   I had previously accessorized the rest of the home and there is an outstanding invoice for several thousand dollars which remains unpaid. There was also a chandelier, purchased by me, that was damaged by Mrs. [redacted]'s electrician for which I paid, out-of-pocket, to remove, repair, and re-hang. When my trucker did this, again at no cost to Mrs. [redacted], he was scheduled to pick up the brass and glass table which was "on loan" to them.  The housekeeper claimed that she could not reach either Mr. or Mrs. [redacted] and refused to let him pick up the piece.   At one point, [redacted] suggested that if [redacted] decided that he did not like the furniture, they would simply donate it to the [redacted] and take a tax write off.  They have fluctuated back and forth about whether they like the furniture.  One day they do and another day they do not.  My position is very clear. Mrs. [redacted] was absolutely aware that we were ordering CUSTOM MADE FURNITURE.  In fact, we had ordered furniture from this same company for other homes of her's, and those pieces are now located in other rooms in her current home. She was presented with either drawings or pictures of EVERY piece of furniture PRIOR to ordering.  All pictures include measurements and details such as nail head trim design. She then paid for the furniture PRIOR to ordering. Once the furniture was APPROVED and PAID for IN FULL, I placed the order. I do not understand the change of heart, but it is now the concern of Mr. and Mrs. [redacted].  I am not sure whether Mr. [redacted] has decided that he does not like the style furniture that Mrs. [redacted] chose, or perhaps he believes she spent too much money on the furniture without his approval. Regardless, it is not my issue.    The ultimate complaint to you was that the furniture arrived damaged and/or was not what they ordered.  In fact, it was PRECISELY what they ordered and any minor damage was repaired in a timely manner and returned to their home.  Also, it was Mrs. [redacted] who stopped communicating with me and had her husband take up all communication with me.  I spoke with him many times and tried to resolve the issues of this long standing client.  Beyond that, Mrs. [redacted] began to say that she was not happy with anything I had done and started to complain about a fabric not matching her bedroom, when in fact, it was THE fabric that SHE and her husband CHOSE.  She emailed me a photo of the sample saying that "this is the fabric we want". Once ordered and fabricated into a window seat, she decided that she didn't think it "matched".  At that point, I decided to step back.   If you have any questions regarding this letter or the order for furniture, please feel free to either email me or contact me by cell at [redacted].   Best regards, [redacted]

Beware! She will take your money and run! The furniture you receive will be not as ordered and arrive damaged. She won't follow up on anything. Her taste has really declined over the years. She doesn't provide back up or receipts for anything and I suspect she charges more than the 30% mark up she quotes.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: Melanie delivered us furniture that was not according to the agreed upon floor plan that she drew to scale.  Two of the chairs are too large and do not fit behind the couch as they were supposed to in the plan.  Moreover the legs are scratched and damaged by someone she hired to make them shorter.Two of the stools she delivered to us are of a very poor quality and extremely unsturdy - they tip over whenever anyone sits on them.She delivered us a bench cushion that is too big for our bench, has wrinkles all over it and is not put together well.She purchased an antique chandelier which had missing parts and could not be hung.She had our piano bench upholstered and returned it with missing parts rendering it unusable.She has admitted via numerous emails all of the mistakes she has made and said she would take back some of the items for return and has not done so despite repeated requests from us.Finally, we believe that Melanie did not live up to the terms of our
business agreement with her.  She was supposed to charge us a 30% mark
up on items purchased.  She gave us word documents that she drew up
herself and when we started to suspect that she was overcharging us, she
refused to supply us with the direct invoices from the end supplier
despite us asking her over and over again.  These direct receipts are
important for warranty issues as well.  Given she no longer communicates
with us, it is important that we have these direct receipts from the
vendors.  Why won't she supply them?  We suspect it is because she is running a fraudulent business.We have worked with Melanie for over a decade, spending over $100,000 with her and have never had any issues with her work.  Something happened this time and we are not sure why she was so distracted and did such a poor job.
Sincerely,
[redacted]