Miller's Furniture

In
regards to Ms. [redacted]'s complaint--she purchased a mattress set on
April 24, 2015 and asked for the mattress set as soon as possible. We
called our Amish builder who graciously agreed to build her mattress
set as soon as possible and we picked that mattress set up on May 5,
2015; we then...

delivered the mattress set to Ms. [redacted] on May 7, 2015.
When
delivering the mattress set, the delivery team found that the
customer's existing bed frame would not accommodate our standard
sized mattress. Ms. [redacted] insisted that Miller's Furniture make a
second delivery on the same day to bring her a standard-sized metal
bed frame. Miller's Furniture agreed to this resolution and followed
through by returning to her home later that day with the bed frame.
Our
mattress builder recommends that each customer sleep on the mattress
for 30 days to allow their body time to adjust to the
new feel of the mattress set. Ms. [redacted] did call and express her
disappointment in her mattress after two days of use (May 9, 2015);
however, the personnel present at the store were unable to
immediately take action without consulting the owners--who were
attending to personal matters. On May 12, 2015, one of the store's
owners were able to make contact with Ms. [redacted] and explain the
mattress builder's recommendation, however Ms. [redacted] declined to
accept this recommendation and insisted upon immediate removal of her
mattress due to perceived product flaws.
Ms.
[redacted] verbally agreed over the phone to the following terms with one
of the store's owners: Miller's Furniture would retain a 20 percent
restocking charge for the returned mattress and then Ms. [redacted] would
pay us with a check for the additional pick-up charge of $79 (plus
tax). We picked up the mattress on May 15th
and our delivery drivers handed Ms. [redacted] a refund check for the
amount both parties had agreed upon. Ms. [redacted] reneged on her part of
the verbal agreement and refused to pay for the additional delivery
charge. Miller's Furniture decided to mark the issue as closed and
declined to pursue any further action.
Thank
you,

Ms [redacted],We at Millets Furniture acknowledge our failure to adequately provide our detailedwritten return policy with regards to our bedding line to you. We apologize for the lack ofcommunication and failure to discuss this with you the customer at the time of purchase.With regard to your quality concerns, we want to strongly emphasize this mattress was infact brand new and built specifically for you. Our builder (see attached letter) analyzedthe product, upon its retum, and stated unequivocally "the mattress feels the way itshould and has no defects". The mattress meets all industry standards and is notdefective. We understand that mattresses may not provide the comfort level necessary forall customers, but that reason alone is not enough to deem the mattress defective.For our failure to provide a detailed written return policy to you at the time of thepurchase, Millets Furniture is offering to return all monies for a total of $335.79.Thank you.

[redacted] sent her husband alone to shop for furniture for their living room. Unfortunately she did not like the selection that her husband made. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the merchandise (as noted on the delivery when the customer signed that the merchandise was received in good...

condition). She simply does not agree with her husband's color selection. Clearance merchandise is priced exceptionally well because it takes into consideration that there will be no additional service or returns allowed. These items are sold "as is" and are always final sales.This is the response that I sent to Mrs. [redacted]: "It is unfortunate that you are unhappy with the color scheme that your husband selected. Unfortunately all clearance sales are final as specified on the backside of the sales order. While we normally charge a $100 design fee to make house calls, because we wanted you to be happy with your purchase we waived the design fee to send an experienced, qualified designer to your home. [redacted], the designer that your husband worked with in the store and the same designer that came out to your home, addressed each concern on the list (written by Mrs. [redacted]) that your husband provided. She gave her honest opinion that the furniture selected coordinated well with your home and made some minor, cost-effective suggestions that you could make if you are still unhappy with how the overall design looks. (Please note that while Mrs. [redacted] was the only one unhappy with the purchase, she was not present at this meeting. At this point in time, based on the comments he made, Mr. [redacted] was still pleased with his decision.)   In the future if you are looking for a custom furniture floor plan, it would be best to consult a designer before making a purchase so that they can incorporate both you and your husband's furniture style into the design scheme and to work in any existing furniture or design elements that are important to you.  If you had selected custom furniture of this same quality you would have paid significantly more than the clearance prices that your husband received. (Mrs. [redacted] noted that she was frustrated that the furniture did not look as if it was "custom made to go in the space.")Given that you are not a design client and that the merchandise was purchased on clearance, [redacted] is unable to make any more design suggestions. (Mrs. [redacted] had asked for additional (free) design advice.) Again because we want to avoid unhappy customers we NEVER pressure customers into a purchase, as such we do not make any exceptions to our policies.  We firmly believe that our policies are fair and clearly-stated."Terms as stated on the sales invoice (which the customer has a copy of). CLEARANCE MERCHANDISE - There will be no returns or exchanges of clearance merchandise.  Such sales are sold “AS IS” and are always final.The customer has signed a confirmation of the sale and signed that the merchandise was received in good condition. (Copies attached.)As you can see the terms are very clearly stated. It is unfortunate that the Revdex.com has been dragged into an issue of spousal difference of style.

It is unfortunate that you are unhappy with your purchase.  If at any given time when a sale is being written up a customer expresses any hesitance, we are upfront with regard to our return policy and will go over it in detail. We do not however assume that a customer will have buyer's remorse and go through each and every point of the sales terms. That is why the terms are completely spelled out on the sales receipt. This is a common business practice for large ticket items which must be delivered to the customer's home.Terms as stated on the sales invoice: CLEARANCE MERCHANDISE - There will be no returns or exchanges of clearance merchandise.  Such sales are sold “AS IS” and are always final.The term "clearance" was clearly stated on the front of the sales invoice and the customer signed a confirmation of the sale. With regard to "fading" of the upholstery, there was no defect of any kind that we were aware of prior to the delivery of the merchandise. If there had been any flaw or defect that we were aware of we would have noted it on the sales order. Further, all clearance merchandise is sold "As Is" and the customer signed upon delivery that the merchandise was received in good condition.While we strive to please all of our customers, we realize that it is not always possible to meet every request and since we are not willing to change our sales terms to accommodate a case of buyers remorse there is nothing more that we can do for you.

To clarify, I did not send my husband to shop alone for furniture.  I was out-of-state visiting my family in southern Illinois.  Prior to that holiday weekend, my husband and I had spent several hours over several weeks searching for a new sofa together having traveled to Sheboygan, Fond du Lac, Plymouth and West Bend furniture stores.   My husband thought the furniture from Miller’s would look nice in our family room and wanted to surprise me.  He was not aware that he was purchasing “clearance” merchandise.  Rather, he thought it was part of a Labor Day weekend sale.  He did not learn that it was “clearance” merchandise and that he could not return or exchange the furniture until the day after it had been delivered.  At no time did we indicate that their employee, [redacted] was a “high pressure salesperson”.  The issue at hand is that the company’s clearance sale policy was not communicated to my husband prior to the purchase and was only visible on the back side of the receipt after the sale was final.  We feel that consumers should be aware of Miller’s non-returnable policy on clearance merchandise before making a purchase which is why we filed the complaint. As for the furniture itself, the pieces do not coordinate with our existing fireplace which is the main feature of the room.  Specifically, the color and vertical design of the striped chair does not work with the color and horizontal layout of the brick.  In addition, the entire back side of the chair is faded, a flaw that was not disclosed to my husband by the salesperson prior to the purchase.We utilize our family room every day.  We need furniture that is pleasing to look at as well as durable and comfortable.  We have waited two decades to purchase new furniture and now feel as though we have been taken advantage of.  We have a small house and no other place in our home to use these furniture pieces.  We even tried to purchase a slip cover for the chair but could not find one that would fit.  Given that the only obstacle is their company clearance policy, and the fact that my husband was never made aware of that policy at the time of purchase, we feel that the owners should be willing to exchange or return the furniture.

The mattress that was delivered on May 7, 2015 is being returned to Miller's Furniture today, May 15,2015.The mattress is uneven throughout with firm areas proximate to the edges and areas of significantsoftness/depression in the middle, more than an inch and a half. The inconsistency in support across themattress is unsatisfactory and certainly does not meet industry standards.Questions might concern the construction of the mattress itself or even the concern, on my part, as towhether the mattress is one that has been sold before or used!I would also like to clarify the statement made by you that this mattress was custom-made specifically forme. Perhaps ten minutes after I made the down payment [redacted] called my cell phone to tell me that themattress was available and would be on the May 5, 2015 delivery truckEqually distressing is the lack of a detailed written return policy with regard to the purchase of a mattress.Again, this usually accompanies a sale. I have now purchased another mattress elsewhere and have beenprovided the return information. The typical charge for the return of a mattress without a defect, customerchoice, is 15%! As the owner of Miller's Furniture store you determined that the return costs for thismattress would be 20%.The mattress I am returning to you has problems and is totally unsatisfactory, even defective . The price ofthe mattress was one thousand five hundred ninety-nine dollars ($1,599). After includiag sales tax in thetwenty percent reduction, you have provided me with a check for one thousand three hundred seventy-fivedollars ($1,375). Were the sales tax of  $117 included in a full refund a difference of three hundred fortyone ($341) would be owed to me. (Figures are rounded off.) The circumstances indicate that a full refundis appropriate.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
This is not a case of buyers remorse.  My husband was not aware that he was purchasing furniture that he could not return.  By their own admission, they selectively choose who they explain the return policy to based on their judgement of customer hesitation.  The policy was not communicated to my husband at the time of purchase and the term "clearance" does not appear on the invoice.We filed this complaint because we want the general public to know the company's return policy.  We do not want others to end up like us with furniture we can't use.Regards,
[redacted]

Review: My husband purchased furniture that he did not know was nonreturnable. When he asked to return or exchange the furniture, the company refused. The furniture does not match the fireplace or the carpet in the room. The decorator who sold him the furniture came to our home but still refused to return or exchange the furniture.Desired Settlement: We would like to return the furniture and would even be willing to pay a restocking fee of 10%.

Business

Response:

[redacted] sent her husband alone to shop for furniture for their living room. Unfortunately she did not like the selection that her husband made. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the merchandise (as noted on the delivery when the customer signed that the merchandise was received in good condition). She simply does not agree with her husband's color selection. Clearance merchandise is priced exceptionally well because it takes into consideration that there will be no additional service or returns allowed. These items are sold "as is" and are always final sales.This is the response that I sent to Mrs. [redacted]: "It is unfortunate that you are unhappy with the color scheme that your husband selected. Unfortunately all clearance sales are final as specified on the backside of the sales order. While we normally charge a $100 design fee to make house calls, because we wanted you to be happy with your purchase we waived the design fee to send an experienced, qualified designer to your home. [redacted], the designer that your husband worked with in the store and the same designer that came out to your home, addressed each concern on the list (written by Mrs. [redacted]) that your husband provided. She gave her honest opinion that the furniture selected coordinated well with your home and made some minor, cost-effective suggestions that you could make if you are still unhappy with how the overall design looks. (Please note that while Mrs. [redacted] was the only one unhappy with the purchase, she was not present at this meeting. At this point in time, based on the comments he made, Mr. [redacted] was still pleased with his decision.) In the future if you are looking for a custom furniture floor plan, it would be best to consult a designer before making a purchase so that they can incorporate both you and your husband's furniture style into the design scheme and to work in any existing furniture or design elements that are important to you. If you had selected custom furniture of this same quality you would have paid significantly more than the clearance prices that your husband received. (Mrs. [redacted] noted that she was frustrated that the furniture did not look as if it was "custom made to go in the space.")Given that you are not a design client and that the merchandise was purchased on clearance, [redacted] is unable to make any more design suggestions. (Mrs. [redacted] had asked for additional (free) design advice.) Again because we want to avoid unhappy customers we NEVER pressure customers into a purchase, as such we do not make any exceptions to our policies. We firmly believe that our policies are fair and clearly-stated."Terms as stated on the sales invoice (which the customer has a copy of). CLEARANCE MERCHANDISE - There will be no returns or exchanges of clearance merchandise. Such sales are sold “AS IS” and are always final.The customer has signed a confirmation of the sale and signed that the merchandise was received in good condition. (Copies attached.)As you can see the terms are very clearly stated. It is unfortunate that the Revdex.com has been dragged into an issue of spousal difference of style.

Consumer

Response:

To clarify, I did not send my husband to shop alone for furniture. I was out-of-state visiting my family in southern Illinois. Prior to that holiday weekend, my husband and I had spent several hours over several weeks searching for a new sofa together having traveled to Sheboygan, Fond du Lac, Plymouth and West Bend furniture stores. My husband thought the furniture from Miller’s would look nice in our family room and wanted to surprise me. He was not aware that he was purchasing “clearance” merchandise. Rather, he thought it was part of a Labor Day weekend sale. He did not learn that it was “clearance” merchandise and that he could not return or exchange the furniture until the day after it had been delivered. At no time did we indicate that their employee, [redacted] was a “high pressure salesperson”. The issue at hand is that the company’s clearance sale policy was not communicated to my husband prior to the purchase and was only visible on the back side of the receipt after the sale was final. We feel that consumers should be aware of Miller’s non-returnable policy on clearance merchandise before making a purchase which is why we filed the complaint. As for the furniture itself, the pieces do not coordinate with our existing fireplace which is the main feature of the room. Specifically, the color and vertical design of the striped chair does not work with the color and horizontal layout of the brick. In addition, the entire back side of the chair is faded, a flaw that was not disclosed to my husband by the salesperson prior to the purchase.We utilize our family room every day. We need furniture that is pleasing to look at as well as durable and comfortable. We have waited two decades to purchase new furniture and now feel as though we have been taken advantage of. We have a small house and no other place in our home to use these furniture pieces. We even tried to purchase a slip cover for the chair but could not find one that would fit. Given that the only obstacle is their company clearance policy, and the fact that my husband was never made aware of that policy at the time of purchase, we feel that the owners should be willing to exchange or return the furniture.

Business

Response:

It is unfortunate that you are unhappy with your purchase. If at any given time when a sale is being written up a customer expresses any hesitance, we are upfront with regard to our return policy and will go over it in detail. We do not however assume that a customer will have buyer's remorse and go through each and every point of the sales terms. That is why the terms are completely spelled out on the sales receipt. This is a common business practice for large ticket items which must be delivered to the customer's home.Terms as stated on the sales invoice: CLEARANCE MERCHANDISE - There will be no returns or exchanges of clearance merchandise. Such sales are sold “AS IS” and are always final.The term "clearance" was clearly stated on the front of the sales invoice and the customer signed a confirmation of the sale. With regard to "fading" of the upholstery, there was no defect of any kind that we were aware of prior to the delivery of the merchandise. If there had been any flaw or defect that we were aware of we would have noted it on the sales order. Further, all clearance merchandise is sold "As Is" and the customer signed upon delivery that the merchandise was received in good condition.While we strive to please all of our customers, we realize that it is not always possible to meet every request and since we are not willing to change our sales terms to accommodate a case of buyers remorse there is nothing more that we can do for you.

Consumer

Response:

Review: The chair is falling apart after being just a little over 4 months old. The chair's fabric is torn. We contacted company, they offered to repair the large gap of torn fabric if we took the chair to them. We did that. The stitching was horrible! It looked worse than the tear. After repeated calls, many were ignored and promised call backs never happened. Finally, they said they would get the chair's company rep to contact us. We talked to this rep, he said that the chair was an "as is" chair and we SHOULD have been told that at purchasing time. We were not told this and there is nothing on our receipt stating it was an "as is" sale. The rep sold the chair to Miller's knowing it had problems, but, was sure they would let their customers know that at the time of purchase, it was a good price for a recliner but it was a final sale. Miller's ONLY offered to give us $150 off another chair. Why would we want to buy another chair from them after all these problems? That doesn't even make sense. The entire sale was fraudulent in them knowing it was a final sale with no warranty, without giving us this information. They told us that this was their best offer and now avoid calls. It was very deceptive and the chair is falling apart even after the stitching.Desired Settlement: We want to return the chair for a full refund in order to get another chair elsewhere.

Business

Response:

Please see attached handwritten response.

Consumer

Response:

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

Please see attached rebuttal.

November 28, 2013

After reading the letter Mrs. Miller wrote (ID # [redacted]), I was appalled. Her statements of the chair being on 'close out' and being ‘floor models, are quite hilarious - all their chairs are row after row, positioned in a huge display room - so I guess you could say they're all floor models. There was nothing that indicated any items were on close out, unless you conclude they were all as such.

My first impulse was to call and tell her she sure can lie! None of her statements were ever made to us. Even if such things were addressed, it should have stayed decent for more than six months.

And, the area on the seat that was supposedly repaired looked horrendous. It was far from a professional repair job. If you were to see it you would have to agree it is terrible in appearance. And what was most disturbing, was the statement that the chair was soiled. There is not a single soiled spot on the chair. We take good care of our furniture.

As evident from the receipt, there was no indication that it was a "as is" sale. We would not have purchased such. There were no tags of any kind on this chair.

We got the number of the representative and talked with him. He verified our suspicions, he did not do any repair work on the chair! A bold lie!

I did not accept any of the Millers' options because I will not do anything that would benefit them. Obviously, we'll never do business with them again.

I assume asking for a refund would prove fruitless, although the $293 would be a lot less of a hardship for them than us. We are retired and a fixed income, but now we must look for another chair since the condition of this one is a real eyesore.

Thank you for hearing me out and for accepting this rebuttal to Mrs. Miller's claims. Should you have any more advice for us we would be happy to accept.

Regards,