Skip's Outdoor Accents, Inc.

Sold an inferior product for which they stated they would correct the issue and have yet to do so.I had purchased a playscape from Skips Outdoor Accents in Agawam, Ma back in 2012. Within four months, the stain from the wood began to flake off. I called the company and spoke with [redacted]. She was friendly and stated that they would send someone over to look at the playscape. They looked and decided something was definitely wrong with the manner in which the stain was applied and stated they would sand and stain it. A staff member came out and was amazed how bad the stain had lifted from the wood. However, he decided to only stain the playscape stating that it would not be worth the effort to sand it and probably better to replace it. So he only stained the playset and we would wait to see if this tactic would resolve the issue. A few months later, many of the areas that were stained again started lifting in the same manner as before. I contacted [redacted] again about this matter but this time it had become much harder to get a hold of her. Several of my emails that were sent to her had received no response. I was then later pressured by [redacted] to speak with the manufacturer of the playscape instead of [redacted] solely dealing with them herself. In the end it was agreed to by both parties that she would send someone out to both sand and stain the problem areas this time. Today, someone came over to do just that, but left many areas were the stain was lifting untouched...neither stained nor sanded. Now I have to buy stain and spend time finishing a set that should have been free of defects in the first place? Skips began to deal with the problems in a prompt and professional manner, however, when it was realized just how extensive the problem truly was, [redacted] became less approachable and in the end, they never kept their side of the bargain of both staining and sanding the playscape and so the problem still remains. I will say that both [redacted] and the two staff members that came out to stain the play set were friendly, but smiles and handshakes only go so far. In the end, Skips Outdoor Accents sold me an inferior product and simply did not stand by their promise to take the necessary steps in correcting the issue. Please finish what you started and complete the sanding and staining of the play set.Desired SettlementCompletely finish the sanding and staining of the play set as promised. I should not have to buy stain and spend my time sanding an item that should have been sold to me defect free.Business Response Mr. [redacted] purchased a Ella's Castle Playset from us on March 8, 2012. This is manufactured by [redacted] and he did upgrade the playset to have a wood roof. We installed the product on April 12, 2012.The customer emailed me with a complaint that the stain was lifting off of the playset and wanted to know what we were going to do about it. After speaking numerous times with the customer and the manufacturer, I decided to have [redacted] speak with the [redacted] directly. As a customer I would rather speak directly to the builder and get the answers I need. This was in no way an attempt to ignore the complaint but to allow the customer to better understand what was going on.After speaking with both [redacted] and [redacted] from [redacted] we have come up with a resolution that we hope will be good for you.We will come out and sand the areas that cannot be replaced easily and cover with an oil based stain. We will not be sanding the entire set only the problematic areas. The end legs (Aframe support), the rope ladder support and the piece where our tag is, will be replaced with new parts. The fact that the set is older, I cannot guarantee a match, there may be some shading difference. This is also not a guarantee that the oil based stain will match perfectly.Once you have agreed to this I have to put the parts on order which may take 2-4 weeks. When they arrive I will schedule the guys to come out and replace those pieces and sand the areas that are needed.After we have done all the items stated in this email we will have satisfied any repairs needed on this set. This will be our last attempt at any corrections, as stain is not a warrantied item and we are going over and beyond what is our responsibility. It will then be your responsibility to maintain the playset with proper sealing and staining in the future.Thank you[redacted]Skips Outdoor Accents