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House and home

problems with new furniture

(12 Posts)
travelsafar Tue 14-Sept-21 12:24:52

I had a new sofa and armchair delivered on the 28th May. Bearing in mind there is only me in the house full time i noticed after a couple of days that the seats are very wrinkled when i get up after sitting in them for the evening and the back of the armchair is kind of dimpled looking. I contacted the shop at the end of june and said i wasnt happy with purchase and that i wanted them to take away and refund me my money. They then sent out an inspector who came beginning of Sept. he said to me i had been mis sold as i should have been told that this would happen and that i had to smooth the cushion after every sitting, and punch the back to incorporate air to get rid of the dimples. I said if i had been told this i would not have purchased as having arthritis in both hands it would be difficult for me to do this. He said i had a good case for a full refund. he sent off his report and i got an email back saying as far as they are concerned there is no defect to the furniture. I have emailed them back desputing what they are saying in relation to the report. What do i do now if they still refuse to give me a refund. The furniture is not a cheap item it cost me nearly 1,500 all but a few pounds. It is a branded suite, Lazee Boy and supposed to have been made in Great britian.

NotSpaghetti Tue 14-Sept-21 12:30:44

If you have a copy of the report, maybe you should look at small claims court?

NotSpaghetti Tue 14-Sept-21 12:31:01

If you have a copy of the report you could consider small claims?

travelsafar Tue 14-Sept-21 12:34:14

They would not give the report.
Here is a pic of the chair after sitting in it for a couple minutes

Ohmother Tue 14-Sept-21 16:58:36

Write to the Director of the company. Tell them the items purchased are not fit for purpose and that you are claiming under the Sale of Goods Act for a refund or you will take matters further. ( see martinsmoneywebsite for advice on misold goods)

Smileless2012 Tue 14-Sept-21 17:14:28

Hi travelsafar I've shown your OP and pic to Mr. S. who retired from our furniture retail business 3 years ago.

We stopped dealing with Lazee Boy because we were having problems very similar to yours and they were difficult to deal with.

Did you purchase this from a shop? If so contact the retailer again and tell them you're not satisfied. The only way Mr. S. was able to resolve one particular issue was to put pressure on the company himself. However, you only tend to get that level of support from an independent retailer rather than a chain.

Who arranged for the inspector to call? You are legally entitled to see a copy of the report so my advice is to press for this as depending on what it says may strengthen your case.

An upheld complaint made within 6 months means the retailer must be given the opportunity to either repair or replace. Only then can you seek a full refund.

Mr. S. says it's difficult to tell from your photo but it may be a problem with the choice of cover rather than a manufacturing fault. That said in his opinion the back cushion does appear to be faulty but not the seat cushion.

I hope this is of some help.

Smileless2012 Tue 14-Sept-21 17:17:04

PS they are no longer manufactured in the UK but are now made in China, resulting in prolonged delivery times and a reduction in quality.

dahlia Tue 14-Sept-21 17:21:03

You could contact the Citizens' Advice Bureau via e-mail and they would be pleased to advise you on what to do.

Smileless2012 Tue 14-Sept-21 17:33:34

It's me again. We suggest you contact Which Consumer Rights on line where you have an option to go to 'Start my letter' (blue button) and they will help you with a letter.

Mr. S. suggests you say that the back cushion interior is collapsing.

travelsafar Tue 14-Sept-21 18:41:18

Thank you all for your help. I had a call from them in answer my email. The lady most understanding and she will be getting back to me. If no joy I will use the info given to me by you very helpful gransnetters.

NotSpaghetti Tue 14-Sept-21 20:20:44

If you had a call from them I suggest you send a one-line email (to prove it). Say something like "thank you for your call earlier today, I'm pleased you are looking into xyz and look forward to having this resolved swiftly".
If they said anything useful, refer to it!

M0nica Tue 14-Sept-21 21:10:17

Ring Trading Standards in your local authority. They will be able to tell you authoritatively what your rights are.

You then ring/write to the relevant company saying: 'I have spoken to Trading Standards and they say.....'

DD did this with an awkward company and it worked like a dream.