Am I being too picky

17 years ago

A few months ago we purchased an occasional chair for $695 from a local retailer. The first chair arrived with a loose arm and defects in the finish and upholstery that couldn't be corrected by the retailer's technicians. So they exchanged the chair. The replacement arrived early last week. Over the weekend, I realized that light was reflecting unevenly off the seat edge. Upon closer examination, I realized that the seat corner was higher on the left side and that the left corner seam was longer than the right (2 1/4" vs 1 1/4"). Pics are here:

I called the retailer and was directed to their warranty person. I emailed her with the pics and her response is, "To be honest with you, its really hard to see the issue on the pictures. Although, we do have 1 chair in stock with the same fabric. I can either allocate the chair for you now (hopefully by the time you e-mail me back, it will still be available) or if you want to come to our whs and inspect it before delivery, or I would have to send these pictures to the vendor to see what they would like to do."

I suspect that the chair they have in stock is the first one we received, although if she says not I'll be happy to go look at it. But am I'm being too picky? Is this sort of asymmetry normal and acceptable?

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Comments (8)

lindac
17 years ago
No.....you are not being too picky.....and no! that kind of asymmetry is NOT acceptable.
Go get 'em!
Linda C
dsb_22
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks a lot for the feedback. Others on the Home Decorating forum said the same thing, so I'm not backing down. We sent another email back asking to confirm that the chair in stock is not the first one and describing the problem in more detail. Hopefully the rep will see it and be helpful. It bugs me every time I look at it!
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dgmarie
17 years ago
The chair seat is crooked. I suspect the foam used was either not cut or secured evenly. For $65, I'd say forget it, no one but you will know. For $695 I'd say take it back and don't accept anything but perfect.
User
17 years ago
A 1-inch variation in a 2-inch seam is HUGE.

I can see the difference in height in the sides of the cushion in the picture ... sloppy work. For $695 I would definitely expect something better than that.
dsb_22
Original Author
17 years ago
Hello,
I have an update and I hope you all can give me your feedback.

After some reluctance, the retailer picked up the chair and sent back to the vendor for repair. It finally came back two weeks ago. We wanted to see the repaired chair before it was delivered to our home and set up two appointments, only to arrive and be told that there'd been a mistake and the chair couldn't be shown. (Once there was no one to unwrap it and once it was at another warehouse and the staff had gone home). The retailer is 24 miles from our home, so this was annoying in terms of wasted gas and time.

Today I took off from work to see the chair with the customer svc rep and a furniture technician. The right hand corner of the seat is now 1/4" higher than the left and the fabric is still sloping down towards the right (as you face the chair). They saw what I was seeing, however the technician said the quality is standard for Fairfield Chair (the manufacturer). I said I understood, I just am not sure that at $695 I can live with it. This chair will be on our main floor and I will see it every day.

So, I'm supposed to call back to see what kind of discount they will give me, or to let them know that we would like our money back. If it were you, would you take a discount and how much would you request? Or would the issues bother you enough to want to forget it and start over with a different retailer/manufacturer?

Thank you in advance...
loren11
17 years ago
this is nuts..thats an expensive chair and i would expect quality workmanship. GET YOUR MONEY BACK..i would not deal with them anymore..
btw, did u/mention the manufacturer or store, so we can all stay away?
dsb_22
Original Author
17 years ago
Thank you for the feedback, I really appreciate it. The chair manufacturer is Fairfield Chair and the retailer is Belfort Furniture in northern VA.
realdreamer
17 years ago
My neighbors purchased a lot of pieces from Belford--the quality was so-so. I looked in there, but was not impressed with what I saw.

If you're in N VA, stay away from IMI Furniture in Sterling as well. We purchased a desk from them and specifically said we did not want the floor sample. They sent us the floor sample and we sent it right back. They then sent us a replacement desk and the leg literally fell off the desk when I went to position it. I had to fight to get my money back.

Am I being too picky

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lindac

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Am I being too picky

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