Has anyone had any experience with Hickory Park (as opposed to the manufacturer Hickory Chair) Furniture in NC? I bought a CR Laine Nadia sofa from them via the Internet as I am on Cape Cod. I was told by them at the time had to be sure of what I was ordering because, since it's a custom-made sofa, I could not return it. I stressed that I wanted a firm and resilient cushion and was assured I would get that with the spring down Hamilton cushion, their most expensive, of course.

the sofa arrived in March of 2012, and I was immediately horrified. It is profoundly ugly and looks nothing like the official photo CR Laine puts out for this sofa. The back reclines severely, which is not represented in the photo, and makes sitting on the sofa uncomfortable. The Back also looks like a Dracula cape collar. It is so ugly as to be bizarre. But this also is not represented in the photo. The cushion is not rectangular but actually goes in on each side at the back, which makes flipping the cushion via all directions impossible in order to keep wear even and extend the life of the cushion. This also cannot be seen in the photograph and the photo leads one to believe the cushion is rectangular. Who would even think about whether a sofa cushios is or is not on a square frame sofa?!

Finally, the cushion is terrible. It completely sinks when ou sit on it. It is soft, and it sinks into the back of the frame, which means every time you get up, you have to pick this bench cushion up and replace it, only to have it sink again the next time you sit down (in fact, I went with Hickory chair because their sofas in the Carter Dayton store in Wellesley, MA, did NOT do this when I sat on them).

I assumed I had no recourse because of what I was told and have just fumed over this for a year. But I finally emailed CR Laine in response to yet another email they sent me, and to my surprise, I got a (very nice) reply. They acknowledge that the photo does not represent the sofa well, that there should be a link with it showing that back but that there is not, that the "bat collar" style of the back is weird, that the Hamilton cushion is not at all the right one for a customer requesting a firm and resilient cushion, and that the style has been discontinue because it is so ugly (okay, that's not the word they used, but that is why!).

CR Laine told me I can "file a claim" with Hickory Park because I have to go through the place from where I bought the sofa.

I called HP, and the manager I spoke to was unbelievably rude. He chuckled at me, interrupted me when I was giving him the full list of problems by saying, "I don't get what you're asking me", told me there was nothing they could do because of the time that had passed. I explained why the passage of time but that the sofa had been used only five months, by ONE person, and that the pillows hadn't been used at all because I can't wash them so I take them off the sofa altogether and that the sofa is in 100% new condition. When I challenged him on his "There is nothing we can do", he said, "Okay, there is nothing we want to do."

Bingo!

The problems with this sofa are entirely on the CR Laine and Hickory Park end of this transaction. Had I simply changed my mind, I'd take full responsibility. But that is not the case. I got the wrong cushion on HP's advice, and CR Laine has admitted that the sofa is not represented well by the photograph.

I am disgusted by Hickory Park's (and CR Laine's) refusal to take responsibility for these failures on their parts and their willingness to keep my $1500 + $260 delivery fee I paid for this sofa under what were obviously misleading conditions.

Anyone have any comments? Or am I just venting?

Thanks!

This post was edited by Tibbrix on Thu, Sep 12, 13 at 14:37