You should be charged extra for Express delivery, lol, just kidding............

Sorry I missed that post. ALWAYS check stock in your local store first. Unfortunatley, PB has us ALL by the b@*#'s when it comes to their merchandise!

mimi, I'm so sorry! :( That seems ridiculous, doesn't it? I'll bet that they shipped from their distribution center here, didn't they? That's their largest and busiest distribution center (they are a client of my DH)....the only nice side benefit of that is that we also have a PB Outlet here.

I hope, for the heavy s/h fees, that you just *love* what you purchased!

I think she did check her local store, but what she wanted was only available online. I'd be ticked off too, but jusy try to keep considering it the actual cost of the items -- somehow that does seem make it a bit more palatable. And just think of how much enjoyment you're going to get from them once they arrive!

kmcg - Yep I checked with the local store and they were online only. I really don't have anything to complain about, like auntjen said I looked at the total cost and decided to pay it. It was just almost funny after all my efforts and yelling about shipping charges (total shipping was $130) with another $95 tax. I could've driven to the warehouse in 10 min and picked them up. Southernheart, they shipped out of OB, geeeez, and yep I hope I love them. I think I will! I'll take pics of course. Thanks all for letting me rant lol.

Oh jeez, what a bummer. I can't wait to see how they look!
Sometimes you love what you love and you just have to suck it up and pay. Seems to happen to me a lot. LOL.

We have different store here that has stocked floor items on site. Last year they started adding an extra shipping fee together with a delivery fee, even though the furniture was in the store and even if you picked it up. The extra fee was excused by their having to stock here out of the main store.

I'm with you, would rather have the fee added to the price. Then I'd just consider my being in an area which charged a bit more. There are so many online stores offering free shipping, with decent prices and some great sales. It will be interesting if this continues and which businesses do so.

mitchdesj - Too funny about charging for express delivery. Tracking shows them on the truck for delivery today. That's 1 day delivery time...sure am glad I chose Standard!

Is the furniture actually made by Pottery Barn or exclusively for Pottery Barn? Seems like in this world of competitive copycats, the same or similar item could be found somewhere else.

marti8a I agree with you 100%. I have given PB a chance
at meeting my wants several times but for the item....way too high for quality when you can beat it elswhere.
Nothing is worth that outrageous fee. Shop around mimi.
Now I didn't help a bit did I??? Lol.

So sorry, Mimi! At least you researched the tables & know that you couldn't do better in terms of getting the style you want. It would be a bigger waste of money to order items that shipped for free, that over the years you would not truly enjoy. You'd look at them someday & wonder, "Why didn't I just pay the $130.00 shipping...then I'd have the perfect tables?" Then the price of the "substitute" tables would seem too much, even though they shipped for free. You did the right thing. Over the long haul, it will matter less & less. Still, in this moment, I feel your pain!

Last year Pottery Barn had a night stand table for 279.00 that I wanted. It was off white with a worn look to it. and was perfect for the guest room I was fixing up. But I just can't justify paying their prices, so decided to find something else. Would you believe a couple days later I found an EXACT replica of the same piece at Home Goods for 69.00! Snapped it up! I love a good bargain!

This won't help you now mimi, but maybe next time.

I didn't find this, but asked on another board I frequent. It's nice to have peeps.

http://www.retailmenot.com/view/potterybarn.com

Thanks marti8a. I actually found that site and tried those codes and nothing worked :-( But it is a good site to keep in mind, many places DO have good coupon codes which is why I was so persistent in trying.

The saga continues. ONE of the tables arrived today. When I called PB they said the other is Out for Delivery but it's now 6pm and no table. I only had one tracking number and it's not the one that arrived, the one I have is the one showing out for del. When I called they said oh they probably got separated in transit. For a LOCAL delivery? LOL And for my big bucks I got the guy in the brown suit to set it just inside my door. "I" unboxed and carried the 67 lb table to the bedroom. The good news its I love it and hopefully the other one will show up soon.

Mimi - that is amazing - 10 miles away! Glad you love your wonderful table - hope the other one arrives soon....the main thing is - you got something you really like - this could have been "the one that got away" story - but you acted on your instict and that is most often the right thing to do!

About the delivery:

I think UPS marks a package "out for delivery" as soon as it leaves their warehouse and is placed on a truck. Sometimes the driver can't make all the deliveries he has on the truck, so the rest get delivered the next day. This has happened to me more than once. The drivers have set pick-ups at businesses they have to make, and they do those first, leaving stray packages for other customers on the truck until the next day.

Another UPS story:
I ordered two rugs from Crate & Barrel and was tracking their delivery progress from my computer (I have a long driveway with a locked gate, and can't tell when the package has been delivered without getting in my car and driving 1/4 mile). So I see that the rugs have been delivered, and I go out to get them. At the gate is one box--with one rug in it. I double-check online and it says "delivered" with the date and time.

I call UPS (all you can get is an 800 number in another part of the country). She calls the local warehouse, and someone calls me back. I explain again, and she contacts the actual driver. Then she calls back and says that he had already scanned two boxes in as "delivered" (and can't change it once entered), but he didn't have a plastic bag large enough for the other box, so he put it back on the truck. He didn't want to leave my package out in the rain! It was deliverd the next day. :-)

So, even if UPS's web site says your package has been delivered, it may not be true!