Thats a shame, because their fixtures occupy a design niche that is different from most of the herd. I did have an issue with broken glass on a lantern and the wrong replacement came in at first, this is an unfortunate function of the number of finishes they offer.

Thanks for posting, this may have an influence, at least on the *types* of fixtures I order from them.

I just discovered both shades are wrinkled. The layers have separated with light use--typical for cheap cr*p from China.

I realized, when I saw the awful quality of the chandelier shades, that I'd have to repla$e them all. However, chandy shades are easy to come by. Many of their shades are designed to fit their fixtures, so now (as I've just learned from a phone call) I'll need custom shades with custom frames, at huge expense.

I'm sorry you're having such a bad time with VC. I ordered 3 pendants, which arrived promptly and had no damage or parts issues. I have brass shades, so the potential for disintegration is much less.

Good luck resolving your problems.

I had issues with a pair of VC swing arm sconces. They are gorgeous and it wasn't the shades. But the arms were not tightly pinned and when installed the sconces were slightly crooked.

They denied having any issues with these.

I photographed them and emailed the photos to the point of purchase. VC replaced them promptly, the new ones are perfect and work very well, plus they are lovely.

They didn't want the old ones returned. No idea what to do with them.

marcolo --

I think you should send the highest muckety-muck at Visual Comfort the url to this discussion. Maybe knowing that their dysfunctions are being illuminated for the largest universe of TKO folks known will motivate them to improve both customer service and quality control.

honorbiltkit, I doubt they care. The worse the economy gets, the lazier, sloppier and more entitled businesses seem to become. At one point the lighting store mentioned to someone on the phone that I was a customer that had done virtually an entire house in VC lighting, with the exception of the baths (vintage) and kitchen (not done yet). The woman on the phone was completely uninterested in that fact.

rococogurl, I love when companies deny having issues with something. It means they don't listen when someone speaks to them on the phone, or if they do, never bother writing it down, reporting it, or tracking it. The quality control issues have been so pervasive throughout so many of my pieces that I'd have a hard time believing they don't get an avalanche of complaints. They just ignore them.

You should see the junction box adaptor I got for my swing-arm sconces (after months of waiting). Just a round piece of metal in a matching finish. No rim, trim, or finishing other than smooth edges on the metal. It looks like a jar lid. Ridiculous.

I have made my lighting store--one of the two largest in the area--very aware of what's happened. I am also going to notify one of their largest to-the-trade outlets in Boston, where I'm going to be buying some lighting from a different manufacturer (in fact, I told the woman not to show me any VC pieces).

There are other sources, of course. I had excellent results with Leucos (especially), Foscarini and a line owned by Lightolier that has excellent fixtures at very reasonable prices.

Sconces are very difficult I found as I wanted a certain look. VC has wonderful designs and suits for transitional. But I wouldn't want to rely on them as a major source.

I have found when I'm told that I'm the only one with an issue that it's usually bogus.

If you can use Leucos at all, I cannot praise their quality highly enough. I deal with them directly as they are nearby but online I found lumens.com and ylighting.com to be superior to other sources -- particularly to Boston. Wasn't so thrilled with their assessment of product vs lumens.

Leucos is cool but mod. VC has a look that makes you say, "Is that vintage? Or new?" I found that Hudson Valley has similar-looking fixtures, especially for kitchens. Cheaper, nice, faster delivery and no problems whatsoever.

Yes, Hudson Valley is very nice. I agree. Transitional seems the most difficult somehow.

I'm really sorry to hear that you've had such trouble with your lighting purchases. 90% of the lighting I have chosen for our new home was from the circa website, most of it being VC. I had several back up pieces chosen from Hudson Valley and RH. I'm now thinking I should go with the back ups instead. It's a shame as I really like the looks of the VC pieces.

Thanks for the heads up...

If you want something more along the line of period reproduction I have been satisfied with Rejuvenation. They don't quite have the Visual Comfort vibe, but I have found them a good place for reasonably priced period fixtures.

i have a TON of VC lighting. ...nothing with shades, though and the arms on everything are perfect -so far. we still have a few more installs to do so hoping everything looks as good as what's up now. sorry to hear of your problems!

Sorry to hear you are having such issues. I second palimpsest in that Rejuvenation is great to deal with if you are looking for period type fixtures. I had special ordered one from them a few years ago, and when it came in, it had a very small scratch on it. I noticed it, and thought it shouldn't be there. They replaced it, no questions asked, and I had the new one very quickly.

Every light in my house is from them, except one- in the old house world they are known for quality and customer service.

So many designers are willing to put their imprimaturs on VC lighting. . .Well, it kinda makes me wonder about their standards, too.

Thing is with VC that it has such good style. Arteriors is the only other lighting I like as much though they mostly have lamps. I only used VC for the bedroom swing-arm sconces which were really difficult to find in the style/price range I wanted.

I did have a replacement issue with them -- but not with anyone else (4 other brands). Still, it's not uncommon to have replacement issues with very reliable brands in other areas.

I have Dornbracht bath fixtures that are not holding up well and designers (and my fixture guy) swear by them. Dornbracht also wouldn't replace/repair a soap dispenser because it was 2 months past waranty.

Marcolo just happened to have a bad run but it never hurts to be aware.

Too bad. I have several VC fixtures, and had no issues at all. Besides Hudson Valley, also look at Wilmette. I have a couple from Wilmette, and that stuff is gorgeous.

Speaking of Dornbracht, I recieved a kitchen faucet with a flaw in the chrome and while they took it back, I had to send pictures of the flaw, and it was an extended process. Then they gave me a hard time and called several times because the return was "incomplete" apparently there was a little rubber "O" ring which probably wholesaled for 25 cents missing. I finally said "It probably fell out of the box when you made me take the $#(% pictures...do you Want Me To Send You A Check For $1.00?"

Nice to know about Wilmette segbrown -- thanks!

Pal - I'm so over them. There are too many other good brands with excellent styling to have to deal with that. Plus their prices have gone up nearly 4 times since I reno'd. Today, I simply couldn't afford the faucet I have. And it's no investment as we know -- it likely get junked when I sell.

I am really sorry that some of you have had issues with quality on Visual Comfort products. I would love to know which retailer you are dealing with. You see, I am the Director of Product Development for Visual Comfort. We do have occasional quality issues which we deal with promptly. Like any company which strives to bring great design at an affordable price to everyone; we are only as good as our quality and know it. I am aware of the issues that have been mentioned here - but the struggle to get satisfaction is not part of how we operate. We stand behind our products FOREVER. Someone mentioned that our prices have gone up 4x in some period of time. This is untrue. We have been operating since 1987 and we have had only two price increases. In fact, we are the most copied designer lighting line and I make sure our originals are priced better than the cheap copies. Shades sometimes fail; glass sometimes breaks; occasionally we ship the wrong item. The world has voted. We are considered the best; and it isn't because we send junk and don't support our customers. If any of you have issues, feel free to send me an email. cneal@visualcomfort.com