This happened at Ashley Furniture.

I am not sure how brands work at this store as it was my husband who bought this furniture for his study.

I am also having a problem with pilling on a BASSETT FURNITURE sectional that is 7 months old. We have it in a home we live in part-time so it gets very little wear. It looks like it's 10 years old! The furniture store where we made the purchase said pilling is not under warranty. I can accept that; I just can't accept pilling in under 7 months of limited use! Bassett has been absolutely no help at all and just states that it's not under warranty. I will NEVER purchase a piece of Basset Furniture again and not only that but I will contact Consumer Compliant at our local news station. This was a $2,000 sectional so not an inexpensive piece of furniture. I should not have to purchase a defuzzer for a sofa. That is ridiculous.

I agree 100%. My sectional was expensive. My brother bought a custom sectional for $8k plus and it pills. The local person at the store was not even a little bit nice or sympathetic.

@michglazer

You do that! They sell these cheap fabrics on expensive furniture. ....to increase profits.

They know exactly how fabric will wear! This is why they won’t include it on warranty and ignore customers who complain.

Couch fabrics need to withstand lots of friction without pilling.

I hope you have the same success my husband did!

Can you all post which of the fabrics you used. I’m planning on purchasing a couch and love seat with pattern 1495, color 2. Now I’m not so sure if I should go ahead with the purchase.

It's not just Bassett. We have fairly new La z Boy furniture which has already had problems with the electronic controls, even with extended warranty you just can't get service, and we ordered a dining table set from another store, they took 50% deposit and 60 days later we're still waiting. Seems like everything is fast paced sales and NO customer service nowadays.

I purchased an $8K custom sleeper sectional from Bassett in 2016 and the fabric I selected looks awful now, too. It started pilling within a couple of months, and after 3+ years of using a defuzzer on it, there is an area on the backside of one arm where the fabric has worn down to the wood frame. We've also had the sofa professionally cleaned a few times, and it does nothing to improve the breakdown of this fabric. And it's just me and my husband that use it (no kids in our house), so it's not like it's getting a ton of wear and tear. They no longer carry the fabric I selected, so my only option is to either have the entire sofa reupholstered or buy a whole new sleeper sectional sofa from somewhere else.

Who is bassetts fabric manufacturer?
I was told they are in the USA

Macy's Furniture is not much better. We purchased a leather sectional and paid extra for the warranty. The corner color fade without use and we got a hole on the back that they denied the claim to fix......this is exactly what we purchased the warranty for!

These stories about the Bassett Furniture sound exactly like the same thing the San Carlos, CA store told me and gave me the save fabric shaver. When the couch was 1st delivered it squeaked and two piece had to re-order. Then once the fuzzy piling started, I had enough, but was told I protection program I purchased didn't cover my issue and there was nothing they could do. The couch and loveseat, which I replaced cost me only $700, was 15 years old, from a no brand name store, but still in great condition and was made 200% better than Bassett's products.

I am wondering if people can be more specific on which fabric they had on their sofas? The in-stock “texture” fabric seems to be the one that has had pulling issues. I’m wondering if the sofa foes well with the performance linen and chenille options? also, we are going with sunbrella for the chair cushions which we understand to be indestructible. Curious if anyone has had any experiences with these other fabric options?

Waiting for the same response as Rebecca. We are also considering a performance chenille option.

I chose the HGTV Sectional pieces, which comes in 4 colors. I chose the grey, that has a linen/woven look. the only part that has issues are the seat cushions.

I'm planning to purchase a custom sectional. I've seen the cross section of the couch (meaning all the interior parts and how it's constructed) and the gentleman I've been working with for the design has been wonderful. After seeing this thread, I've brought up the pilling issue, though the fabric I've chosen they insist will not pill...and then proceeded to show me which choices would, you could see on many of the swatches they were showing me, that the pilling was already occurring. I too, would like to know which fabrics were chosen and if the complaints being aired here are in regards to showroom furniture as opposed to custom furniture.

My sectional was also a custom purchase. At the time I was told my fabric was higher end, more durable and as such came with top of the line pricing. Look carefully at the warranty, mine clearly stated that pilling was not covered.

I have a large sectional sofa. Purchased in august 2017, wood makes a cracking sound. You would think it’s 20 years old by the way the sofa sounds when you get up & sit down on sofa. The stitching on Hem line is coming apart too on the back cushions.
I’m so pissed off. We paid over $4000.00 for this sofa . Fabric was supposed to be higher quality .
DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM
BASSETT FURNITURE!!!!!!!!

Never again 1 MONTH and my performance fabric couch is a mess with pilling. Sales associates are not educated or simply choose commision over disclosing this fun fact to customers Couch from them that is 4 years old not one problem. Spread the word, Buyer be ware Bassett is crap.

I had the same pilling on my sectional which is less than 3 years old. The look and feel of it on my skin disgusts me forget about how much I paid. I had a Macys ultra suede couch previosly that survived 3 kids. l

should have just replaced it with the same couch. What do i do with this?

So sorry this happened to you. You can shave off the pilling. Seems that a particular fabric there has a pilling issue and Bassett should know about it. I have had no issues at all with the fabric on my sofa (performance chenille), my decorative pillows or my dining room chairs (sunbrella). FWIW, I hear pilling issues happen with other brands as well. It’s more about the type of fabric than it is the brand/company. But places should stand behind their product. Maybe they can do something for you. Did you buy a protection plan?

i contacted Basset. Their solution was a shaver. The fabric FC182-1 is not chenille. I did shave my 4 piece sectional multimultiple times but it was only a temporary solve.

I have purchased wooden dining chairs from Bassett and am very happy with the quality, but no upholstery. As an aside, I purchased upholstered living furniture from Ethan Allen in 2002. We use it every day and the fabric, cushions, seams are still in great condition. And yes, I have it cleaned! When I chose the fabric way back when, I had 3 active sons aged 10-14 and a Shitzu-Maltese dog, so the fabric test rub count was a deciding factor. Not sure if Bassett puts their fabrics through that test, but that should be considered when choosing an upholstery fabric.

We have had the same experience with upholstered sofa and chairs from Bassett, purchased in mid 2017. We bought the upgraded washable performance fabric for the couch in an ivory boucle, and within a month it had big water stains from a small milk spill that just got worse and worse when we tried to clean it, following the directions. Then it began to pill badly, and before a year was up, it looked awful and old. At this point, the piping on the edges of the cushions is so worn that it is fraying through . This is not a couch that is used harshly. We sit on it in the family room daily, but no one is jumping on it or putting feet on it or anything. We will have to replace it all when we are able. Never again with Bassett, though.

I have the exact issues. Started pilling within the first 6 months. I loved it until then, as I don't even sit on it anymore. It feels scratchy and dirty. I was given the same solution try when I contacted Bassett. Buy the $20 fabric shaver(should've been offered free!) It doesn't really work that well and basically removes layers of fabric each time used. Very expensive waste. I will be replacing it and would never dream of offering it to anyone. It is an embarassment to me when I have company. I was told it was the best and most popular for kids, pets, etc. What a joke!

Purchased a new couch from them a few years ago. After a year with the much anticipated huge couch for our living room we were very disappointed with our Bassett purchase. The arm rest fabric started pulling at the seam. After we noticed it and then it got worse we contacted them and of course "out of warrently". We had our previous couch from Crate & Barrel for 19 years. YES 19 years and zero issue with seams pulling apart. Thru 2 kids growing up, many parties and family fun. Kids have grown up, son off to college and we finally relaced only to have them tell us excessive wear and tear LOL. I had to literally laugh at the guy on the phone. Excessive W & T in that short of time, in the armrests where my hub sits - as if he is pulling on it to get in and out of the chair? No idea. Very disappoinitng to say

the least after shelling out around 7K not to mention we purchased 6 upholstered new dining chairs as well. I would not purchase from them again.

I never thought this would be a problem from a company like Bassett! I paid over $4,000 for a sofa with chaise. First, it took about 6 months for delivery. I have only had this sofa for about 3 months and already the fabric is pilling and I am continuously having to unzip and adjust the covers b/c they will not stay in place. When I asked about both issues, I received a response just like so many others on here have. Their response: "pilling is not an actual fabric defect but is normal and will continue to happen until all of the loose short fibers work their way out”. They advised to use a fabric shaver or gleener to remove the pills. I have bought significantly less expensive sofas that had better quality. I will NEVER purchase anything from Bassett again, what horrible customer service.

We bought ours from Bassett 4 years ago and started having the pilling and lumpy pillows after 1 1/2 years. I've tried everything but at this point I'm just super disappointed. We paid 4k for the couch and it barely has lasted us 4 years. I'm in search for a new couch now but will not be going back to Bassett.

My problem with our small sectional is that the sofa cushions for your back did not hold up at all! They are smashed and misshaped and look shabby. This was after only 1 year, no kids or pets in house. I was told to "smush up" the pillows by hand after getting up, which I did for a good bit of time but they never did look good. Next phone call and photos later I was told I should have purchased the UPGRADED sofa cushions! What does that mean? Finally told they would replace cushions, but not covers, at a cost of $200 each! Or $1,200. Paid full retail price at the St. Louis Ballwin Basset Store and was told it was a quality piece. Still very unhappy but can't afford a new couch, or $1,200 for new inserts :(

Within two weeks after we received our custom sofa, the seat cushions flattened down so much the back of our legs were digging into the frame. We are retired so no kids and no animals. Bassett did agree they were defective and replaced them with somewhat better cushions. However, they started breaking down again within a couple of months. They are the standard cushion and we were told that we must pay the difference for the upgraded cushion. We feel that a standard cushion on a $2,400 sofa should last more than two months. If we are going to pay for new cushions, we will buy them from an upholsterer. Bassett will not get one more penny of our money.

I am experiencing your exact situation rightnow. we paid a lot of money for our sectional, but thought we would rather spend the money on quality and have heard how well Bassett products hold up. Weve had our sectional for three weeks and it is pilling all over and its supposed to be a ”high performance, heavy duty, high traffic” fabric. i called customer service and was told pilling is not covered under the warranty or the protection package we paid for. very dissappointed.

We have two sofas (chenille) purchased in 2007 that still look good. In the market for a new one for a different room and was considering a Bassett. Will now consider looking for something else. Thank you for sharing your experience.

I am currently experiencing the same problem. Sofa and loveseat were delivered two months ago. The "performance fabric" is pulling and looks ratty. Was offered a gleaning tool, which the store apparently keeps in stocks. Certainly not the answer I was expecting. Apparently the fabric is very low quality. The store manager is supposed to contact me tomorrow. We will see how that goes....

This is a to follow up to my previous comment regarding our flattened seat cushions. We contacted Bassett once again regarding this problem and this time around they replaced the cushions with a premium quality cushion and it is holding up much better. They did not charge the additional $200 that they previously told us we had to pay. We are very grateful that they resolved our problem.

We purchased a kitchen table and chairs in black wood. Never again. The paint does not last, scratches beyond hope. I should have put a glass top on the table. Dark polish helps a bit but not much. The Bassett store rep said I could have the table and chairs refinished - not likely! I like the look of it in the kitchen, but the surface is horrible.

We had the same problem. Two brand new Bassett couches that pilled excessively after the first day. Bassett recommended that we shave the couches daily. What a horrible experience. We will NEVER use Bassett again.

Was the fabric velvet?

No it was a tight weave. They said it was extremely durable and charged an upgrade fee.

I'm looking at purchasing a Bassett BenchMade Classic Sofa, with body fabric 1574-21, Revolution Macarena Pie, and that upholstery fabric 100% Polypropylene, also known as Olefin (and said that is a performance fabric). I'm concerned about the 100% olefin. Doesn't feel great new, and someone on this thread said a Sales Person said it will get rougher with time. I plan to get the core, wrapped with feather and down. Not completely comfortable, as questions are not answered. Such as what is the rub count for the fabric? What is the percent of down to feathers? What are the details on the warranty? All this has made me leary. I've ready enough reviews Not to buy the warranty! Thanks for your feedback anyone!

I have spoke with some knowledgeable people at several different furniture stores. It is all about the make up of the performance fabrics. All performance fabrics will experience pilling.

If you want fabric that is easy to clean that is what you get. Also 100% poly will pill. I have been told by more than one company specifically not to use "revolution's fabrics"- they are the worse.

If you want your fabric to last go with a cotton/linen/wool blend. It may have some poly in it or rayon that is fine. You just don't want all poly or polypropylene and any of the "performance" fabrics- if you don't want to deal with pilling. That seems to be the facts no matter the Company.

The couch we bought from Bassett has the ”washable” high performance fabric, and it is exceedingly unwashable. Even plain water leaves permanent water rings. It looked horrible within a month because the water spotting on the cream fabric left dark gray stains. That is separate from the pilling issue. i have furniture from other brands in high performace fabric and these are in no way comparable.

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my post. I greatly appreciate your feedback. I decided not to purchase the couch with the 100% Polypropylene fabric, and so glad. Still on the hunt for a quality couch with quality upholstery.

Thats interesting! I purschased Bassett furniture in 2001. Needless to say it was the best purchase and investment ever made. All of my items still look good. You can hardly tell the furniture is over 20 years old. I only started to see wear and tear after year 15 due to having a younger child that did what she wanted to do. I love my furniture so much i was thinking about having it re upholstered in a different color because there is nothing out there that really catches my eye, nothing pairs to the quality that I have. But who knows we will see!

Thank you for your feedback, J Perkins.

I purchased 2 Basset sofa's and they should arrive in 2 weeks. I went with a linen rayon polyester blend. I too had a whole living room set made by Bassett and it wore beautifully, it was purchased 15 yrs ago, the fabric today doesn't seem to be of the same quality.

As I had posted above I can't deal with pilling so I am taking a chance with a non performance fabric. It was a more expensive fabric so I am hoping it will do OK. I will update-

Wonderful! Yes I understand. The fabric I had on my furniture was beautiful as well and no pilling at all. I wouldn’t know how to feel to get new furniture and it didn’t perform or last as long as what I had as I am in search of something new. I wish you the best of luck with your new furniture. Please keep me posted on your thoughts about it when it arrives.

I will NEVER purchase another Bassett anything We have two matching Oliver sofas while nice looking the fabric is scratchy and almost impossible to get comfortable on and it continues to have chemical odor. this odor has hung on way too long the local store wouldnt touch it i despise both and wish i had never bought

Any updates on Revolution performance fabric 1495-2 (Straw) from those that bought a Bassett sofa with it? Mariatat3 mentioned she bought one 3 years ago with it. Is it pillling? It has a double rub count of 90,000.

I can't speak about Bassett in particular but I believe many in the furniture industry are unethical. My mother purchased a "leather" recliner from Hudson's Furniture store in Brandon, Fl. I was with her when she picked it out. The sales woman had her choose the color from a full size leather pelt that she said would be representation of the color and the chair would be covered in 100% top grain leather - not bonded leather. Within the first 4 months, the motor on the recliner had to be replaced. And now, two years on, and it's obvious the chair is bonded leather. It's peeling and she's the only one who sits in it - no pets. She paid over $2000.

We recently bought a sectional with the 100% polypropylene fabric in straw. It is a linen blend and hasn’t pilled but everything stains it! Even water leaves a horrible dark grey mark and doesn't dry clean. i have never had a couch that marks up like this one and its just awful. spot cleaning makes it worse. We’ve called guardian and will see what they can do, but will now have to invest in couch covers to even be able to function and live life while having the sectional. And it was marketed as extremley durable and family friendly for kids and pets.

bassett furniture is pure garbage my 3 grand sofa fell apart after 2 years

I agree with you! My sectional was expensive. It fell apart after 2 years, it was a waste.