Lynn I read you comment about Viewpoint/ USA Premium leather and the notation that you were leery of the companies prior reputation. I was curious so I decided to have a look at the online postings about this company. In general and for the most part the individuals making the comments had no real knowledge about this company and most of what was being said was based on speculation. These people were talking to hear themselves talk. In fact only one or two of the people making the comments had actually ever purchased this product or have even seen the product. Furthermore as is so often the case, comments such as these are posted as the poster has ulterior motives such was the case of recent negative postings about Annie's Furniture where a competitor, pretending to be a consumer and a past customer, who couldn't compete with Annie's on price, went online and tried to discredit them..... Bad Karma...... USA Premium Leather is quietly doing about $100,000,000 in volume in leather furniture which for the furniture industry, which is a small fragmented industry, is huge. Only a very few US based leather manufacturers are doing this kind of business, Natuzzi, and Palliser come to mind and they are not even US based (Italy and Canada) and I suppose US based Ashley. As I said before USA is not Legacy or Hancock and Moore in terms of tailoring, matching and design but it does represent good value. USA is also 1/3 to 1/2 the price of these companies. You don't necessarily have to spend as much as $4000 to $6000 to get a well made sofa.

We purchased a Jetton sofa and loveseat a couple of years ago (after I read John's recommendation). Overall we have been pleased but the pieces required rework for (1)a small bulge in the fabric on the lovesear due to a poor trim job - done on site (2)two pieces of fabric used for the rear of the sofa which resulted in a pattern mismatch - factory finally replaced with a single swatch (3) a noticeable gather on one sofa back due to tension in the fabric - this required two trips to the factory to fix. It took 3 trips back to fix because both the dealer and the manufacturer did not fully inspect the pieces before sending them back. I had to finally talk to the owner(s) and to their credit they did address my problems. I like the construction techniques used. One curious fact is that the dealer did not advertise the brand in their store. Although the wood furniture had the brand name prominently displayed, for the Jetton line, you didn't find out who made them till you asked. (I had owned Jetton before)

7 or 8 years ago, I switched our homeowners insurance to USAA to get a premium savings, several hundred dollars. A few years after the switch, as the policy year end was approaching, I got a letter from them, asking to schedule an in-person visit. It said they like to regularly check in on customers' insured dwellings to be sure that coverage levels are adequate, etc., Sounded like a good idea. A guy came out, walked around, made some measurements, took pictures and then left. It was never clear if the guy was an inspector, or an appraiser, or what. About one month later, I got my premium notice for the next year - the price had doubled. Not 1.5 X, or 1.8 X, but literally 2X. That was the end of my own insurance relationship with USAA. Over the years, I've had other dealings with them, and two of my kids have bank accounts with them, but phew, their insurance practices left me shaking my head. I switched back to the company I'd left (with which I'd kept my auto insurance) and we've all lived happily every after.

I went with Miele dishwasher and Thermador built in 36" french door fridge. I haven't decided on a range top yet but waiting for a deal on a floor model. Probably Thermador, Bluestar, or Wolf. I got good deals on the dishwasher and fridge as they were both floor models. I have owned both Bosch and Miele dishwashers in past homes and both are very good but the quality of the materials are a bit better on the Miele. You see it when you pull out the middle drawer. One rolls smoothly and easily and the other doesn't. Also lower washer arm is SS versus plastic. One other item is the top edge of the door is plastic painted to look like SS on the Bosch (except for their very top end models) and these tend to wear away from being cleaned (just wiping down with a sponge) after a couple of years. I really like the Thermador fridge and I am extremely impressed with their CS. By the way the compressor is the same in all three BSH brands. The differences are mostly cosmetic with the Gaggenau having a SS liner versus the plastic liner in most brands. I was having an issue with the open door alarm and Thermador sent a factory rep out very quickly to fix it. Turns out is is just a simple adjustment on the doors that makes contact with the switch that needed a minor adjustment. Service rep was fantastic! I have previously owned a SZ and I have to say this seems to be just as good and in some ways more practical with larger door bins.