Sofa fabric quality doesn't match sample. What to do?

2 years ago

I ordered a custom velvet sofa 1 year ago from ABC Home. And before you ask they wouldn't give me a refund, cancel, and only offered store credit at about 11months and there's a dozen reasons and excuses it took this long. The sofa finally arrived today and the fabric doesn't match! To me it looks like they have a new manufacturer or have otherwise changed the way they make it - and it's worse quality. What arrived to me upholstered on the sofa is rougher, less plush, and shines in the light differently, although the color generally appears to be the same but with different sheen characteristics. I've now been arguing with customer service, trying my best to take photos of my sample against the new fabric to show the difference but it's very hard to capture and they keep arguing with me that it looks exactly the same to them and I'm lying. Personally, I think my photos are half-decent and it does not look the same. You would certainly know if you FELT it but they told me they will only deal with this over email and are refusing to let me see anyone in store where they could feel the fabrics. My 2 questions are. What else do I do - they are definitely going to fight me on this indefinitely. And do these photos look exactly the same to you? To me they don't have the same texture and i'm trying to gather the most convincing photos.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

elcieg
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
The photo with the sample against the sofa undeniably is not the same. Add to that, to my eye, the upholstery work looks sub par. Normally, I would say the fabrics are not from the same dye lot, but it is more than that, IMO. It looks like a completely different fabric.

Look at date , the pattern number and confirmation number on your order. ABC must keep a record of all orders that are shipped. Ask ABC to prove that what you ordered and what you received at the same.

Remind them that you are the consumer. They must prove to you that what they are saying is correct, not the other way around.
lucillle
2 years ago
What else do I do - they are definitely going to fight me on this indefinitely.

They are. It costs them nothing to keep on making denials and excuses. I'm sure this sofa cost a pretty penny. Spend the $ (often less than you would think) to have an attorney write a letter to this company (and of course make a demand of what you want, a refund or replacement with the quality promised).

Many states have consumer laws that provide help, but you have to get to that point and stop letting the company make excuses. Just for an example, Texas where I live has the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, a tough law that can provide for attorney costs and up to triple damages in certain situations.
Related Discussions
Have you ever added a color that doesn't match?
Q
Comments (20)
Tina, I really don't need a plan, just a rug. :) The rest of the room is all figured out, I just want a rug that's cheery and bright in the nook. Mona, I saw those rugs earlier, but they're dull in color to me. I'll probably end up getting something with burgandy and black in it to match the hearth rug and the bigger area rug in the same room we'll be getting. I have a total of 4 rugs to buy and I can't even decide on a little one. lol But we'll buy the two large ones at the store so I can see them first. I'm only choosing something different for that area because it's off the main room so it can't be seen unless you're right in front of it. Even when I step out of the entryway, I can't see the room. That's why I thought I could play around with a different color and add matching accent pieces with the books.
...See More
What's the new avocado (to avoid)? Help choose fabric for sofa
Q
Comments (14)
Well, House Beautiful this ain't, but I agree it's hard to visualize without a photo, so here is one. The light from the window interferes with the exposure but you get the idea. The picture over the sofa won't be staying (wrong size, wrong height, we aren't attached to it anyway). I will have fun finding something for that space later, no hurry. We may or may not get another rug someday, no hurry there either (one of our dogs was very sick on the old one near the end of her life). The coffee table was a Target bargain to serve as train table, art table, laundry-folding table, etc; it's probably not a long-term piece. The things that will stay for sure are the brown recliner (new, DH chose, we are still not really used to the dark color) and the '80's lamp behind it. You can't tell in the photo but the lamp is sort of a butterscotch color, a leftover from DH's bachelor days; and even though orange is one of my least favorite colors, I like it somehow. So ugly it's retro, that sort of thing. The wall "art" nearby (one print is not in photo) both echo the butterscotch-terracotta color and also have a sagey green which coordinates fine with all the fabric samples I posted. Aloe is the most unlike it, but being all the way across the room I think it'd be OK. Oh yes, wall paint and drapes will stay the same. It doesn't have to be one of the fabrics I posted, by the way -- those are just the pictures that were handy, and those are the shades of green I've narrowed down to. (At least for today.) That particular fabric is 44000 double rubs, from what I unearthed on the Internet, and some of the colorways are available locally for a good price (which doesn't mean I have to use it). Roarah, thanks for the photo -- I also have a sample of a fabric that looks similar to yours, so it's very helpful to see it on a finished piece. The legs of my sofa are part of the frame, as palimpsest says, so they can't be changed. So, seeing this photo -- darker green because of kids and black dog hair? Lighter green to make up for having such a dark chair? Green at all? Doesn't really matter as long as it's not burgundy plaid? (lol)
...See More
'It doesn't have to match, it just has to 'go' '
Q
Comments (21)
My husband doesn't get the idea that a room looks more individual and personal if pieces harmonize and are not necessarily identical, a "set" that some retailer put together. (And of course no offense is meant if a matching set of furniture is right for you; it just isn't what I prefer.) Anyway, we've been shopping for weeks for a TV console and chairside tables for our downstairs TV room, and finally found a console we both thought was okay. Guess I was just tired of shopping; I agreed to get the matching end tables. One won't be very visible, between the sofa and the wall. I'm hoping I can individualize it all with accessories. Any ideas from you guys about what to do with this situation would be appreciated. I think DH is not educable on the subject. And I'm not a person who has much "stuff" sitting around; no layered looks for me, so I'm not sure what I can do.
...See More
New spliced in floor doesn't match existing after refinishing
Q
Comments (19)
We don't have any plans to put a rug in where the transition area is. The area rug we had in there before was on the old wood side. There really won't be anything covering that space. On the step up area (which you don't really see in the picture), we also had some new wood laced in with the old (from the removal of a pony wall). The wood flooring extends from the end of the tile in the kitchen through the rest of the house. There are 2 boards width plus the step down edge and they actually blend a bit better. I assume part of the problem is the large space. @Jan Moyer - this is a great room, and other than the tile kitchen, the rest of the house is wood flooring (sans bathrooms). The step does suck, but we're living with it. The potential to change the stain on the great room floor would accentuate that there is a level change. There are, what I believe, are sander marks anyway, so re-sanding probably needs to happen. Going with some test stain patches is the best way forward I think. At least we'll have a better idea of what we'll have to live with. I'm just hoping we can get some warmth in the floor color without the more dramatic transition change (it is a bit more than what the picture shows but the picture does demonstrate the change).
...See More
jck910
2 years ago
I'm sure you know velvet has a nap so make you are holding the sample in the same direction as the sofa. How did you order this sofa? with a salesperson? online? Agree get out all your paperwork and double check everything matches what's on the sofa. Why won't they let you speak to someone in the store?
Fori
2 years ago
They can't STOP you from speaking to someone at the store can they? Not that it would help...
allymariemoy
Original Author
2 years ago
It's been really hard to photograph what I'm seeing and feeling using my phone. In person I have inspected the fabric in all directions, back side, multiple lightings, pinched to expose pile height and construction. It's close but has a different nap and i think different fiber quality used. The sofa feels rougher, behaves differently when you rub it, and in person reflects lighter in many lighting scenarios than the sample. This morning I took photos in every direction in the same spot/light. I already expect them to come at me with every excuse why my photos don't show anything in their opinion. And i can't exactly photograph 'feels rougher'. The biggest thing to me is my eyes see a tiny patterned texture on the sample...new one is really flat and smooth.

Why they won't talk to me in person? Because this company sucks. And I rightfully say that after 1yr and BS from them.

Sofa fabric quality doesn't match sample. What to do?

Comments (5)

elcieg

lucillle

Related Discussions

jck910

Fori

allymariemoy
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Sofa fabric quality doesn't match sample. What to do?

Comments (5)

elcieg

lucillle

Related Discussions

jck910

Fori

allymariemoyOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

allymariemoy
Original Author