I am very disappointed and offended the Customer Service Department along with Lisa Robinson (CL Barnes VP Logistics & Operations) decided not to send a technical representative to access the defective night stand that I purchased; the total purchase price for the entire furniture group that I paid cash for was $4,080.80 invoice #763140. The furniture was delivered on October 24; even though the furniture was suppose to be delivered on Oct 23 and the delivery date was verified the night. The nightstand was and still is "defective".
Since my furniture was not delivered on time, I thought out of courtesy that Gail (Customer Service) would be more responsive in addressing and resolving my defective furniture issue. Once I noticed that one of my night stands' paint had begun to peel on the front and side legs, I immediately called Gail on Dec 21 and she accused me of hitting the night stand with a vacuum cleaner without knowing if I owned a vacuum cleaner. Far as she knows, my house could have a built in vacuum system since it was built and delivered in Oct.
Gail also implied that since I took delivery of the furniture and did not notice any damage, that it is not my responsibility to incur the loss since I did not purchase any "extended warranty". I inquired if the furniture came with any type of manufacturer's warranty and she stated no". Being a graduate student, I know the meaning of "extended" - to enlarge, prolong/stretch; something has to exit before it can be extended.
Gail also stated that she would send a technical representative but I had to incur the costs.
I immediately contacted my sales representative at the CL Barnes Manassas's store at expressed my dissatisfaction.
I tried to contact Steve (Corporate Office in Springfield VA) at (703) 647 1500 ext 103 and left voice messages on Dec 21,21, 27, Jan 10, and 12 and he never returned any of my phone calls even though I was told by his colleague that he was definitely at work on Jan 12.
I called Lisa on (VP Operations) on Jan 12, and left a voice mail. Lisa returned my call on Jan 13 and I could tell by the tone of her voice that she had already formed an opinion and she did care about my concerns. She also denied that the furniture had a warranty and informed me that I had to pay for a technical representative as well.
In the meantime I spoke with one of my co-workers who is a frequent CL Barnes' customer (one of the persons that referred me to this store) informed that he and his neighbors in Woodbridge purchased an item/s and noticed a month later (after delivery) that it was damaged. Both of them immediately contacted their representative in Woodbridge and with no questions asked, were sent a technical representative to look at the furniture and it was replaced. They did not purchase the 'extended warranty" and also noted that if they had to purchase "extended warranty'" on every piece of furniture purchased, it would be obvious the furniture is not of good quality standards.
My colleague/friend was very applaud and shocked to hear about my concerns not being properly addressed and/or resolved by CL Barnes. He stated that the only reason why he always purchased his furniture (study, bedroom, living room and dining room furniture) was because of the good customer service CL Barnes provided to him and his family and that's why he has been referring his friends to the store. My colleague advised me to contact the Woodbridge's store and I was informed by Woodbridge's store the furniture comes with a 1 year warranty from the manufacturer and they should send a technical representative free of charge.
After I spoke to the Woodbridge Office, I called and left Lisa a voicemail stating my conversation about the manufacturer warranty and attempted to call Lisa again on Jan 13 and she did not return my call and instead sent me a letter dated Jan 13. Only then noting there was a manufacturer warranty.
Several folks with expertise in furniture refurbishing concluded that the night stand I purchased was not adequately prepared to sustain the final paint finish and it should have been check by the Quality Assurance personnel prior to delivery of the furniture to the customer.
In addition, I was also offended by Lisa' letter to imply the damage was minor and that "I could find a qualified person in the phone book under Furniture Repair". It may seem minor to her but I considered this issue to be very important especially since I was the one that paid for the furniture unknowingly this is the type of treatment that I would received by CL Barnes' Customer Service and Corporate Office Departments. Another concern that I have with Lisa is how can she or anyone else could determine what type of defect it is without visually looking at the item.
I decided to send an email to Lynn at the Manassas' CL Barnes Furniture store on January 31 - no response.
Since CL Barnes didn't rectify the issue, I decided to file a complaint with the State of Maryland Office of the Attorney General (OAG) Consumer Protection Program on April 22; providing them with a copy of the email that I sent to the Manassas store dated Jan 31, picture of the defective night stand, CL Barnes' letter (Lisa Robinson) dated Jan 13. The OAG forwarded my complaint to the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which handle disputes regarding problems with the purchase of furniture.
The Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Dispute Resolution Specialist acknowledged my complaint notified me and they forwarded it to Ms. Lisa Robinson (CL Barnes VP of Logistics & Operations) on May 27 for a mutually acceptable solution. My case number is #50523.
The Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Dispute Resolution Specialist sent me a letter dated July 25, stating that after several attempts their Unit has been unsuccessful in contacting a representative from CL Barnes.
I feel as though if CL Barnes Furniture Store consider themselves to be a reputable or highly regarded company, CL Barnes will ensure that a quality product is delivered to its customers as advertised and in addition should send out a technical representative to address all of the customer's concerns without prejudice so they can acquire repeat business and continued referrals.
Far as I am concern, CL Barnes is not a reputable company and does not care about providing customer service; neither the less, standing by the product/furniture they sell.
By the way, I have the original documents that I have mentioned in this letter as proof of CL Barnes not being responsive in resolving my issue.in addition, for more information, you can obtain a copy of my complaint by contacting the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.
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