I do not even know where to begin on comparing these two very horrible customer service related companies. I have purchased merchandise from both companies and will NOT do it again because of lousy customer service and product quality (The Roomstore).
I will start with Marlo. I shouls have paid attention to my home owners insurance representative when she told me that Marlo was not a customer oriented company. I now pass on her advice to everyone I know who is looking for furniture.
In August I ordered furniture from them for my dining room and living room. I was given a delivery date which was always moved to a month later. After about two months of extended waiting, I received everything I bought except for the cocktail table which was on "back order." Of course, I had to keep calling to find out why my furniture wasn't delivered.
After six months of waiting and growing very impatient, I called customer service again to find out the exact delivery date of my furniture. I was told by the associate that my table had been discontinued about 7-8 months ago and she does now know if they will get any more in. Let me remind you, I bought this table after it had been discontinued for two months - no one ever told me this. I was told that it would be delivered next month, then next month, etc.
After boiling over, I wanted a refund for my money since I had waited six months for my table. The associate told me I could only have store credit since the "return policy" deadline was passed. Here is where I lost it. They said I could not have a refund for a product I purchased and had not received.
I immediately hopped in my car to go settle this in person. Again another associate told me the same exact thing. I am not into causing scenes, but that is exactly what I did. Since I was in the customer service section where other customers pay for their furniture, I repeated my story at a more than normal speaking voice so others could here my problems. I also through out the words that "this is the worst customer oriented company I have seen. They take your money and then stall on delivering the product"
Marlo is a showroom which means everything is delivered. I hit the home run by saying I hope none of these customers have to wait six months like I had to wait to find out my funriture was discontinued. This is when the manager came over to find out what the problem was. I repeated a majority of my story again. When I told him that Marlo had basically taken my money and not delivered its product, he offered my money back, and I lived happily ever after.
This was early 2002. Being the nice person I am, I back to Marlo last month (November) to try and give them another chance because I needed a new bedroom set. I walked about five steps into the main showroom and was shocked beyond all belief. They were still selling the table this is discontinued. Being inquisitive, I asked the associate how long it would take for this table to be delivered. I was told it was currently on "back-order." I will not return to Marlo unless I am desperate for furniture and want to fight with a non-customer focused company.
Now the Roomstore is a shorter story so I will get right to it. Looking to a Marlo competitor to find my bedroom set. I found exactly what I wanted, bought it, scheduled it for delivery. Here is where the fun begins in early December. I bought a new, not used, bedroom set. My dresser and bed were broken and I found an opened CD case in the nightstand - this was to be new furniture.
The delivery people told me I had to call customer service if I was not happy - the delivery people would not take the furniture back. After two days of very heated debate on the telephone, I came to another boiling point. I was told that I would have to wait three weeks (December 27) for the delivery company to come pick up my new broken bed and dresser and used nightstand because the delivery people were backed up.
How can someone sleep on a broken bed and put close in a broken dresser for three weeks? December 27 was also to be the delivery of the "so-called-new" furniture. As always, I got my way and the furniture was picked up on December 19 with a December 27 delivery date for the new furniture. I called today (December 23) to confirm delivery and I am told that my furniture order was cancelled and the next delivery would be in January. Today, Monday, December 23, I begin another round of debate with an even worse customer-oriented company than Marlo - and it is hard to believe there is a company worse than Marlo in my opinion. Will I ever get my furniture?
Phil
Fairfax County, West Virginia
U.S.A.
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