On 3/6/04, my husband and I put a deposit of $500.00 down on furniture at the Country Store in Tucson, AZ. We explained before giving the deposit that we were building a house but it was not started yet. We specifically asked if it would be a problem to store the furniture for up to 6 months. The owner of the store assured us that he stores furniture for his customers at no charge for periods of 6 months or longer. It was with this in mind, that we left the deposit.
On the receipt for the furniture deposit, there are only 3 criteria for a refund: 1) No cancellation accepted on special orders. 2) 10% restocking fee is charged on cancellations. 3) Not responsible for delays on special orders.
The table, 4 chairs, bench and hutch were all on the store's floor. This was no special order.
On 7/19/04, I returned to the store and told the store owner that I was cancelling the order. He was angry with me and said he couldnt't return my refund. The reason he gave was that he had already reordered replacements for what we bought. I could see the table and chairs and hutch still on the furniture showroom floor.
I offered to pay him a 10% re-stocking fee for his trouble. He refused saying we had told him we were going to buy more furniture from him and this placed him in a bad spot. I then offered to buy $500.00 worth of merchandise from his store. He refused again saying I would have to buy a lot more from him.
I had him sign my receipt to this effect. He wrote: "order cancelled deposit to be applied for order of min."
I cannot believe this. This is fraudulent refund policy. Never were we told we had to buy a minimum to receive a refund and it is not written on the receipt anywhere.
I have written complaints to BBB and the State Attorney General.
We have not heard from them yet.
My husband and I are retired and on a fixed income. This is a large sum of money to us and I am very upset that he is just keeping our deposit and rendering no service or product to us.
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