Ashley furniture's bad business practices
My ordeal by Corey Drury
The order process,
April 15 I went to the Avondale Arizona Ashley Furniture Store where I had purchased almost 12,000 in furniture. I gave them $5,700 cash to order the furniture I was told the very most it will take because of long wait times was 8 weeks even though my contract said 2 to 4 weeks next to my signature. So I waited the 8 weeks and then called the Avondale store they told me it will take the full 10 weeks to get in. Again I was patient after 10 weeks past I called the Avondale store again and they said it is not ready until next week. At this point I was getting inpatient and upset because they could never give me a reason for the long wait. I waited 11 weeks and went inside to demand where my furniture is. They gave me the boat is not in the docks answer and it should be soon. So I call again on the 12th week 4 weeks after the projected time and finally it was in the warehouse. I was told to pay the final balance of $5,700 which I paid cash totaling roughly $11,500 in furniture. Once again I had to wait another week to have it delivered; making it 13 weeks of furniture delivery time 5 weeks past an agreed time, which by the way according to my original contract is 2 to 4 weeks delivery time.
The delivery process,
I received my furniture toward the end of July after 3 months of agony while waiting for a delivery. The delivery guys arrived and proceeded to bring in my furniture, 4 piece entertainment center, two end tables a coffee table, leather 8 seat sleeper sofa sectional couch, 8 seat extended dinning room table and chairs, computer armoire, bedroom set to include headboard rail and bed footer, and bedroom night stands.
Upon the delivery guys bringing in and putting furniture together I noticed several things wrong with almost 75% of my furniture. I am not talking nicks and dings I am discussing large defects and broken items. To start my entertainment center back board was warped, the back part of the entertainment center ends were split up the side, the top of the entertainment center was warped with huge gaps in the boards my end caps had large dents with broken wood and several spots with heavy overages of glue coming out the side that was stained over with no regard for cleanup. Secondly my sectional couch had a rip in the back side along with some leather spots that looked like something ran across the back, the couch also had a bent rail where you connect the couches together but none the less they forced the couch together making it worse and now permanently broken and un-attachable. Third, my bedroom set upstairs had cracks in the wood all the way up the side and center of the back board. The night stand was missing the top piece so the delivery guys took that back to reorder another one. Fourth, my dinning room set had issues to include the top of the table chipping away on the top, staples in the wrong places on my chairs making weird dents in the fabric, wobbly chairs and chafing on all the corners of the table. The delivery guys forced pieces together on almost all the furniture to get it to work. They also agreed that there are several notable broken issues. When they were ready to leave I asked for a copy of the invoice for delivery and they said we don't do that it is Ashley furniture's. So I asked how am I to have reassurance of these broken pieces getting noted to the furniture store they said to trust them and they will give the invoice to the warehouse. I still can't get a copy of the delivery invoice.
The hidden agendas,
Ashley has a policy that you only have three days to call in your defects or you don't get them fixed and you are stuck with broken furniture. Wasn't aware of that at sign up and they sure don't advertise that openly. Also my furniture seemed cheap I asked which warehouse did it come from they said a lot of the furniture is made in China which is stamped on the furniture, another hidden agenda that isn't openly discussed or displayed on the showroom floor. They lead you to believe you are buying an all American product at a great price. If you walk in to Ashley know one tells you that the reason for the long wait is because all your furniture needs to be bought at bulk from China and shipped by boat before you get it. The simply say there warehouses are behind.
The plea for repairs,
I didn't want to miss that three day window of defects so I took it upon myself to take pictures of the defects and give it to the store manager in Avondale who was Mike and Shirley that way I have proof that I physically had seen someone regarding my issues. The store manager said it would only take a couple of days for the warehouse to call you and schedule a time for repair. REPAIR I said I want my furniture new not repaired. I asked them to take it and give me a new one they said no way a technician needs to be sent out to evaluate the damaged furniture and he will determine what will get replaced. I thought to myself, what kind of crooked place is this. So I entertained them and said fine send him out to evaluate my broken furniture. I waited almost a week and a half for the warehouse to call me to schedule someone to send someone out to evaluate my furniture, (now it is going on 15 weeks with no resolves for my furniture). They never called so I went into the store again and talked to the manger and asked why no one has called me to schedule a technician to come out. The manager calls the warehouse on the spot and hands the phone to me to schedule a date. I said next week at the beginning of the week they said that's impossible minimum schedule time is 3 to 4 weeks. (I was beside myself mad and I said this is unacceptable first you tell me I can't have my furniture replaced without permission now it will take 3 to 4 more weeks to just have him look at it and fix what he can and tell me it is ok to replace my delivery broken furniture). So I schedule a time and wait until mid August. While waiting the three weeks for a repair guy I went to talk to the manger at the Avondale store about getting some money back for having to keep damaged furniture or getting a refund and having them take back this crummy furniture. (upon arriving I talked to mike about my concern and he said he has no authority to do anything, I said you are in charge why not, he said the regional manager is the only one to make the decisions like that. I told him to give me the number to the regional named Jim. I went home and called Jim the next day getting his answering machine, I called Jim leaving messages for almost two weeks with no return call. After, the 10th call I finally went back to the store manger and told him this guy will not call me and he said he will try the next day, A week goes by and still no phone call, I am beyond frustrated at this point. I call the store to ask for Mike the manager and I was told he was fired, I think, now what. (It is now 18 weeks into no resolve for my furniture to include no call backs after 10 calls.)
Repair guy arrives,
The furniture repairman arrives late in the afternoon Aug 16 and in a hurry, he tells me I need a new top entertainment center section, side section and several other pieces for my entertainment center but the rest is fine, he also said my headboard is un-repairable but the rest of the bed is fine. He tried to hot glue my chipped wood on the dinning room table and painted my scuff marks and blemishes with a paint pen. The chairs for the table were wobbly he said to just use some felt on the bottom to help make it better. The leather rips on the couches could not be repaired so he said Ashley will have to order leather to be re-stapled and sewn together, the broken bar that connects my couches he said Ashley would have to order that also. (The repairman noted too me that he believes the furniture is cheaply made because of where it comes from along with cheap materials and labor.) As the repairman was leaving I asked for a copy of the findings and repairs he made he said we don't give copies and trust him he will give it to the warehouse. (Again I am frustrated with empty promises. Ashley calls about four days later and tells me I am getting a new headboard, center and one side section for my entertainment section, leather material and connecting bar to be repaired for my couch, a new night stand, and a glass top for one of my living room pieces. (So I asked them how long for delivery and repair a week maybe two, No they said 4 to 8 weeks to receive everything then, three to five weeks to send a repairman to fix the parts on your furniture. (Again I am beside myself,
3 months to possibly fix my problems.)
A call for help (this is my attempt to get a refund or compensation for keeping broken furniture without paying them $3,600 in restocking fees for taking back my damaged furniture, that should be new.)
Since July I have made 20 attempts to call a corporate manager named Jim. Towards the end of August I again called another Avondale Ashley store manager named Chris. Chris is great with customer service but again has no personal power over his store. I asked Chris on four different occasions to call Jim and tell him I need to talk to him. He did just that and couldn't even get help to help me. He advised me of a new corporate customer service department that just came up. So I called the number at 602-442-7800 and waited almost 20 minutes to talk to a representative. Upon getting a rep named Jennifer she seemed like the person to help me until she told me she can't help me with my problem that I would have to speak to a customer service manger who is not available and would call me within 48 hours. So 4 days later I call back and again reiterate my problem to a rep named Theresa and she told me the laundry list of things to be sent to me in due time to fix and repair my furniture. Again I asked Theresa If she is the one to help me get compensation for my broken furniture or give me a refund because I am dissatisfied. She told me a manger would call me within 48 hours I told here that still didn't happen from 4 days ago. So again I said ok. Three days go by and again no call, no manager. I call and get yet another rep who I told that I demand to speak to a manager they said no, I have to wait 48 hours for a manager to call back they are in a meeting. So I called Jims office and finally the 20th time a women named Deborah called back and said she can't help me I need to call customer service. (Now a ping pong match is happening to me.) I call Chris and tell him I simply can't get any help. He said he would try customer service and get a manager to call me back within the same day. Two days pass and again no call. I call customer service and again the rep tells me a manger will call me within 48 hours. I ask what assurance do I have they said they would personally tell them. Three days go by no call. (I am fed up at this time. This went on two more time with no call back. Finally I went personally to Ashley store in Avondale, went to Chris and said I will not leave this store until I speak to someone who can help me. He tried to call customer care twice with a corporate phone and finally he demanded a manager talk to me. He hands me the phone and right away a rude manager starts to raise her voice to me claiming what else do I want they have talked to me several times. I advised her that I made those calls and I never got a call back from management in any capacity since July 15. So I told her I want a refund she said sure it will cost you a 30 percent restocking fee. I said for what I am not simply canceling a bogus order, I am returning defective furniture delivered to my house that should have been new. I also stated I am to keep broken repaired furniture while I pay full price, that is not right I told her would a new car customer pay full price if a hood was dented and the car place said it's ok we will send out a repairman in 2 months to fix it. I asked her why is it so hard to understand that customers do not want to pay full price for broken repaired furniture from China. She said she made herself clear keep the furniture and get it repaired and some pieces replaced or pay the restocking fee, (which for me would be $3,600. I told her that I can't even get my furniture fixed because they take forever she said be patient. Unbelievable I can't even get an apology this is a very crooked business and bad commerce for the consumers and the cities that they reside in. It is Sept 19. It has been five months and I still have no resolve in site. I am also still waiting for a manger to talk to me rationally of course. Please anyone that can see how bad this is, give me some help in fixing this nightmare of a problem.
CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN THIS TO ME! Ashley's can't deliver on their product or word and I have to pay them money? I am mad not only because of the time delay involved, but because I know when it finally does arrive, some if not all will be DAMAGED! And here we go again waiting waiting waiting...
A concerned consume
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