Warning: DFS Anti Stain Insurance MisSelling (any advice?)

wornoutandweary

You need to be very careful with people, make sure you read and read again, all the paperwork if you decide you want to buy an average at best sofa. Pay particular attention to the initial order sheet that the pushy salesman writes your details on. We bought a suite on the understanding it was three years to pay with nothing to pay for a year. We complained when the money started coming out of our bank without the years break only to be told that we didnt specify this at time of order-Rubbish!
Dont bother with their leather products either, save your pennies and get a much better deal from Ikea. (I wish we had gone there instead)

sarah181073

Hi there,

I was reading your story and just wanted to ask your advice as the same thing has just happened to me.

I hurriedly bought a sofa from dfs just before Christmas, saw it in the shop, placed a provisionary order with them and then phoned back the next day to confirm this.

Got a reciept a few days later and because I was busy moving didn't look at it. A friend of mine asked me when it was being delivered and I wasn't sure so I went back to the store to ask. I was moving into my new flat and he wanted to make sure I had it as soon as possible. In my haste I had pressumed it would be a few days and had not thoroughly checked these things.

So anyway I popped back to the shop and the lovely sales guy said that my sofa wouldn't be guaranteed to be delievered before Christmas but what he could do was to swap it for another one. I agreed and we did this very quickly in the store and I rushed out to my friend who was waiting in the car for me. I'd also bought a tv that day so he was minding that!

Anyway, a couple of days later when I was phoning up DFS to check the delivery date I was horrified to see there was a charge of £100 for what was just briefly called 'Protection Cover'.

So whilst finding out the delivery date for my sofa I also asked to cancel this cover. I was told that it was too late as the sofa had already been sprayed. With what? I asked?? It was a spray protection.

At the time I was annoyed but more interested in just getting my settee delivered as I had now moved into my flat and had nothing to sit on.

It came, I was happy with it but I was more that a little niggled about the extra £100 I had been conned into paying.

Anyway, I mentioned it to a few people who all rolled their eyes and said. You should really do something about that, that isn't on. I've heard about these companies ripping people off before.

So I wrote an email to their customer services and I was emailed back to ask where I bought the product and that someone from the store would phone me.

Well I was phoned yesterday by the store manager who told me his sales guy would never lie and he is one of the most sincere sales guys. I have know doubt he is but I was not told about this product.

I then asked why should I pay for something I have not ordered and he told me it was my fault for not checking the receipt.

I told him I didn't realise I had to check the receipt for something I hadn't paid for. He made no response to this.

He told me I should be more careful what I signed in future. I told him I didn't sign anything as I ordered it over the phone. Again no repsonse.

I told him that I wouldn't have been treated like this from somewhere like Marks and Spencer or John Lewis. He said they were not furniture specialists. So I said but they did sell furniture? He didn't respond but instead asked me in a very abrupt tone if I liked arguing.

I told him there was no way I would have bought this protection for £100 as I was on a tight budget and save money. He told me I was lying because if that was the case I would have checked my bill more thoroughly.

I suppose I feel like I am being treated like this because I am a woman and I doubt he would speak to a bloke like this.

Anyway, I thought I would share it with you.

I think I'll also post it on the forum.

I know it's not a huge amount of money but I am unbelieveably niggled about it and am having sleepless nights about it.

Angry_DFS_customer

I WOULD SERIOUSLY ADVISE ANYBODY WHO IS GOING TO BUY A SOFA FROM THE COMPANY NOT TO! They are con artist and as soon as any problems come up they fob you off! Head office are a joke and I would seriously record every conversation you have with this stupid company! I will be taking legal action against them as they have broken my sofa on delivery yet accept no liability!:mad:

So stupid they are, you would think that they would want customers to be happy and return to them!

sarah181073

Okay, well I emailed them with a run down of how the phone call went with the store manager and as of yet have heard nothing back.

Here's what I said..

I'm really sorry I think I would like to speak to someone your end about this.

I was thinking last night about how the store manager spoke to me and I have quite a lot of concerns over this and wondered what your company policy was about it.

Here are a few points from my conversation with him.

a) When I told him what had happened he told me it was my fault for not checking my receipt properly

b) He also told me that I should be more careful what I signed in future. I told him that I purchased this product over the phone and did not sign for anything. He did not properly respond to this.

c) When I asked him why would I phone up the store to ask what this extra protection was on my bill, and why was I being charged for it, he said, I don't know you tell me. I think this is a very rude and arrogant response on his part.

d) I told him this sort of situation would not have happened in Marks and Spencer or John Lewis. His answer was that they were not furniture specialist. I told him that they do sell furniture. His response to this was to ask me if I like arguing. Again I think this is very rude and impertinent of him.

e) He told me that the shop assistant who served me would never lie. I said I didn't say he had but I had not asked for OR agreed to this product.

f) I told him I would remember this as I was on a tight budget. He told me that he did not believe me because if this had been the case I would have checked my receipt more carefully and realised. I told him I had checked the payment but had not read every bit of the receipt until I sat down with it a few weeks later. I told him that I had mistakenly forgot about the £100 deposit and therefore in my excitement at purchasing the settee had thought that the bill looked about right. He made no response to this.

g) I also told him that it wasn't my fault that just because I hadn't realised straight away then I should not be penalised for this and made to pay for the product. He told me nothing could be done about it and that I should have bought this product anyway as if I was buying this sofa I needed to protect it.

h) at this point I felt absolutely livid as he was talking to me like he had the right to tell me what I should do with my money. It was up to me to tell him if I wanted to buy this product or not - not for him to tell me I had to have it. This is what I am annoyed about.

i) he then told me in a slightly lighter tone that I was quite welcome to come to the store for a demonstration on how this product worked. He also mentioned compensation but I'm sure he will tactfully forget that.

I suppose I am absolutely clueless what to do. Up until this point I had been really, really happy with the service but I'm annoyed at being spoken to like this.

When I spoke to a few people about this they all told me he was only speaking to me like this because I was a woman. This made me even more upset - making me feel that in someway I couldn't stick up for myself.

dreamypuma

Go to the store and discuss it very loudly in earshot of the other customers in store. Ensure it's civil and do not lose your temper.

If your escorted off site, then ensure the all the customers know exactly what for.

Find a nice public piece of ground, and take lot's of photocopies of your story. hand them out to pottential customers along with a copy of your contract (hiding your personal details). Advise them of what to look out for as they enter the store.

Cause maximum embarrassment and mayhem.

Invite the local papers, make a day of it. The kids and the Mrs will love it. (I always find that it's good to have the kids dressed in sack cloth for effect)

sarah181073

Yes, this is exactly what I was thinking of doing!!

At the very least I'm going to stand outside the store and hand out copies of my story just to warn other customers.

I actually work for a national newspaper who are closely following this with interest....

Ironically I was sat on the train on my way home yesterday and I over heard a young mans conversation on his mobile phone. And guess what he was talking about being a salesman at DFS.

One of the things that I heard him mention was that DFS actually isn't a furniture company - they are a finance company and it is their aim to get people into debt - that's his words not mine.

He said DFS stands for Direct Finacial Services.

So at least I can say the store manager misled me when he told me that the were furniture specialists... they obviously are not!

jess1974

We bought 2 sofas from DFS about 3 years ago, we knew which ones we wanted, had measured up etc.

We refused the finance deal, and also refused the spray protecton stuff, they tried the hard sell but we stood firm and paid exactly the price on the tickets.

The sofas are clawed to bits thanks to my cat, but apart from that they do the job, i think with DFS you have to be on the ball, and check the contracts again and again.

shellbel

I bought the enzo sofa and chair with stain protecting and scotch guard which doesn't work as My 2 year old spilt water on it. I have black rings on it and it looks awful. DFS are blaming me and were so rude I am now thinking of taking them to a small claims court as I have tried everything

trying2010

Hi guys just found this thread. Went into our Maidstone branch of DFS recently DO NOT TOUCH THEM!

High Pressure sales tactics

Would not give me a price of the sofa without the bed.

Lied to about Stain protection insurance was told "it was included in the price" What for £200???

Went back into the store with my husband to cancel stain insurance started questioning me about why i wanted to cancel it. Are DFS spending our money?

Then told my husband that he should sign a BLANK CREDIT AGREEMENT as we would need to apply again? This point my husband refused as this is illegal!

skiddlydiddly

We bought one a few years ago and when they tried to sell us the stain protection I specificly said that I didn't want it.When it came to the breakdown of the bill, the salesman had put it on anyway the cheeky git.That made me mad enough thatI didn't want it anymore but being as me and my OH had been unable to agree on a sofa for about 18 months she convinced me to still buy it.
If I'd been on my own they could have shoved it where the sun don't shine.They so obviously make a commission on this product and will probably justify it to themselves making it seem ok to push i on people.