Bensons for Beds - Please help me

PigeonWood

I know that now!! ;o)

Tim_Deegan

A superking size bed is 6'6" long, but a single bed is 6'3" long. So if they didn't display the dimensions, and they told you the base came as two single bases, then they were wrong.

Contact Trading Standards, as you may be covered by distance selling regs as the bed had to be ordered, and wasn't delivered direct from the shop. Under distace selling regs you have the right to refuse delivery, and ask for a refund.

deviant

PigeonWood wrote: »

Just over three weeks ago my husband and I ordered a super kingsize divan bed from Bensons for Beds. We fell in love with it but were nervous about the price (it was the most expensive bed in the store) but the salesman offered us a discount, free pillows, free quilt and 24 months interest free credit. We thought about it, shopped alternative stores and ordered it feeling happy it was the right bed for us.

We applied for the finance agreement, read the terms and conditions and were asked if we were happy with the access for the bed. My husband asked how it came and on hearing it was delivered as two single beds we were happy it would work. We live in a 2 bedroom new build house with a normal staircase.

On Saturday we woke up and prepared for the bed's arrival, taking down coat hooks, key boxes and removing everything from the room, including taking our old bed to the tip. At 2pm our bed arrived as two (slightly larger according to the delivery driver) than single bed pieces. Due to a half inch lip on the top of our wooden bannister the base would not go up the stairs at the turning point and as such the delivery men were unable to deliver the bed and drove off with our order, leaving us gob smacked and bed-less.

We called the store and were told that we had to speak to customer services on Monday. Today my husband spent his whole lunch hour trying to reach them, eventually getting through after 45 minutes on hold to be told that he needs to speak to the area manager and to call the store to ask them to call him.

As his lunch hour was over I took over and eventually got the manager of the store to call me back. He said he would speak to the AM and get back to me.

The response was:
* They will try to deliver the same bed again and try to make it fit (can we not remove our banister?!!)
* No refund/cancellation would be given at all.
* They will change the bed for a different one of the same value or higher (we ordered the most expensive bed in store).
* If we choose one of a lesser value they will not reduce the price down to reflect this, but we can choose something else from the store to make up the difference.

Their argument is that it was our responsibility to make sure the bed would fit up the stairs. We advised we were not told this, but either way there are no dimensions available to check. I said that the only thing the salesman told us at the point of sale was ''are you happy it can be delivered OK as it's your responsibility.'' My husband asked how it came delivered and we were told it came as two single beds. We had no reason to believe this would be a problem so went ahead with the sale.

The delivery driver told us there had been another situation like ours that day and that actually the bed is a bit bigger than a single bed.

Now, we don't mind choosing a different bed (after all we're currently on the flor) BUT Bensons only have TWO other superking beds available, neither of which we like. We don't want to go down to a kingsize but even if we did, they cannot provide measurements to us to check it will fit and we don't want anything else they sell (beds, mattresses and furniture) to make up the difference in price (£200).

Essentially we feel that through no fault of our own we are now being made to pay £1700 for a bed we either don't want or can't put in our bedroom. Is this fair/right?

can you not take the upstairs side windows out in your bedroom, measure it to make sure it will fit.get a couple of ladders and some friends help and slide it through. We had to do that with our bed from benson for beds.

Amistoso_2

Tim_Deegan wrote: »

A superking size bed is 6'6" long, but a single bed is 6'3" long. So if they didn't display the dimensions, and they told you the base came as two single bases, then they were wrong.

Contact Trading Standards, as you may be covered by distance selling regs as the bed had to be ordered, and wasn't delivered direct from the shop. Under distace selling regs you have the right to refuse delivery, and ask for a refund.

If bought in store not covered by distance selling regs I'm afraid!!

Tim_Deegan

Amistoso wrote: »

If bought in store not covered by distance selling regs I'm afraid!!

In that case go down the route that the base isn't two standard single bases.

If that doesn't work, and you have to accept a replacement, then go for a different make. Otherwise you could have the same problem in 18 to 24 months bringing the bed back down the stairs to replace it.

PigeonWood

I will push the fact that there were no dimensions available, still aren't any and that we were told it was two singles and it's not, so thanks for that. I can't see them going for the distance thing either.

The windows we have in our house are double glazed, I have no idea how if they could be removed or not. I'll look into it.

We have been left to make the final decision on it and I don't know what to do. We can either:

1. Have the original bed brought back to us foc and try to do something with it.
2. Buy an alternative bed that comes delivered in bits for assembly (which would leave us with a maximum loss of £600).
3. Take the same bed in the next size down, but no way of knowing that will fit as the height of the base is still the same, it's the width and length that are smaller. We have those measurements but until we see the whole unit we have no way of knowing for sure.
4. Have no bed and pay £1700 worth of finance for the next two years.

deviant

PigeonWood wrote: »

I will push the fact that there were no dimensions available, still aren't any and that we were told it was two singles and it's not, so thanks for that. I can't see them going for the distance thing either.

The windows we have in our house are double glazed, I have no idea how if they could be removed or not. I'll look into it.

We have been left to make the final decision on it and I don't know what to do. We can either:

1. Have the original bed brought back to us foc and try to do something with it.
2. Buy an alternative bed that comes delivered in bits for assembly (which would leave us with a maximum loss of £600).
3. Have no bed and pay £1700 worth of finance for the next two years.

our windows are double glazed, but we have opening side windows that you should be able to un screw and lift out. You just need to check the height and width of the seperate bases and the dimensions of the opening. if you do not have opening side windows, you will have to try to get a refund somehow. if there is a will there is a way.

PigeonWood

deviant wrote: »

our windows are double glazed, but we have opening side windows that you should be able to un screw and lift out. You just need to check the height and width of the seperate bases and the dimensions of the opening. if you do not have opening side windows, you will have to try to get a refund somehow. if there is a will there is a way.

Thanks. I am trying for the refund. I don't want one though, I want this bed, more than anything actually.

I do believe that the store need to have some responsibility in making the dimensions available. They still do not have them and suggest the only way is to track one down and go and measure it myself.

So, even if we were to try the window thing, how would we know what to measure against!

Does anyone want a nice grey divan bed? ;o)

Tim_Deegan

deviant wrote: »

our windows are double glazed, but we have opening side windows that you should be able to un screw and lift out. You just need to check the height and width of the seperate bases and the dimensions of the opening. if you do not have opening side windows, you will have to try to get a refund somehow. if there is a will there is a way.

The dimensions would normally be about 14" high, by 3' wide. Although it appears that you also need to allow for the bumper bar, and would need to find out the side of it.

PigeonWood

Based on an exact half of a superking - 6ft6x6ftxwhatever the height is - it won't fit through the window.

I think our best bet is to fight for a cancellation on the grounds that they were unable to provide us with full dimensions of the bed and that the salesman mis-informed us by telling us it was the equivalent of two singles, which we have in our spare room and managed to get up the stairs with no problem.

Failing that we'll have to take the kingsize and try and sell it.

HUGE lesson learnt, what a shame this post won't be able to warn other people of what can happen.