DFS nightmare

JessandJon_3

Hi

I have been a member for a while but always looked rather than posted. Guess this is one of those times I really need advice.

I ordered a sofa from DFS 12 weeks ago.

It was delivered today (hubbie was at home and paid for it on arrival). when they unwrapped it DH noticed some problems and refused to sign for it.

I arrived home and telephoned the DFS store who told me I had no option but to sign for it. I explained one of the cushions was scratched and one of the arms was different to the other 3 arms (bought 2 sofas) The leather on the other 3 arms if taught where as this one is saggy and has lots of folds in it. The scratches whilst not major they are there and although I know leather does have natural marks these are actual scratches. The man frm DFS said I had to sign as sofas were delivered and signing only meant they had arrived at my home not that I was happy with them..

I explained there was no way I was accepting them, they were new, had never been sat on and had scratches and an arm that looked different to the others. I was told my only option was to sign and then a leather expert would come sometime before Christmas and look at the scratches and put some dye on them.

I insisted that this was not acceptable as the sofas were new. After going over and over the fact I was not signing the delivery note I said they could remove them and I wanted a refund and would order from elsewhere.

After much discussion they agreed I would not sign the delivery note, I would keep the 2 delivered sofas, they would order me 2 new sofas tomorrow and once they arrived they would deliver the new and take the 'old'. After this was agreed the delivery men went away and DFS man said the expert would call tomorrow just to assess the situation.

Can the expert insist on repair rather than me getting a new one. I really done think anything can be done with the arm as it looks as though its sewn differently. The scratches I guess could be dyed but I don't want that.

Bloke from store told me to trust him and that they would sort it so i was happy but I really don't have much faith. Had a huge fiasco with the stain cove warranty. Told me that as I had a small child it would be covered if she decided to draw/paint on it and the only exclusions would be if I split bleach on it. Have no idea why I belived him but as my daughter was getting very bored indeed I guess my guard was down.

When got home noticed the policy was not all when he said it was and wrote to the store asking them to remove it from invoice and wrote to head office to ask them to investigate why/how I had been deliberately mis-led. After 3 letters with no response I guess I just dont have any faith in them.

When the expert comes tomorrow can he 'make' me keep this sofa if he says its ok in his opinion/repairable


I never though buying a sofa would be so stressful!
x

kiddy_guy

Refuse it under SOGA?

Finch

I think that by accepting the sofas into your home, signing for them may be irrelevant.

I have been in your shoes, and refused to accept the damaged goods and after much gnashing of teeth and threats from the store manager, the delivery driver did remove them from my home.

Brace yourself to do battle. I suspect the next you hear from DFS will be when the repair man comes knocking. Contact your credit card and send off a written letter to the store cc'd to head office and credit card demanding collection of the faulty goods (under SOGA) and state you want a refund. Don't waste your time with phone calls or emails- you need to show them you mean business by sending recorded delivery written letters. There are templates for such letters around- probably on the consumer direct website.

Good luck- I have a horrible feeling you'll need it.

JessandJon_3

Thanks for the replies

Am panicking like mad now, have since found more probs with the sofa there are loads of shiny dots and lines on the leather when you shine a light on them you can see what appear to be scratches under the shiny black stuff (looks like they have been touched up llike you do on cars with a little pen from Halfords!)

Just discussing it with hubbie and we have agreed we do not want it re-colouring.

They have promised that they would order 2 new sofas and take away the current ones when they arrive but how true will this be am begining to wonder after a searching about dfs on net.

Am so annoyed have saved and cut back on allsorts to get enough money together, waited 3 months then a pile of poop arrives carried by 2 blokes who don't work for DFS but are contractors who laughed and laughed when I told them about the leather cover thingie.

also I only paid the deposit £150 ish on my credit card, the remainder hubbie paid with our debit card. will my credit card company be able to help??

Thank you
x

nikki2804

JessandJon wrote: »

Thanks for the replies


Am so annoyed have saved and cut back on allsorts to get enough money together, waited 3 months then a pile of poop arrives carried by 2 blokes who don't work for DFS but are contractors who laughed and laughed when I told them about the leather cover thingie.

also I only paid the deposit £150 ish on my credit card, the remainder hubbie paid with our debit card. will my credit card company be able to help??

Thank you
x

If you paid part on your credit card then you are fully covered by them.

TBH when my sofa arrived from DFS the delivery men were lovely. It took them 40 mins to get the sofa in (they had to disassemble) but made sure it was all secure etc, they even showed me how to do it. In fact one of them even insisted that he help 'rearrange' the living room and put the couch in place for me. I was 5 months pregnant at the time though ...

JessandJon_3

Hi

What a nightmare today has been, phoned DFS this morning to ask that the agreement of order a new sofa and me keeping the current faulty ones until they arrived.

I was informed that I was never told this and the person I had spoken to had gone on holiday for a few weeks. was told i had no choice whatsoever and that the sofas were now mine and I had to have repair or nothing. Explained that I did not want them to be repaired but agreed to a manager coming out to do a report. Since turning the sofas over we have found rips in the fabric underneath.

Again phoned the store and head office stated manager been out I was not accepting a repair as we hadnt sat on them we did not want to keep them, I had reported my concerns immediately I wanted them collecting and my money refunding. Was point blank reufsed a refund and told by the acting manager at the store I clearly thought what I had to say was more important than listening to the fact I couldnt have a refund.

Told me not to bother contracting trading standards as they would side with them. So I phoned consumer direct who told me to ring head office and the store tell them I was rejecting the sofas and to arrange a time to collect. Told me to write recorded delivery and quite SOGA and giving them 10 days to collect and refund- did this, this afternoon.

Also on advise of consumer direct contacted my bank and informed them I wanted to claim the money back (under section??! cant remember quoted by comsumer direct) they are sending me a form for the credit card payment deposit but said as the balance had been paid on debit card (all the same bank) that i would have to cancel the card Id made the payment on -which I also did.


Apparently by not accepting to have the rip glued, scratches covered in dye, arm re-stuffed, wonky shaped leg replaced, all the lose threads to be trimmed I am being unreasonable.

I am so shocked by the attitude of the staff at DFS store totally uninterested told me they never have complaints about scratches maybe 1 a year. The service manager who came out told us he is fully booked examining probs until after Christmas!

Katinkka

I'm appalled but not shocked sadly. We boughht a dfs sofa ourselves years ago when we set up home. Looked about 10 years old after 3 months or so. We cut our losses and decided never again with them. Bought our next one from Allders before they closed and it still looks like new after 5 years.

Please keep us updated though. Annoying to have a problem that takes up a lot of floor space!

shop-to-drop

DFS are absolute !!!!!!s to deal with when the sofa has faults. We had about 18 months of the sofa either being broken waiting for replacement parts or taken away for repair. They wouldn't give a refund or replacement we cut our losses and got rid before warranty had run out as we knew we would never have resolution. My advise would be to do whatever you can to get a refund now before it's too late. Definitely do not accept a repair as once you do you have little chance of getting it resolved.

Good L|uck.

JessandJon_3

Hi

Was and well still am absolutely fumming at the way I have been spoken to and generally made to feel today. Mentioning it to a few people at work when I mentioned DFS they said wish you had said before you ordered and proceeded to tell me their tales of woe!

Thanks for the name, will phone tomorrow and speak to Mr Tweedale. Head office have promised me faithfully that I will be called first thing tomorrow (but unfortunately their promises mean very little to me).

I find it unbelieveable that we have been lied to time and time again. Sent letter explaining the whole saga and that I want a refund within 10 days (as suggested by Consumer Direct) and sent it 1st class recorded to DFS head office and both stores involved in my sofa mess.

I purchased from one store about a 40min drive from home after ordering a new store opened up so sofa was sent from them. Each time I ring I am told to ring the other store. Am I allowed to say the branch I bought it from on here???

x

Anthillmob

where can one et one of those pens from for scratches? my effing dog scratched the f*** out of one of our sofa cushions days after we had it delivered [were at work when it happened]

Stephb1986_2

What ever you do don't accept a repair as then you are stuck with it when something really goes wrong with it.

If the worst comes to the worst tell them that you will get the sofa's delivered to the said store and sit on them outside and tell every other potential customer about the quality of the sofa's they sell. We have done this with DFS and they soon agreed to cancel our order.

Also if your in the northern area what ever you do do not get a sofa from CSL they are just as bad! If not worse! After 6 different sofa's from CSL we told them to stuff it and got sorted somewhere else.

Steph xx