Land of Leather

topyam

My husband and I bought 3 and 2 seater settees from Land of Leather in 2007 and took out insurance cover at the same time with Homeserve. Now less than 15 months later the three seater is coming apart between the seats. Facings are leather but other, non visible areas are of a leather look material, Homeserve call it "leathermatch", between seats, front lower trim etc. We made a claim to Homeserve and a representative from Homeserve came to assess the problem. Homeserve have written to advise that this "leathermatch" material is not as durable as leather and after a time tends to "dry". This leads to it's (leathermatch material) mesh backing tearing and shredding!
As a result they are unable to continue with the claim as it comes under "wear and tear on these areas". The furniture is meant to be sat on? and as such should be durable enough for that purpose? and not start to fall apart already?
What would be the best response to Homeserve and subsequent action to take in this case?

deanos

Wear and tear after 15 months dosent seem acceptable to me, i would put your complaint in writing and send recorded delivery

Optimist

You are not alone, if you do a google on Homeserve the internet is full of complaints about them. By all means go through their complaint procedure but don't expect too much. You might even go as far as complaining to the FSA after your complaint fails with Homeserve if you feel so aggrieved

Your contract is with the retailer which doesn't help you much in this case as Land of Leather went into administration last year. However I would bet you paid by credit card or had a credit agreement so under the Consumer Credit Act credit the credit supplier is equally liable with the retailer so I would go after the credit card company or whoever supplied you with credit using the Consumer Credit Act and the Sale of Goods Act. Obviously if you paid in cash the above does not apply !

You might like to contact consumer direct who will have template letters you can use

topyam

Had anyone had a successful outcome on a similar situation recently?

maggie01

i have the same problem with my sofa, could someone please provide the contact details for homeserve? or do i need to contact the FSA? any info would be appreciated...