Natuzzi Sofa - ordered deposit paid not delivered & not much response or help from th

lt123

Would appreciate some advice please! Ordered sofa from Natuzzi via a House Of Fraser store so in effect direct from Natuzzi in Sept last year - all sorts of empty promises over delivery times etc. Wanted to take int free credit after paying deposit - chased for paper work to be sent many times, phoning the store at least 2/3 times a week, stories lies etc.... Anyway - having chased them on the Saturday, my husband very sadly died suddenly on the Sunday night. ( Dec 09)
Ironically Natuzzi rang the following day to say when would we like the sofa & when told of his death, said they would hold the sofa for as long as needed.
I wrote to them in January to complain about their appalling service and contact, to ask for reimbursement for postage as they have TWICE posted paperwork for int free credit with paying(!) and to reach agreement of way forward - it took them 3 weeks to reply in which case they glossed over everything I had raised, offered me absoultely nothing too! I have now written again to the UK director of sales, and 2 weks later - not a single contact in any way. I am so disgusted it is unreal. The fact is they have a sofa I want, they have my deposit, I have had a massive change of circumtances and in view of all their appalling customer treatment I have made them an offer of £500 less infull and final settlement. I have argued had they done what they said they would we have jointly signed for credit & taken protection.... What do I do, where do I go next?

shuttyian

I am sorry to learn of your loss.

With regard to taking IFC, sometimes the credit can take some time to come through, however i am presuming that this is all signed and returned accordingly. You should have received an executed copy of the agreeement.

By your admission they have agreed to store the furniture on your behalf whilst you got things sorted, I think they have shown compassion and acted very fair and reasonable in this instance.

I think you have to be realistic, have your losses actually amounted to £500?, You are out of pocket for postage, say 40 pence a stamp x2 say £1. things can go missing in the post. there can be instances of simple human error.

Therefore to withhold payment of this magnitude i think would be totally unrealistic, ultimately i beleive a court would see this as unreasonable on your part - should it get to that stage.

I note you state they have offered you "absolutely nothing" what do you expect from them - after all they are storing your goods FOC. It is not their fault your husband has sadly passed away.

If the credit agreement is in joint names, you have an obligation to advise the finance company of the change in circumstances, however fixed sum loan agreements tend not to be joint names.

They have a sofa you want, but it appears you cannot afford it as you want to withhold such a large sum back.

Yes they have your deposit too, which i am sure they will withhold as you are now breaching the terms of the contract you entered into.

You could:
Resolve the credit agreement (if necessary to take your partners name off it), take delivery, and continue to pursue the complaint, post delivery. i am sure they are a member of trade body or equivalent.

or

pursue your "losses" further.

I personally do not think you will get what you want from Natuzzi, unless you be a little more reasonable in your demands.

Good luck

lt123

I probably didnt explain clearly quite what they didnt do once the sale was signed up, and how appalling their service has been since. As a % £500 is not large .It is a large amount in total & they have been quite disgraceful - no they never got the credit agreement to me despite my frequent requests so it has not been signed & i no longer want to proceed inthis way. They are just not rsponding in any way. Of course it isnt their fault my husband died, but it isnt mine either , so a little understanding & dialogue would probably easily resolve. I am looking for a gesture from them as they have lacked in so many areas & want to settle and get the sofa so remain hopeful we find a way forward
If postage was not paid on a letter you have to pay £5 costs per item plus postage , sadly not just the cost of a stamp - if only. And not just one letter I understand things go missing.

shuttyian

So you are complaining about a credit agreement that they never sent correctly and you do not want? and this somehow equates to a £500 pound loss?

Why not pay for the furniture you have ordered and take delivery - if that is your intention? if it is not your intention, why not be upfront about it. I personally am struggling to see what the problem is here.

You are right £500 is not a large when expressed as a percentage if the goods cost around £30,000. But they probably cost £3k max so actually 500 pounds is a substantial amount. I think it would be fair to say you would have incurred a £10 loss if you had sent the agreement back...

i think you need to try and keep things real here, i understand you are frustrated with Natuzzi, but i really feel you should accept that you will not get what you want and try and move on.

lt123

yes thanks. I will hope they do reply and sort it from there. Yes i absolultely do want the sofa and without doubt have the means to pay for it - my husband and i picked it together.
Irrespective of amounts of money I do think any company should be courteous and prompt in a reply or at least a holding letter to its customers. Calls should be returned and staff should be honest. Thank you for your help and advice.

lt123

Would just like to say I have now had contact made via UK head office, they said they hadnt received my last letter so contacted me as I got in touch with Italy.
The man was wonderfully sympathetic & understanding, and I am very happy with the arrangement they offered and I am awaiting delivery of our new sofa.

lt123

Taken delivery today, very very happy with the outcome here, well done Natuzzi, you exceeded my expectations and a very happy customer

eskilbeck

Hi,
I was wondering whether you could give me the contact details of whom you complained to?? I am going through a similar situation with natuzzi and don't know what to do