Settee broke within 10 minutes

texranger

these legs are usually plastic in 2 halves with a screw/bolt attaching them to the wood underneath the sofa. a quick remedy is to fit the screw/bolt back in and use superglue to fix the leg to the sofa and job done in less than five minutes.

and next time LIFT DO NOT DRAG

unholyangel

While i'm not saying a sofa should be dragged, i think the majority of posters focusing on this particular detail seem to be forgetting that if a leg collapsed under the weight of the sofa moving against it, it would definitely collapse with the weight of the sofa on top of it AND a person.

I mean unless the OP has a 6" deep thick pile carpet........come on, in what world would that happen if the sofa wasnt faulty?

Or am i perhaps just a strange person who thinks furniture is actually supposed to be used and not merely be for decorative purposes only?

meer53

unholyangel wrote: »

While i'm not saying a sofa should be dragged, i think the majority of posters focusing on this particular detail seem to be forgetting that if a leg collapsed under the weight of the sofa moving against it, it would definitely collapse with the weight of the sofa on top of it AND a person.

I mean unless the OP has a 6" deep thick pile carpet........come on, in what world would that happen if the sofa wasnt faulty?

Or am i perhaps just a strange person who thinks furniture is actually supposed to be used and not merely be for decorative purposes only?

I don't know many sofas that move sideways once they've been put in the room. When it's not moving sideways the weight is evenly distributed on all four legs, the leg has obviously come up against some resistance when being pushed which is why the leg broke. The OP never mentioned anything about the leg being broken or faulty until they tried to move it, it's plain to everyone that pushing the sofa has caused the damage. I have a feeling that DFS will come to the same conclusion.

unholyangel

meer53 wrote: »

I don't know many sofas that move sideways once they've been put in the room. When it's not moving sideways the weight is evenly distributed on all four legs, the leg has obviously come up against some resistance when being pushed which is why the leg broke. The OP never mentioned anything about the leg being broken or faulty until they tried to move it, it's plain to everyone that pushing the sofa has caused the damage. I have a feeling that DFS will come to the same conclusion.

They had it all of 10 minutes! What? Is the OP some Patrick Jane that can take in hundreds of details within a few split seconds?

And clearly its not plain to everyone. I disagree as do a few posters. Are you honestly telling me that you believe that a greater amount of force is applied to a sofa when moving it than when sitting on it? Bearing in mind that when sitting on it, your full weight is on it?

Carpet vs Sofa = Carpet wins? By your own post, your sofa "won" when battling with your carpet. Ergo it would be reasonable to assume (in comparison with your example) that the OP's sofa was faulty to start with. Otherwise she should have had the same results as you, yes?

If it had been a few years and the OP regularly moved the sofa in the same way, I could see how it could have either contributed or caused the fault. But within 10 minutes? Thats shoddy goods. Nothing more and nothing less.

I have no doubt DFS will come to some cop out conclusion. Theynearly always do, irrespective of facts or consumer rights. Given how many threads there are about them on MSE, it would be a fair statement to say any conclusion reached by them is ultimately wrong.

Like I said! I'm perhaps just one of those crazy people who actually expect furniture to be used and not merely looked at.

stugib

unholyangel wrote: »

Are you honestly telling me that you believe that a greater amount of force is applied to a sofa when moving it than when sitting on it? Bearing in mind that when sitting on it, your full weight is on it?

Carpet vs Sofa = Carpet wins? By your own post, your sofa "won" when battling with your carpet. Ergo it would be reasonable to assume (in comparison with your example) that the OP's sofa was faulty to start with. Otherwise she should have had the same results as you, yes?

If it had been a few years and the OP regularly moved the sofa in the same way, I could see how it could have either contributed or caused the fault. But within 10 minutes? Thats shoddy goods. Nothing more and nothing less.

Just talking generally, the amount of time is irrelevant if a product has been misused. The question is whether what the OP did was misuse or 'triggered' a fault. Personally I'd say it was a fault/poor quality, but the forces when sitting on it are completely different to the forces on a wooden joint when pushing against it, so there is an argument there.

MamaMoo_2

unholyangel wrote: »

And clearly its not plain to everyone. I disagree as do a few posters. Are you honestly telling me that you believe that a greater amount of force is applied to a sofa when moving it than when sitting on it? Bearing in mind that when sitting on it, your full weight is on it?

It's not just a case of what weight was acting on it, direction of force is also a key factor. Take a dining chair. A 150kg person could sit on the seat perfectly safely, as the chair legs are built to withstand a downwards force.
However, now tip said chair on its side. Sit the 150kg person on the chair leg will most likely buckle, as it was not made to hold weight that way.
Therefore, exerting force by sitting on it, and exerting force by pushing it about, can have two very different effects

Zandoni

A sofa will always need to be pushed, mine weighs a ton and there is no way one person could move it without dragging.

If it broke while pushing it was either a bad design or already broken during delivery.

unholyangel

MamaMoo wrote: »

It's not just a case of what weight was acting on it, direction of force is also a key factor. Take a dining chair. A 150kg person could sit on the seat perfectly safely, as the chair legs are built to withstand a downwards force.
However, now tip said chair on its side. Sit the 150kg person on the chair leg will most likely buckle, as it was not made to hold weight that way.
Therefore, exerting force by sitting on it, and exerting force by pushing it about, can have two very different effects

But we're not talking about a chair. We're talking about a sofa. Which out of the two do you think is more sturdy? (or should be). Plus, you realise 150kg is 24 stone right? Using that argument, i wouldnt expect a dining room chair leg to fall off merely because i pulled the chair out instead of lifting it The chair will move slightly each time that person sits down or gets up. Over time, the chair would start to wobble. Someone sitting on a chair leg is not similar to pushing a sofa! Its simple physics.

Likewise, the sofa wasnt tipped on its side. And given the number of people saying they often push their sofa (including some of those who are blaming the OP for the fault) it would be reasonable to argue that it is within its expected usage.

If we were talking about a £200 sofa from ikea that is more for looks than function then I could see your point. But luckily, SoGA doesnt agree with you and it won't be enough for DFS to merely say "its your fault". They'll have to prove it.

meer53

For the leg to break whilst the OP was pushing the sofa, it had to have come up against some resistance. Therefore the force on the leg at that time would have been considerable. Completely different force from someone sitting on the sofa when it is stationary. All this is irrelevant however, as DFS are contacting the OP to have a look this week. It's probably a weak piece of wood, maybe it was split when it was fitted, it's completely separate to the sofa so can be replaced with no other issues. If the OP wants to pursue a complete refund then good luck to them. Personally, i'd be happy with a repair and remember to lift the sofa next time it needs moving.

ThumbRemote

meer53 wrote: »

For the leg to break whilst the OP was pushing the sofa, it had to have come up against some resistance. Therefore the force on the leg at that time would have been considerable.

Or, as the OP and others have said, the sofa was faulty.

The maximum force exerted on the sofa legs is the force the OP could apply to pull the sofa. There is no way someone should be capable of pulling the legs off a sofa and splitting the wood, using just their own strength.

I have two Ikea sofas, both fairly cheap, both about 10 years old. They have gone through house moves, been dragged on the carpet on two and four legs, and generally pushed and pulled around in that time. Neither of them has been damaged by this.