Another SCS Sofa dispute

leon103

I can see there is another thread but didn't want to jump into someone else's thread with my complaint and ask for help. If a moderator wants to merge threads then that is OK.

I am in dispute with a sofa I recently purchased from SCS. I believe the sofa is off poor quality and therefore lost its shape and will soon become damaged. I have written to SCS but there stated that there were no manufacturing faults.

Below is a copy of my letter to them to give you more information on my problem:

On the 27th August 2011 I ordered a 4 seat Ashley Manor Windsor sofa and matching love chair through your Swansea branch. I was very happy with the service at the store and was very impressed with Derry, the sales assistant.

But unfortunately my happiness was short lived. On the 04th November we received our new sofa but three brackets and screw sets were missing resulting in the 4 seat sofa not being assembled correctly. A few days later we received the missing parts and I contacted the customer care department to arrange an engineer to attend. I was given a date that was not suitable due to work commitments so I provided the call a list of dates that either my wife or myself would be available, I was told I would get a call back within a day. A week passed and I decided to call to see what was happening. Again I gave a fresh list of dates and was told I would get a call back. A few days later I received a call with a new date, but it wasn’t one from the list I provided. The female member of your staff was very rude and it said it was the only date they could fit us in and the next available date would be in January. Believing that my new sofa would get damaged due to it not being correctly assembled I agreed to the date which resulted in my wife taking unpaid leave from work.

In the first few weeks of receiving the sofa I could see a major issue. Despite regular plumping the back and seat cushions became very flat. After plumping the cushions will quickly return to their position they were in previously i.e. flat. I followed the advice given by Derry and that contained in my care guide but the problem continued. The sofa is being used by two people and we tried to ensure each cushion received equal use but still where we would sit, there was a dip resulting the fibres inside were pushed to other areas leaving the sofa to look deformed and feel very uncomfortable. This was a problem when we had guests; we all ended up sitting at different levels on the 4 seat sofa. This problem was highlighted to the upholsterer who attended on 6th December.

He informed my wife that there was nothing that could be done about the cushions. He stated customers are being misinformed when they are being sold they sofa. He said the cushion would never regain its shape and the fibre filling was of very poor quality and the nature of the fibre meant it would never give a firm appearance. I was told at time of purchase that the cushions were made out of a premium filling and would only need plumping every few weeks. The sofa now looks totally out of shape and the comfort as gone. The material as become saggy and it won’t be long until the material becomes damaged. His only advice was that we remove the cushion inner and put it back to front, meaning the plumper rear would be on the outside. Well nine days later we have no plumper rear and a totally flat cushion, plumping works before you again sit on it.

Annoyed by being told that there was nothing that could be done to rectify the issue I contacted your customer care team to discuss the problem. Again I spoke to a very rude lady and was told that it would be 72 hours before they could comment on the upholsterers report. I was told I would receive a telephone call. I did not receive this call.

Today I received two letters offering advice from the upholsterer’s report. The two letters were different in content which I found very confusing, but very amusing. They suggested I follow the upholsterer’s advice and that there were no manufacturing defects, despite the upholsterer telling my wife that the fibre was very poor quality and nothing could be done about it. One letter stated that it would be normal and expected for the cushions to appear untidy. I personally don’t expect to pay over £2400 for an untidy sofa, especially after a months use. It goes on to say that the original look can be restored by smoothing out the crease, but this isn’t possible because the fabric as become saggy, and the inner cushion fibre cannot be ‘smoothed’ out as it is contained within it’s own separate cover. The other letter states that it’s a ‘deliberate’ feature to enhance the soft sit style which I chose. This wasn’t a feature mentioned by Derry in your Swansea store, in fact one of the reasons we choose this sofa was for its formal firm appearance, not the flat, saggy style we are left with.

I am not an expert but even I can see there is a clear fault with the sofa. Perhaps more filling would resolve the issues or a layer of foam between the fibre filling will give it more shape, but something as to be done. Has I have already mentioned I paid £2403 to your company in good faith and expected a quality built sofa in return. I am very keen to resolve this issue promptly as the longer it goes on the more the sofa will damaged.

The rest of the sofa we are pleased with, it’s purely the quality of the fibre used in the cushion inners that is causing a problem. Ashley Manor’s website advertise they use fibre, form or feather fillings for their cushions, perhaps an alternative material or combination of materials will solve the matter.

I look forward to your prompt reply.

Yours Sincerely,





Leon Lewis

cc. Head Quarters, Ashley Manor Ltd


They replied saying they have undertaken a review by their aftercare manager and supplier. They say after viewing both the report and pictures received from the upholsterer, the problems we are receiving are in no way manufacturing faults. The also offered assurance that they are correct on the matter.

(I can scan copies of all their letters if needed)

Now I am in the process of writing a second letter and can do with some pointers.

I believe they haven't addressed all my points i.e. Why did the upholsterer inform my wife that we were misinformed and that the sofa would never go back to its correct shape and why is did they say this is normal? I want copy of the uphosterers report and photos (these were taken after he had plumped the sofa and nobody had sat on them), and a copy of the review undertaken with the manufacturer. I will also be asking the manufacturer for they copy of this review. A copy of the letter will be sent to FIRA.

I would have thought a second upholsterer would come around to at least look at the sofa. Anything else I should include? I was thinking of sending photos but they don't really illustrate my problem (I will point this out to them). I also know someone else with the same sofa so will be checking theirs to see how it is compared to mine. I am not after any form of compensation, I much rather have someone repair the sofa. I am on their finance plan and I am so tempted to stop the direct debit but I know that won't get me anywhere.

Rant over.

unholyangel

I know it can be hard but you really need to try and make your complaints as straightforward as possible.

There are some great templates out there on the web One which is easy to fill it and is really direct and to the point is:
https://consumer-tools.direct.gov.uk/consumer-advice/template_letters/SGA1979/

Or of you prefer a little less direct:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theoneshow/consumer/2009/07/03/sale_of_goods_act_letter_downl.html

Ultimately you want to stick to the facts. State what the problem is. State what solution you want and a time frame in which you expect a response. It can be hard not to express dismay/disappointment etc but being straightforward really does help

leon103

unholyangel wrote: »

I know it can be hard but you really need to try and make your complaints as straightforward as possible.

There are some great templates out there on the web One which is easy to fill it and is really direct and to the point is:
https://consumer-tools.direct.gov.uk/consumer-advice/template_letters/SGA1979/

Or of you prefer a little less direct:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theoneshow/consumer/2009/07/03/sale_of_goods_act_letter_downl.html

Ultimately you want to stick to the facts. State what the problem is. State what solution you want and a time frame in which you expect a response. It can be hard not to express dismay/disappointment etc but being straightforward really does help

Thanks I will have a look at these

concerned43

most of the sofa problems from CAB clients that i see are from SCS! so you are not alone. most are about their leather sofas though.
also we have sent a number of cases to trading standards who are investigating this company.
may I ask how you paid for the goods?

leon103

concerned43 wrote: »

most of the sofa problems from CAB clients that i see are from SCS! so you are not alone. most are about their leather sofas though.
also we have sent a number of cases to trading standards who are investigating this company.
may I ask how you paid for the goods?

Through their finance aggrement, creation

DVardysShadow

leon103 wrote: »

I can see there is another thread but didn't want to jump into someone else's thread with my complaint and ask for help. If a moderator wants to merge threads then that is OK.

Best not to put your problem on a thread for someone else's problem. It just creates confusion.

concerned43

In that case your complaint should be put to the HP company and not to SCS! you should complain under the sale of goods act -for more info.
http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/making-a-complaint/dealing-with-faulty-goods/

they also have sample letters on here too. you are in a very strong position as you have took out their finance for the product. if you need any more help then I suggest you visit your local CAB - don't let them fob you off to trading standards though and make sure you tell them you have the suite on HP!
hope this helps

leon103

concerned43 wrote: »

In that case your complaint should be put to the HP company and not to SCS! you should complain under the sale of goods act -for more info.
http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/making-a-complaint/dealing-with-faulty-goods/

they also have sample letters on here too. you are in a very strong position as you have took out their finance for the product. if you need any more help then I suggest you visit your local CAB - don't let them fob you off to trading standards though and make sure you tell them you have the suite on HP!
hope this helps

Thanks. Why not go through trading standards?

madmathmo

I realise this advice is kind of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted, for you, but maybe somebody else may benefit...

I had the SCS upholsterers round to inspect my furniture and at the end of the inspection, the upholsterer filled in a form with his findings and signed it. He then asked me to sign it to confirm I understood what he had told me.

In the customer comments section I wrote down that I was rejecting the sofa based on what the upholsterer said to me and signed it. I then made a photocopy of the form so I had a record of what the upholsterer said in case SCS tried to make stuff up.

I got my refund!!!! :j (eventually)

Now I'm not saying this will be a guaranteed way for anybody to get a refund from SCS but at least it may stop them from ignoring what their upholsterers say as their furniture is dire and only good for looking at not sitting on.

leon103

madmathmo wrote: »

I realise this advice is kind of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted, for you, but maybe somebody else may benefit...

I had the SCS upholsterers round to inspect my furniture and at the end of the inspection, the upholsterer filled in a form with his findings and signed it. He then asked me to sign it to confirm I understood what he had told me.

In the customer comments section I wrote down that I was rejecting the sofa based on what the upholsterer said to me and signed it. I then made a photocopy of the form so I had a record of what the upholsterer said in case SCS tried to make stuff up.

I got my refund!!!! :j (eventually)

Now I'm not saying this will be a guaranteed way for anybody to get a refund from SCS but at least it may stop them from ignoring what their upholsterers sa
y as their furniture is dire and only good for looking at not sitting on.

Thanks for the advice, I will check with the wife to see if she signed any form.

concerned43

leon103 wrote: »

Thanks. Why not go through trading standards?

because trading standards will not take up an individual case - hence why CAB have been sending them numerous cases. I have been though this with several clients and all had taken out the finance for their suites - we wrote to the finance company saying that the client is rejecting the furniture under the sale of goods act and that they will not be paying the finance agreement and seek that the furniture is uplifted at the clients convenience. All got their agreements cancelled and sought another suite elsewhere.

PS - I have found under staffed CABs advising clients to go to trading standards as they do not have the time to deal with it! knowing that Trading Standards will not do anything about it!