Sofa shop won't repair sofa!!

Venus_In_Furs_2

Hi

I bought a very expensive but beautiful 'fire engine red' leather sofa set (a three seater and a two seater) just over 2 years ago and paid for it via a 2 year interest free credit deal. After a few months the seat on 'my side' of the three seater looked very worn - my mother described it as collapsed but it's more like the cushion has gone vary flat and is not comfortable to sit on. You can actually see that it is worn - when I sit down the seat is quite low and doesn't reshape when I stand up! It seems strange as my ex partner was heavier than me (being a man) but his side has no problems and the two seater is ok too.

My mother kept on at me to contact the store about it but I never got around to it until I'd had the sofa for 18months and the problem was much worse. When I rang them they said there was only a 1 year guarantee and I had opted out of buying the extended warranty!! Doesn't seem very long for a £4000 sofa and I never go for those extended warranties!! Cheeky sods! :mad: I thought that the brand (Calia) would be excellent and never expected any problems!! How wrong was I!!?

They tried to say that it was wear and tear but how can you expect a sofa to go like that after only a few months!! I told them it didn't seem fair so they sent me a form to fill in!! When I returned the form they replied stating that it was wear and tear and that they had arranged for someone to call out at a charge of £20 and they would give me a quote for repair. I was not happy at this and ignored all phonecalls from the guy who was meant to be calling as I wasn't paying a penny!!

I always planned on contacting Trading Standards about it but I'm one of those people who never has time to do things!! I'm now worried about the sofa because I paid so much for it - it's absolutely stunning but I haven't got the same looks on it due to the problems - I'm worried that I'm going to end up having to buy another sofa a lot sooner than I expected!!

Can anyone give me some advice on my rights in relation to this? Can I seek some form of redress through the finance company or the manufacturer? Is the store right in what they say? Do I have the right to have it repaired for free or have I left it too long?

Thanks

annie-c

Here is a link to Martin's article on consumer rights from the main site:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?newsid1049409737,88838,#unsatisfied

Basically the law isn't crystal clear but the 1979 Sale of Goods Act says that goods should be fit for purpose and last a 'reasonable' time. I would expect a £4000 sofa to last more than 18 months so I would go back to the shop and try again. Any shop-given warranty is in addition to your statutory rights, so the 12-month business is a red herring. If they refuse to agree a settlement with you (ie a repair, a replacement or a refund of a proportion of the cost-price minus wear and tear) then you would have to take them to court - but probably the threat of this (along with an in-store fuss!) would get them moving.

To be fair to the shop though, you'll need to give them a chance to help, so it will be important to return their phone calls, even if you have to be firm about what it is you want. I would also recommend tackling this sooner rather than later. Your argument simply won't hold up in court later on if you explain your delay by describing yourself as 'one of those people who never has time to do things!!'

Good luck

Annie

dealornodeal_3

Sorry to hear of your ordeal with the sofa!

Try the Mail on Sunday, they usually get things sorted.

But in all honesty, sometimes cheaper items last longer. Such as tv, settees, cars, hifi!

Venus_In_Furs_2

dealornodeal wrote: »

Sorry to hear of your ordeal with the sofa!

Try the Mail on Sunday, they usually get things sorted.

But in all honesty, sometimes cheaper items last longer. Such as tv, settees, cars, hifi!

I know - you're right - I only paid so much because it was the only one I could get in the colour I wanted - now everywhere is selling similar shades of red - they even have them in DFS!!

MKwife

Seriously contact your local trading standards.

http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/

Put in your postcode, and it will give you the e-mail address for your local office.

My sofa's had issues too and I contacted them after no joy from the shop.

They will give you good advice and will tell you if you have a case. They are very good, they responded to my e-mail within 24 hours.

Jeewhizz

I used to sell sofas for a large chain, and honestly, I would never ever buy one from DFS / Land of Leather etc... I ended up being promoted to the Customer Services side, and it was always the cheaper sofas that ended up having more issues.

That being said, that doesn't help you out as you paid a nice price for yours. I would insist that someone looks at it. As it is, it isn't a huge job to repair, and I can't imagine that it would cost a lot. I happen to know of a good furniture repair company that specialise in leather repairs if you are interested. They did mine for me, and you can't even tell!

Jee

Venus_In_Furs_2

Thanks everyone for your great advice - I will contact Trading Standards today

Jeewhizz - if you can give me the name of the company in case I need it that would be great.

Also ..... would anyone know how much it'd cost to repair the springs in a 2 seater fabric settee - it's only a cheap one that I bought when I was in uni but the rest of the suite is in excellent condition and it's useful for my spare room. I've taken the plastic sheeting off and it has S springs - when I pull on them they have a lot of give and this must be the reason that the seat is dipping (it dips a lot and a sofa saver thing doesn't really help)

alzeebub

Jeewhizz, can you pm me the name of the furniture repair company too pls