Bought leather sofa - realised it's fake

Norma_Desmond

Sadly most new 'leather' furniture is of terrible quality - I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.

Friends of ours bought a suite that started to crack and scuff within weeks. Turns out it was made from bonded leather which is pretty much the sweepings from the factory floor.

Buy antique/vintage for longevity - our 120 year old chesterfield is full hide leather, cost us £90 from a local auction house and has barely a mark on it.

Sorry, 'modern furniture rant' is now over.

Exile_geordie

....

~beanie~ wrote: »

have you got any proof that they sold you a sofa?

....

Enigma80

Exile_geordie wrote: »

....

....

Are you feeling ok???

pinkshoes

Enigma80 wrote: »

Hi all,

We bought a leather suite (sofa and two armchairs) when we bought our house in March 2010, paid using my credit card.

Only now have we realised it's not real leather as it's started to crack and one of the panels has started to fade/loose colour, and you can see the back of the 'leather' which is a fabric (PVC). We paid just under a grand for it, and they told us it was on clearance as it was the last one.

I'm assuming because it's been so long since we bought it there's nothing we can do about it?

Thanks

A leather sofa should last more than 3.5 years. Reject it under the sale of goods act and ask for a repair/refund/replacement.

My parents have a leather Chesterfield which is 35 years old and good condition! Mine is M&S leather and still looks great 8 years later!

teddysmum

Leather does crack if not properly cleaned and nourished, as can be seen on old car seats.

£1000 seems very cheap for a leather suite. Ours, direct from Frayling's factory (so much lower than retail), more than 20 years ago, was over £3000.

yangptangkipperbang

teddysmum wrote: »

£1000 seems very cheap for a leather suite.

Not necessarily............

teddysmum wrote: »

Ours, direct from Frayling's factory (so much lower than retail), more than 20 years ago, was over £3000.

I, many years ago, along with many thousands of others who haven't complained on MSE, bought a leather suite from DFS, who would obviously fall outside of your reckoning.
It was very competitively priced (cheap - to you ?), and it was delivered on the day they said it would. It lasted me - and the family - and the cat, for many years. When I downsized earlier this year the suite was "donated" to my son. He and his Alsatian are now doing their thing to it.
It has no scratches, cracks or marks of any kind on it, the springing is still absolutely fine - as far as I am concerned it it was a quality piece of furniture with a bargain price attached to it.

Wherever you buy, DFS or Harrods, you need to keep your wits about you - just because it costs a lot doesn't necessarily mean you are buying quality.......................

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2471704/Fake-Romanee-Conti-wine-sold-UK-years-police-reveal.html

Enigma80

Yes leather does crack if left out in the sun for prolonged periods of time and not treated, hence car seats cracking after a long while. I always clean my leather (sofa and car seats) with leather cleaner/treatment which generally consists of a nourishing cream or carnauba wax. Obviously I've been wasting my money on leather treatment for the sofa's as I might have as well been using Pledge or some kind of other chemical detergent.

dreamypuma

Enigma80 wrote: »

The invoice said Amalfi, which is basically a particular leather from the Amalfi region of Italy.

No it's not. It's a place in Italy after which your sofa is named. It is not indicative of any part of your sofa seeing Italy, in a similar way very few Ford Cortinas or Capris ever saw Italy. Marketing to conjur up visions of Italian pedigree, and sell cheap products for a premium. Your invoice does not say "Amalfi Leather"

The likelihood is that the sofa is either bonded or bi-cast, both of which aren't quality finishes, and can be prone to cracking as described.

earthstorm

Depends on the suite as searching Goolge they do

http://www.sofaitalia.co.uk/leather-sofas/amalfi-collection/amalfi-3-seat-italian-leather-sofa.html

The Amalfi sofas are upholstered in full grain semi-aniline leather. Each sofa is unique as leather is a natural product and as such often shows signatures from the animal's life; (such as hair folicles, scars and stretch marks which lend character to the leather.) We don't believe in the use of split, Bicast, PVC or faux leathers and for that reason you will not find these inferior quality products anywhere on this sofa.

but then you can get

http://www.harvey-norman.co.uk/sofas/corner-sofas/amalfi-leather-recliner-lounge.html

Faux leather tobacco finish

so it looks like the Amalfi range comes in real leather and fake leather