Any CREDIBLE sofa companies who don't charge the Earth

aldredd

Hi there, we're looking to buy a new sofa soon.

We don't have a huge budget, ruling out the likes of John Lewis etc
But, all I ever see in the vent & consumer rights forums are complaints about the likes of DFS, SCS etc and it's really putting me off with their dodgy pricing tactics and poor customer service.

Are there any real alternatives, or do we need to stump up the extra money?

aldredd

What are people's experiences with buying sofas from Next? Pricing seems sensible (a bit more than we'd planned, but nothing scary)

transient

Never had a problem with DFS nor have any family or friends. Think a lot of the companies get bad press personally. It is more of a case of when it goes wrong they arent too good at sorting it out as quickly as a customer expects

aldredd

transient wrote: »

Never had a problem with DFS nor have any family or friends. Think a lot of the companies get bad press personally. It is more of a case of when it goes wrong they arent too good at sorting it out as quickly as a customer expects

Thanks transient. Yes, it's true that you only hear when it goes wrong - and DFS (probably) sell more sofa's than other companies so not getting a balanced picture. What is their quality like?

tomtontom

My last two sofas have been from Ikea, the first a cheapy one (Klippan) and then the Stockholm. Both have been excellent. I gave away the Klippan after four years and am advised it is still going strong, and have no doubt the Stockholm will last even longer.

(They have recently changed the Stockholm, and I don't like the new one as much - however they do come up on ebay sometimes?)

LilElvis

We've got a 4 seater, 3 seater and armchair in leather from DFS which are nearly 10 years old and currently being abused on a daily basis by our toddler. It honestly looks as good as it did when we first got it with no loss of shape to any of the cushions or creasing to the leather. This was from their most expensive range and we must be one of the only ones to ever buy from them when there was no discount! Paying a lot from a 'quality' shop doesn't necessarily mean you are going to get a sofa that will last a lifetime. A family friend bought a leather suite from Heals at a cost of about £10k and after 6 months the cushions were saggy, misshapen and the whole thing looked like it had come from a charity shop after a couple of decades of use. I don't know about sofas from Next but their furniture is pretty poorly made - definitely sub-Ikea quality if the cabinets we have got are representative.

daveyjp

There are two thoughts with sofas. Some buy low value products knowing in 5 years or so they will be changing their furniture and will simply buy again. Others buy quality and expect it to last 10-20 years.

There is no such thing as a DFS sofa as they do a huge range. Some will be terrible, some will good.

It all comes down to your budget.

aldredd

Thanks for the replies.

Perhaps we won't completely discount them then. I was already a little put off by their dodgy pricing structures, (I can see right through them, just out of principle) but reading some of the horror stories just made me really think twice!

Mrs.C.A.R

I bought my sofa suite from DFS, not had a problem at all, the sofa is great. SCS i hate with a passion due to their pressure selling and lack of customer service. I never go in SCS anymore

daveyjp

Don't forget there are still plenty of independent furniture stores out there. At this time of year many are selling off last year display stock ready for new ranges.

meer53

My 2 DFS sofas have been great, still going strong after 11 years. One leather and one fabric, one delivered early, the other on time, i'd buy from them again. I didn't use their finance, but wouldn't hesitate to use it if it was to my benefit. I just chose what i could afford.