My new leather chairs aren't (sorry to ramble)!

grace1402

In may this year I bought an oak extending table and 6 leather chairs (on my credit card).

I originally went into the shop to enquire about these items a couple of months earlier and the shop owner wrote down the table dimensions, price and stated '6 leather chairs'. I asked her specifically if the chairs were leather and she said quite directly that they were.

After a lot of problems with the shop getting the items delivered; They'd confirm a day/time and not show up, then showed up with just the table and did not return with the chairs, plus the table was faulty and had to be replaced! Eventually, I got all 6 chairs and a replacement table delivered last week, ONLY, the chairs are NOT leather at all but a good quality faux leather. We can tell they are not leather as you can see in the right light there is a repeat pattern in the leather grain the same on every chair, ther is no 'leather' smell, and we've had a look at the underside of the fabric under a leg.

I am otherwise very pleased the the table and chairs but feel cheated that they are not leather and specifically wanted leather.:mad:

Where do I stand (sit!)) on this? How can they get away with selling people faux for real?

Uniscots97

Contact your trading standards department and ask them, they should be able to advise you what to do. It is illegal to claim good are "leather" when they are not.

bindiboo

ohh that is a big big issue. trading standards would most definaltely be interested in this as they are mis discribing goods. Contact them for advise

myrnahaz

There was a label on my leather chairs giving care advise etc, and a leather trademark sign (a drawing of a cowhide). Do you still have the paper on which she wrote 'leather chairs' as this will be an important piece of evidence and will stop the store trying to say that you misheard the woman. Better still would be if it's written on the invoice. You should certainly get in touch with trading standards and maybe go back to the shop and ask how you can tell if the chairs are leather (or ask a friend to go). When you speak to trading standards, make sure you emphasise the point that you would never have bought them if you'd known that they were imitation.

grace1402

I have spoken to Consumer Direct. They basically said that I'd have to send the whole lot back and get a refund. I don't want to do this (it was bad enough trying to get the stuff in the first palce) the table is THE one I've wanted all along. The chairs are my issue (I know that other retailers sell the same design in gen. leather). I was also told by Consumers Direct that no action would be taken against the shop unless they get a load of complaints.

There were no labels on my chairs stating they are leather, just pull off ones attached to the backs for fire regs. There is no indication they are genuine leather or even faux, just a fire regs label on the underside.

I've been tempted to ask a freind to go in as a 'potential customer' and get a written quote too.

liz_uk

Grace - was it Harveys by any chance ??

grace1402

No, a local shop!

Butlers1982

You would be better off putting this in the consumer vent forum to get some more advice to be honnest

myrnahaz

Don't go on Consumer Direct's advice - Trading standards will investigate just one single complaint (they did so when I told them that our local off licence was advertising wine for £8 for 1 bottle or bogof for £13, which certainly wasn't bogof - and I was the only one who had complained about it to TS). If this company is flouting the Trades Descriptions Act then you have a case that would be of interest to Trading Standards - I just googled Trading Standards and got the telephone number from there.

Even if you decide to keep the chairs (I'd be tempted to buy the genuine leather ones from elsewhere) you should still make trading standards aware of this swindling shop.

grace1402

where do I find that?

grace1402

where do I find that?