Anyone used www.oakfurnitureland.co.uk?

CustomersComeFirst

customer service is not about never making mistakes. we all do. it's about how you respond to things when they go wrong. Oak Furnitureland - a fail. I am staggered they can get away with not replacing faulty goods. apparently it's my fault for not reading the owners manual (lots of small print) before signing. Sorry?????

CustomersComeFirst

AZWH wrote: »

We had the misfortune to buy a mahogany sleigh bed set from them. The bed foot board rail came off to reveal shoddy manufacture. In addition the slats have warped which means whole lot rattle when my wife and I turnover waking both of us up. I called OFL so called customer service and arranged that the whole bed set would be collected and refunded (including the matching bedside tables that were part of the set) they arrived today took the bed, refused to take the bed side tables and when i phoned CS there attitude was tough there is nothing wrong with the bedside tables so we won't collect and refund, even though they agreed to collect all.

I am therefore in dispute with them, i have written to the MD so will see how far I get.

My opinion I would avoid OFL like the plague, historically we have bought furniture mostly from Furniture Village and been very happy with them, in future will look back at them but NEVER OFL.

Cheers
Gary

We are in dispute with OFL for damaged goods not being replaced. wrote to the MD. an associate called (he never replies when he's abroad - he must be abroad a lot....). what a shower of an organisation. time they paid for it - loss of word of mouth reputation is one way. keep posting people! wish i'd seen this thread before I purchased....

BadS_2

CustomersComeFirst wrote: »

We are in dispute with OFL for damaged goods not being replaced. wrote to the MD. an associate called (he never replies when he's abroad - he must be abroad a lot....). what a shower of an organisation. time they paid for it - loss of word of mouth reputation is one way. keep posting people! wish i'd seen this thread before I purchased....

Have you tried Jason Bannister MD Oak Furniture Land on jbannister@oakfurnitureland.co.uk

CustomersComeFirst

Thanks BadS - yes we did write to Jason Bannister. Got a reply from Anne Merryweather who 'replies on his behalf when he's out of the country' (or perhaps that should read 'responds to emails complaining about service or products'...) Went round the loop again of 'our policy is to restore damaged goods not replace them'. Getting her to understand we did not purchase a damaged table so we wanted a replacement went nowhere. We had no choice but to return the table for a refund. So - they lost a sale (and any future sales) despite the fact that the lovely delivery guys said they could easily have brought a new table on the van, it cost OFL 2 delivery trips, and word of mouth reputation will continue to be bad. No word from JB. No surprise there!

Nobstar

I bought and paid for in full the solid oak extending dining table and 10 chairs. When it was delivered the table had a substantial chip in it.
With only 24 hours to report a fault, I called to complain and was asked to submit photos. I was contacted a couple of days later when I asked for the table to be exchanged for a non-faulty one and was told that this wasn't protocol. They were sending someone out to fix it. I was unhappy with this. I didn't want it fixed! I wanted a new table!
The gentleman who came to repair the table said that the chip had already been filled at manufacturing. He wrote on his report "I re-filled the chip to match table. Chip on leaf filled at manufacturing. Customer is not satisfied" I called again to ask for a replacement table as it was clearly faulty, but again I was told that this was not protocol. Once they have received the report they would get back to me. It was then arranged a few days later for the table and chairs to be collected and a full refund would be given 3-5 days after collection. On 6th of September - 3 weeks after we complained the table was collected and the money was only put back on my card on 12th of September!
I would not recommend this company after my experience, if you must buy from them be very wary of their terms and conditions.

Nanjay

I have never purchased from this Company and after receiving a telephone call from my sister, yesterday who like me is an OAP and was in floods of tears over the rudeness and patronising behaviour of the person she spoke to from this Company, I never shall! She bought a table, chairs and sideboard last Christmas and within 5 weeks one of the chairs was coming apart.She is not computer literate but a family member helped her email them with photos on an ipad belonging to the relative - who did not keep the info, unfortunately. A "technician" arrived and said there had been problems with this particular line of goods and it would take a while to resolve. She waited and other matters of a personal nature cropped up so she did not chase them until recently when another chair developed the same fault. She was told they had tried to phone her and got no reply and they had "closed the case". They said it was her own fault and it was "not company policy" to actually write to the customer. I said they could not waive her rights under the Sale of Goods Act in this way if the goods were not fit for purpose, we elderly people cannot afford Solicitors for this sort of thing and because of government cutbacks to Local Government services many local Authorities have passed Consumer complaints formerly dealt with by Trading Standards to the CAB who must be heaving under the burden. Nevertheless I have told her to get together as much documentation as possible, get her family to take more photos and make an appointment with the Citizens advice bureau. Too many big companies are riding rouighshod over their duties under the Sale of Goods Act.

Jnelhams

Best way to deal with these sorts of problems, and furniture companies are notorious for "going bust" or selling faulty goods is as follows.

1) Always pay for Goods costing over £100 by Credit Card - even if the deposit is say £20.

2) For items that will cost in total less than £100 - Debit Card never cash - you have more chance of redress such as Charge Backs.

3) If it does not turn up on the date agreed, write and phone to establish what they are going to do to compensate you.

4) If it turns up, always sign for it as "unchecked" and when you do check it photograph and send copies of the damage to the company within 7 days.

5) Insist on a replacement or refund, repairs are not worth the hassle, they are often symptom of other faults yet to appear.- You have a right on Sale of Goods to reject faulty items.

6) If after giving the company a reasonable period say 28 days to resolve the issue, they have not done so file a claim at Moneyclaim on Line.

7) Have your day in Court take your letters, phone call notes, and photos - chances are they will not show up anyway, but you have proof so you should get the full cost of the item back, and any additional related costs (not loss of earnings.)

8) The company will have a set period to respond, after that you can speak to the Court about sending in the bailiffs - but unless the company has gone bust, they will have paid up, few will want bailiffs at the Head Office.

You can always find out where a company is based by going on the Companies House website for free, where you can obtain the registered address. It is also a legal requirement (Companies Act) to put the registered address on any paperwork and website - if it's not there complain to the Advertising Standards Agency, who can take action. Website Whois may not always give the company address, as many companies use 3rd parties for websites.

The Moneyclaim site is a government site, it's cheap, fairly easy to use and get's results. Don't worry if the company is miles from you, as an individual you can ask the Court to have the hearing near to you, as you are not a company and do not have the resources to attend a distant Court.

Trading Standards, CAB are all options, but Moneyclaim is quicker.

Remember if the Company goes bust, and you paid by Credit Card you are protected and any fault or problem can be claimed on the Card issuer.

Debit Cards may allow a Charge Back - so you have some possibility of getting your money back if the company goes bust, but not with cash - they never have the funds....

http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk//wcframe?name=accessCompanyInfo

https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/web/mcol/welcome

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/sale-of-goods-act/

http://www.oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/738369/738375/OFT002_SOGA_explained.pdf

Malcolm,_Essex

I used oakfurnitureland co uk recently.They have a big showroom at Lakeside retail park, (Essex). But beware, I now have NO furniture yet have spent £150.

Do not fall into the expensive trap that I did.

Their furniture appears to be of excellent quality and most aspects of their operation are very good, including the delivery (apart from the fact that they do not deliver at weekends).

I purchased four matching items including a wardrobe. I was a little concerned if the wardrobe would fit up my staircase, but the salesman assured me that the base separated from the upper part, making it much smaller. (They do not sell flat-pack, it's quality pre-assembled furniture).

Now I did read the T&C's. Delivery was free. If I was not satisfied I had let them know within seven days and I would get a full refund. However I had to pay return transports costs.

I did of course measure my staircase and the wardrobe, but it is rather a complex 3D problem. I have two bends in my staircase. I thought that the Wardrobe would just fit up the staircase.

The delivery guys arrived and said they were not sure that it would,but they would try. Even with all their experience, they said the only real wayfor them to tell was to try it. They told me that the only way for me to be certain would be to have a cardboard box the same size as the wardrobe and try it out! (I had no such box). Anyway they tried and it did not fit.

(Do note that most of their furniture is big and well-built. However it looks smaller in their big showroom than it probably will in your house.)

It was pointless having any of the matching range of furniture that I had also ordered, if I could not have the wardrobe (I would have to buy a smaller/different style one).

Now I accept that the T&C's said it was my responsibility if it did not fit through the doors or up the stairs. It also said that I had to pay the return costs. What I did not appreciate the size of the return fee - I had to pay £150 to send the items back.(The fees were in the small print and on their website, somewhere).

I have now spent £150 with oakfurniture land and yet have NO furniture. My colleagues, family and friends cannot believe that I could spend so much money with them and have nothing to show for it.

It’s a strange policy, because I will never use them again.I don’t think any of my colleagues, family and friends will be using them either. It’s hardly a good advertisement, is it. A more reasonable return's fee or even the cost off a future purchase would be fairer.

I did contact customer services but they were very very slow to respond and effectively said "bad luck, it was all in the T&C's".

Malcolm,_Essex

Dexter12 wrote: »

I also ordered the rustic wardrobe which didn't fit up the stairs. It was returned but I had to pay £50 for this service as I should have measured the stair case to make sure furniture would fit. I accepted this although I did think £50 was a little excessive.

Dexter, I have just noticed that you had the same issue as me!

It's not easy to work out as a layman, if an item of furniture will fit up a staircase - it's quite a complex 3D problem. The best way is to try!

Strangely, even if I buy a cheap carpet, from a carpet shop, a guy will come and measure my room (free of charge). Why? - because the public would get the measurements wrong.

The furniture deliver guy admitted to me that I was the second person that day who's furniture did not fit and it was only 11.00am!

£50 an item (or so) is very EXCESSIVE!

(I have no complaints about their products or quality).

Pipparolo

To use a well worn phrase, they are what they are. I was seeking to refurnish after a fire, and bought for around £2000 a Dakota sofa bed and larger corner unit, and went to great lengths to explain the dimensions I wanted. These things come right or left handed, one would fit, the other wouldn't. I was quoted 6-8 weeks delivery, which mysteriously stretched to 12 when it came to signing the contract. However to give them their due, they arrived one day short of 7 weeks and rather clumsily started to deliver the modules which comprised the corner unit. They'd got one in the door before I realised they'd delivered the wrong 'hand' The argument ensued which I quickly settled by showing the invoice on which I'd insisted the salesman draw the correct orientation. They disappeared with the wrong unit, leaving the sofa bed which was at least correct.

The explanation provided was (and I paraphrase) "Sofas are new to us and you have exposed a flaw in our ordering system which didn't correctly identify the right or left handed sofa" They then explained that the cut off date for Christmas had passed and they wouldn't be delivering the right one until well into January. I told them no (quite firmly) and they promised to refund me, something that apparently will take 3-5 days. To be fair, 1 week after ordering the sofas, I also ordered 9 pieces of their mango wood (along with two free mirrors) furniture - another large order of around £2500. These arrived in perfect condition, with a different set of delivery men who worked hard to place the pieces exactly where I wanted them. I had paid a £39 supplement to accelerate the wooden furniture delivery and got it weeks before the upholstered stuff.

The moral? As of November 2013 they clearly have a mature effective hard furnishings business that does exactly what it says on the tin. Their soft furnishings however clearly need work in the ordering, delivery and customer service areas. The long, long lead times are barely tolerable when things go right, when they go wrong, they are not worth dealing with.