Leather suite faulty goods.?

daniel80

Hi 2years 8 months ago we purchased a leather suite costing 2.4k from DFS. We paid for a 5 year damage warranty ie stains scratches etc. We have noticed on one of the chairs which never gets sat on the leather has started to peel of leaving a red type mark by the stitching. On checking the others this is just starting to form in two other places. Went back to store as I thought this would be under warranty but they said this is a manufacture fault which there is only a two year warranty for. they told me to contact an upholsterer. Surely this should come under not fit for purpose, consumer rights act as the time of ownership is not really that long. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Tyler119

Hi there,

Difficult one this. Any product is expected to last a reasonable amount of time, which is vague to say the least.

When purchased did the retailer offer guidance on what sort of maintenance the leather should have? The leather on our sofa gets treated with cleaner and then a cream once a month. We were warned that not doing this would increase the chance of it drying out over time, which leads to peeling etc.

The type of leather used is important too. A high quality leather will usually allow you some leway with this maintenance, though not too much. A lesser quality leather, or indeed a blended leather, will indeed have problems after a few years. There may be a reason that the manufacturer only does a 2 year warranty for it. It should be noted that a blended leather is sold as a leather sofa and lots of people fall into the trap of thinking they are purchasing long lasting quality. That is not to say this has happened to you.

I would advise getting an upholsterer to give a professional opinion on how long the type of leather cover should last? Once you have this you would need to contact the manufacturer and see how it goes from there?

If it had been a frame that had failed then it would be much simpler as these are usually guaranteed for between 5 to 10 years.

daniel80

Thanks for your reply Tyler119 we did at the same time buy from them a cherish leather care kit which we use. Have looked at citizens advice and they said sale of goods act your covered up to 6 years if applicable . I don't expect a replacement or money back but I think due to the amount of time they should organise a repair instead of just giving me the number of an upholsterer.

paddyrg

;-)

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oldoakey

Sounds to me that you have been sold a product that is not leather at all and to that end I would try and gain some evidence as to exactly what they are actually calling it in their advertising or point of sale or within your contract of sale to see if they have stated its real leather.

its almost certain that its a Bicast product which to me should never be called leather. Bicast is like the fish fingers of leather all the bits compressed with a top coating of polyurethane applied. This is a far inferior product and you may have been mis-sold.

To my knowledge they always peel (usually within 2-4 years) and there is not much at all that you can successfully do with it.

I would ring trading standards or/and consumer direct and report the store for selling something which clearly it is not.

macman

What are terms of the additional 'damage warranty' which you purchased? Sounds like they sold you some sort of accidental damage cover, which may well have duplicated what your existing contents insurance already provides for.
Under SOGA you'd need to prove a pre-existing fault, which means that you pay for a report upfront at your own expense.