Sofa Purchase from Groupon

PoshSprout

I'm hoping someone here can clarify my rights here.

I purchased a corner sofa from Groupon at the end of November, it arrived 7 working days later. I unpacked it and assembled it then realised the colour was wrong. It was black instead of brown. In my defence it was delivered in the evening and was assembled with the lights on. I initially thought that the colour was darker than what it looked like in the picture. But no, it was definitely black. It actually looked OK in my lounge, so I thought rather than go through the hassle of sending it back I'd keep it. I subsequently disposed of my old furniture feeling pleased that although the sofa was cheap it appeared to be quite good for the price I paid.

Later that evening, I sat on the corner part of the sofa and the bottom gave way. I am not overweight or particularly heavy so I wouldn't expect it to give way like it did. I contacted Groupon and explained to them the item was not fit for purpose and that i would like it repaired or money to fund the repair and they told me to return it (at my expense) for a refund or to keep it and have £40 worth of Groupon credit. I did a bit of Googling and came across the Which website that explains that if an item is faulty or unfit for purpose then I was not liable for the cost of the return carriage and I could request a repair. I explained this in a subsequent email and requested that the sofa be repaired...and it got ignored... For nearly a week. They only replied when I threatened them with section 75 (I paid in full on my credit card). The reply stated that they don't do repairs and to provide some dates for collection with a sorry for the inconvenience message at the end.

I provided them with three dates in January (essentially the first three Saturdays) and specified that I would settle for a partial refund to cover the cost of repairs. In the mean time, my partner sat on one of the 'good' seats and that also gave way. As it was the weekend and we had nothing else to sit on in our Lounge, we went to B&Q and spend £25 on hardboard to put under the cushions. This has served us well so far.

The response from Groupon was that the dates in January I have provided are too far in the future. I replied stating that if I send back the furniture now, I won't have anything to sit on over the Christmas holidays, and by the time they receive the sofa and process the refund I would not be able to find a suitable replacement to be delivered in time. They have responded saying that I can either keep the item and have £70 Groupon credit or to co-operate with returning the item.

As far as I see it, I have co-operated. I've sent them photographs when requested, given them convenient dates for which to collect the sofa and responded to them in a timely manner. I've explained the reasons why it's inconvenient for the sofa to be collected before the new year but now they are insinuating that I am not being co-operative I'm starting to feel like I'm in the wrong.

I've also explained what I believe to be the underlying problem with the furniture. Which as I see it is that the webbing under the seats is elasticated and not tight enough to support the weight of an adult. The fabric used to finish the sofa under the seats is not suitable for where it's been used. The chaise part of the sofa has velcro on the underside to keep the cushion in place. When I pulled it off, the velcro remained attached to the cushion but tore the fabric underneath. It has also torn where the webbing hasn't supported it. It's just a mess basically.

I'm not sure what to do now, whether to tell them to collect it ASAP and suffer the holidays by cancelling on my guests and sitting on bean bags with the kids, or persist until I can get some money out of them to get it repaired. I'm also worried that they will try and dispute the fact it's not fit for purpose after their 14 day return window closes. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

BoGoF

You have basically rejected the goods and will be getting a full refund (I think?)...would think therefore they are perfectly entitled to collect the rejected goods now.

LilElvis

As you're rejecting it then you need to return it. The list of faults sounds like it would be uneconomic to repair in any case.

tykesi

As above, if you want to reject it I don't see how it's their problem if you're left without furniture, it was your choice to reject.

As always the motto I apply to any big purchase is worth bearing in mind - buy cheap, buy twice!

PoshSprout

Thank you for your responses. I a few questions though. I'm curious as to what constitutes a rejection? Because in every message I've sent I have specified that I would approve a repair or money towards a repair.

As for it being uneconomical, I can buy some webbing & I have a staple gun. I'm sure I can manage tensioning and stapling some webbing to the frame so that it doesn't fall through. I personally don't think it's an uneconomical fix for me. I just don't see why I would have to purchase something that is apparently finished and have to do more work on it.

As for buy cheap buy twice, I totally agree but I wouldn't expect to buy a settee and not be able to sit on it. Tbh I thought at worse, the finish of the settee would be terrible and not that it is unusable without modification. Who in the world manufactures something that is unsaleable intentionally?

So what the consensus is, is that I have to suffer the consequences of being sent faulty goods?