New Three Piece Suite Nightmare

Robocop35

Hi,

May parents ordered a new three piece suite from a retailer in hampshire which was made by Parker Knoll.  It was ordered in November and got delivered yesterday.  It cost just under £7,000.  They put this on credit cards.

They are not happy with it as its very uncomfortable, it came in sections which they put together, and very heavy to move.  They took our old suite away.

My parents went back to the retailer this morning and they were not interested at all and said that there is no 14 day cooling off period as it was ordered to specifications back in November and were not helpful at all as they wanted to get rid of it as they don't like it at all.

They are now going to order a new sofa from another retailer, and will probably only get a couple hundred of pounds for the old one at best.

Is there anything that can be done, I am sure there probably isnt?

Many thanks

James

Sandtree

Did they go instore at all before/to order or was it all done online or over the telephone?

On the basis you say they "went back" would suggest this wasnt a distance selling and as such there is no statutory right to cancel for "change of mind" which is what you are thinking of with the 14 days cooling off.

You do have statutory right to reject the goods if they are faulty/not as advertised etc within 30 days irrespective of how it was bought or if its bespoke etc however "its not comfortable" is very subjective and difficult to prove that its an actual fault.

sheramber

Did they try a similar suite in the shop?

Robocop35

Hi,

Thanks for your message.  They ordered the three piece reclining set in the showroom.  My parents thought the feet rest came out separately but it does not as it tilts the whole chair back when you press the button.

The retailer was not interested and said the manufacturer Parker Knoll would not care as well.  Its an expensive mistake with £7,000 down the toilet.

Sandtree

Robocop35 said:

Hi,

Thanks for your message.  They ordered the three piece reclining set in the showroom.  My parents thought the feet rest came out separately but it does not as it tilts the whole chair back when you press the button.

The retailer was not interested and said the manufacturer Parker Knoll would not care as well.  Its an expensive mistake with £7,000 down the toilet.

Then as above, they went in store so could have tested how the reclining mechanism worked or asked the sales person if they didnt have one on display and this was important to them. As such there is no statutory cooling off period. They should read the T&Cs they agreed to about returns policy but you are down to their terms if its accepted that its a simple change of mind/your mistake over what features it had.

There is always an argument they are faulty or not as described but it seems increasingly unlikely as you add detail to the events. It would be up to you to prove the problem however if you want to reject the item in the first 30 days.

Manxman_in_exile

Did they not ask what features the suite had and did they not ask how the reclining mechanism worked in practice?

If they did ask and they were given inaccurate or wrong information then they may have some sort of claim.  But if they just bought what they saw without asking, then it's basically down to them.

Ergates

Robocop35 said:

Hi,

Thanks for your message.  They ordered the three piece reclining set in the showroom.  My parents thought the feet rest came out separately but it does not as it tilts the whole chair back when you press the button.

The retailer was not interested and said the manufacturer Parker Knoll would not care as well.  Its an expensive mistake with £7,000 down the toilet.

The 14 day cooling off period for online (distance) orders is intended to give someone the same ability to see/test/try on the product as if they'd purchased it in person from a shop.   As your parents *did* order in person from a shop it wouldn't apply here.

Grumpy_chap

It is hard to see how there are any consumer rights here.  

Sounds more like buyer's remorse.

How the recliner works and comfort can both be tested in store.  Is it that the reclining back now hits the wall?  If so, either pull the chair out a bit if there is room or use as is and pretend there is no recliner function.

Sorry I can't give a more amenable solution

Thrugelmir

Robocop35 said:

They are not happy with it as its very uncomfortable, 

How does it differ to the one they tried instore? 

soolin

Having had my Parker Knoll suite delivered just in time for Christmas I would suggest they persevere with it rather than potentially lose thousands of pounds. These sofas are wonderful and the best I have ever had. The foot rest and back are linked so no, as your parents have found out you cannot raise the foot rest unless you allow the back to move a little as well, but it is easy to get the perfect tilt and height of foot rest to suit with a bit of trial and error. I don’t think I found any in any of the show rooms I visited that had a separate mechanism , they do carry full catalogue and specs online that can be checked, although a bit late I suppose to d it now rather than before purchasing.

Definitely  persevere rather than just give up .

Manxman_in_exile

soolin said:
...I would suggest they persevere with it rather than potentially lose thousands of pounds. These sofas are wonderful and the best I have ever had. ...

Definitely  persevere rather than just give up .

I agree with that.

soolin said:

... The foot rest and back are linked so no, as your parents have found out you cannot raise the foot rest unless you allow the back to move a little as well, but it is easy to get the perfect tilt and height of foot rest to suit with a bit of trial and error. I don’t think I found any in any of the show rooms I visited that had a separate mechanism , ...

And I don't know how old the OP's parents are and whether they have any physical ailments, but I'm in my mid-60s and have had a bad back for over 40 years.  I can't imagine anything more uncomfortable or painful than sitting in a recliner where raising of the foot rest is NOT linked to the back moving.  Just raising the feet and lower legs without at the same time opening the angle at the hips puts too much strain on the hamstings and lower back.  A sure fire recipe for discomfort and back pain!

They need to persevere and experiment with different angles.