DFS Problem 10 March at 1:57PM in Consumer rights 5 replies 221 views

HappyLad214

Hi all,

I'm looking for a bit of advice on where to go next with my DFS problem.

we ordered a new sofa back in August 2021 and I have this morning taken delivery of their third effort to get it correctly manufactured.

it is again, wrong.

we will obviously go again with them to get another sofa to replace this one but in discussion with them they have conceded that the sofa in the configuration we have purchased is not achievable (its a corner sofa with additional units so the creepage of the units versus the cushions leaves a 350mm gap at the end)

trouble is I have no idea where to go - DFS are at best useless at escalating - we sent a letter requesting money back and didn't get a reply

ive looked up the ombudsman, but again is this the right route?

for context - we really do want this sofa - just correctly made which seems to be the difficulty, we have had wrong units, cushions etc its unbelievable the difficulty we are having. i have reams of correspondence and photos, i would be here for ages to run through the whole thing

we thought we had come to an agreement of a compromise on a manufacture issue and some money back but this latest sofa is worse than the one they collected!

any advice would be greatly appreciated 

powerful_Rogue

Send them a letter before action and start small claims court proceedings.

Alderbank

'we will obviously go again with them...'

Why? It's not at all obvious to me.
It's said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result.

When did you actually receive the first sofa and when did you report it as faulty?
I would demand a refund as they have had more than one unsuccessful attempt to sort it. Be aware that they may be entitled to apply a discount for the time you had a satisfactory sofa.

You have very clear knowledge of exactly what you want so you should talk to other sofa manufacturers to get the right product for you, although you might have to pay a little more.

I have no idea what 'creepage of the units' is but I am sure it is something no-one wants too much of.

JetpackVelociraptor

"we will obviously go again with them to get another sofa to replace this one"

Three attempts to get it right, failed every single time, poor customer service in rectifying the problem, failing to respond to your requests for compensation and now acknowledging that your original order isn't even possible, and you still want to buy from them? Why? I mean, I'm biased as I have my own business, but I just can't believe what companies like that get away with. 100% guarantee you can get a better product for similar money elsewhere. Do a search on Google Lens if you're having trouble finding something suitable, or just send pictures of what you want to other retailers and ask what they have that's similar.

My advice would be to insist on a cancellation and full refund as they have had three attempts to rectify the issue and have been completely unable to do so. Send them a letter before action, give them 14 days to respond and then escalate it to the finance or card company. If they've already accepted that the sofa wasn't as you ordered it, the order was incorrect or faulty, then they have no excuse to not refund you. Then order one elsewhere, and make sure when you place the order that you've clarified and have in writing exactly what it is you want and they've confirmed that's what they can produce.

EDIT Just saw your line about creepage of the units, are you saying there's a 350mm gap between the end of one unit in your sofa and the start of the next? As in 35cm, or over a foot? Aren't those units secured to each other with clips of some sort? If they're not, I would call that a pretty big design flaw. Nobody's sofa should have a foot long gap in it!

born_again

A picture to show exactly what the creepage is for the rest of us would help

anmarj

We have a corner unit from DFS, and there is a sort of hook and eye catch for connections and they can be a nightmare if the angle is not right