Sofology Cancellation

SofaSurfer008

After a previous order of a sofa was unable to be delivered due to the size we went to Sofology. 

We spent a lot of time explaining the situation to the assistants in store. We gave measurements and showed pictures of the space the sofa would need to be delivered through.  We felt reassured that there would be no issues with delivery. 

After 6 weeks the big day arrived our new sofa was been delivered.  Bad news it couldn't be delivered,  same access issue.

As per Sofology T's and C's, if I want to now cancel the order I would be up for a 40% fee, as I ordered in store.  If I had ordered online or by phone, I would not have been charged as I'm protected by the distance selling act.

As anyway had any similar experience and managed to cancel without paying the hefty fee?

I'd be happy to take the fee as store credit as I will be in the market for another sofa shortly. 

Any assistance greatly appreciated 

Alderbank

You gave very clear instructions to Sofology and they agreed to them. That now forms part of the contract. They could have refused your specific requirements (that the chosen sofa could be safely manoeuvred to your choice of room) but didn't, and they would be expected to have sufficient knowledge of their products to know how to install them. For example some sofas can be separated into parts for installation.

It's not a change of mind, the sofa is not fit for its intended purpose.

However there must be something adrift with your measurements if two retailers and (presumably) two different delivery teams who do that job every day had the same problem.
Check all your measurements again. Make due allowance for things like bannisters, newel posts, half landings, winder stairs.
Retailers often say that their measurements might be out by up to 50mm so make at least a 50mm allowance on your measurements.
Were you present at delivery time? Did you take photos of the 'pinch point'?

born_again

Will it not go through a window?
That is how ours had to get into room.
As while it will go through the doorways, due to the offset between 2 doors (one is half width offset to other) it simply will not go through both due to angle.

sheramber

Do you have an existing sofa ro compare the size to check access?

SofaSurfer008

Alderbank said:

You gave very clear instructions to Sofology and they agreed to them. That now forms part of the contract. They could have refused your specific requirements (that the chosen sofa could be safely manoeuvred to your choice of room) but didn't, and they would be expected to have sufficient knowledge of their products to know how to install them. For example some sofas can be separated into parts for installation.

It's not a change of mind, the sofa is not fit for its intended purpose.

However there must be something adrift with your measurements if two retailers and (presumably) two different delivery teams who do that job every day had the same problem.
Check all your measurements again. Make due allowance for things like bannisters, newel posts, half landings, winder stairs.
Retailers often say that their measurements might be out by up to 50mm so make at least a 50mm allowance on your measurements.
Were you present at delivery time? Did you take photos of the 'pinch point'?

Thanks for the reply. We didn't do any measurements the first time as our old sofa, bought about 15 years ago was huge and we had no problem getting that into the room.

We were very careful the 2nd time, at least we thought we were, and came with measurements that we double checked.

It all seems a little unfair as we thought we doing the right thing by going in store.  Kicking myself for not ordering online now. 

tightauldgit

I don't really think ordering online would give you more rights in this case. If you've provided measurements to Sofology and they've agreed it can be delivered then its up to them to deliver it or refund you in full. Unless you didn't tell them about something relevant that has cause the issue?

Have you actually spoken to them or just going by your reading of the terms? 

SofaSurfer008

I'm currently talking to them but they appear to be standing behind their T's & C's.

The online clause is in there that allows me to reject within 14 days of delivery.  Distance selling regs etc.

Okell

SofaSurfer008 said:

Alderbank said:

You gave very clear instructions to Sofology and they agreed to them. That now forms part of the contract. They could have refused your specific requirements (that the chosen sofa could be safely manoeuvred to your choice of room) but didn't, and they would be expected to have sufficient knowledge of their products to know how to install them. For example some sofas can be separated into parts for installation.

It's not a change of mind, the sofa is not fit for its intended purpose.

However there must be something adrift with your measurements if two retailers and (presumably) two different delivery teams who do that job every day had the same problem.
Check all your measurements again. Make due allowance for things like bannisters, newel posts, half landings, winder stairs.
Retailers often say that their measurements might be out by up to 50mm so make at least a 50mm allowance on your measurements.
Were you present at delivery time? Did you take photos of the 'pinch point'?

Thanks for the reply. We didn't do any measurements the first time as our old sofa, bought about 15 years ago was huge and we had no problem getting that into the room...

Did you think to compare the measurements of your old sofa with the new one?  I think that's the first thing I'd have done rather than trying to measure the access.  I don't think you can reliably tell from measuring a door or a hall how large an item you can manouvre through it.  More often than not you can get somehing bigger than you think through.

Do you live in a house or a flat?

Unless access to the room is unusually difficult I'm surprised that professional furniture delivery men couldn't get it in there.  I've certainly had stuff delivered successfully that I was skeptical about.  I suspect your delivery men may not have had much experience of doing this.

And as somebody else has said, I've seen professionals remove a window when they couldn't get furniture through a door.

(Difficulty with a lot of new builds is that windows are too small or can't be removed, and doors, halls, stairs and landings are too small or narrow)

SofaSurfer008

We did measure the existing sofa. The issue isn't really the size of the sofa.  The old sofa could be broken down into smaller pieces and reassembled in situ.

Our house is a contemporary 3 storey townhouse roughly 15 years old. The large living area is on the first floor so the sofa needs to go up a flight of  stairs be turned back along a small hallway. That's the pinch point.

Okell

Modern townhouse - thought so.  Not built (or designed) for large items of furniture that can't be disassembled

There were a few similar threads on here a couple of years ago.

Don't suppose you have anything in writing from Sofology confirming that you had provided measurements to them and that they'd assured you that it would fit OK?  Note on the invoice or order form?  E-mails?

Don't suppose you recorded the conversation with staff instore?

Are your photos of the access date-stamped to show you took them prior to attempted delivery?  (You wouldn't have taken the photos in the first place if you hadn't needed to discuss access with Sofology staff instore, would you?).

turnitround

Measuring the space is one thing, getting a large sofa round a corner is another. We once lived in a three floor town house (never again) and getting any item of furniture up the stairs was awkward but doable until you hit the bend at the top of the stairs then impossible without scraping/gouging the walls which I'm sure the delivery guys don't want to be responsible for.

Giving measurements may be ok instore with sales staff but they are not the ones trying to maneuver heavy items upstairs and round tricky corners.
It always surprises me in these situations that the customers don't think they hold any responsibility for the cost of these failed deliveries.  Why should the stores/delivery people lose out.
I remember my first husband doing the job about ten years ago and the number of times he would be unable to deliver despite the customer ranting that they had 'got the last one in'.  He would be set up to make a few deliveries during the day and if a 'too large' item was one of the first deliveries scheduled and had to be taken back he would have to work round it all day taking the other deliveries off the vehicle which sometimes meant unloading and reloading the same item several times. He was paid per delivery so all the wasted time cost him dearly.