Leather problems after 3 years

Murphybear

mr_stripey said:

after three years it is not surprising that the leather doesn't look the same when it was brand new.

I bought a brand new electrically operated leather chair recently.  The one it replaced was nearly 25 years old.  After just 3 years the leather looked very good and it certainly didn’t look any different  The reason I got a new one was that the electric mechanism had given up the ghost and the leather had been assaulted by various cats.  

daveyjp

All down to colour and quality.  A lighter colour leather is likely to discolour over a shorter period than a darker colour as it picks up chemicals whuch pick up dirt and react with other chemicals.

Our dark suite is almost ten years old and one chair is now just showing signs of colour wear, it has not been affected by UV.

sheramber

I am on my second leather suite.
The first was at least 12 years old when we changed it and despite daily family wear and two dogs the colour was the same as when new. 

present one is 9 years old and still like new.

Both a  milky coffee colour. 

Both used in rooms where the sun shone on them for part of the day but they were unaffected. 

Current suite- sofa and two chairs- cost £3k in 2015.

MrMelling10

I have their report, which has minor errors the person sent by Costco was not from Homeserve he was from the Emmiera Group Ltd.Also it was not a Warranty claim.
I am aware of the modern leather technologies of Spraying, and I believe that the problem does not last like the full old tanning system as that can take years to process. I have replied explaining those errors plus I will be seeking an independent expert if need be.

I do wonder as to the impartiality of companies sending out experts.

Costco replied after their expert had sent in their report 

Good Afternoon,

 Regards to your recent Homeserve visit concerning order #.386662623

We regret to inform you that this has been deemed an invalid claim by Homeserve. They have stated that all the issues you reported are invalid claims and that the item has no manufacturing faults.

Due to this being an invalid claim, we would not be able to explore further warranty options. We do apologise 

powerful_Rogue

MrMelling10 said:

I have their report, which has minor errors the person sent by Costco was not from Homeserve he was from the Emmiera Group Ltd.Also it was not a Warranty claim.
I am aware of the modern leather technologies of Spraying, and I believe that the problem does not last like the full old tanning system as that can take years to process. I have replied explaining those errors plus I will be seeking an independent expert if need be.

I do wonder as to the impartiality of companies sending out experts.

Costco replied after their expert had sent in their report 

Good Afternoon,

 Regards to your recent Homeserve visit concerning order #.386662623

We regret to inform you that this has been deemed an invalid claim by Homeserve. They have stated that all the issues you reported are invalid claims and that the item has no manufacturing faults.

Due to this being an invalid claim, we would not be able to explore further warranty options. We do apologise 

Those minor details will make no difference to the actual report.
You now need to commission your own report and see if it finds in your favour. Then it will be upto the court to decide.

PHK

Can I just point out that body oils ARE naturally slightly acidic. If not wiped off during cleaning then they'll be absorbed into the leather or you don't use a protector (a liquid or cream that you apply that stops the hide absorbing body oils) then leather will break down overtime. 

In the past leather was often treated during manufacture  with some nasty chemicals to stop this (consumer programmes pointed out it caused irritation that stopped) or was covered in a thin plastic layer bonded to the leather. 

What Costco seem to be saying very nicely is that you haven't looked after the sofa. 

MrMelling10

We regret to inform you that Homeserve has deemed this an invalid claim. They have stated that all the issues you reported are invalid claims and that the item has no manufacturing faults.

_______________________________________________

Granted these are very minor issues. But then you wonder if one hand doesn't know what the other is doing when they made these errors.

They may be quoting from another report? with

Homeserve  No

Warranty Claim  No

All issues reported  No only one.

Anyway let's wait and see what their response will be to my last reply to that report hopefully it can be resolved amicably.

Thanks to everyone so far who has replied with their take/experiences on leather furniture

MrMelling10

I sorted it with Costco refund of £500 to get the section repaired

sonearandyetsofa

Just a heads up, Emmiera is the new name for Homeserve - they changed their name fairly recently but it's still exactly the same company.

Well done for the partial refund. Shop around for a good repairer and you should save some money, there's no way it should cost the full £500 to repair a 9inch wide area of leather!

Murphybear

I bought a beautiful adjustable leather chair about 20 years ago.  I have a lot of diabetes meds and use lots of skin care beauty products and oils.   None of these have affected the leather in any way.  I hadn’t heard of these issues but, unlike one of the Chemistry graduates on here, I only studied Chemistry to A Level

Since I retired I spend a lot of time in the chair.  I decided to buy a new one a few months ago as the mechanism that raises and lowers the chair was beginning to get a bit squeaky and Squeaky (my late cat) had been very fond of it and sharp little cat claws and leather aren’t a marriage made in heaven.  

I am hoping the new Squeaky free one will last more than 20 years but if I’m still around then and  as I shall be nearly 93 then I probably won’t care.