DFS sofa that is too hard to sit on

System

This discussion was created from comments split from: Faulty DFS sofa.

HardSofa2025

We have had exactly the same experience as many others have had. We have a sofa that is too hard to sit on, waiting, covered, in the middle of our living room, unused. DFS were extremely friendly and courteous up to the point were the sofa was delivered and after two evenings my wife developed a stiff neck and a pain in her back. They have refused to take it back or give us a refund. It is very much harder than the one we sat on in the showroom. They have since told us that it "needs wearing in". My wife's reply was, if she tries to wear it in, she will end up in A&E. We too have hit a brick wall. This seems to be company policy, all smiles and coffee, then after selling, pull up the drawbridge and drop the portcullis... DFS stores around the country appear to be reading from the same script. I wonder how many more people are in the same position? We are now faced with the prospect of paying £1000 over 4 years for something that is un-useable.

Grumpy_chap

This is a thread from four years ago.
The OP's case here seems not to be about how hard the cushions are.

born_again

Trouble is the one in the showroom will have had a lot of backsides sitting on it. Which makes then softer. 

paradigital

The one is the showroom will also have whatever is the upsold “premium” filling for the cushions, as well as being well worn in by a thousand backsides.

Hopefully our new DFS sofa goes well, it’s due on the 14th.

Grumpy_chap

When we purchased our sofa from DFS, there were a range of different cushion specifications and the store had the different options available in store to try and test which was more comfortable.  We made our selection, and the sofa delivered and all OK (there was some initial damage to some fabric, but that was resolved very professionally).

Has the OP confirmed that the cushion delivered are the correct firmness rating - not how they feel but that the correct cushions (as per labels) have been supplied?

With regard to the sofa being so hard it will result in the OP's wife ending up in A&E, how firm are the seats in A&E?
Or the local school / village / church hall?
Or a restaurant?
Or a bus / train?

screech_78

Customers often exaggerate. I don’t know why as it makes me want to help less.

Stick to the facts. 

pinkshoes

HardSofa2025 said:

We have had exactly the same experience as many others have had. We have a sofa that is too hard to sit on, waiting, covered, in the middle of our living room, unused. DFS were extremely friendly and courteous up to the point were the sofa was delivered and after two evenings my wife developed a stiff neck and a pain in her back. They have refused to take it back or give us a refund. It is very much harder than the one we sat on in the showroom. They have since told us that it "needs wearing in". My wife's reply was, if she tries to wear it in, she will end up in A&E. We too have hit a brick wall. This seems to be company policy, all smiles and coffee, then after selling, pull up the drawbridge and drop the portcullis... DFS stores around the country appear to be reading from the same script. I wonder how many more people are in the same position? We are now faced with the prospect of paying £1000 over 4 years for something that is un-useable.

So it's unused, but your wife has spent so much time sitting on it that it's given her severe pain in her neck and back??

I don't think this is the sofa at fault here. I think your wife is faulty and needs to seek medical advice if sitting on a sofa leaves her in pain. You shouldn't get neck pain from sitting on a firm surface. 

Sofas DO need to be worn in and are always stiff to start with. Our new one arrives in a few weeks (not DFS) and we're expecting to have to wear it. My M&S one (not being replaced) is 16 years old and remains very firm - I like it like that! 

Just buy a recliner chair for your wife, then invite your local rugby team over for tea and biscuits and I'm sure the sofa will soon be super squishy just like in the show room.

rarasarr23

I’ve had my DFS Leather Sofa for 25 months, it’s the most uncomfortable sofa I’ve ever had! 

Admittedly, I didn’t test out before buying as saw online, but it was not on display in shop. Ordered in store thinking it was like the older DFS Leather Sofa which was 12 years old and so comfortable. 

Big mistake, wish I’d kept the older one! 

On plus… I barely watch TV now as it’s so uncomfortable to sit on! 😂

sonearandyetsofa

All sofa fillings soften over time. With solid foam in particular, the structure of the little air bubbles inside needs to break down and soften in order for them to become reasonably comfortable for most people. Comfort is subjective too, I'd say you're unlikely to be able to reasonably argue that the sofa is faulty just because it's firm. You can however argue that it doesn't match what you ordered if that is the case, so definitely check the spec on your order vs the spec on the sofa you received. Bear in mind even if you ordered exactly the same as the one in the showroom it won't even begin to feel like that until you've been sitting on it on a regular basis for a while.

The manufacturers usually say it's about 4 weeks for the foam to become comfortable if it starts off firm. If DFS won't entertain a return, I would suggest you're better off sitting on it as much as possible, as frequently as possible, to speed up the process.

At £1000 if the sofa started off as soft as the showroom model, by the time you'd finished paying for it you'd be sitting with your knees up to your chin.