DFS sofa smell

Charlongo

I bought a DFS Sophia sofa in January and received it two weeks ago. When it was delivered it had a strong smell but I just assumed it was new sofa smell. it made my throat sore for a few days but after a week the smell changed to sort of cheesy, fousty smell. I spoke to customer services who sent a guy out to check and he said it was just new sofa smell and it would wear off but he would go into store later and check with them and then see if they could spray it to get rid if the strong smell.

i heard from a manager at my local store on Tuesday this week and he arranged to come out today (Friday). He said he couldn’t smell anything at all. He said I told him it was new sofa smell on the phone but I didn’t I told him it smells mouldy. The manager said on this occasion they wouldn’t do anything. He also said that he had never come across this problem before (ha! It’s all over the internet).

it came with some throw cushions which I took off as they’re too bulky and put in a bag. He opened one of them and said look that there is the fire retardant, all the sofa main cushions have that. Well it doesn’t look the same on the main cushions. He also said that it’s not the foam that’s sprayed only the fabric, not sure that is so. 

It’s not just me that can smell it , my mum lives with me and she can smell it on my clothes when I walk past her. She says it smells like onions. I daren’t sit on the sofa if I’m going out anywhere cos it makes my clothes smell.

I don’t know what to do. I can’t bear it. When I sit down t pouffs up with the smell. I can smell it when I walk in my front door!  I feel like the manager has doomed me to be stuck with it. I want to cry. 

Markmywords

can they not exchange it for you? Sounds a nightmare

Aylesbury_Duck

Now that we have some warmer weather, open all your windows and give the sofa and room some decent ventilation.  Put the throw cushions out to air, too.

Charlongo

Markmywords said:

can they not exchange it for you? Sounds a nightmare

Nope! The manager says it doesn’t smell at all and there’s nothing more he can do.

Charlongo

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Now that we have some warmer weather, open all your windows and give the sofa and room some decent ventilation.  Put the throw cushions out to air, too.

We’ve already done that.

Aylesbury_Duck

Did you order it online? 
On exactly which date did you receive it?
On exactly which date did you first report the problem?
How did you pay for it?

Grumpy_chap

Any new soft furnishings will smell, well, new.
Some people seem to be more sensitive to it than others.
Here is another example:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6573493/dreams-mattress-very-smelly/p1

Charlongo

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Did you order it online? 
On exactly which date did you receive it?
On exactly which date did you first report the problem?
How did you pay for it?

Ordered it in store on 30.12.24
received 7.2.25
first reported on 10.2.25
paid on finance

Charlongo

Grumpy_chap said:

Any new soft furnishings will smell, well, new.
Some people seem to be more sensitive to it than others.
Here is another example:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6573493/dreams-mattress-very-smelly/p1

It doesn’t smell new, it smells mouldy. My mum says that when I walk past her it smells like onions. I can’t sit on it in any clothes I need to go out in cos it makes them smell.

Aylesbury_Duck

Charlongo said:

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Did you order it online? 
On exactly which date did you receive it?
On exactly which date did you first report the problem?
How did you pay for it?

Ordered it in store on 30.12.24
received 7.2.25
first reported on 10.2.25
paid on finance

OK, so a 'distance sale's return is out.

You could speak to the finance provider, they are equally liable.

Cara.w.x

We have had the same issue. It’s been 3 years and the smell is still overpoweringly strong. It seems to be much worse when there is damp in the air, so we have a large de-humidifier next to it. It gets even worse when you try to use water based fabric freshener too. We also were told in the beginning that the smell would wear off. If it wasn’t bespoke made to fit a weird space we have in our living room and the fact it took ages to be delivered, I would have complained more to get it changed. 

I hope you have managed to get it replaced.