Damaged Sofa

bel29

I bought a corner sofa group from a retailer. At about 10 months old the leather started peeling. I reported to the store and they contacted the manufacturer who sent someone out to  examine the damage. The technician said it was due to bodily fluids touching the seat and not a manufacturing fault. They offered a repair as a goodwill gesture. I reluctantly agreed. The damaged part of the sofa was picked up from my home on 6th June 2025. I have chased the repair up allowing what I think is a reasonable time. After a few attempts to contact them the store have said that the person who does this kind of repair is off due to personal issues.

It is now 12 weeks since they picked the sofa up and no indication of when it will be returned. What should be my next step?  Help

Aylesbury_Duck

Tell them you want to reject the sofa, given that you've gicen them a chance to repair it and it hasn't been done.  See what they come back with.

bel29

• Thank you for your input  Aylesbury Duck 
  
  Aylesbury_Duck said:
• Tell them you want to reject the sofa, given that you've gicen them a chance to repair it and it hasn't been done.  See what they come back with.
  
  phoned and said I want a refund and he said "no that's not happening, I need to contact the manufacturer and get back to you"  I told him I was going to go to the small claims court. He said "Go ahead  that's what to do"    Not a pleasant phone call at all.  I can't afford to go to court so I don't think there is anything left that I can do.  Guess they get away with it.

Silver_Shark

How much was the sofa as that would be the guide to the cost of making a claim.

Send them a letter before action as that is the first step to take, cost of a first class stamp may show them you mean business.

They can't get away with what they have done  by not returning your sofa to you.

sheramber

Very generous of them to offer to repair a sofa they say is not faulty.  

I suspect it  was  bonded leather which is now peeling. 

If they cannot repair it then they should return it to you. 

You can check the court fees here   https://www.gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money/court-fees

You can include the fees in your claim. 

Sending a letter before action will only cost the price of a stamp ( get free proof of postage at the post office) and that may be enough to get some action. 

There are templates online for the letter of CAB can help you. 

eskbanker

bel29 said:

phoned and said I want a refund and he said "no that's not happening, I need to contact the manufacturer and get back to you"  I told him I was going to go to the small claims court. He said "Go ahead  that's what to do"    Not a pleasant phone call at all.  I can't afford to go to court so I don't think there is anything left that I can do.  Guess they get away with it.

It's a high risk game to be threatening court if you don't mean it and aren't prepared to go through with it, as by saying that's what you're doing, you (a) eliminate other potential resolutions and (b) leave yourself open to exactly that sort of 'see you in court' response, made by those who may be able to spot bluffers as well as those who are genuinely confident in their ability to defend their position.

Silver_Shark

eskbanker said:

It's a high risk game to be threatening court if you don't mean it and aren't prepared to go through with it, as by saying that's what you're doing, you (a) eliminate other potential resolutions and (b) leave yourself open to exactly that sort of 'see you in court' response, made by those who may be able to spot bluffers as well as those who are genuinely confident in their ability to defend their position.

OP needs to check the court fees first as they may be affordable and can be claimed back if court action is taken. The damaged part of the sofa has been taken away and not returned  which is totally unacceptable.

bel29

eskbanker said:

bel29 said:

phoned and said I want a refund and he said "no that's not happening, I need to contact the manufacturer and get back to you"  I told him I was going to go to the small claims court. He said "Go ahead  that's what to do"    Not a pleasant phone call at all.  I can't afford to go to court so I don't think there is anything left that I can do.  Guess they get away with it.

It's a high risk game to be threatening court if you don't mean it and aren't prepared to go through with it, as by saying that's what you're doing, you (a) eliminate other potential resolutions and (b) leave yourself open to exactly that sort of 'see you in court' response, made by those who may be able to spot bluffers as well as those who are genuinely confident in their ability to defend their position.

I have already emailed a letter before action and the just ignored it. I'm going to go ahead with the court as I see I can claim back the upfront cost. If I Win lol

sonearandyetsofa

Did any of the information you received about your sofa include that it was made of "bonded" leather? The ASA suggest that's misleading, I'd expect a court to come to the same conclusions: https://www.asa.org.uk/news/making-sure-your-ad-isnt-given-a-hiding.html

I'd also expect even a bonded leather sofa to last more than 10 months, but given the heatwaves we've been having this year it could be that they're causing more issues as it might make the adhesive fail on bonded leather. Bonded leather isn't repairable, but real leather is.

Is it the leather itself that is peeling, or is it the surface coating? If it peels to reveal a fabric backing, usually in a different colour and noticeably different texture, that's bonded leather. If it peels to reveal more leather underneath with a similar texture but just a paler or different colour, that's the surface pigmented coating coming off. The surface coating can be damaged by:

-natural oils from your skin over a long period of time (10 months wouldn't be long enough)

-oils from your skin over a shorter period of time if you're on particular types of medication, usually heart medication. I still think 10 months is too short a time for this.

-unsuitable cleaning products like washing up liquid, harsh laundry detergent, abrasives, non-water solvents

-some cosmetics and beauty products particularly hairspray and fake tan

If it's reacting to skin or something on the skin you'll notice the problem occurs on areas where your skin makes contact with the surface - headrests, armrests, and parts or the seat or front if you have bare legs. 

Either way, 10 months is not a reasonable length of time, and if you're not on heart medication, covered in fake tan or cleaning it with strong cleaners, it should stand up to normal domestic use for much longer than that.

12 weeks isn't a reasonable amount of time for them to do a repair, or for you to be without a sofa, but it is about the same length of time as it takes for most manufacturers overseas to make a new one. I wonder if they're actually planning to replace that section while making out like it isn't an issue? If they tell you they're replacing it, you'd have evidence that they agree it's faulty, making them potentially liable for any future similar issues arising with the other piece. If they just quietly replace it while calling it a goodwill gesture, then if/when the other piece fails they can wash their hands of it and say it's what you're doing with it that's causing the problem.

You can get an independent inspection from an expert to support your court case. Typically they cost £90 for a report from one of the big companies (or at least, they did five years ago). Just make sure you're using a different company to the one the retailer is using! You don't have to use a big firm either, you might have some luck with a local upholstery repair company - all you really need is a written professional opinion from someone without an interest in the case. 

sheramber

sonearandyetsofa said:

Did any of the information you received about your sofa include that it was made of "bonded" leather? The ASA suggest that's misleading, I'd expect a court to come to the same conclusions: https://www.asa.org.uk/news/making-sure-your-ad-isnt-given-a-hiding.html

I'd also expect even a bonded leather sofa to last more than 10 months, but given the heatwaves we've been having this year it could be that they're causing more issues as it might make the adhesive fail on bonded leather. Bonded leather isn't repairable, but real leather is.

Is it the leather itself that is peeling, or is it the surface coating? If it peels to reveal a fabric backing, usually in a different colour and noticeably different texture, that's bonded leather. If it peels to reveal more leather underneath with a similar texture but just a paler or different colour, that's the surface pigmented coating coming off. The surface coating can be damaged by:

-natural oils from your skin over a long period of time (10 months wouldn't be long enough)

-oils from your skin over a shorter period of time if you're on particular types of medication, usually heart medication. I still think 10 months is too short a time for this.

-unsuitable cleaning products like washing up liquid, harsh laundry detergent, abrasives, non-water solvents

-some cosmetics and beauty products particularly hairspray and fake tan

If it's reacting to skin or something on the skin you'll notice the problem occurs on areas where your skin makes contact with the surface - headrests, armrests, and parts or the seat or front if you have bare legs. 

Either way, 10 months is not a reasonable length of time, and if you're not on heart medication, covered in fake tan or cleaning it with strong cleaners, it should stand up to normal domestic use for much longer than that.

12 weeks isn't a reasonable amount of time for them to do a repair, or for you to be without a sofa, but it is about the same length of time as it takes for most manufacturers overseas to make a new one. I wonder if they're actually planning to replace that section while making out like it isn't an issue? If they tell you they're replacing it, you'd have evidence that they agree it's faulty, making them potentially liable for any future similar issues arising with the other piece. If they just quietly replace it while calling it a goodwill gesture, then if/when the other piece fails they can wash their hands of it and say it's what you're doing with it that's causing the problem.

You can get an independent inspection from an expert to support your court case. Typically they cost £90 for a report from one of the big companies (or at least, they did five years ago). Just make sure you're using a different company to the one the retailer is using! You don't have to use a big firm either, you might have some luck with a local upholstery repair company - all you really need is a written professional opinion from someone without an interest in the case. 

And the sofa back to inspect it. 

PHK

sonearandyetsofa said:

Did any of the information you received about your sofa include that it was made of "bonded" leather? The ASA suggest that's misleading, I'd expect a court to come to the same conclusions: https://www.asa.org.uk/news/making-sure-your-ad-isnt-given-a-hiding.html

I'd also expect even a bonded leather sofa to last more than 10 months, but given the heatwaves we've been having this year it could be that they're causing more issues as it might make the adhesive fail on bonded leather. Bonded leather isn't repairable, but real leather is.

Is it the leather itself that is peeling, or is it the surface coating? If it peels to reveal a fabric backing, usually in a different colour and noticeably different texture, that's bonded leather. If it peels to reveal more leather underneath with a similar texture but just a paler or different colour, that's the surface pigmented coating coming off. The surface coating can be damaged by:

-natural oils from your skin over a long period of time (10 months wouldn't be long enough)

-oils from your skin over a shorter period of time if you're on particular types of medication, usually heart medication. I still think 10 months is too short a time for this.

-unsuitable cleaning products like washing up liquid, harsh laundry detergent, abrasives, non-water solvents

-some cosmetics and beauty products particularly hairspray and fake tan

If it's reacting to skin or something on the skin you'll notice the problem occurs on areas where your skin makes contact with the surface - headrests, armrests, and parts or the seat or front if you have bare legs. 

Either way, 10 months is not a reasonable length of time, and if you're not on heart medication, covered in fake tan or cleaning it with strong cleaners, it should stand up to normal domestic use for much longer than that.

12 weeks isn't a reasonable amount of time for them to do a repair, or for you to be without a sofa, but it is about the same length of time as it takes for most manufacturers overseas to make a new one. I wonder if they're actually planning to replace that section while making out like it isn't an issue? If they tell you they're replacing it, you'd have evidence that they agree it's faulty, making them potentially liable for any future similar issues arising with the other piece. If they just quietly replace it while calling it a goodwill gesture, then if/when the other piece fails they can wash their hands of it and say it's what you're doing with it that's causing the problem.

You can get an independent inspection from an expert to support your court case. Typically they cost £90 for a report from one of the big companies (or at least, they did five years ago). Just make sure you're using a different company to the one the retailer is using! You don't have to use a big firm either, you might have some luck with a local upholstery repair company - all you really need is a written professional opinion from someone without an interest in the case. 

I agree with this, but just to add that if it’s an aniline leather, that isn’t cleaned regularly, then oils can seep in and discolour then peel in months. (Not saying the OP doesn’t clean or use the protector, just adding to the information)