Dobbies - wrong furniture sent - what would you do?

JellyIsTremendous

Hi all,

I'm looking for some advice on whether Dobbies' proposed resolution is reasonable, or whether it's worth pushing back any further.

My partner and I bought a garden lounge set **in store** after sitting on and testing the display model. The seating position and comfort were the main reasons we chose it.

We took a day's annual leave to receive the delivery and spent around 2–3 hours assembling it. Once it was fully assembled, we realised the chairs were a completely different design (same colours/steel and cushion design), with a much more reclined seating position than the display model we'd tried.

We contacted Dobbies, sent them photos of both the display model and the furniture we received, and they've now confirmed in writing that the store had the previous year's model on display while the supplier is now providing a newer version. They've apologised and acknowledged that we made our purchase based on the display model.

They've offered:

* Free collection.

* A full refund once the furniture has been collected.

* A £20 Dobbies gift voucher as a goodwill gesture.

However, they've also said that:

* We have to dismantle and package the furniture ourselves before collection.

* The courier will arrange the collection date, and although Saturdays are sometimes available, they can't guarantee one, so I may need to take another day off work.

* They can't exchange our purchase for the older display model, although they said display furniture is only sold at the store manager's discretion once stock has run out.

I appreciate that they've accepted responsibility and offered a full refund, but I'm struggling with the fact that we're now expected to dismantle the furniture, package it, and likely take more time off work to resolve a mistake that wasn't ours.

My questions are:

* Is this about as good a resolution as we're likely to get?

* Is it reasonable to ask them to reconsider the goodwill gesture or collection arrangements given the additional inconvenience?

* Has anyone had a similar experience with Dobbies or another furniture retailer, and if so, how was it resolved?

I think a £20 store voucher for 2 lost days of annual leave and 6 hours dismantling, is pardon my French, !!!!!! poor, expecially when it's not our screw up.

I'd really appreciate any thoughts before deciding how to respond. (My partner used debit card at till unfortunately)

Aylesbury_Duck

How much would you be happy with?

Debit card doesn't matter, if you paid on credit card the resolution wouldn't have been as good as what's been offered.

Vitor

This is not a change-of-mind return. Dobbies has admitted that it displayed one model and supplied a materially different one, despite the seating position being central to the purchase. The goods are therefore not as described.

Under section 20 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the customer must make rejected goods available for collection and the retailer must bear the reasonable costs of returning them. I would tell Dobbies that the assembled furniture is available for collection, but I would not agree to spend several more hours dismantling and packaging it unless Dobbies provides assistance or pays the reasonable cost.

I would also ask for a Saturday collection or a properly defined weekday slot. They may not legally owe compensation for annual leave or inconvenience, but a £20 store voucher is derisory given their admitted error. I would escalate the complaint to head office and ask for a cash goodwill payment, not a voucher.

Jemma01

Can you please clarify why both of you took an annual leave for this? Couldn't one of you do that and then assemble on the weekend? Also wondering why it took assembling everything to realise they recline a bit too much! You only need one chair assembled to realise that.

If both of you are working, I would insist on Saturday collection, but that would be it. I would disassemble it and put it in the package, esp if I feel I could have avoided half of the impact.

TELLIT01

Furniture often requires more than one person in order to assemble, or dismantle, safely and without damaging the items.

sheramber

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82088966#Comment_82088966

presumably why jemna01 said assemble it at the weekend,

Brie

Maybe Dobbies would accept the items back still assembled and deliver the assembled display models that you wanted. And suitable compensation to account for your time and the fact you are getting "used" furniture. Then they would avoid problems with future customers by showing them what's on display and delivering something completely different.

eskbanker

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82089227#Comment_82089227

From OP:

However, they've also said that:

[…]

* They can't exchange our purchase for the older display model, although they said display furniture is only sold at the store manager's discretion once stock has run out.

Pollycat

Dobbies don't seem to be offering much at all considering they've acknowledged in writing that the issue is 100% of their making.

I wonder if the furniture is available from a different retailer…

Arunmor

If it was me, I would probably keep what has been delivered and negotiate a decent discount. Has it changed that much to make that option untenable?

JellyIsTremendous

Hi all, thanks for your help so far :)

An update and to clarify a few points

- I took annual leave to be in for the delivery.

- My partner and were assembling them at the same time. It was only when we flipped them and sat down in them and we realised we couldn't see eachother when sat in them that we went and dug out the flyer to find that in spite of the same name, the set had been updated and the design of how far the seats recline is quite different. Dobbies main customer service have acknowledged that this is definitely not the set we purchased from the store.

- Re: display stock - We have returned to the store twice in the midst of this - first, a staff member told us we could take the correct model away at the manager's discretion once other stock had been sold. We did say we would like to do this but he wasn't sure when that would be.

Three days later when we returned and spoke to the store manager (who has been lovely tbf), frustratingly, the store stock has been sold, including the display set. Of note, this particular store is not supported and they don't have their own van or anything. Some of the bigger stores do. Store manager has said we can bring the furniture there for a full refund, she's happy to accept it… however…

We cannot get the furniture in either of our vehicles (even dismantled, the long bar of the two seater is too big for my hatchback) and would have to use something like AnyVan which is going to cost a bomb. I don't really think this should be something where the onus is on us to do.

- The third party courier they use will not accept items assembled, they have to be packaged and they don't do Saturday collections.


The set has the exact same name and it really was not obvious until assembled - this is the one that was in the store and on the flyer:

And this is what turned up -