Furniture company threatening to reclaim good that were paid for!

Kashkai

We bought a new table and chairs from a furniture company in meath last month that were delivered last week. When it was being assembled, my wife noticed some holes and marks on the table and that a chip was out of one of the chairs. There was a phone call between her and the furniture company manager who said that we could keep the table and chairs until after christmas when we would get a replacement. At the furniture company's suggestion, we paid €1,400 which was €300 less than what we had agreed until the replacement was delivered and then we would pay the balance.

Then today, my wife gets a call from the manager to say that he was sending someone around to collect the table and chairs as he couldn't source a replacement. This means that we won't have a table or chairs from now until probably after christmas.

We paid for this furniture in good faith and don't see why we should have to hand it back (with our money refunded or so he says) when he is reneging on the deal, and be without a table and chairs until the new year. I also don't want the hassle of having to trawl around furniture shops again looking for the "right" table:mad:

Mr. Presentable

Prosperous Dave wrote: »

We bought a new table and chairs from a furniture company in meath last month that were delivered last week. When it was being assembled, my wife noticed some holes and marks on the table and that a chip was out of one of the chairs. There was a phone call between her and the furniture company manager who said that we could keep the table and chairs until after christmas when we would get a replacement. At the furniture company's suggestion, we paid €1,400 which was €300 less than what we had agreed until the replacement was delivered and then we would pay the balance.

Then today, my wife gets a call from the manager to say that he was sending someone around to collect the table and chairs as he couldn't source a replacement. This means that we won't have a table or chairs from now until probably after christmas.

We paid for this furniture in good faith and don't see why we should have to hand it back (with our money refunded or so he says) and be without a table and chairs until the new year. I also don't want the hassle of having to trawl around furniture shops again looking for the "right" table:mad:

Do you want to keep the damaged furniture, then? Or just until after Christmas and then return it?

If you are happy with your purchase I'm sure the vendor would allow you to keep it. If you are not happy, then by law the vendor has to repair or replace or refund. He can do neither of the first two so he's giving a refund.

Do I have it right?

Oryx

Are you willing to keep the goods permanently? Could you negotiate a price if you keep them. Get other goods in lieu of the difference maybe?

Otherwise I would imagine youll need to give them back if you are being refunded in full. They guy needs to be able to return them for his own refund, and perhaps he knows he cant get it with another 2 months use on them.

miju

Oryx wrote: »

Otherwise I would imagine youll need to give them back if you are being refunded in full. They guy needs to be able to return them for his own refund, and perhaps he knows he cant get it with another 2 months use on them.

agreed I would imagine shop manager was initially trying to be customer friendly. However, the above situation as outlined by Oryx has probably reared its head and he's left with no choice but to ask for furniture back.

Carlow52

IMO:
Furniture company threatening to reclaim good that were paid for!

is not in fact what is happening here.

Why there is a need to use such misleading language is beyond me: this is not the Irish Star or Sun where attention seeking headlines, with no substance are the norm

Kashkai

The position as it stood yesterday is that out of the blue, this guy phones my wife and informs her that his delivery men will be at our house within the next hour to collect the table and chairs. My wife was totally taken aback by this as it was just a week ago that he said we could keep the table and chairs until after christmas when he would supply a new set. We were the ones who wanted to return them immediately as damaged goods. However, his suggestion last week was reasonable and so we agreed to it and in the meantime we gave our old and fairly battered table and chairs to a friend for her new house as we didn't want it cluttering up our house.

So when this guy rings my wife without any warning to say that his guys will be collecting the table and chairs within the next hour, and thus reneging on his own arrangement, and leaving us with no table and chairs for weeks if not months until we source a new one, then I think the headline was true and accurate, i.e. he was threatening to reclaim goods that have been paid for on foot of his suggested arrangement.

Following my initial post, I had a "full and frank exchange of views" with him over the phone and it appears that:

his supplier's factory has burned down and he can't get a replacement - I would have thought that he'd check that before he made his arrangement with us last week. And the factory just burning down is very coincidental don't you think.

he hasn't cashed our cheque and therefore we haven't paid for the goods in his opinion. I believe that as he has our signed cheque for €1,000 in his possession and whether or not he's cashed it is his problem. He also had a €400 deposit on credit card since September.

he had people in his showroom last weekend who wanted the same table as ours but he had just sold his last showroom model. He had told them that we would be returning ours and they would be happy to take our table with the holes and scratches if it was delivered to them soon and so we are denying him his sale by keeping the table.

It appears that he wants to suit himself and leave us in the lurch with no table and chairs probably until after christmas. As we don't fancy eating christmas dinner standing up or sitting on the floor, we don't want to suit this guy (who is reneging on his own arrangement btw) and let him have the table and chairs to sell to someone else while he is not offering us anything in return i.e. a replacement. Getting our money back is not going to solve the problem of sourcing a new table and chairs this side of christmas. Wasting several weekends dragging our 4 kids around bloody furniture shops again is not our idea of fun. We thought we had this sorted back in September. And if he hadn't suggested that we keep the table and chairs until after christmas, then we would have sent them straight back last week no problem as we still had our old furniture.

I don't think we are being unreasonable here. We are the ones who are being inconvienienced as this guy has found new buyers for the damaged goods and thus he has changed his mind about his own arrangement and wants to suit himself.

Anyways, after 29 minutes on the phone, he said he'd let us keep the table and chairs until after christmas when he'd be collecting them but that we were inconviencing him greatly.

darc

I found a place that's closing in JFK industrial estate with ex house of fraser & M&S furniture.

They still had about 6 really nice dining sets in stock last weekend for about €700 (reduced from €2800). Glass top with solid oak cross legs + 6 leather chairs and similar. - mainly solid oak stuff.

Name is Branded Furniture and they are located just inside the JFK industrial estate coming in from Killeen road.

tallaghtoutlaws

Prosperous Dave wrote: »

I don't think we are being unreasonable here. We are the ones who are being inconvienienced as this guy has found new buyers for the damaged goods and thus he has changed his mind about his own arrangement and wants to suit himself.

Honestly OP I think you are being very stubborn here. Christmas is still just over a month away. There is still loads of time to find new furniture elsewhere. You have two options:

1. Give him back his crappy furniture and take all your money back and go and give your money to another company who WILL look after you.

or

2. Keep fighting this issue keep his crappy furniture over Christmas and still get no end result as now at this stage do you honestly think he will be any more forgiving or helpful after?

Whether he is right or wrong the more you fight this the less he will be willing to help you out. Taking the full refund in my opinion and shopping around for a company who will gladly take your well earned cash in exchange for furniture is the best option.

Edit: Right or wrong he actually isn't breaking any laws and has offered you a solution. He couldn't get a replacement and has offered you a full refund.

Kashkai

tallaghtoutlaws wrote: »

Honestly OP I think you are being very stubborn here. Christmas is still just over a month away. There is still loads of time to find new furniture elsewhere. You have two options:

1. Give him back his crappy furniture and take all your money back and go and give your money to another company who WILL look after you.

or

2. Keep fighting this issue keep his crappy furniture over Christmas and still get no end result as now at this stage do you honestly think he will be any more forgiving or helpful after?

Whether he is right or wrong the more you fight this the less he will be willing to help you out. Taking the full refund in my opinion and shopping around for a company who will gladly take your well earned cash in exchange for furniture is the best option.

Edit: Right or wrong he actually isn't breaking any laws and has offered you a solution. He couldn't get a replacement and has offered you a full refund.

I thought I'd put it plainly above but once again, if this table and chairs goes back now, then we don't have any table and chairs until we (a) find a replacement and (b) wait for it to be delivered.

I'm just wondering if you've ever actually bought furniture yourself? Now on our own past and recent experience, it takes many hours if not days of trawling around countless furniture shops to get what you want and then it takes weeks if not months to be delivered, e.g. this table was ordered at teh start of September, and delivered last week. We gave our old table and chairs away last weekend - what would you propose I do, ask for it back? Sorry I'm not that selfish and that would make me as bad as Mr. Furniture in Meath. However, we're not going to eat off the damn floor just so Mr. Furniture can resell our table and chairs to someone else so they have a nice table for Christmas, and he has his profit while we can lose out. Having your money back won't instantly put a table and chairs in the kitchen for the dinner this evening. World doesn't work like that.

To be honest, I wanted to send the stuff back last week but he offered us the "replacement in January" deal which we accepted - I think we were reasonable in accepting damaged goods while he got over 80% of his money. Just cause he's since changed his mind doesn't mean we should roll over and do what suits him. Christ it not as if he even offered another table as a replacement. Looks like the Celtic Tiger customer service if still alive and well :rolleyes:

tallaghtoutlaws

Prosperous Dave wrote: »

I thought I'd put it plainly above but once again, if this table and chairs goes back now, then we don't have any table and chairs until we (a) find a replacement and (b) wait for it to be delivered.

I'm just wondering if you've ever actually bought furniture yourself? Now on our own past and recent experience, it takes many hours if not days of trawling around countless furniture shops to get what you want and then it takes weeks if not months to be delivered, e.g. this table was ordered at teh start of September, and delivered last week. We gave our old table and chairs away last weekend - what would you propose I do, ask for it back? Sorry I'm not that selfish and that would make me as bad as Mr. Furniture in Meath. However, we're not going to eat off the damn floor just so Mr. Furniture can resell our table and chairs to someone else so they have a nice table for Christmas, and he has his profit while we can lose out. Having your money back won't instantly put a table and chairs in the kitchen for the dinner this evening. World doesn't work like that.

To be honest, I wanted to send the stuff back last week but he offered us the "replacement in January" deal which we accepted - I think we were reasonable in accepting damaged goods while he got over 80% of his money. Just cause he's since changed his mind doesn't mean we should roll over and do what suits him. Christ it not as if he even offered another table as a replacement. Looks like the Celtic Tiger customer service if still alive and well :rolleyes:

To answer your question yes I have bought furniture in the past and something similar happened me with furniture I bought when I moved into a new house this time 2 years ago. This company were very reputable and sent myself and the ex dodgy furniture and again like you we were stuck. They were aholes to us and refused to do anything. Now i usually dont go down the road of logic and sense but that time for once i did and sent their crap back to them and got my money back. I went around Dublin in every minute I had looking for furniture and came across a furniture store that had stuff in stock. Mind you it wasnt easy but honestly I felt better doing that than arguing with the other shower of muppetts.

We live in a time were some businesses and people think they can treat us like sh1t and expect us to continue shopping with them but you know fook them if they dont want to help you to help themselves walk away.

Mr Furniture is not going to do you any favours in the long run anyway and will most likely make your life more difficult. Ask yourself do you really need that sh1t before Christmas.

Your call ye know do what you think is best hey this is just my opinion of things and honestly it is one of these situation were you are damned if you do and damned if you dont. Hope everything works out for ye.

Kashkai

Yeah your're right, we don't need this sh1t coming up to christmas and if by some miracle, my wife comes across another table she likes (bearing in mind it took months and a trawl of furniture shops in Wicklow, Kildare, Dublin and Meath to find the last one!!) we'd be only to glad to get rid of the current table and chairs and have no further dealings with your man.

darc

Another place to try is Michael Murphy in Newbridge - well priced and most items are ex stock.

Kashkai

darc wrote: »

Another place to try is Michael Murphy in Newbridge - well priced and most items are ex stock.

Yeah I know this place - we spent over €2,000 on wooden floors from him. He's reasonable and delivers on time.