Consumer warning*- Homebase/Argos "ergonomic" chair

condra

If you are looking for a chair for your office or studio, choose carefully.

The "ergonomic" chair from Homebase has some nice features, such as mesh back and lumbar support. However, this chair is VERY heavy, so if you need to move around a bit (the whole point of being on wheels) this chair will frustrate you, and tire out your legs, even on a vinyl floor mat.

Also, and more importantly, this chair is not suitable for anyone over 5'8''.
The base is not very deep, and the "neck support" will destroy your upper back because it is quite low. I am 5'11'', the average height of a man, but the height of the back of the chair is not adjustable, and is best suited to someone of around 5'6''.

I bought this chair yesterday, and used it whilst on the computer last night for about 4 hours. It caused me to have a headache last night, and my back is in pain today. For 169 euro, I would prefer a chair which doesn't cause injury.

This is the offending chair.



You have been warned.

PS - I binned the original box, but still have the reciept. I'll be going back to Homebase during the week. I'll update this thread later.

shellyboo

womoma wrote: »

The base is not very deep, and the "neck support" will destroy your upper back because it is quite low. I am 5'11'', the average height of a man, but the height of the back of the chair is not adjustable, and is best suited to someone of around 5'6''.

Is it a man-only chair or are women allowed sit in it too? Because while 5'11 might be average for a guy, it's not for a woman. In fact, I'd say 5'8 was a pretty decent compromise that would suit everyone.

jor el

http://eirerules.blogspot.com/2007/11/facts-about-ireland.html

According to this, the avg male height in Ireland is 5'7", female is 5'5".

Anyway, since there's actually nothing wrong with the chair itself, just not suitable for you in particular, then the shop don't have to take it back. If you still had the packaging they would probably exchange it for you, but since you don't, they probably won't as the chair is not re-salable.

tallaghtoutlaws

Here is the description from the website:

"Size (H)152, (W)61, (D)56cm.High back chair with lumbar support for added comfort.Upholstered fabric seat.Mesh back rest.Swivel seat.Adjustable back with tilt mechanism.Gas lift seat height adjustable from 48 to 56cm.Overall height 122.5-130.5cm.Weight 19.7cmMounted on castors.Self-assembly 1 person recommended."

So surely if you had researched this you would have been able to judge by the actual adjustable height. This thread confused me. When I read the title I thought you were going to tell us how the chair collapsed of something but then after reading I would have thought common sense would be to check the dimensions and heights before buying. Very rare to find chairs these days that actually suit anyone over 6 foot anyway. Friend of mine delivers office furniture and showed him this thread and he said the same.

condra

shellyboo wrote: »

Is it a man-only chair or are women allowed sit in it too? Because while 5'11 might be average for a guy, it's not for a woman. In fact, I'd say 5'8 was a pretty decent compromise that would suit everyone.

Shelly I don't see the need for a reply with sarcastic tone so I won't waste my time addressing it further.

Jor El thanks for the reply. I would have thought the average height of an Irish man was taller but Ill take your word for it. Regardless, there are many chairs out there with height adjustable backs.

Tallaght thanks for the reply. I didn't buy the chair based on research. I bought it as a consumer in a shop. The display chair was tied down on a platform so I was unable to get a proper demonstration.
I do agree that unfortunatly it seems few chairs are designed with "tall" people in mind!

shellyboo

womoma wrote: »

Shelly I don't see the need for a reply with sarcastic tone so I won't waste my time addressing it further.

Just found it rather amusing that you seem to expect it to fit the average man... what about us poor womenfolk, eh? Some of us are only little.

My point stands though... 5'8 is a pretty decent attempt at some sort of happy medium. It's a shame you weren't able to try out the chair before you bought it to make sure it suited you, but them's the breaks.

FirefoxDCU

shellyboo wrote: »

Is it a man-only chair or are women allowed sit in it too?

No need for that sort of sniping. Anyone can make a sarcastic remark. It's not helpful.

OP-
I know those chairs. They look cool but are truly crap. Aside from the fact that they are better fitted to kids than adults, they weigh a ton because of the fat "chrome" legs (which get rusty).

I recommend you invest in a simple typists chair. They are oddly comfy. Hope you get it sorted.

condra

Cheers for the reply Firefox. And I agree, there is no need for sniping, but some people love to have a dig at a random stranger online given half the chance.
I think you might be right about the more standard "typists" chair. I'll keep an eye out for one with an adjustable back.

Got it sorted today in the end.

Credit where credit's due. The guy in Homebase, himself about 6'1'', turned things around in about five minutes and I got a full refund.

Shellyboo, I didn't expect the chair to fit the average man, but rather that it would either be universally comfortable, or adjustable to suit a broader range of sizes.
If you have a chip on your shoulder about being small, or female, it is not my problem and if you think I am going to let you away with implying that I'm chauvinist, you are barking up the wrong tree.
I suggest you burn your bra somewhere else, because I am about as feminist as they come, but I don't attack people because I think there is a slim chance they have a viewpoint that is less than politically correct. That would be utterly lame, oppurtinist, judgemental behaviour.

The issue has been resolved anyway, and hopefully, if someone else is condsidering buying the chair from Homebase or Argos, they might find this thread useful.

Thanks everyone for reading.

Lollipops23

shellyboo wrote: »

Just found it rather amusing that you seem to expect it to fit the average man... what about us poor womenfolk, eh? Some of us are only little.

My point stands though... 5'8 is a pretty decent attempt at some sort of happy medium. It's a shame you weren't able to try out the chair before you bought it to make sure it suited you, but them's the breaks.

i don't think a manufacturer assuming the average person is 5'8" is ok tbh. i'm a girl who's 5'7" which i wouldn't consider to FREAKISHLY tall, most men i know would be 5'11" plus. while there's loads of people who are short,assuming that tall people(who aren't exactly record-breakingly tall) don't need chairs is ludicrous.

dotsman

Don't mean to have a go at you or anything OP, but I would have thought that actually trying something like an ergonomic chair before you buy would be the only way to do it. Is it not a case of being a personal preference (ie what may be suitable for one person, would destroy the back on another?)

I bought my (very comfortable) mattress from mattress.ie. But I made sure to try it out in Clery's before hand (where it was €400 more expensive and take a further 3 weeks to deliver:eek:)

dirtycode

I was thinking of getting one of those chairs LOL thanks for the report bud!!!!

Sam Vimes

Lollipops23 wrote: »

i don't think a manufacturer assuming the average person is 5'8" is ok tbh. i'm a girl who's 5'7" which i wouldn't consider to FREAKISHLY tall, most men i know would be 5'11" plus. while there's loads of people who are short,assuming that tall people(who aren't exactly record-breakingly tall) don't need chairs is ludicrous.

if most men you know are over 5'11" you know a lot of people who are above average height. they assume the average person is 5'8" because the average person is about 5'8" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_height

and there's nothing wrong with building a chair for someone who's 5'8". they're not forcing people who are 5'11" to buy it, in fact they printed the dimensions on the box specifically so they wouldn't buy it. they may well do another model that's suitable for the OP's height

this is like blaming the manufacturer because he bought a pair of jeans three sizes too small.

shellyboo

womoma wrote: »

And I agree, there is no need for sniping, but some people love to have a dig at a random stranger online given half the chance.

Shellyboo, I didn't expect the chair to fit the average man, but rather that it would either be universally comfortable, or adjustable to suit a broader range of sizes.
If you have a chip on your shoulder about being small, or female, it is not my problem and if you think I am going to let you away with implying that I'm chauvinist, you are barking up the wrong tree.
I suggest you burn your bra somewhere else, because I am about as feminist as they come, but I don't attack people because I think there is a slim chance they have a viewpoint that is less than politically correct. That would be utterly lame, oppurtinist, judgemental behaviour.

*snigger*

We're taking ourselves awfully seriously in here today. I wasn't being feminist, I was making the point that not everyone is 5'11. Even if that is the average male height, that doesn't apply to the other half of the human population, who happen to be female. I wasn't calling you sexist, I was making my point in a lighthearted and rather silly manner. Sincere apologies and I shall take my good mood elsewhere.

Lollipops23

shellyboo wrote: »

*snigger*

We're taking ourselves awfully seriously in here today. I wasn't being feminist, I was making the point that not everyone is 5'11. ]/QUOTE]

and not everyone is 5'2"!what i'm trying to point out is that,while the average man may be 5'8"(really struggling to believe that) there's still loads of people that are above that,male and female.if i was manufacturing a chair i certainly wouldn't discount people over that height,i'd be losing a pretty big customer base.

Sam Vimes

Lollipops23 wrote: »

and not everyone is 5'2"!what i'm trying to point out is that,while the average man may be 5'8"(really struggling to believe that) there's still loads of people that are above that,male and female.if i was manufacturing a chair i certainly wouldn't discount people over that height,i'd be losing a pretty big customer base.

tell me Lollipops, when you go into a clothes shop do you expect to be able to find a single top that will fit everyone? and if not, why do you expect a chair company to make an ergonomic chair that will fit everyone?

they never meant it to fit everyone, they meant it to fit people up to about 5'8" and the OP is at fault for buying a chair that was designed for someone smaller than him. just because homebase only stocks the one size doesn't mean that the company only makes the one size. it most likely means homebase only bought the one that was likely to sell the most because it fits someone of average height

Lollipops23

funny this is the first time i've heard of furniture being made specifically for a certain-sized person.tell me,do you go into a bed shop and ask for a bed to made EXACTLY to your measurements?methinks not,they are meant to be one size fits all.

Sam Vimes

Lollipops23 wrote: »

funny this is the first time i've heard of furniture being made specifically for a certain-sized person.tell me,do you go into a bed shop and ask for a bed to made EXACTLY to your measurements?methinks not,they are meant to be one size fits all.

it's an ergonomic chair. i have a back problem and got a special chair in work. the company came out and measured me for exactly the right chair because one the wrong size would make the problem worse

condra

Yes, wip-skiddley-doo - I should have tried the chair out before buying it. Had I done so, I would not have bought it. Fair enough.

That doesn't mean it is a well designed product, or a quality product, or offers value for money, or deserves the "ergonomic" stamp.

It is a badly designed, so called "ergonomic chair" which is made in such a way that it will cause injury to anyone who is outside the narrow margain of suitable body types.

The large protruding bump which is supposed to fit snugly under your head, will either push forward a smaller persons head, or stick into the back of a taller person.

Other, better designed chairs, are much more forgiving to differing body sizes.

The chair weighs a whopping 20 kg. Moving this chair around on its wheels is excercise, not comfort.

A more cynical person might say that the chair was designed to cash in on the popularity of the Hermin Miller ergonomic mesh chairs, and has about as much ergonomic integrity as a pair of fishnet underpants.

Googling for more information, it seems I am not the only person who has had trouble with the chair.
(incidentally, this thread also came up on google, so anyone looking into the ergonomic chair from argos or homebase might come across it)

Perhaps I should have insisted that they took the chair down off the platform for a proper demonstration, but I don't usually like to be a fussy customer, and the chair does look much more comfortable than it is. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, especially when it's someone elses mistake and you can point the finger.

Either way, (again) my main point was to give some warning to anyone who might be considering buying the chair.

Thanks all for contributing.

PS- For what it's worth, I also find it hard to believe that the average Irish man is 5'8''. I dont know any grown men under around 5'9'' or 5'10''.

Sam Vimes

womoma wrote: »

Yes, wip-skiddley-doo - I should have tried the chair out before buying it. Had I done so, I would not have bought it. Fair enough.

That doesn't mean it is a well designed product, or a quality product, or offers value for money, or deserves the "ergonomic" stamp.

It is a badly designed, so called "ergonomic chair" which is made in such a way that it will cause injury to anyone who is outside the narrow margain of suitable body types.

The large protruding bump which is supposed to fit snugly under your head, will either push forward a smaller persons head, or stick into the back of a taller person.

In fairness, if i bought a pair of shoes that was too small i'd severely injure my feet. Of course the large protruding bump sticks into your back, it's designed to fit the head of someone several inches smaller than you. You are using the product for a purpose for which it was not designed so you can't complain when it doesn't do what you want it to do. You might as well have started a thread called "consumer warning. Toaster doesn't work under water"

womoma wrote: »

PS- For what it's worth, I also find it hard to believe that the average Irish man is 5'8''. I dont know any grown men under around 5'9'' or 5'10''.

i'm 5'8" and i know many people who are the same size as me or smaller but that's really irrelevant. Maybe there aren't many men that height but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with designing a chair for someone that height

condra

Sam Vimes wrote: »

In fairness, if i bought a pair of shoes that was too small i'd severely injure my feet.

Unsuitable analogies.
It is a chair, not a pair of shoes. Shoes have to fit perfectly to work. Furnature should be designed to suit a broad range of body types. If an item of furnature only works for a small margin of body types, and causes injury to others, it is badly designed.

that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with designing a chair for someone that height

The reason we generally dont have "size 2, 3, 4, and 5" chairs, is because they are designed to suit a broad range of body types, and so they should be.

For the third time...

my main point was to give some warning to anyone who might be considering buying the chair.

What part of that did you not understand?

I didnt rant about Homebase being some sort disreputable place to avoid, and I gave due credit to the way they handled the refund.

My other point was that the chair is, for the most part, an overpriced, badly designed piece of rubbish no matter what height you are.
I suppose now you are going to come back with somthing like "one mans rubbish is another mans treasure"... in which case you will have Shellboo jumping down your throat for not saying "one persons rubbish is another persons treasure".. and so on.

It looks like you are just starting to argue for the sake or arguing. Your analogies are not suitable, and you are midrepresenting me.
I'm sorry if my snotty moaning about a crap product, and how everyone should avoid it because it doesnt suit my very specific needs (being so freakishly tall at 5'11''), may have wound you up, but you'll get over it.

You might as well have started a thread called "consumer warning. Toaster doesn't work under water"

My witty retort could get me in trouble here but Im sure you can imagine what I was tempted to suggest.

Sam Vimes

womoma wrote: »

Unsuitable analogies.
It is a chair, not a pair of shoes. Shoes have to fit perfectly to work. Furnature should be designed to suit a broad range of body types. If an item of furnature only works for a small margin of body types, and causes injury to others, it is badly designed.

It is a chair, yes, but it is an ergonomic chair. As I already said, I got an ergonomic chair and the company came out and measured me because a chair that is specifically designed for back support is most certainly not one size fits all. If it was a regular chair you'd have a point but it's not, it's a specialist chair for a specialist purpose

womoma wrote: »

The reason we generally dont have "size 2, 3, 4, and 5" chairs, is because they are designed to suit a broad range of body types, and so they should be.

For the third time...
What part of that did you not understand?

oh i understand it but the only relevant advice is that you should check out a product before you buy it to make sure it's suitable. all your comments about the chair itself are incorrect because you were using it for a purpose for which is was not designed. you bought something that wasn't meant for you and you are moaning that it didn't suit you. but of course it didn't suit you, it wasn't meant for you!

Mr. Incognito

Why is this thread rated as 4 stars??

OP buys "ergonomic" :rolleyes: chair in Argos

Chair reveals iitself to be crap (surprise)

OP starts helpfull thread advising others that said chair is well, crap and unsuitable for anyone over 5'10.

Cue people arguing over average height, comparisions with shoes, shelly attacked for rightly pointing out women would use it (I didn't see any dripping sarcasm in her posts) OP taking every post as a personal attack and Sam, well, being Sam.

OP thanks for the heads up. Personally I wouldn't buy a chair from Argos if I had a dodgy back and I avoid anything marked "ergonomic" as it's generally the same rubbish with a premium slapped on it for labeling it "ergonomic".

"Oh, it costs £ more!"
"Yes dear, but it's ergonomic!"

Anyway- you're not alone.

Read the reviews:

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/6171287/Trail/searchtext>ERGONOMIC.htm

Also it's £125 sterling and €194 - looks like another case of "Paddy Tax"

FirefoxDCU

OP I think I now know why Sam has posted an average of 8 posts a day in since 2005. He obviously needs to have the last word on everything, so cant help but keep posting, until his victim concedes, or gets bored of his lame arguments.
He is even using "As I already said", before reiterating points that have little weight or relevancy.

Obviously you did a very idiotic and irrational thing by posting a consumer issue here in the "consumer issue" section.

Next time, read all the online reviews and spend a few hours researching and testing, before buying any product.

And if you do accidentally buy a crap product and decide to post about it here, make sure your language passes the PC-nazi filter.

FirefoxDCU

Mr. Incognito wrote: »

OP buys "ergonomic" :rolleyes: chair in Argos

OP bought it in HOMEBASE! duuhhhhhhhhh
Just thought I'd get that in before Sam.

Now, aren't I great for pointing out someone elses error?!

Maybe I've even earned Sams respect.

condra

Sam Vimes wrote: »

It is a chair, yes, but it is an ergonomic chair.

No. You are wrong. It is a crap product with the word "ergonomic" slapped on to sell more units. Homebase aren't ergonomic furnature specialists.

As I already said, I got an ergonomic chair and the company came out and measured me because a chair that is specifically designed for back support is most certainly not one size fits all.

Some people get suits made especially for them, other people buy them already made. Either way, with all due respect, your weak analogies are getting very boring.

If it was a regular chair you'd have a point but it's not, it's a specialist chair for a specialist purpose

No. You are wrong. It is not a specialist chair. See above.
And I do have a point. It is an overpriced, badly designed, crap product, which could cause injury, and I made a post to let people know this.

Sam, what is your cause here? You keep pointing out what I have already admitted - that I should have tried gotten a better demonstration of the chair before buying it.

I think you need to let it go. It's getting childish.

Sam I'll let you have the last word if you really need to, because this tit-for-tat stuff takes time, and I have better things to do with mine.

--
Incognito

OP taking every post as a personal attack

Indeed. I can be sensitive and defensive, but you have to understand, the internet is SEER-YUS-BIZ-NEZ. :eek:

Sam Vimes

FirefoxDCU wrote: »

OP I think I now know why Sam has posted an average of 8 posts a day in since 2005. He obviously needs to have the last word on everything, so cant help but keep posting, until his victim concedes, or gets bored of his lame arguments.
He is even using "As I already said", before reiterating points that have little weight or relevancy.

Obviously you did a very idiotic and irrational thing by posting a consumer issue here in the "consumer issue" section.

Next time, read all the online reviews and spend a few hours researching and testing, before buying any product.

And if you do accidentally buy a crap product and decide to post about it here, make sure your language passes the PC-nazi filter.

my arguments are not lame. he is blaming a product because he is trying to use it for a purpose for which is was not designed.

he has not in fact posted a consumer issue in the consumer issues forum, he has posted an issue that was entirely his own fault and blamed the product because he did not investigate it enough before buying it. it's something that appears all the time in this forum and it pisses me off when people blame their own mistakes on other people/companies/things. The case where someone got something as a present, destroyed the packaging and "warned everyone" that the shop wouldn't take it back springs to mind. This was the OP's fault, not the product's fault and the title "Consumer warning*- Homebase/Argos "ergonomic" chair " is misleading, it should read "Consumer warning*- don't buy sh!t that's too small for you"

but if you want to dismiss everything i've said with sweeping generalisations based on my postcount you go right ahead. as far as i'm concerned, the only times when i "cant help but keep posting, until my victim concedes" is when my "victim" is very clearly in the wrong

condra

yawn

Sam Vimes

womoma wrote: »

yawn

Look mate, I just don't like seeing people blaming others for their mistakes as happens too often on this forum. you bought a chair that was too small for you and it's not the fault of the chair. Yawning at me to try to make a joke of me because you can't respond just makes you look immature tbh

FirefoxDCU

OP-
I am unsubscribing from this thread now and I think you probably should too because this guy is just going to further frustrate you, whilst embarrassing himself.

Sam-
FFS the OP admitted that it was a mistake to buy a chair that was not suitable for him.
You are completely missing the point, but you just wont let it go.
He was warning people that it is only suitable to certain people, and could injure others.
Some people order these chairs online, and would not have the oppurtunity to try them out.

I suppose they shouldnt get angry either, when they wake up with a sore back after a couple of hours on an uncomfortable chair that was advertised as "ergonomic". ...

"But it WASNT DESIGNED for tall people" ... SIGH...
Then it should be called "Comfy chair for small people", and that would still be a stretch considering it weighs 20 kgs.

Like I said earlier in the thread, I know those chairs and they truly are utterly crap. I have had to sit in one for a while, and the neckrest did tweak my shoulders, and yes this did bother me too. I was more bothered by the weight of the chair though. I cant believe the price they charge for them.

Sam, he offered to let you have the last word out of politeness, and exasperation.
Out of respect you could have agreed to disagree like any normal mature person would do, but instead you began another barrage of childish arguments. You really are coming across very badly.

You are arguing out of pride now because you obviously take the internet WAY too seriously. Get out more.

condra

FirefoxDCU wrote: »

You are arguing out of pride now because you obviously take the internet WAY too seriously. Get out more.

+1

dirtycode

Sam Vimes wrote: »

... because you can't respond just makes you look immature tbh

:rolleyes:
Dood judging by his posts Im sure he could respond but he said he would leave you with the last word so youre totally milking it, and now going all in with the ad hominem stuff. Youre just one of these angry internet guys who wont back down from anything. LOL

I agree with his YAWN and I agree with firefox to put email notify off because this is turning into the angry sam show. i wouldnt say get out more id say have a spliff or a drink or a hand shandy or something. I do all 3 proper regularly and it keeps me from getting all p***ed off about words on a computer screen.

Bet you love all these faces