We ordered something from Furniture Direct in late April. Before we ordered it, we asked when it would be delivered as we needed it soon. The salesman said it would be a couple of weeks, and when questioned further, he confirmed that we could expect delivery in two weeks’ time. Satisfied that we would have the item by mid May, we paid in full for the item plus delivery.
Three weeks later I started calling Furniture Direct. After making several calls – they don’t ring their customers back – I was informed that the item would definitely be delivered the following week. I said this was unsatisfactory and asked about cancelling the order as I’d found something elsewhere that could be delivered immediately.
The manager I spoke with pointed out that the small print on the sales docket says no refund will be made for a ‘change of mind’. I argued that the situation is not a ‘change of mind’ on my part; it’s a breach of their verbal contract to deliver my furniture within two weeks. After substantial debate, the salesman said he could offer a credit note but not a refund. We can’t afford to be out of pocket for that amount of money, and there is no way we will be buying anything from Furniture Direct in future.
It’s been over 5 weeks now and (surprise, surprise) we haven’t heard from Furniture Direct. I’d much rather have a refund than the furniture now; I don’t want them to have my money. It seems that all I can do, though, is spread the word and save others from similar hassles.
A postscript: I was bitching about this to a friend last week and she said she’d ordered furniture for delivery in March – it hasn’t come yet, either. Imagine our surprise when we discovered we were BOTH dealing with Furniture Direct! I wonder how many more customer dollars they are sitting on while we wait in limbo for our furniture…