I purchased a new 2 seater sofa and 2 chairs from SCS, the delivery turned up today and the delivery men were unable to get the furniture into the property. They were useless couldn't speak much English and give up. There is another attempt arranged to deliver tomorrow with a different crew, hopefully this crew will be more professional. What I would like to know is what would happen if the second crew also fails to get the furniture into the property? Could I request a refund? I have never had problems before with getting furniture in and out of the property and that is with larger furniture i.e a 3 seater sofa.

The landlords (a company) and I are butting heads about both these issues. Claim damage to furniture: I have had to destroy 3 pieces of furniture due to mould. The mould I believe was caused due to a poor sealing window in our bedroom therefore letting in moisture. The landlords knew about this within a couple of months of moving in and never corrected it. I tried every year before winter to add my own seal but that ultimately fails. And heating the room was so expensive, as I believe there was no wall insulation as there were black spots of mould on 3 out of 4 walls and the noise from other neighbours was unbearable. I have receipts of the furniture and pictures of the mould but this isn't enough for them. Early leaving fee: Yes I know there is an agreement in place in which I must give a month's notice in writing. The fixed agreement had ended and I think I am right in saying I was on a periodic agreement. However, our neighbour was burgled (the building has 5 flats). We have had trouble with this neighbour before and felt unsafe anyway, but this was a tipping point. We so then started to view flats and found one which began the process of registering and references. We asked our landlords for a reference and said some of the following in an email "Due to the recent burglary we feel the time is right to move to another property.....". They did actually phone and mentioned they were surprised that we are leaving them after such a long time. I know this does not constitute a formal acknowledgement that we are leaving, but it wasn't until about 3 and a half weeks after this we moved out. They have then charged an early vacating fee but I am contesting this due to the circumstances of the burglary - they keep saying this is not a valid reason. The burgled tenant also implied I had something to do with this, which the landlords disagreed with. All in all, with some deductions which I do agree with BUT without the early vacating fee, I am asking for a small amount of money back from them. They do not agree. A case was opened with the TDS but based on what I have uploaded as evidence and the damage to furniture, they felt it was best that I not agree to this process and take it to court if I choose to do so. Not sure if I could also add this to a claim, but after a couple of years in that property and with complaints regarding noise etc, both me and my partner are now on anxiety medication - could I not add a claim against them for this? Any advice would be appreciated.

I am a little puzzled - a month or so prior to Christmas and up until about now, Furniture companies have had 'end of stock' sales, 'Black Friday' and 'Black Friday week' Sales. Prior To Christmas they had 'mid season' sales, 'Bank Holiday' sales ... and now they are having "new stock introductory" sales ! When exactly does anyone actually pay the recommended retail price for these items ??

Hi we bought a 4500 corner sofa and 2 seater in March 2017, in Jun 2017 developed spotting, long story but they sent out a furniture specialist who did a report and indicated Manufacturing defect! We confirmed to Harveys that we would like a replacement or refund and the problem was there within 6 months, they stated they will send out a repair company for cosmetic repairs - we rejected this based on the " cosmetic repairs" which may not be permanent, they can not guarantee a permanent repair and they have confirmed there is a manufacturing defect. We have written to them rejecting the Sofa and asking for a refund and also a replacement from another brand of sofa manufacturer, they have not responded, the suite has been bought under a Consumer Credit Act agreement which is interest free, please can we be advised what action we can now take under both the CCA 1974 and under the Consumer goods Act 2015. Thank you

Hello, I ordered built in wardrobes and some shelves for the existing wardrobes. After 6 weeks two gentlemen appeared and installed some of the items in awful quality, the shelves are not in line, pencil markings everywhere, dents to the existing wardrobes, etc. Along with that they ruined my cream carpets (I moved into a brand new house a 2 months ago! carpets are still in majority covered by the protective plastic layer, but everything around is now grey. In addition they put one of the wardrobes on top of the plastic !), stained the walls and ceiling. At the very end they started the installation of the doors to the wardrobes and these were of even worse quality and were damaged, so they took them off and disappeared. I contacted the company and send the photos. In response i was rudely told that nothing will be done to rectify my brand new house and if I want my doors I need to pay the last instalment. Is there anything I can do?

Hi I have the same problem with Argos, bought Hart of House Salsbury tan sofas, 100% "top"quality italian leather, delivered in december 2015, so only 15 months old. One of them blistered and peeled off on back rest, They sent castelan and told me that report proves that it is not manufacturing fault, I asked them to explain what the test was and this is what they said : " In simple terms, a rub test is the application of heat on the fabric (in this case leather), to check the prominence of natural oils (headoil) in the fabric/material. The lack of these oil can cause the cracking/blistering or flaking of the material. As this was not found to be the case on your sofa, there is no manufacturing fault.". I told them technician did not apply any heat on my damaged sofa, he only sprayed something and wiped it, that was all what he did, I also told him that I regularly apply leather protection cream on both sofas and only one has peeled off . I have send them letter under the Consumer act saying that the item is not satisfactory quality and they mislead me by selling them as "top quality", they still refure to pay for the repair. I am getting independent report from furniture reports £260, but worth it to take these sorry people to court. Please can you let me know if you have problem with the same sofa or any other Hart of house lether sofa? Many Thanks!!!

Shocking Customer Service in my encounter with a internet based bedding company bestpricebeds dot co dot uk / Flintshire Furniture , please read email from bestpricebeds received 17th January 2017, the wording in the said email to any customer is 'unacceptable'. The conduct of these internet based companies need reviewing else need closing down as they could have approached the customer in a more acceptable manner by a significant margin. It's like dealing with Del Boy from Peckham, "now item is sold i'll wash me hands and go to sleep like a baby." Please note - On taking delivery of the bed all we received was a delivery note with Flintshire Furniture details on there, upon finding faults we contacted the sender. Had the sender directed us towards bestprice we would have, however Dobby @ Flintshire by default took responsibility for the faults and attempted to rectify the issues themselves. - Dobby is fictional and was purposely substituted for the real name ------ still awaiting refund and reply.... Hello Please confirm if the refund has been processed. The bed was picked up by TMF Logistics last month. I look forward to your reply. Kind regards ----------------------------------------------------------------- To: Flintshire Furniture; customerservice at bestpricebeds dot co uk Subject: Re: Dobby Invoice #### / PO ##### Hello to whom it may concern @ bestpricebeds I have three boxes awaiting collection ASAP for full refund. Please advise of collection date. I have informed Dobby as well. Many thanks ----------------------------------------------------------------- From: Flintshire Furniture Sent: 18 January 2017 Subject: Re: Dobby Invoice #### / PO ##### Hi Can you please advise bestpricebeds so then can send me authorisation to collect. Regards Flintshire Furniture Ltd Tel: 01244 814673 Fax: 01244 559055 Web: flintshirefurniture ----------------------------------------------------------------- Sent: 18 January 2017 14:44 To: Flintshire Furniture Subject: Re: Dobby Invoice #### / PO ##### Hello Dobby I have the three boxes ready for you to arrange collection for ASAP, please confirm collection date. Thanks From: customerservice@bestpricebeds Sent: 17 January 2017 17:33 Subject: FW: order ##### ----------------------------------------------------------------- From: customerservice@bestpricebeds [mailto:customerservice@bestpricebeds dot co dot uk] Sent: 17 January 2017 17:28 Subject: order ##### Hello I have spoken to Flintshire Furniture who has gone through what has been done with your order placed 1.12.2016 Please let Me Explain to you , Your contract of Sale was between yourself and Bestpricebeds , You had a email order confirmation of our details sent by email With your order and we sent you a written receipt which would have gone to the billing address. If you read the Terms and Conditions that came with your email , it would clearly Explain the Faults procedure , it would also say that if you were not happy with the product You had to let us ( bestpricebeds dot co dot uk) your seller of the product know within 14 days of receiving the bed , explaining the problems , and sending pictures , so we could arrange a replacement You did not Do this at all , instead you bombarded the importer with emails and phone calls , This is totally wrong . For example if you purchase a Silentnight bed from Argos , and something was wrong you would go back to Argos Not contact the manufacturer. So here we are 17.01.2017 and you are telling me that you are not happy with your replacement bed , of which I did not know you had even had a replacement , because I have no emails contry to your first order on 01.12.2016 and that I understand has been with the courier since before Christmas But for some reason you would not take the replacement bed , and now that the replacement bed has been delivered , there was something wrong with that , Which Flintshire furniture has sent to you a part in the post to rectify No offence but you have made a complete shambles of the faults procedure YOU NEVER EVER go to the manufacturer or importer , you go to the company who sold it to you bestpricebeds dot co dot uk The fact that you have not adhered to those terms and not had any contact with me is Breach to our agreement or contract , and I and have reason enough to say , I do not want to have anything to do with you at all I have spoken to Flintshire Furniture who has said , Put the frame you have just received back in the boxes and wrap up the bed once this is done He will arrange collection of the frame , once he understands the bed frame has been collected we will refund you and put an end to this sorry Saga If you do not have the boxes however you cannot Return the Frame At All I hope you understand what I have written as you have done everything the wrong way with your complaint Customer Service ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BestPriceBeds Ltd 22 Redenhall Road Harleston Norfolk IP20 9ER w: bestpricebeds e: customerservice@bestpricebeds t: 01379 855456 f: 01379 855453 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Flintshire Furniture Sent: 16 January 2017 14:10 Subject: Re: Dobby Invoice #### / PO ##### Hi We received your emails and have a foot waiting to post, alternatively wrap the bed up and I will collect it. Please advise. Dobby Flintshire Furniture Ltd Tel: 01244 814673 Fax: 01244 559055 Web: flintshirefurniture dot co dot uk ----------------------------------------------------------------- Sent: 16 January 2017 13:59 To: flintshirefurniture@hotmail co uk; sales@flintshirefurniture co uk Subject: Re: Dobby Invoice #### / PO ##### Hello I sent this email on Saturday and I am awaiting a response. Please let me know what you plan to do to rectify the issue in the first instance, alternatively collect your bed (the bed is still in their three boxes) and issue us a refund ASAP. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Sent: 14 January 2017 21:30 To: flintshirefurniture@hotmail co uk; sales@flintshirefurniture co uk Subject: Re: Dobby Invoice #### / PO ##### Dear Dobby So we have had our replacement bed today by TMF, unfortunately all three boxes have damages on them and they all have poor packaging / rips. I cautiously opened the main box (headboard) pulled out the headboard and panels to inspect, although headboard seemed in a better condition (fabric etc) I noticed one of the floor stubs / plastic feet broken. I am really disappointed by the product and delivery, is it worth the hassle? I'm not sure if I should open packages 2 and 3 because I don't know what surprises await me. Could you kindly send a replacement floor stub out and I proceed to assemble the bed opening the other boxes? Please bear in mind If I find any more faults I will want to return your bed for a full refund, the hassle just isn't worth prolonging or the money that was paid for it. The purchaser will be expecting the money back into their account. Apologies for sounding upset but its so frustrating I'm sure you'll understand. I look forward to your prompt reply -------------------------------- Sent: 07 December 2016 12:52 To: flintshirefurniture@hotmail co ukay; sales@flintshirefurniture co ukay Subject: FAO: Dobby Invoice #### / PO ##### Dear Dobby We took delivery of this bed yesterday and encountered a few problems 1. Damage to cloth / felt on headboard and base panels (see pictures). 2. Two of the four batons which fit across the base of the bed do not fit into the plastic slots attached to the side boards zipped images to follow. 3. The Slat Frame does not sit on the plastic component attached to headboard (by design according to Dobby), personally i think it should sit on the component. zipped images to follow 4. Holes are not aligned enough to fix the cross bar underneath the slat frame. This was purchased as a gift and it was supposed to be in time before a wedding which take place this Sunday, do you think there is any chance of recovery from issues for the above faults before Friday the 9th? I look forward to your reply.

I ordered 5 items from the online store called ChoiceFurniureSuperstore at the end of October and paid using PayPal. I then cancelled 3 of the items 2 days later and received acknowledgment of the cancellation. The 2 items I wanted have been delivered but after 23 days, including reminders from me, I have not received the refund (over £300) for the cancelled items. How long do I have to wait? Is there a legal limit to the length of time they can withhold my money? What's the next step if they continue to not pay?

Question. When is 100% solid hardwood not 100% solid hardwood? Answer. When it is sold by Oak Furniture Land. While it is true that they did not use any veneer, they use a choice of words when describing their furniture. OOPS! https://www.asa.org.uk/Rulings/Adjudications/2016/10/JB-Global-Ltd/SHP_ADJ_339625.aspx#.WAfBrST_qM8

Hello there, New user to the forum but hoping i can get some help. I bought a dreams Barcelona TV Bed 2 years ago. Bed was fine and working until approximately 3 months ago when the TV raising mechanism stopped working. Upon calling Dreams CS they instructed me to get in touch with Homeserve Furniture Repairs and have them come and assess the issue. Last week i had the technician come to my house and assess that the motor which raises the TV is no longer working and that they would send me a quote for the part and installation within the next few days. Today, i receive a letter stating that HFR can't obtain the part from dreams, but i'm welcome to speak to Dreams directly to try and get the part and at which point they can come and install for a cost etc. I've spoken with HFR and they have told me that Dreams do not supply them with parts at all - Whats the point of using them then??? I have spoken with Dreams this morning and sent them a copy of the letter as I want to know what my next step is in rectifying the issue with my bed. As HFR have labelled the problem as an out of warranty issue, and it appears Dreams no longer sell this particular bed model, is this any recourse i have to getting this issue resolved? Thanks in advance. Tony

Hello, I am new to this so I hope I get my post right. We bought two DFS sofas 18 months ago - one large leather 'Oskar' and one smaller fabric 'Shout'. With perfectly normal use, the Oskar sofa has sagged quite significantly in the middle, by about 1.5 to 2 inches. This looks odd and makes the sofa quite uncomfortable as it makes you lean in towards the middle when you sit on it. We were really unhappy about this so I telephoned the DFS store where we purchased it and they agreed to send a Service Manager to come out to inspect the sofa, which he did a few days later. He said that this wasn't a fault but is normal compression or softening of the foam. He stuffed a few sheets of blue foam into the underside of the sofa and told me that he was doing so as a gesture of goodwill as apposed to acknowledgment of a fault in the product. He also told me that we should make sure we sit evenly along the length of the sofa. I disagreed but let him go on his way. I then telephoned DFS Customer Services to express my dissatisfaction and they told me that they would speak to the store manager and get back to me the same day. The next week I heard back from the same store representative that had come to do the makeshift repairs to the sofa and was told again this was not a fault and that this happens with all sofas. I explained that the other DFS sofa we have (the 'Shout' one) hasn't sagged and that I consider this sagging on a sofa that we paid £2,000 for less than 18 months previously was not acceptable. They told me I should take it up with the Ombudsman. I asked them to send me an email confirming that the sag of 1.5 to 2 inches is normal and not a fault. They did send me an email but did not mention the size, even though this was confirmed on the telephone. I hasten to add that I recorded all of these telephone calls. I am at a bit of a loss and feeling really unhappy with the quality of this expensive, saggy sofa and how they have handled this. I would be so grateful for any advise on what to do next. Hope someone can help.

Hi. I would like some advice please, what can I do? About a year ago I purchased the Curve Nursery Furniture set from Argos for a lot of money. It was fine and never had any problems until recently when we turned it into a toddler bed. The bed is full of holes where the screws were for the original cot design, if you look at Argos' image (attached) the item is portrayed with no holes at all - obviously a photo shopped image). Also the under bed storage drawer no longer fits under the bed, meaning I have lost a large storage area and have a huge drawer I now have to find somewhere to store. I have contacted Argos, who say that due to the length of the time I have had the product they are not willing to do anything. But, to be fair it wasn't a problem till I turned it into a toddler bed, How many other parents checked out the toddler bed upon purchase, I can't imagine anyone, but I may be wrong. What can I do to get Argos to sort my problem out. Any ideas? I'm very disappointed with the bed, it now looks

Am I liable for emptying a deceased's relative's flat of unwanted furniture? My auntie recently passed away I very rarely seen her and was shocked that I had a phone call on the weekend saying she passed away in hospital, as I'm her only living relative, I contacted the housing association about giving her flat up, they told me I would need to clear the flat I told them I can't due to other commitments and living too far away, they told me I would be liable to pay then so much for 3 items, can they do this? Am I liable for any costs?

I ordered a reclining sofa on 14th February 2013 with a delivery date of 6 / 8 weeks printed on invoice (this was manually changed to 11 weeks by the salesperson). I paid a deposit on my credit card and signed up to an interest free finance package for the remainder of cost. Mid -may, I contacted store and asked where my sofa was and was told they were having supplier problems and it should be available in mid-June. I have just rung the store again and have now been told that it will not be available until the end of June. Quite frankly I have had enough of waiting and am growing concerned as to whether delivery will ever happen. What I want to do is cancel the contract and receive repayment of my deposit. I have heard about giving a reasonable deadline for delivery as a specific date was not agreed at the outset, but am unsure what to do. Any advice would be appreciated. Are FV in Breach of Contract?

I ordered 2 x 3 seater settes and a chair from Harvey December 29th and was told delivery would be in 12 weeks. The cost was £2250. In the middle of January the shop rang me to say that they had ordered the wrong colour and the wrong material. They gave me a choice of having the suite they had ordered, cancelling with a refund of the deposit I had paid or doing a new order, we chose to do another order and after having to ask for it, shortly after, were given a reduction of £180 from the final bill which is payable just prior to delivery. We were told that the new order would be with us within 12 weeks and when in early April I had not heard anything I contacted the store who told me that the suite wouldnt be ready until mid to late May and that they would be in touch with a delivery date in due course. I still do not have a delivery date although they are still saying that it should be available in mid May. Assuming I get the suite in Mid may, the wait for this suite will have been 20 - 21 weeks from start, 16 - 17 weeks from re-order. What are my rights, I want the suite and there is no point in going else where if the suite is likely to be delivered in May but I dont feel that £180 reduction is sufficient for the wait. What would be a realistic reduction to ask for and what is the best way to go about getting it?

Hi, My mother entered into a contract with Hammonds Furniture to supply a built in wardrobe about 8 months ago for which she paid approx £500 deposit to the sales person when they called at her house, the surveyor came out and drew up plans which were not want she wanted but they insisted it would be the best plan for her bedoroom. A little time went by and she wrote to Hammonds to say that the design and materials selected by the sales person and the surveyor were not as she wanted and they resent the desiger/sales person out to visit her again. This was in September 2012, she was told that they would contact her shortly with her revised design but this did not happen. She wrote to them shortly after the new year to say that no-one had contacted her and she now considered the contract null and void and therefore asked for the deposit to be returned. I would now like to write to them again as she has heard nothing but would like to know the best way to word the letter - short of mentioning I would contact Watchdog I don't really know where to start. PLease could anyone give me some ideas or let me know what template I could use? Many thanks, Clare

All we would like to say is that we will NEVER be purchasing another item of any description from Harvey's again. The reason is quite simple. We ordered a sofa on the 22nd June 2014 and we are still awaiting delivery of it, 1 week short of 4mths!! We ordered an extra piece to it and were told it would take 3mths to make/deliver which we were prepared to put up with. At the time of purchase, we stated we wanted it all delivered together. Quite a simple request, or so we thought. We were initially given a delivery date of 22nd Sep, which then changed to 25th Sep, then Oct 8th, then 16th Oct. Each time we have been contacted by phone, the agent on the phone has stated that one piece is available, to which we had to point out that we want both pieces delivered together. 'No problem' we were told. We were contacted last week and informed that the extra piece we ordered was in the UK, but at a different depot. It would be shipped to the correct depot and we would have our sofa at last. Today, we have been contacted yet again, and yet again told that the one piece is available for delivery...AAAAGHHHH!!! The agent then stated that they knew the other piece was in the UK but couldn't locate where!! To make my jaw drop even further, they said the agent who called us the week prior should not have told us both pieces were available! We asked to speak to a supervisor, who duly apologised and stated they could quite clearly see it on the screen that we wanted both pieces delivered TOGETHER, not separately! She also told us it will now take a further 48hrs to get a response from the manufacturers of the extra piece (I'm assuming to find out where exactly in the UK they sent it to). We find it hard to believe in this modern era of technology that a piece of furniture, being made specifically for a customer, can go missing without any form of traceability. What is even more frustrating is how specific notes on YOUR system can be repeatedly missed/ignored regarding having both pieces delivered together. I notice that your company is a full member of the TFO (The Furniture Ombudsman)so with this in mind, we will be contacting them to advise of the above situation. We have had to endure 4mths of sitting on garden furniture whilst still awaiting delivery of our sofa. I have known houses to be built in less time. We will also be sharing our experience via social media so that other people who may be thinking about buying furniture can see what may await them! Latest update as of 19/10/2014 – No call-back after the stated ‘48hrs to get a response’ so once again called Customer Service. Ended up speaking to the ‘senior Team Leader’, guy called Prab. He told us both pieces were in the Warrington distribution warehouse but we’d have to wait another week until they were ‘in the area’…I said Harveys should be getting a local courier to deliver it asap given the time we’ve waited and the messing about. He said he would have to contact our local store where we purchased it from to try and arrange something. Prab called us back 10mins later and stated that he had spoken to our local store, guy called Steve and that the next phone call we’d receive would be off Steve in the morning. As you have probably guessed already, morning came and whent, no phone call. Went into the store at 2.30pm, asked who Steve was and turned out it was the guy we originally dealt with 4mths ago. When I told him about the conversation I’d had with ‘Prab’, Steve looked puzzled and stated that at no point during the day previous did Prab or anyone for that matter contact him about our situation, so I had to go through the whole scenario again with him. He proceeded to try and contact local couriers, one of whom was going to charge us £120 and then we’d be reimbursed by Harveys, but was getting no luck. At this point I stated I had to leave but I would expect Steve to call us with some news. Yes, you’ve guessed already…NO CALL BACK!! It gets even better….we have today waked into the store, sought out Steve and asked if he’d got any news for us. To both our shock, amazement and disgust, he said ‘’just remind me again’’….I had to remind him that I’d spent the good part of 45mins with him the day before!! It just about summed up our overall experience with Harveys! 4 months waiting for a sofa, numerous lies and false promises of ‘call backs’ etc etc…and Harveys cannot even go out of their way to pay a local courier to deliver our well overdue sofa!! They still expect us to go out of our way to accommodate them!! DISGUSTED and if not received by Tuesday, will be cancelling in total. Mr&Mrs Very Annoyed

Hello - I recently bought a sofa for 800 pounds at the DFS store. I feel I have been taken for a ride by DFS and would appreciate any guidance. Long story short, the sofa that was delivered or the one that I paid for was NOT the same size at the one that we tried in the store. When we tried the sofa, three adults were able to sit in. We tried that with my wife, my daughter and myself sitting on it. There was still some spare space due to the child sitting on it. However the one that eventually arrived was much smaller. I raised this with the store manager who pointed out that my sales contract showed a "small size". However, I went to the same corner of the store where the sofa that we tried was placed, and it had a similar size sofa now as the one that we tried i.e. the larger sized sofa (not the small that was sold to us). I am VERY certain that DFS had placed the larger size sofa in the same corner of the store that we tried and this was not marked correctly. I would have been happy to pay more for a larger size sofa. The store manager has blatantly refused to validate the size of the sofa that we sat on. In my two visits, I met two different sets sales staff who know exactly the location of the sofa that I sat on. I am sure there are some cameras or pictures of the specific sofa that will confirm the size that we were made to believe we purchased, based on the SPECIFIC location where this piece was placed in the store. The store manager says that all complaints made to DFS will go to him in any case. The sales person that we worked with called us earlier this week but did not call back. Thanks for any guidance.

Hi, I bought some oak furniture from AHF store in Colchester. I remember being told it was oak and I believed it to be solid oak. I can't remember if the sales person said solid oak but I do know that the word veneer never came into the conversation because I would not have made the purchase. I just unpacked some of the items and it turns out that they are in fact oak veneer. I phoned the store who says I need to speak to the person who sold it to me, but that most furniture these days is only veneer and I probably won't be able to return it! He said if it had been solid oak it would say so on the paperwork. it doesn't, it just says Oak sideboard etc. I don't want veneered chipwood and want to return it. I will be speaking to the manager tomorrow but meantime I wanted a few tips on what I should or shouldn't say and if I do have any rights. We paid in full at time of purchase by credit card.

Five furniture and carpet retailers have changed their pricing practices following an OFT investigation. A Share & Sons Limited (trading as 'SCS'), Carpetright Plc, Dreams Limited, Furniture Village Limited and Homestyle Operations Limited's trading brands 'Harveys' and 'Bensons for Beds' have each confirmed their commitment to using genuine reference prices and, without any admission of liability, have made changes to their reference pricing practices. The OFT has therefore closed its investigation. Reference prices are used by retailers across their sector to advertise a bargain to shoppers, for example by comparing a lower current price against a higher past price such as 'Sale, Was £800, Now Half Price £400'. The OFT believes that consumers should be able to trust that such price comparisons are fair and meaningful and that the advertised savings (or 'price advantage') are genuine. Improper use of reference prices can mislead consumers, for example in circumstances where the 'discounted' price is in fact the normal retail price of a product. http://www.oft.gov.uk/news-and-updates/press/2014/19-14#.Uyxn-KyQYrs

Hi - perhaps someone could chime in on our complaint with Furniture Village, and advise what we should do next. They have been a nightmare to deal with so far. I'll try to keep this brief. Lured in by the New Year's TV ads & promotions, we bought a "Rossetti" leather suite from Furniture Village (FV) on 3/01/2010. It was delivered some 10 to 12 weeks later in April 2010. It cost just over £2600.00 My husband is employed full time, and I retired in August 2011. There are only two of us in the house. I sit in another room of the house during most of the day, so the suite only sees use in the evenings (3 to 5 hours max. use per night on most weekday nights). Over this short amount of time, the suite has severely degraded. In 3 and 1/2 years (we first made a formal complaint to FV about the products in September 2013), the stuffing material seats and lower-back area has completely flattened. It has gone from a plump, fully stuffed suite to deflated looking one. It is now possible to "pinch" the stuffing, at the affected area, between two fingers with ease - and the two layers of leather cover make contact with each other. The stuffing has either migrated (we have tried and tried to -"fluff up" the material to no avail) or has simply degraded. The appearance has become disappointing, but worse, it is so now uncomfortable my husband and I can only use it for 15 to 30 minutes at a time. We understand "comfort" is subjective, but is it normal to feel your body-weight being supported by a horizontal piece of wood, protruding right into your lower back? It's agony. You can't relax on it. Unsupportive and painful. So, our complaint was heard by FV and they sent an "independent furniture technician" to our house to inspect our furniture. The inspection consisted of him rolling the sofa/chairs over onto their front & checking the reference numbers printed on a label on the underside. He also brought a PDA/smartphone and took a few snaps of the saggy & deflated affected seat/back areas, which he highlighted with a paper arrow. As he carried this out, my son and I were chatting to him - and describing the problems in detail. He sat down and immediately confirmed our complaints, acknowledging the immediate discomfort & going to on say this was clearly a "design fault". He really liked the sound of his own voice, declaring he would "NEVER buy a sofa from one of these retailers" and only buys handmade furniture. He said we would be essentially seeking a "gesture of goodwill" from FV, and "thank God you didn't buy from DFS - because they're the worst!". He noted all of the findings on his little electronic PDA/smart-phone gizmo (which I didn't get to see) and, at the end, asked me to "Sign this to say I've been here" - which I did. Fast forward to today. I've exchanged several letters with FV, asking for a full or part refund, plus collection of the suite at their cost. They say: 1) The inspector found "no faults" with the suite, only "natural settlement over time" which is fair wear and tear. 2) Their 5 year guarantee does NOT cover stuffing problems with their furniture. 3) If we did take this to a small claims court (we said we would, in our last letter) - we would basically be wasting our time as the Sales of Goods Act 1979 is "not in keeping" with our request. 4) We asked if the "independent technician" was from, or his company was backed by, FIRA. They said no - the company he works for is called "Furniture Care Network", and was not affiliated with FIRA. His company, according to their website, is contracted by FV to repair, clean, etc. problem furniture. It doesn't appear the company is in the business of Alternative Dispute Resolution services. I seriously question the impartiality of all of this. 5) FV kindly "offer" to commission another "independent technician" to visit us. They say we can choose from one of two companies - "Homeserve" or "Ecomaster". These companies are all the same, i.e not affiliated with FIRA, contracted by Furniture Village, specialize in repairs/cleaning, etc. We need your advice on this! We're sure that a £2600.00 leather suite should last longer than 3 1/2 years, with very light domestic use by 2 people (we're not obese or anything, either!) in the evenings. It is not fit for the intended purpose. I would say such a suite should "last" 8-10 years, minimum. The thing is, we're not sure how to proceed. In our last letter, we clearly stated we are prepared to take this to the small claims court if they denied our request for a refund. Their last letter offered to send out yet another dodgy "technician" to basically collude with them, so we wouldn't have a leg to stand on. Do we reply to this last letter? Should we employ FIRA technicians to carry out an inspection - or could this go against us? I have read some very suspicious things regarding the impartiality of FIRA/Furniture Ombudsman ADR services. For example, in 2012 their ADR service decided in favour of the customer in just 53% of cases. Shockingly low for such a service. Also, an article in the Guardian rings true with many customer reviews of the FIRA services (can't post the link - search for "Complaint about your new furniture? Expect a bed of nails" on Google) Or, should I just ignore their last letter, stick to my guns and proceed with a small claims court case as I originally stated to FV. I have never used the small claims court, so this is all new to me. Any help is appreciated. Thank you!

Purchased a mechanical reclining 3 seater sofa last year from Cousin's Furniture Store on interest free credit. Repayments have been accurately made on time and in accordance with my agreement. They also sold me an insurance plan to cover staining, mechanical failure of the motor etc, together with structural faults including excessive loss of resilience of seat cushion foam, broken buttons, broken zip operations and peeling of covering leather or broken stitching.It also covers for accidental damage. Now, unbeknown to me the sofa seats, foot extentions and arm rests are filled with foam. However, the back of the seats are fibre filled and are not therefore covered by this policy. We were not given an explanation of it's fillings neither was the policy explained to me about the different fillings. We were not given the opportunity to have a choice of fillings either! Now, you know what's coming - the sofa has seated dreadfully and wasn't even 16 months old when I reported this problem. The rear of the seats have seated so much so that we can feel the wooden frame in our lower back and as my husband has Osteoporosis this is extremely painful for him to have in the reclining position. To my understanding, this is NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE! I contacted Cousins who said as it is over 12 months it is nothing to do with them. I then contacted the insurance and they have eventually sent out a technician who has replaced the foam in the seat and foot extended panel of the sofa but he couldn't do anything involving the back part and so went away. I have since received a letter from the isurance company stating that fibre filled furniture is not covered and there is nothing more they can do. I will be sending the finance company a letter advising that they are jointly liable for this problem, I will continue to make repayments but will advise them they are made under protest because I am paying for a sofa which is not fit for purpose but I would like your advice as to what else I might be able to do in this matter please? The policy is still valid for another 4 years and don't think I can say it has been mis-sold. I think my problem is with the suppliers because they failed to inform me of the fillings or offer me an alternative but hope someone can guide me how to approach this please. Thanks for looking in Shelley

I want to make a formal complaint about the bag of rubbish I bought from CSL Sofas. Which do you think is the best organisation to complain to?

Six High Street furniture and carpet retailers have been accused of misleading their customers with fake prices. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) said the stores had all advertised price cuts which were not genuine. In particular, they advertised reductions from previously higher prices, which tricked customers into thinking they were getting a bargain. Carpetright and the ScS chain are among the six being investigated. During its inquiries, the OFT said it found systematic examples of inflated "reference pricing". That is where a retailer claims the price "was" £500, for example, and is "now" £300. But the OFT said that in some cases, the stores under investigation had not sold a single product at the previous higher price. On average, it found that 95% of sales were at the lower, or "now" price, suggesting the original prices were not genuine. It also said the problem was "endemic" within the industry. Carpetright said it would co-operate fully with the OFT, but insisted there was no suggestion that it had broken competition law. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23797882

Hi All, I need some advice if i can. Around two years ago, i had an account with Buy as you view. I later purchased a corner sofa from them, and had numerous problems (i will explain in more detail below) Due to problems, they finally decided to replace the sofa, but as the original sofa was no longer available, we purchased a new reclining sofa from them, This brought its own problems (again i will detail in bullet points below) And we ended up mutually agreeing not to continue payment for the items, and the matter was closed. My issue is that the manufacturer had recalled the sofa, due to defects (that we have with our sofa) But we have no details of the manufacturer as Buy As You View have refused to give us them. Is there a way i can get these details, and if so, as they were called, am i entitled to a refund/replacement from the manufacturer? Background information. (original corner sofa) When sofa was delivered, the drivers struggled to get it through the door, after almost an hour of trying, (we removed front door, and rear door, moved fridge freezer and other things to make enough room) The driver lost his temper and shoved the sofa with his knee, causing the back of the sofa (leather) to stretch and crack along the back door. I told them to take it back and that i would not accept it in that condition, after a bit of a row, they very reluctantly agreed. I contacted BAYV straight away and explained to them what would happen, they advised that we would not be entitled to a new sofa, as we should have made sure the sofa would fit, after numerous phone calls, and emails, they agreed to offer us a 10% discount (the marks werent too bad) and to have the sofa redelivered, Which went in no problem with different delivery men. After about 3 months, the foam in the sofa starting to sag, and we noticed that the fabric covering the springs etc had come away from the lining, In all it took BAYV 9 months, 3 home visits, 2 repairs and 2 payments of over £168 each refused by us, for them to agree to take back the sofa, and give us a replacement. In this time the sofa had been discontinued, and we had to choose another Background information (reclining sofa) We chose a new sofa, and because of all of the previous problems, agreed to refinance the new sofa, at the price that was outstanding, and transferred the payments we had already made Our new sofa was delivered without any issues and was fine for 4 months. The metal used in the sofa, was very soft, and after using for 4 months, the metal in two of the 4 reclinable seats to bend, meaning the foot rest would not close without fiddling with the metal, We complained and were told that we were clearly too heavy for the sofa (btw, i am 13 1/2 stone!) and that we should take action to avoid damaging anymore. That was all they had to say on the matter at that point! We then asked them to send out their furniture repair company (Homeserve) to view the defects. They refused, there reason was that the sofa had been misued, (although they had never been out to see this.) After taking our complaint higher up the chain of management we found out that they should have sent out homeserve to at the very least inspect the sofa, as another two months had passed, we were finding that the leather was wearing off completley along the seams, and the other two reclining seats were begining to sag. We were told after many more emails back and forth that they would not be willing to offer us any more repairs or replacements for the sofa, they also refused to make us an offer of doscount, due to the fact they had already replaced one defective sofa, within 15 months. We decided to take the matter further and obtained details of the manging director and the secretary, Again, we were told that no offer would be made to fix the issues, and that we would have to pay the full amount outstandning which at the time was £2,843. We refused to accept this and advised them that we wanted the manufacturers details so we could deal with them directly, We were told that the manufacturer would under no circumstances deal with us, At this point we were also told that the manufacturer had recalled the product 7 months ago, (i month after we had brought it) because of problems, which also included the issues we have had. We responded to this by letter, refusing to make any more payments towards the account, and that we would, if they refused to close the account down with no further doorstep callers, removal of the meter, and no more correspondence we would take the matter to court, i believed that we would win as they had refused to put right defective goods, that were not fit for purpose. After a few weeks of emails from the managing director, they reluctantly agreed that they would not take the matter any further, (I had gone down this route as i had a very reliable source who worked with them that less than 10 cases had actually gone through to court in recent times, only 1 of them had been ruled partly in their favour!) They agreed to no further communication, and confirmed that they had closed down the account in its entirety! The account was closed, and as we agreed, the £1,259 we had already paid for both sofas, would not be refunded That finished back in 2012, however we still have the sofa, and since that time, all four chairs that reclined are now no longer able to do so, the metal has actually sheered off on two of them, the other two are that badly bent, that you almost have to hammer them back into place, The leather has come off on all seams, and has left grey fabric underneath on show! I know that it may seem that i am asking for too much because of the fact we had the account closed, however i strongly feel that as the item was recalled by the manufacturer, that we are entitled, to a refund or a replacement of the sofa. I hope i have given you all the information required, please let me know if i have missed anything out. I appreciate your help