oak furniture turns out to be oak veneer!

[Dollydoo]

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.

[silverfox1961]

Hi

In my opinion, if they have stated that the furniture was oak (and not oak veneer) then this is not as described and falls within SoGA.

 

Check this link out to see whether you can reject

 

http://sogahub.tradingstandards.gov.uk/

 

While the link is designed for traders, it does give consumers a very good idea of their rights.

 

If the company refuse a refund, you can do a s75 chargeback with the credit card company

 

I suggest you formally reject the goods in writing. What does the receipt say?

[Dollydoo]

Thanks for that, I've had a read and i'll be speaking to the manager in the morning (Monday). The invoice just lists the items as:

oak desk/studio 8000-66/oak followed by delivery time & price etc.

[silverfox1961]

Well, that is pretty clear. Oak desk!

 

Woodchip/MDF with an oak veneer is not oak.

 

You can try calling but I do think that email/letter is a better way to go as (unless you record a call) you would have no proof of what was said.

[Dollydoo]

Hi, really appreciate your help.

 

I phoned and more or less got called a liar

- said he told me it was mostly oak but large flat areas were veneer!

 

He (the manager) just kept repeating that he had made it clear to me and nothing more could be done, advised me to phone customer services

- they said I had what I ordered and referred me back to the store?! Pointless.

 

I told them I was going to trading standards.

 

I will email them to clarify that i'm not happy etc and I have already initiated a chargeback with Barclaycard.

 

Do you know what happens next?

 

thanks again

[Dollydoo]

can someone please advise - I have received this email from AHF, I'm not sure of the best response really.

"

An uplift and refund has not been agreed.

Unfortunately, AHF will not progress this issue any further,

you have the goods as ordered and signed for,

they are a fair representation of the goods seen on display in store,

whilst the sales invoice reads OAK, this refers to the colour of the furniture,

it does not specify that the goods are solid oak.

 

Please be assured of our best intentions at all times"

[silverfox1961]

Stop emailing.

 

Write a letter to their head office. I will try and find an address for you.

[Dollydoo]

hi that has come from head office customer services, I cc'd them the store copy

[silverfox1961]

AHF INTERNET LIMITED

BURCH HOUSE

SAVILLE ROAD

PETERBOROUGH

CAMBS

PE3 7PR

 

There is also this name

 

MR RICHARD ANTHONY JONES

 

In my opinion, your letter should state that you formally reject the item as being 'Not as described'

[Dollydoo]

Hi,

I did state in my email that I was rejecting the goods as they were not as described

and that my invoice said oak desk etc and this is the only response I've had.

 

I said I wanted my money back under SOGA and gave them 7 days to give me a date for them to pick up the furniture.

 

I will write a letter to the name & address you've supplied, thanks for that.

 

What happens if this just goes back & forth (ie my word against theirs and they keep refusing to budge?)

thanks again for your advice - I have requested a chargeback.

[silverfox1961]

Hopefully the chargeback will work.

 

I have asked for the site team to have a look at this thread. they may be able to offer differing advice.

 

I cannot for the life of me see how they can say that 'Oak Desk' means oak colour.

[citizenB]

I dont see how they can claim the item is an "oak desk" and assume people will realise it is only the colour.

 

I have looked at their online store and cannot see any desks, so was this a store offer ?

 

Their items within their Chantilly Range (Oak) is made up from solids and veneers and is advertised as such.

[Dollydoo]

I bought in store, had a look at it as I liked the design.

 

I have to say I didn't look too closely as the sales rep said it was all American oak.

 

As I had just bought an oak wardrobe in the sale (which I did inspect for any damage) I believed him.

 

He did say the desk came flat pack but the rest of the furniture came built.

 

He never mentioned veneers, I wouldn't have bought it.

 

I wasn't given a brochure either.

 

I have since found the furniture on another website and this does say oak and veneers.

[dx100uk]

get the credit card company involved under section 75.

 

goods not as described.

 

dx

[Dollydoo]

I have just posted the form back to the credit card company. But i'm not sure of the sequence of events or what I should do if the credit card don't refund. Should I respond to the customer service reply - it looks like they're prepared to deny any wrong-doing

[slick132]

The CC Co will raise a complaint and contact the vendor's bank with details of your complaint. You need to return the item to the store with a letter rejecting it, on the basis that it is oak veneer and not solid oak as you were led to believe. The letter should demand a full refund to be made to your CC a/c within 14 days.

 

Only then do you have a proper dispute with the CC Co and the store, which the CC Co can pursue under s.75 CCA 1974.

 

It's not a foregone conclusion that you'll get a refund just because you want one. The two banks will run the investigation with input from you and the vendor.

 

Thanks to s.75, you have recourse against your CC Co as they share joint responsibility with the vendor (if the price paid was £100 or more).

 

So if the vendor and the CC Co refuse to refund, you can sue them both jointly in the county court.

 

You need good proof that the items advertised did not say "oak veneer". Take screen shots of anything on the website that you can show to be misleading about your item. It is not adequate for you to say the sales guy told you it was oak, as opposed to oak veneer.

[slick132]

Out of interest, can you confirm what the item was and roughly what it cost.

 

I've looked using "desk/studio, etc" and can't find it.

 

[Dollydoo]

Hi, to clarify, I was instore looking at a wardrobe & looked at a couple of desks as well. there was no brochure just the price which was discounted. After chatting with the sales staff and having a look at the furniture I made the purchase. Its only after delivery and unpacking the desk that I've seen its chipwood with a veneer. I haven't even opened the other items. I bought a desk (flat pack) with 2 filing cabinets and a narrow sideboard which are ready built. the sales invoice says as follows:

 

 

Oak Desk/ studio 8000-66 / 084033884 / oak. £279.99 discount £28. £251.99 the other items are

listed in the same way. I've just noticed the delivery note describes it the same way.

 

I've paid a total of £1,614.95 which included the £49. delivery charge.

 

 

It is only since complaining that I've managed to find the furniture on another website and yes it does say veneer.

 

 

I would need to hire a van to deliver the furniture back to the store as well as a couple of burley blokes to carry it as its very heavy. I don't mind doing that but what if they refuse to accept it back/sign for it?

 

 

I wouldn't have minded so much if it was just support framework in a cheaper wood but the desk top/front is veneered which I really object to.

[Dollydoo]

I found it on styleourhome.com

[citizenB]

http://www.styleourhome.com/oak-office-furniture/studio-oak/cat_338.html

 

If this is the correct page, the "studio oak" range does state that it is a mix of veneers and solid oaks !

 

I will be removing the link in a couple of hours.

[slick132]

Hi Dolly,

 

I've just spoken to Style Our Home and the desk there has an oak frame and the top is oak panels topped with an oak veneer. If you bought these, I think you would have trouble getting a refund if it is, in fact, solid oak throughout.

 

But what is important to your case is exactly how the products you bought were described, and how they are actually constructed.

 

Can you give us a link to the item as listed on AHF ?

 

[Dollydoo]

Hi, that's the range, different store though. but I didn't see this before I'd made my purchase at AHF, like I said, I was in the store buying something else when I saw it. I wasn't even offered a brochure on the range.

[Dollydoo]

Hi Slick,

 

 

It definitely looks like chipwood - and the person I spoke to on the phone at AHF said I would be hard pushed to get solid oak as most furniture these days is made of chipwood or the like and then veneered. although I can't see why one would put oak veneer on top of an oak panel? I would probably settle for that at least it would be all oak like I was told. I don't have a link to the AHF website, it doesn't seem to be listed.

[slick132]

Hi Dolly,

 

Can you tell us what looks like chipboard ?

 

Is the furniture not either solid oak or oak veneer, in which case I wouldn't expect to see any chipboard visible.

 

This link goes to AHF - http://www.ahf.co.uk/

 

[slick132]

The same item is here and is described as oak veneer on oak panels - http://www.oakfurnituresolutions.co.uk/p/10975/Studio_Oak_Desk.html

 

The reason veneer is used on panels is that the panels will be a more stable desk top than one relatively thin sheet of oak; or base panels of oak can be of a lower grade with a nicer veneer on top.