DFS - Chair unfit for purpose - Help

[Jjdejong0]

Hey all,

 

an an elderly disabled woman I know went into her local DFS store to look for a new chair. She needed a proper recliner chair that would be comfortable and helps her get up out of it etc.

 

she was shown a chair in store which she really liked and bought it for £1100. It took around 8 weeks for it to be delivered and when it finally was, the chair was completely different to the one she had tried in the store. Having sat in this chair myself I can tell you that it’s one of the most uncomfortable chairs I have ever sat in, almost as if the cushions had been over stuffed. 

 

Dfs response was to send out an upholsterer who could not write a report to state the chair was faulty. This was correct as the chair wasn’t faulty but was not the chair the elderly lady had tried in the store and due to it being uncomfortable and hurting to sit in. 

 

DFS will not take the chair back and offer a refund, they did kindly offer to do a straight swap for the 2-3 year old test model in the shop.

 

i mean this to me seems absolutely outrageous. I am just looking for some advice now on what we can do. Do I go via the official complaints procedure route, do I alert the media or do I just take this via the local county court or small claims court.

 

any help / advice you can give me will be greatly appreciated and I’ll keep this thread updated as this progresses.

 

many thanks.

[BankFodder]

If the chair is not the same one as that which he chose in the store then there is no doubt that DFS are in breach of contract and they should accept the return of the chair and refund the lady immediately – plus any reasonable ancillary losses.

I'm a bit troubled because only once do you say that the chair is different – the rest of the time you say that the chair turned out to be uncomfortable.

If it is simply that the chair is uncomfortable and she had appreciated that and she has a completely different problem and it's down to the goodwill of DFS – unfortunately.

What will be helpful would be if you could get a picture of the chair that she chose and a picture of the chair that was delivered.

I have to say that for £1100 for chair I would expect Rolls-Royce treatment

[Jjdejong0]

The issue was the chair in the store has obviously had 2-3 years of people sitting in it. This naturally wears the cushions down. However surely that still counts as the lady being sold a chair that’s different. When you test something in a store and you buy it for 1100 pound you don’t expect to be told oh just sit in it for 2 years and it will become more comfortable. Especially not when your registered disabled and sitting in the chair is actively causing you pain.

 

i will have pictures in the future we have pics of the chair in the store and the chair that was delivered and both look and feel completely different. We even had video of the lady sitting in both and you can clearly see the whole shape of how she is sat is completely different.

[ploddertom]

Is this supposed to be the "rise & fall" type of chair?

[Jjdejong0]

Hi yes it is one of those chairs.

 

i couldn’t  upload the pictures on here due to the restriction but I uploaded them on an image site. Please see the links below.

 

The brown chair was the one in store, as you can see the back of it is fairly flush and straight. The silver/grey chair is the one that was delivered. As you can see, there is a massive bulge sticking out that digs into your back when you sit in it.

 

have we got we case here, what do you guys think? I agree for 1100 pound the service has been terrible. 

 

https://imgshare.io/image/ZLfAb
https://imgshare.io/image/ZL3U1
https://imgshare.io/image/ZLzoI
https://imgshare.io/image/ZLCJ0
https://imgshare.io/image/ZLiQh
https://imgshare.io/image/ZL1C3
https://imgshare.io/image/ZLPMw

[ploddertom]

These types of chairs usually have a metal sub-frame and have 1 or 2 electric motors in them. Doesn't seem to matter how much upholstery tey use but I always find them very hard and uncomfortable. You are right in your thought that after time they will give a little. It used to be they were only available from the likes of HSL as mobility aids but most furniture retailers have there own version. In my view DFS have been not very forthcoming about it.

[Jjdejong0]

Exactly. I have never heard about buying something brand new and then only being able to get satisfaction from said item after you have worn it down through a period of time ...

 

i have put in an official complaint. The store manager is coming on a home visit tomorrow. Not really sure what she is coming for. Apparantly before any type of refund can be issued the manager has to come check it out and put it forward to the Managing Director for sign off. This to me also sounded a bit confusing. Every refund request has to go to the MD? I really feel what DFS is doing here is trying to make everything as difficult as possible to try and wear down the consumer.

 

on top of this I requested a call back today from DFS customer services when logging the complaint. No one has called me back. The home visit was also meant to be today but because Saturday is their busiest day the manager can’t come out until early tomorrow morning.

 

im going to hear the manager out and see what she says but I am going to make it clear that I intend to fight this to the very end and go to the press if needs be as well as the county court. I am also going to request all further correspondence is via written communication/email so I have a full trail of communication to present to the judge.

 

Any other tips?

Edited April 13, 2019 by Jjdejong0

[ploddertom]

I would guess the manager wil  try to bamboozle & browbeat any complaints.

[dx100uk]

Read upload

and put all those pix in one multipage pdf

[Jjdejong0]

Unfortunately I’m doing this all of my iPhone so will need to sort this later.

 

I’ll update later after the store manager has visited.

 

kind regards

[Jjdejong0]

So the manager has been on her home visit. Was quite funny she came in fully pretending to be on our side and how the customers happiness was her top priority blah blah she could have just full out refused her requests but she made the effort to come round etc.

 

once I mentioned that we only want a full refund her attitude changed and she claimed she won’t be doing that as the chair is not faulty. The fact remains though the chair that was sold and purchased in the shop does not represent the same chair that was delivered.

 

i have also logged two official complaints not with head office and have not had a call back. I’m guessing the manager will be ringing me tomorrow to offer a change for 2 year old chair and maybe knock off the delivery/warranty which cost 200 pounds.

 

how can any company sell a chair for disabled people and expect them to hurt themselves to wear it down is it represents the chair they purchased? I really am starting to get shocked by DFS approach to this. From what I can see they try to drag this out as much as possible to wear down the consumer and make them basically put up and shut up.

 

i also requested al correspondence from here on out would need to be via written communication which the manager said she wouldn’t be able to do? This also seemed strange. I just feel all of this will be good evidence to present to the judge if it goes to court.

[basildonbond1946]

DFS  (Dreadful Furniture Shop) they do not know the meaning of " Customer Service ". Thier busisness model is buy as cheap as they can and sell at inflated price.Any complaints they just Stonewall the customer until they give up

Definitely a Small Claims Court being the only sure way of winning then they normally settle just prior to entering the court with a no publicity disclaimer

[Jjdejong0]

Definitely how they have treated an elderly disabled lady is shocking. What worries me is how many other customers they are doing this to across the country. It’s just awful.

 

the old lady was very close to just giving up but luckily she has me and I will take this as far as it needs to go.

 

thanks for the help.

[Jjdejong0]

Got w cal from customer services today. Completely unhelpful and they are standing strong that they won’t issue a refund as the item is not faulty.

 

i am going to write them a letter before claim today and give them until Thursday. If they don’t issue the refund I will be submitting the county court paperwork.