ComplaintsforHoot Judkins

• Initial Complaint

  06/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Hoot Judkins advertises furniture with the option to finance with a deferred interest clause. They offer this through a financier they advertise on their own website.this finance lender is ************** and has Hoot Judkins imprinted on the card. I was approved and waited for the card in the mail. I was able to purchase the item online but preferred to physically see the item so I made a visit to the location on 5/11/2024 with a specific bed in mind. I looked around and stayed with my original choice. I gave all information and it was fairly easy as I had already created a profile online. At the end of the conversation when it was time to pay I was presented with this strange requirement. I was required to put 20% down on any other card when the bed is delivered they will then charge the balance to the card with the deferred interest promotion. I was taken aback and honestly I was not expecting this and really had my heart set on this bed. I thought maybe I misread something on their website.so I handed them another card. I knew I would review the website in detail and reach out if I found it to be absent. I asked a friend to inquire regarding the 20% down and he was advised that they apply this for custom upholstery orders the item I ordered in fact stated that no customizations are available for the item. So I would like them to honor their advertisement and charge the entire bill to the card I was approved to use at their establishment.

  Business response

  06/03/2024

  Hello *****.

  The requirement of a 20% deposit is required on any purchase of an item that is NOT IN STOCK at time of purchase.  You are correct in pointing out that the item was in no way a custom item, but the website does clearly indicate that the item was "available to order".  At the time of purchase we did inform you that the item was not in stock and we did quote a lead time on your receipt of 4-6 weeks.  A deposit from a customer is required from any customer ordering something as a sign of commitment to the sales contract.  ******* taking a deposit, a customer could order a purple elephant and then walk away without any recourse, leaving us stuck with a purple elephant.  Synchrony will not finance a deposit on a future sale, thus the requirement for another form of payment to cover this deposit.

  I do see that the "Financing" page of the website is vague as to the deposit requirement, so we will take steps to more clearly define this policy on that page.

  I also see that the bed was successfully delivered to you 5/31.  I trust that you are happy with your purchase and we look forward to assisting you again in the future.

  Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance.

  *****************************

  President, Co-Owner, Hoot Judkins Furniture.

  Customer response

  06/06/2024

   
  Complaint: 21793992
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  At no point was the 20% down reason explained to me. I was just kind of dumbstruck by it. The only statement made about ordering it was that oh it wont take 3-4 months, more like 3-4 weeks since I was on the fence about it being 3-4 months. I didnt even know about the 20% until the very end. And as I stated in the original complaint I even had to ask about the vague explanation of the 150 off when you spend x which I believed to be 1599 but am not positive. The person who wrote up the invoice said. Oh yeah I forgot to take that off. So you see it was at that point where the 20% thing came into play. IDid he charge me 20% of the original price prior to the 150 or the revised 20%. Furthermore, You said yourself that nowhere on the website does it say you must put 20% down if its not in stock. I could have easily purchased this bed frame online without the 20% down on another card correct. Put the whole transaction right onto the Synchrony card. No 20% down. So tell me how this reason you give holds water. Furthermore I had no problem having the synchrony card charged at that point and been happy to begin paying on it. Even if I did wait for the bed. But making a customer put 20% down without any indication as to why is beyond absurd. I feel profiled. My mom is living with cancer and will be for the rest of her life and I wanted something nice for her. She is a survivor and it feels hurtful that we were treated this way. It felt like we were being profiled. We dont dress rich or look fancy so we must have to put 20% down? If its a deposit then why not refund it off the card I used then charge to the card I was approved for shopping at your establishment? I never asked for a refund. I asked for the bill to be applied to the correct card as you advertise  

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  Business response

  06/06/2024

  Hello *****.

  We are unable to change the form of payment on a prior purchase.

  As explained previously, Synchrony will only finance a sale when the merchandise is in the customer's possession, so financing the entire purchase when items need to be special ordered is simply not an option.  The website will not even accept a synchrony card as a form of payment, as that type of transaction must be done in person so that we can verify the identity of the cardholder.  Had you ordered the bed online, you would have paid 100% on your credit card and none of it would have been financed. 

  The requirement of a deposit on special ordered merchandise is standard industry practice and a long standing store policy. It is not predicated upon anyone's ethnicity, appearance, age, ***, health, financial status, or any other "profiling" metric.  I can provide you with 100's of examples of deposits being placed on orders by 100's of different customers.  Most of these deposits are for 50% of the purchase price, not 20%.  (We ****** the deposit requirement on sales involving financing.)

  No one here forced you to make a purchase or to use your credit card.  Had you expressed a lack of understanding about the deposit requirement, anyone here on our staff would have been happy to explain our policy.

  I am deeply sorry that your mother is ill and I do hope that she is enjoying the purchase you made for her. 

  Please let me know if you have any questions.

  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  06/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  6 of the 8 pieces arrived damaged. I tried to refuse the shipment when they unpacked the damaged goods. One bookshelf was broken beyond repair.They offered to have someone come out and attempt to repair the items. I am an asthmatic on injections so I cannot be exposed to harsh chemicals. I therefore refused this possible repair to severe damages (glue to a piece broken off is not a fair replacement for newly built furniture).It then took me multiple calls and e-mails to the shipper (because Hoot Judkins failed to do this) before the furniture was picked up. I only refused the furniture because it was damaged. Since the company failed to deliver furniture in good repair, they should refund shipping costs of $1300. I did not refuse the furniture for any other reason other than damages. To me this is fraud claiming that the fee is not refundable when they selected the shipper.

  Business response

  06/08/2023

  Obviously this was a terrible experience for our customer.
  
  During the height of the pandemic, supply chain issues - even for domestic products - caused substantial production delays for the majority of our products. Fortunately, that is no longer the case.
  
  Once the products arrived they were inspected, packaged and shipped from **********, all in excellent condition when they left our warehouse. A third-party shipping company did not handle the products as they should have been handled and many items were in fact damaged upon their arrival.
  
  This of course was not acceptable to us, let alone the customer. We did offer to have the items repaired on site or replaced. The customer opted to cancel the items and receive a refund. A refund for the FULL purchase price of each item was sent to the customer in the form of a check.
  
  The third party shipping charges, which were clearly disclosed at time of purchase as being non-refundable, were not refunded back to the customer. Those fees were paid to the shipping company.  We have already filed a freight claim with the carrier and the results are still pending. In the event we are able to recoup the freight charges associated with the shipment from carrier, they will be forwarded to the customer.  A copy of the sales order is attached, showing the disclosure of the non-refundable shipping fees at time of purchase.
  
  Throughout this ordeal we were in constant contact with the customer via phone, email and text messaging, making every effort to resolve the situation to the customers satisfaction.
  
  While this certainly was a terrible experience for both the customer and our company, as we both lost a tremendous amount of time and money, it was also an extremely isolated experience. 95% of our products are delivered, locally here in *******************, by our own employees in our own delivery vehicles. Almost all of these deliveries take place on time, without any issues and lead to extremely satisfied customers.
  
  As for the remaining 5% of our sales that are shipped throughout the **, the vast majority of these are also delivered without any incident. We purchase insurance on every product we ship and after having experienced this nightmare we now often purchase extra insurance to cover the transportation costs themselves.
  
  While we never want to have a dissatisfied customer, we do empathise with this customer regarding the poor level of service and support she received from an outside delivery company.

  Customer response

  06/12/2023

   
  Complaint: 20156566
  
  I am rejecting this response because: They also ******* unfinished furniture which was not the fault of the shipper.  Since so much was damaged they should have done the right thing.

  They are forcing me to go to court, which I now plan to do.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business response

  06/13/2023

  The item in question is not an unfinished item.  It is clear finished Acacia wood.  The item was unpackaged and inspected before shipping.  The item was found to be in new condition, without defect and of the same quality and color as the model originally viewed by the customer at the store and as shown on our website here: *****************************************************************************************; The item was repackaged for shipping and left here in excellent condition.

  In any case, Hoot Judkins has already provided the customer with a FULL refund for the purchase price of this unit.

  Once again, the third party shipping charges... which are really at the heart of this matter... were clearly disclosed at time of purchase as being non-refundable.  The customer's signature, agreeing to these terms, was obtained at time of purchase.

  I share the customers frustration and loss.  We too have lost a great deal due to the mishandling of the product.

  While we see a pending court case as completely unnecessary, there is nothing we can do to prevent its filing.  I have no doubt that the bill of sale, clearly agreed to and signed by the customer, will hold up to any challenge in court.

  Customer response

  06/14/2023

   
  Complaint: 20156566
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  They might wish to review the photos showing the finished shelving plus the one shelf with wooden slats that were not finished like all the others.

  I don't expect the company to change their mind, but to be dishonest is another issue.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

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