ComplaintsforSugden Furniture

• Initial Complaint

  02/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  July 16, 2021 I ordered a couch This delivery has been delayed 3 times now 2/17/2022 I still have no couch and an approximate 4-6week wait for delivery after shipping and the business states they don't know why it takes this long. I have had to call for every update I have received and been told not to call because they can't keep track of that much Information. Was told by the company that they don't follow up or check on orders once sent to the manufacturer unless they receive customer complaints. The company stated that they did not know what was causing the delays until the 3rd delay when my husband demanded they provide us with a reason. Which was the fabric being on back order. We were never given the option to change fabric to help along the process. I have called multiple times to see if there was anything they could do to expedite the process or compensate us for our wait time and unpredictable/unknown delivery. The business refused to do anything. We have paid them $6,000 to date and they still want $1,250 more.

  Business response

  03/14/2022

  We realize that nobody likes delays but in today’s world it happens more often than not. The past two years have been a struggle for most industries. Production delays, supply chain disruptions, and shipping delays have become the norm. That’s true in the furniture industry as well. Unfortunately, custom made upholstery currently takes anywhere from 7-12 months to be manufactured. With these long lead times manufacturers can’t possibly give an accurate estimate of when a particular order will be produced. They provide an estimate which we then pass on to the customer but with the supply chain and workforce issues being so fluid, this estimate is often moved back. That was the case with this particular customer’s order, as well as nearly every other custom upholstery order. I’m not sure what the customer is referring to when they say we, “don’t know why it takes so long.” There isn’t one specific reason but a long list. All, unfortunately out of our hands.

  
  

  Because of unprecedented long lead times for furniture the past 2 years we have taken several steps to communicate with customers about expected delays. First, we mailed two letters (April 19,2021 and August 27, 2021) explaining some of the issues facing the furniture industry. Included with these letters was a copy of a Dayton Daily News article outlining many of these same issues and explaining the delays. We also implemented a “call list” for customers who wished to be updated periodically on their order. The vast majority of our customers were thankful for the methods we implemented to enhance communication over the past 2 years. This customer was added to our call list and contacted when there were updates. The customer may have also contacted Sugden Furniture with inquiries in between our calls but they ABSOLUTELY were never told not to call. Any inquiry by any customer is ALWAYS followed up by contact with the manufacturer.

  
  

  In conclusion, it appears that this customer wanted compensation for matters that were completely out of our control and they imply by saying “we have paid them $6,000 to date and they want $1,250 more” that we added additional charges, when this was merely the balance due on their order. Sugden Furniture only asks for a 20% deposit when furniture is ordered and nothing more is required until the furniture is delivered. This customer put down exactly 20% (around $1,500) when the furniture was ordered. They chose to come in on numerous occasions and make cash payments on their order. Again, the $1,250 “more” due  on delivery was nothing more than the balance due on the order.

  Customer response

  03/14/2022

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID *******. While it is not satisfactory and I will stand by the fact that they never reached out to us and we always contacted them. My furniture has been delivered, miraculously the day after I was notified that they received my complaint. I no longer have the energy to deal with such a business. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ******

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩