Kathy M.
Yelp
Lack of customer service. I am a local and I've been a customer for many years. But I am sad to say I have probably made my last purchase after my recent experience.
In September of last year I ordered a leather cocktail ottoman through Vintage Home, made by Lee Industries. After waiting the obligatory 8 weeks for delivery we received a beautiful piece. Later I was showing the piece to a friend who noticed a tiny fine cut about an inch long in one of the leather panels, like something made with an exacto knife or box cutter, but it was all the way through the panel. I immediately called Vintage Home and the sales clerk who I'd worked with, Eva, came out to see the flaw and take some pictures. She thought that it looked like a factory cut (and not a box cutter cut that could have happened when they received it and cut the wrapping at the store.) She called Lee Industries to report the problem and got back to me with the news that the company would fix the piece but not replace it and I'd have to wait essentially another 6 to 8 weeks for that to be done, with shipping and all. I rejected that idea as I'd paid a hefty price for the piece and already waited my 8 weeks and thought it was on the store/manufacturer to fix the problem without further inconveniencing me, the client. Delivery was just before the holidays and I'd be without a cocktail ottoman or coffee table while entertaining large crowds through the Thanksgiving & Christmas season.
Eva called the manufactorer again, and got back to me with the news that a) the company had agreed to have the piece picked up and freighted overnight to North Carolina, repaired in one day, and shipped overnight back to me, and b) that if I chose, we could defer the repair until after the holidays to ensure that there would be no snafus due to freighting issues during the Christmas rush. I chose the second option.
On December 29th, I arranged for Vintage Home representatives to come pick up the piece, and I restated our arrangement to the manager on duty as Eva was on vacation, and I thought we were clear. However, nothing that was promised has happened. After 3 weeks, I called Vintage Home as the piece should have been returned already. I was told that they had not sent the ottoman overnight , that the manufacturer had received it on the 16th of January. Further, as of today, January 27th, the repair was still not done, and would not be done until the 30th, and that Lee Industries had no intention of overnighting the piece back, so we could expect it somewhere around the 7th of February. Well that's some service.
All in all, we've waited 8 weeks for the first delivery of a defective piece, and then if we do actually receive the repaired piece at the new estimated date, we will have waited an additional 6 weeks. Not okay at all! I suggest that you have a problem with customer service in your company. We paid in the area of $1,800 for this piece that we have yet to be able to enjoy as expected. We are disappointed and disillusioned to say the least.