Friday, March 5, 2010

Sofa Drama

Blerg. This is going to be a long ranty post. Thought I should warn you ahead of time.

From a previous post, you may remember my infatuation with a certain sofa. My love for the sofa was so much that I was going to order two. Well, due to space constraints (and monetary ones), I only ordered one, but I was still super excited. It's a custom sofa, so I expected it to take awhile.

And then I waited.

And waited.

Seven weeks later, the sofa arrives. Because I was at work, my husband received the sofa and my anticipation grew. Finally, I got home and found... it was the wrong freakin' fabric. (I don't have pics with me, so I'll have to add them later.)

I'll stop here and mention that the sofa that they sent is gorgeous. But it's not what I ordered.

The following day, I called the company to inform them of the error. They were very apologetic and was able to track the problem to the salesman who had keyed the information incorrectly. So then he called and was very apologetic. The solution was that they would order the correct sofa (which would take another 6 - 9 weeks to process) and we would get to keep the other until it arrives. Seems reasonable enough, right? However, in order to start the process for the new sofa they needed to charge my card for the new order. I wouldn't receive the credit for the returned sofa until they picked it up. The problem is that I don't have the resources to pay for two sofas and, the more I thought about it, I shouldn't have to.

So, a week later they pick up the sofa. I'm now waiting for my card to be credited and then I'll be purchasing a sofa elsewhere.

My problem is not that a mistake was made. We all mess up now and again. How you handle your mistakes reveals your character and they've made no effort to make the situation right. No offer to reduce the cost or expedite the new order, which is the very least they could have done. So, while I love that sofa, the company isn't getting my money.

Well, that was a lot of negativity. Just to throw in something positive, I'll mention that we're going to a super-amazing flea market tomorrow. I've heard that the quirky selection and people watching makes for a good time. I'm hoping to find some inexpensive crafting supplies. Vintage buttons and fabric and the like. In addition, I'm keeping an eye out for a cheap coffee table to refinish. It should be an adventure!