Ashley Furniture RANT**updated with pics***

I will preface this by saying that up until this last week, anyone who asked me where to buy furniture, I would tell to go to Ashley's. Also, I take full responsibility for not taking out an extended warranty on such a large purchase but they wanted close to 600 for it and it was a lot for us at the time. Even our sales guy made us feel at ease about not taking it out since their stuff supposedly was made to last. WORST MISTAKE EVER.

Last year, DH and I went to Ashely's on 110 and spent close to 6k on furniture with the largest portion of that expense being our "forever" bedroom set. Well, on Tuesday, the bed frame completely snapped when DH sat on it to tie his work shoe. (Wish we had a better story than that but its the truth, haha.) The mattress immediately sank into the floor and we have been sleeping on the floor for 5 days and counting. I called Ashley and was told my manufacturer warranty expired 2 months ago but that they would send us a part that had broke. The freaking frame SNAPPED and a part wasn't going to fix it but I said okay. They give me an estimated time of 30 days for arrival and told me that it's my responsibility to find someone to fix it.

DH and I went down to the store on 110 yesterday to speak with the manager to see if there was anything else we could do, even offering to pay for part of it. The bed is a year and 2 months old. The manager asked if we had the extended warranty and when we told him no, he said, oh, well, your lucky that we are even sending you a part then, we can't do anything else for you. I understand we stupidly didn't take the warranty out, but a year and 2 months on a 4k bedroom set is ridiculous to me! So, he then says in a laughing manner, OR, we can sell you another set and proceeds to make a joke about it with his co-worker. I got pissed and told him I was not amused that although what we spent may be considered peanuts to others, to us it was a lot. He then says, well I am sorry, but *I* am educated enough to know what a warranty means, and you clearly aren't because you wouldn't be here expecting us to help you if you could read. The argument got heated and we ended up leaving and are just going to have to wait for the part and piece our bed together. He basically told me, count your blessings we are sending you a part and leave if you aren't going to purchase anything else.

Who the f is this guy to question my education!? I don't care if I have a PhD or an elementary school diploma, I know the difference between good and bad customer service. I am so absolutely disgusted not only about the money we spent, but the way we were treated. Like I said, I take responsibility for not spending the extra 600 but never ever would I have thought we would only get a year and 2 months. Meantime, my $300 Ikea bed I bought 8 years ago is still going strong. I called their customer service line and asked for a manager and he said, each place is privately managed and while they don't agree with the way we were treated, that manager has the right to do what he likes and they will do nothing about it. They also reminded me that "they don't produce heirloom quality furniture" and that they state so in their contract.

Sorry this is so long and if you got through it all, thank you! Just please, if you shop there, please take out an extended warranty because I hate that this could and will happen to others and they don't give a crap! We are just going to have to live with it.

I just emailed Ashley and included some pics below. I doubt it will do anything but I figure it wouldn't hurt.

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Message edited 10/8/2012 10:08:58 AM.

Re: Ashley Furniture RANT

omg, that is terrible. if i were you i would absolutely NOT stop calling customer service, write a letter etc. good luck!

Ashley Furniture RANT

Write letters, give them bad reviews online, continue to badger them. I had an issue with Ashley furniture a few years ago and I wrote one letter and got a $200 discount because I was forceful and adamant about getting someone to fix it. No one wants bad business, so if they see you are serious about making sure everyone knows how they conduct their business, they might be willing to help more.

Ashley Furniture RANT

Yes, tweet and facebook the crap out of them- for that money there is no way your bed should have broke, warranty or not! And post pics too if you have them. Good luck- that is ridiculous!

Re: Ashley Furniture RANT**updated with pics***

added pics and thanks ladies for not making me feel insane. I just can't understand how for jthat much money, its our fault because we didn't take out an extended warranty, grrrrr

Message edited 10/8/2012 10:11:00 AM.

Ashley Furniture RANT

I'm not sure where I stand on this,
-a bed shouldn't break, but it did, there is a warrenty and you're out of it,
-you declined the extended warrenty
-technically, its your problem now
-the company offered as a goodwill gesture to send you the part that broke
-their manager was a jerk.

basically to me it seemed like the company was doing the right thing up until the point that the manager was demeaning. and the product failed, but sometimes good products fail, and sometimes crap products fail.

I dunno, I don't normally buy extended warrenties. its a risk, but in general I feel I shouldn't have to pay someone to gaurantee their product further if I buy a quality product.

I've only been burned by it once recently. a Frigidaire professional series appliance pack that we bought for our kitchen has had problems while under the normal warrenty to the extent we had them completely replace our fridge. Just outside the normal warrenty period the stove broke. I ended up fixing it myself, I fumed a bit, but assumed hey, I'm 3 months out of warrenty, its my problem. I wouldn't buy another appliance from them again. Obviousl furnature is a bit different and you're not going to be able to get a matching side rail outside of complaining to them, but I guess I'd have probably been happy getting the free replacement of the broken piece.

Re: Ashley Furniture RANT**updated with pics***

Re: Ashley Furniture RANT**updated with pics***

Ashley Furniture RANT**updated with pics***

This is why I will never get a bed with those slats ever. We had the same issue with a slat bed that we got from Ikea. It just completely collapsed one night while we were sleeping. DH ended up making a temporary fix by drilling the slats into a piece of plywood and drilled that into the bed or something. It lasted awhile.

It sucks big time that they won't help you -- definitely hit up social media. They won't want pictures showing the "quality" of their furniture all over the web.

Ashley Furniture RANT**updated with pics***

Warranty or not, an expensive piece of furniture should not break after one year. That's crap.

Re: Ashley Furniture RANT**updated with pics***

Regardless of the details of the broken frame, HE should have NOT treated you like that. Like others said, continue to FB, tweet, write letters with the manager's name date/time you went there etc and what happened to corporate and district managers. Totally unacceptable!

Ashley Furniture RANT**updated with pics***

It doesn't look like a terribly broken piece of furniture that completely fell apart, and if your DH is handy maybe he can reinforce it when the part comes. It definitely sucks that they were rude at the store, though, and I would definitely FB or Tweet it. I had an issue with a store and FB'd it and it got taken care of right away. Good luck!

Ashley Furniture RANT**updated with pics***

That sucks but maybe you can some ply wood to put there instead. It might be stronger.

Re: Ashley Furniture RANT**updated with pics***

It looks like the same bedroom we got from Ashley. We bought from Carle place though bc the Route 110 people were arrogant assholes! Sorry you are going through this.

We got the 5 year protection on all of our furniture because we knew we weren't buying "The best" you could get and wanted to be covered. I hope they can help you out somehow.

Ashley Furniture RANT**updated with pics***

I can't believe how they treated you, but I'm glad they are sending you new slats. It seems like an easy enough fix. Looking at the pics though, and by the color, the slats look warped to me. All of the beds we have, the slats are not aged looking like that? Granted we don't have anything from Ashley. I wonder if the new ones you will receive will look the same?

Re: Ashley Furniture RANT**updated with pics***

Thanks for all of the responses and suggestions. I wrote an email to corporate on Sunday night and also let them know that I would be sending a letter to the attention of their CEO and COO (yes, i googled their names, lol). I received a call back this afternoon apologizing for the way we were treated and the woman on the phone stated that once we receive the new slats, if I call back and insist about it, they will send out a technician to assemble it. DH and his dad were going to do it but if its an option, I am having the technician come out for it. I guess harping on them really did help, or at least I think it did, now lets just see if we actually can get a tech out there! Thanks again ladies!

Re: Ashley Furniture RANT**updated with pics***

Re: Ashley Furniture RANT**updated with pics***

Re: Ashley Furniture RANT**updated with pics***

Ashley furniture is owned by Jennifer Convertible, and their furniture is so subpar they were sued by the NYS Attorney General (Eilot Spitzer at the time).

I had chairs that literally fell apart, I emailed the state attorney (we were within a year), and within days I had someone from Jennifer Convertible at my house repairing the chairs.

They fell apart again and I wound up throwing them out and writing the BBB, the company, and the OAG.

I will NEVER, EVER, EVER by from them again. Not only are *some* of the people in that operation completely without any shred of decency, they are WORSE if you ever have a problem.

I completely feel for you, I hope you get your slats, I'd make sure you follow everything up in writing.

As of July 20, 2010, Jennifer Convertibles operated 142 namesake stores and 12 Jennifer Leather stores across the U.S. It also owned 154 Ashley Furniture HomeStores and licensed five others.[5]
Upon its emergence from bankruptcy the company had 64 Jennifer Convertibles sofa sleeper specialty stores and eight Jennifer Leather stores as well as six licensed Ashley Furniture HomeStores in greater New York.

On July 29, 2004 New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer announced a consent order and judgment that will significantly reform the sales practices of Jennifer Convertibles and provide restitution to consumers. The judgment permanently enjoined Jennifer Convertibles from engaging in deceptive, fraudulent or illegal business practices, and requires the company to make substantial reforms to its sales practices and customer service operations. The judgment also requires Jennifer Convertibles to make restitution to consumers for its failure to replace or repair defective goods. In addition, Jennifer Convertibles agreed to pay $275,000 in penalties, and $2,000 in costs.[6]
Jennifer Convertibles has received a grade of "F" from the Better Business Bureau each year from 2006 through 2009.[7] Across the U.S. they have had complaints for deceptive sales practices, delivery problems, not honoring their warranties and bait and switch techniques.[8]
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ETA: the reason I went to the extremes when the chair fell apart is because I went to the store to ask how to get it repaired and they looked at my disabled spouse and said the chairs wouldn't be able to hold someone with so many problems. HE said he was joking (I went a bit nuts) The guy was VERY lucky I didn't deck him.

Message edited 10/9/2012 7:48:34 PM.

Re: Ashley Furniture RANT**updated with pics***

Ashley Furniture RANT**updated with pics***

We shopped around for furniture before we purchased our Raymour & Flanagan leather couches we stopped over at Ashley's and was so disappointed in the quality and prices..even the customer service was not good. So glad we didn't buy from there.
Your post will create awareness & maybe prevent someone else from this horrible experience.