We had placed an order for a sofa(3+1 seater+1 diwan) on 4th July 2021. The final sofa price was Rs.42, 000 and we were asked to pay Rs.15, 000 advance. We were told that the sofa will be delivered in 10 days. Even after two weeks of the purchase, since there was no response from them, we called them up, and they said, it will be sent in two more days. Again after a week, since there was no response, we had to call again and we got the same response. Finally it was delivered on 31st July(more than 2 weeks delay from the promised time). He apologised for the delay and said he will compensate by giving us free delivery and 5 pillows matching the sofa. At least we were in the hope that the quality of the sofa should be good, even if it got delayed. On the day when it was delivered, as we had some work, we could not go to the store to check the sofa. He agreed to send it directly to home and asked us to pay the balance amount in cash, as he could not bring the Card machine home. We also agreed to it. On delivering, when asked for the final Bill, he said, the final bill will be sent along with the pillows. [Till date we have not received the Bill nor the pillows]
The first impression was bad when we sat on the Diwan, it was hollow in the middle and was unusable. Immediately when we complained, he said, it will be some small issue, we can fix it quickly. So we waited patiently. Every-time we call, they used to reply stating, they were busy with other work and will come in the next 2 days. After 2 days, there won’t be any response from their side and hence we have to follow up again.
This attitude of purposefully delaying "Post-delivery" service is very frustrating from a consumer point of view. And the credibility of the seller is spoiled due to this.
They came after a week and stuffed in some foam in the Diwan which made it bulge in the middle. This made the diwan very uncomfortable to sit. When asked about it, they said "that’s how it will be, if you use it for a few days it will flatten’. It’s been almost a month since it was stuffed, the diwan is still bulging up, and is unusable, as we are getting back-pain sitting on it. When asked about it, the Manager Prem in a very rude manner, says, "That’s how it will be, you have to adjust for a few days. Sit on top of it for a few days, it will flatten".
This makes me wonder, is it a job of a consumer to fix the defect as well? After paying a hefty amount for the Sofa, shouldn’t it be the sellers responsibility to deliver a good product? As a human being, I can understand mistakes happen, but at least, there should be some ownership from the seller side to fix the problem or replace it. The casual attitude which says, "You have to adjust with what you have", is very frustrating for the customer.
Also within 2 weeks of usage, the same problem as seen in the Diwan, is also seen in the 3 seater and 1 seater as well. After following up for 3 weeks and getting the same response, they came and checked and agreed that the elastic inside the sofa is not proper. But Manager, is suggesting the same fix to stuff more foam.
As this is COVID time and stores are also not operating with full efficiency, we wanted to be understanding, but it looks like they are taking us for granted and not interested in solving this issue.
This does not seem to be a sustainable solution. Every time we identify a defect and find discomfort with the sofa, we cannot be calling, following-up and waiting for 2-3 weeks and then again after the fix, sit on the uncomfortable piece till we identify the next problem. There are 2 senior members at home aged 70 and 65. The main purpose of buying this sofa is for them to sit back and relax in their retired life and not to keep complaining and following up for the defects.
The manager being non-understanding and rude, we tried to raise the complaint to the Owner but he also seems to not care about it. He told, he will talk to the Manager and call back but has not bothered to pick up or return the call later. It has been about a week now after the issue was raised to the owner and we have not received any update.
As a consumer, this has put us in a very vulnerable situation, where the full amount is paid and the seller is at an upper hand and does not seem to care about the customer now. We are in a very helpless situation.
With the number of problems this sofa is having in the first month, it clearly shows that there is some defect in the product that will only get worse as the time goes. And with the kind of post delivery service we have received so far, we are sure, we will not have a pleasant experience with this product at home.