Paul Downs

Sigh.

I CAN give the rest of you some information, though, as in a real phone number where a real person answers. It is in their NYC office, and that is where Sherry Johnson works, whom I suspect most of you have dealt with. The number is 212 647 7434. If a woman answers the phone, that is Lorraine. She can be helpful. Or ask for Tony at extension 505. He also can be helpful. But obviously not THAT helpful, since I speak to them twice a week at least and have still not gotten anywhere with my order.

I did send an email tonight to the CEO with a link to this website, telling him that if I didn't get immediate resolution, I was filing a complaint with the BBB. Maybe if all of us start contacting him, something will happen.

I live close to NYC and will go to their showroom and cause a fuss, if necessary.

Best of luck,

kayaker

Mitch Keamy
Las Vegas, NV

Ed

The delivery men also stated that they were not employees of Strictly Wood Furniture. We have talked with the delivery men since receiving partial delivery of our order and they seem to be willing to try to help. Being able to contact them by phone has been a starting point. The delivery men said they have their own furniture business in Mexico where they build and sell handmade furniture. From their statements, it is not totally clear what their relation is to Strictly Wood Furniture. It appears they at least make repairs on damaged Strictly Wood Furniture.

Since November 11th, we have talked to Sherry Johnson (Sherry Altunbas), her assistant Lorriane, CEO Hakan "Mike" Altunbas, and Tony Collins. The net result has been a nightmare of unanswered phone calls and unfulfilled promises to deliver the missing pieces of furniture.

The pieces that were delivered were damaged furniture that had been repaired. They were a different color from what we had ordered and were also a different color from the pieces that were delivered on November 11.

The bottom line is that it took us four months and many phone calls to get furniture from Strictly Wood. The pieces that arrived were not the color we ordered. The pieces are two different colors and do not match. There is evidence that some of the pieces are damaged furniture that have been repaired.

We will NEVER do business with this company again. We feel that we got our order filled only because we refused to drop the matter and made at least 40 or 50 phone calls demanding delivery. What we got is not what we ordered, but at least we got something.

Buyer beware!!!!

I had similar experiences. I purchased a floor sample mission style sofa on 6/29/05. I was told it would take 8-12 weeks to deliver. By 9/05 i still had not heard from SWF or the carrier. I was feeling frustrated. i made many attempts to contact Sherri Johnson by telephone and email. End of Sept she did leave a message "we are having problems with the carriers." Sometime in Oct. 05 i was in the neighborhood and stopped by the SWF Showroom to inquire about the sofa. I met a Tony and he gave me a SWF card and he wrote his name on the business card. He promised me he would investigate and locate my sofa. He committed to contacting me in a few days. I did not hear from him. I made many attempts to reach him. I finally reached him and he avoided assisting me; i.e. i was disconnected 3x or put on hold for 20 minutes several times. Finally i reached a Lorraine. Lorraine informed me "we cannot locate your sofa. I can give you another one we do have available." I loved the sofa so much i decided to reorder. Again the same as above occured. On Dec. 10 2005 when Lorraine was not able to find out the status of my sofa i requested a refund. I was informed i would receive the check in 30 days. Beginning of Februrary i did not receive the refund. I went to Small Claims Court in Queens, New York. My court date is March 16. Also i was sent a letter by the People's Court to have this aired on T.V. I don't think SWF will agree to this. SWF is a scam. I urge everyone who has been scammed to contact their credit card company to report this scam. Also i contacted the Eyewitness News, BBB, Attorney General.

I can be contacted by email crk1254@yahoo.com

Has anyone received their furniture or a refund?

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to contact these people?

Thanks,

I just found this forum and registered. On 10/12/2005 I placed an order for a mixed lot of 'display' and 'regular price' furniture. I paid $8,722.98 via e-check, which cleared my bank on 10/17/2005. Delivery promised for sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We're now to March 2006 with innumerable excuses issued and re-issued when I can get in touch with them at all. Shippping dates have been missed, calls routinely go ignored, e-mails are not returned, Sherry has been out 'sick' twice, etc. I'm very upset.
I am ready to pursue legal action. What steps has anyone taken? Is there a class action suit I can be a part of?
Mark Keller
mark.j.keller@gmail.com

Here's the scoop from the consumer protection board.
My credit card company was able to process a charge back after all this time because the furniture was never delivered. Last fall they told me the refund window had passed.

Thank you for contacting the New York State Consumer Protection Board
regarding your complaint against Strictly Wood Furniture. After
reviewing your complaint, It appears the company is unwilling to
reply to you or an agency directly. Small Claims Court may be a
viable option in getting the company to respond to your concerns.

There is a Small Claims Court in the Civil Court of the City of New
York. If the business is not in New York City there is a Small
Claims Court in each of the 5 five boroughs and in each of the 62
counties of New York State. Small Claims handles disputes for up to
$3,000. If you have paid more than $3,000 an attorney of your choice
may be necessary. If you have already been through the process of
Small Claims Court and are seeking information on collecting a
judgment you have won, the court provides some help in collection of
judgments. A consumer may obtain an information subpoena which will
assist in locating the defendants assets. As you may know, prior to
rendering judgment, the court can order the defendant to disclose his
or her assets and restrain the defendant from disposing of them.
However, you must take the necessary steps to obtain payment of your
judgment.

After winning a judgment, you should try to contact the losing party
to collect your judgment. If the defendant does not pay you, you may
need the services of an enforcement officer -- a sheriff, city
marshal, or a constable. Once the officer is provided with the
information needed to locate the assets (money or property) of the
defendant, and the enforcement officer then can seize those assets to
satisfy your judgment.

Please feel free to contact us concerning other consumer-related
issues.

http://forum.arts-crafts.com/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/3916079532/m/3541098111
http://forum.arts-crafts.com/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/3916079532/m/5381087361

Try contacting NYC's Dept of Consumer Affairs and filing a complaint with them. They told me they have five on file already, and one of them was resolved.

We'll gladly join in any class action suit.

It's a shame, we like the furniture but this may be the worst run company in the country. I'm open to joining in a class action as well if anyone knows the process of setting such a thing up.

Since 2004 Strictly Wood Furniture has charged over $2,300.00 to my credit cards and will neither deliver the furniture I ordered nor will they speak to me about a refund. It could be well worth your time and money to go to the internet, type their name, do a search and read the numerous stories of many others before you order. Strictly Wood Furniture customer service is the worst I have ever experienced.

I found out too late that you are offered no protection from from the usual laws for your on-line purchases. On the internet you are at the mercy of the integrity of the of the seller.

The furniture is beautiful and I would be proud to have it in my home...if Strictly Wood Furniture would only deliver my order.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat???

I haven't had any experience with this company, but these stories are so fascinatingly awful. Turkish lira???

What IS this place?

The money is long gone, and somehow I feel not so bad because I am not alone. It's the misery-loves-company scenario.

I wonder how some folks can sleep at night, or how they can wake up in the morning knowing what the rest of their day is going to entail.

????

What decade are YOU living in?

You've seen the stories. We can't keep lead out of kids toys, we can't keep poison out of dog food or drugs. Every agency that deals with consumer protection has been gutted. You think anyone's going after furniture stores? Especially when its only money that's at stake? Especially for the consumers who willingly gave up the protections they had? I don't think so.

BTW, I don't like it either. But the nation has priorities, and stuff like this ain't it.

To that end, the FBI has a link for complaints about Internet consumer fraud:

http://www.ic3.gov/

Also, SWF/MHI just begun advertising on Craigslist. "We have undeliverables in your area." Uh-huh.

I've emailed craigslist to inform them of SWF/MHI's practices.

A friend got scammed on a camera deal in late 2006. The dollar amount was around $6000 (pro equipment for a pro photographer).

The scammer was a real amateur and my friend was able to track him down to his home address within a few weeks. A small town in Washington state. There was evidence, and there were several other complaints with evidence from other victims. All told the fraud was over $50,000.

The cops and AG wanted nothing to do with it. I think the police response was "Well, what would you LIKE us to do about this?"

Steve is right on cameras, the low price guys are almost always scammers. So you go for a good price, but not necessarily rock bottom.

I think there is a balance you should find as shoppers. First of all you want to find not the lowest price, but the best dealer for service that will sell you at a competitive price. Big Difference. Buy from trusted sources and you'll have someone to work for you if things don't go as planned.

My on-line friend Steve (mogator88) has a family furniture business in northern Illinois : Oster Furniture Co. Thats the kind of dealer you want to buy from, for he has integrity and commitment to his customers and you'll always get a decent deal PLUS someone to go to bat for you if need be. Steve can't tell you that, because its a TOS violation, but I can!

Duane Collie

P.S. Its a good day! Just got my cancer tests back a few minutes ago (I'm a late stage IV survivor) and after 2 years, 3 months I'm still in the clear. Thats as good as hitting the winning Powerball number for the night.

Larry