Need advice about Thomasville Warranty Issue

17 years ago

I have a problem with a chair we purchased from Thomasville, and need some advice.

We bought a pair of chairs from Thomasville and took delivery last May. About a month ago, I noticed that one of the arms on one of the chairs was cracked all the way through - if you wiggled the arm, you could clearly see that it was cracked all the way through. I called Thomasville, and the reps initial reaction was that it sounded like it was a weak point in the wood (knot, etc) and that it didn't sound like something that could be repaired, and she would check on a replacement. Then she called and said that her corporate rep wanted to take a look, so they came and picked it up a couple of weeks ago. Next thing I know, I'm getting a call from the warehouse saying they want to set up re-delivery of the chair.

After some discussion with the rep, it seems as though the repairman has removed the arm, put nails in to attach the two broken pieces, filled any gaps with wood filler and repaired the finish. The repairman states further that where the arm attaches to the chair is a "weak point" on any chair.

I don't if this is acceptable or not - what do you all think?

We paid over $1,100 for each of these chairs, and had basically expected to use them for the rest of our lives. There is a 1 year warranty on the furniture - the rep tells me that after the 1 year is up, we have to deal with the corporate office. These are being used as side chairs in our living room, and really haven't received all that much use, and certainly no undue stress. I kind of feel like we should receive a new chair based on the length of time we've owned them, but don't know if this is an unreasonable position to take - any thoughts?

Becky

Lompoc, CA

Here is a link that might be useful: Simplicity Chair

Comments (4)

PRO
iCustomSofa
17 years ago
Thomasville will always try to repair before replacing, as with most manufacturers. Its hard on their bottom line. But on your chairs, this is a good example where design wins out over common scense of wood joinery.
mes444
17 years ago
Do not accept their nail, filler, etc. repair. That is so pathetic of them. Just tell them you want a new arm piece or a new chair. The crack is due to a defective piece of wood used initially, not the construction of the chair. Chair arms don't just crack with so little use and at the quality you paid for. You are not being unreasonable.
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patricianat
17 years ago
I can tell you this and that's all I know: Thomasville and Ethan Allen ain't what they usta be.
moonshadow
17 years ago
I will never, repeat never, purchase a piece from Thomasville. Long story short, upon delivery of furniture last year the store's delivery people not only did over $2k damage to our newly finished foyer (hardwood floor, new oak stairs treads gashed, baseball size hole in my drywall) they cracked the frame of the sofa. It was one bizarre experience and T'ville local rep and corporate were ulitmately zero help. Corporate rep was initially nice, but kept bouncing me back to the store, saying it was between us and them to work it out. I was not ungracious or rude at any point. I simply wanted the set replaced via a different vendor. (It was not a finalized sale, so no warranty work came into play.) The store ulitmately agreed to refund our $, but only if we went to their attorney's office to get it and sign a release. That's the point when communication with T'ville corporate came to a screeching halt. I received an email that since an attorney was now involved they could not speak to us any further about the matter. (Again the store retained an attorney before they would give us a refund, not us.) It truly was one of the most bizarre experiences we've ever been through. My first and last experience with T'ville. I opted not to get that same furniture from a different vendor, because if a problem occurred under warranty I had grave doubts about the company's cooperation. So I went elsewhere.

Don't let them pull this with you. DH does woodworking, where the arm joins the body is only weak if they construct it badly (otherwise cracking chair arms would be a common issue across the board, no?). Don't accept the nailed/puttied repair, then it will definately and permanently be a weak spot.