We read the case you covered in June 2016 whereby a furniture retailer’s promise of a “restock” charge at an agreed amount was rescinded after the furniture didn’t fit into the house.
In January we bought a sofa from the Tottenham Court Road branch of DFS in London. It was agreed with the assistant sales manager that a restock fee of £90, paid in the form of a deposit, would be retained by DFS should the sofa need to be returned. We were moving into a new house and didn’t have the measurements on us, so were willing to take this risk. The sofa was delivered but it didn’t fit. We waited for five days while DFS retained the sofa and money with no communication, then we filed a complaint on its website which it ignored. When I finally got through to the salesman I was assured the restock option was available. Over the next few days we received a confusing string of offers regarding various restock fees or the requirement to buy a new sofa, etc. We eventually agreed to a restock fee of 20%, or £80, only to find out the store manager had increased it to 40% (£158).
DFS doesn’t communicate in writing, so we have refused to speak over the phone and are seeking to dissolve the contract due to its misleading actions. We are ready for a long disagreement and would be prepared to go to a small claims court due to the well-documented nature of the DFS sales tactics.
The issue has also been forwarded to Trading Standards as a result of advice from Citizens Advice.
TB, London SE23
So-called “restocking” fees cover the cost of returning items – typically 10% for bulkier items like furniture or household appliances – but are not without controversy because it’s not always clear when they can be levied and at what level. But if you are buying any item of furniture it is vital to double check measurements.
DFS has issued a full refund for £454 (which you have accepted) on the grounds there was some “miscommunication”. It says: “We take customer service extremely seriously. We have arranged for the sofa to be returned at no charge. This is not standard policy as it is the responsibility of the customer to measure their space prior to ordering. The situation has been resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.”
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