I bought four Eames dining chairs, made by Vitra, from John Lewis in August 2016. They were £339 each and were not delivered until the end of December – 20 weeks later than the 10 weeks promised. In February this year – just over the 12 months’ guarantee from when they were delivered – the white seats developed marks in each corner exactly where the black legs underneath join. However, John Lewis says these were within “tolerance limits” and that I have to accept the chairs as they are. I find it shocking that it is willing to sell £339 chairs that show a mark within 15 months.
SK, London
You sent us photos of the seats and we can understand your disappointment, particularly as you paid a lot of money for these highly-prized designer chairs – and the “real thing”, rather than inferior lookalikes. We were surprised you were left in the lurch by John Lewis – even though the warranty had expired, they appear to be “not fit for purpose” – and we asked them to revisit your complaint. It suggested its third-party furniture inspectors provide a full assessment. However, you declined and, instead, agreed with its alternative – to provide new “shells” (the seat part of the chairs). These take four to six weeks to deliver and then John Lewis will arrange with its inspectors to attach these to the existing legs. Slightly ominously, it says that if the staining recurs, you should get in touch again.
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