Right to "reject" furniture - distance selling?
Right to "reject" furniture - distance selling?
Author
Discussion

clockworks

Original Poster:

7,425 posts

172 months

Mum lives in a retirement apartment complex.
She's 89, but still able to do most things for herself.

The complex sometimes has salesmen set up the resident's lounge for the day, selling mobility aids etc.
A couple if months ago, they had someone selling beds and armchairs with electric lift mechanisms.
Unbeknownst to me and my siblings, she signed up for "made to measure" reclining armchair with a lifting seat. Fair enough, she's got some savings, her choice.

2 weeks ago, we visited her and the armchair had been delivered, she wasn't at all happy with it.
She wanted leather (to match her sofa), and the sales guy told her they couldn't supply that. Website and brochure says they can. The supplied fabric irritates the skin on her forearms, causing a rash.

Made to measure seating position, but it even felt a bit big for me at 6'1" - she's just 5'3" now. Way too big for her.
Wrong size, and not the material she wanted, sounds more like it's just what they had in stock.

She had already complained within 30 days, and was waiting for them to send someone out.

She showed us the invoice - over £4.5k!

Does she have any recourse for a refund?

For context on the price, we had a look around at how much a chair with those functions really costs.
We took her to the local up-market furniture store (Julian Foye) and had a look at a lifting armchair that matches her fairly expensive Himolla (German) sofa. No pressure from the sales staff, we were shown where it was, shown the colour swatches, and left to play with it. She loved it, ordered one.
The price - £2.1k. Less than half the price, for a clearly superior product that actually fits her.

I mentioned it to my brother this afternoon, and he got a bit angry about the sales tactics used by these companies, flogging over-priced items to a group of elderly people.


carl_w

10,656 posts

285 months

I don't think you can reject stuff that is made to measure or personalized unless it is faulty.

Writhing

650 posts

136 months

I wonder if the retirement complex receives a commission for allowing the sales people to peddle their wares?

clockworks

Original Poster:

7,425 posts

172 months

I'm sure there are some backhanders at corporate level.

Point is, it doesn't actually seem to be "made to measure" at all.

carl_w

10,656 posts

285 months

clockworks said:
I'm sure there are some backhanders at corporate level.

Point is, it doesn't actually seem to be "made to measure" at all.
In which case you could say it is faulty and ask for a replacement I guess. Obviously the salesman must have done all the measurements, but then he could say that your mum agreed to them.

clockworks

Original Poster:

7,425 posts

172 months

carl_w said:
In which case you could say it is faulty and ask for a replacement I guess. Obviously the salesman must have done all the measurements, but then he could say that your mum agreed to them.
They didn't actually do any measuring, just asked her how tall she was.