Consumer Traps & Tips #14 - Buying Furniture

For immediate release: March 2, 2009
Contact: Dennis Moore PBC Consumer Affairs Division, (561) 712-6600

Trap

When Janice went furniture shopping it was a nightmare!  She went to a recently opened store that was having a “great” sale.  A lot of the furniture did not have manufacturer’s labels or price tags, but the sales person helped her find furniture in her price range and said it could be delivered in two days.
 
Janice wasn’t concerned that the order form just said “furniture” and “bed,” and it did not itemize the two nightstands, the dresser and the headboard or the queen mattress.  When the furniture arrived three weeks later the mattress and nightstands were not what she ordered!  And, the headboard and dresser mirror were missing! 
 
Tips

The next time she went furniture shopping was different.

• Janice got a business information report from Consumer Affairs.
• She was at a store that had been at the same location for several years where friends and relatives had shopped with good results. 
• She made sure all the furniture had manufacturer’s labels and price tags.
• She insisted on seeing and reviewing everything on the order form before paying for the furniture.  Janice wanted to make sure each item she was buying was listed on the form along with the manufacturer’s name, model and number, size, color and price.
• She read all the terms and conditions on the order form carefully.
• Janice paid for the furniture with a credit card, giving her leverage in case of a dispute.

For more information, contact Consumer Affairs at 561-712-6600 (Boca/Delray 1-888-852-7362), or get information about businesses at www.pbcgov.com/consumer.