Complaint Review: Dinettes & Stools

I ordered three kitchen counter stools from Herndon Dinettes & Stools on November 30, 2009. I thought I was doing a "good thing" by giving my business to a small, local, "mom and pop" store versus a large franchise like The Room Store. Big mistake!

After taking my 50% deposit, Andrew (owner) said that the manufacturer in Canada (Canadel) would be closed for three weeks in December for the holidays, so my chairs would not get started until the beginning of January. I didn't think anything of the plant closing and thought "okay, it's Canada, maybe that's the norm." He said that it would be 10-12 weeks for delivery, taking into account the three week closing of the plant.

On week 11, I called the store to see if the chairs were scheduled for delivery in the next week or two. I left numerous messages on voice mail (too many to count) with no returned phone calls. Finally, on one of my many attempted phone calls, Allen (store manager) picked up and said that he would have to speak with Andrew to determine the status of my order. Again, no phone call was returned.

I am now well into the end of February (one week past the 12 week time frame) and still did not have an answer on the delivery date. Basically, hitting re-dial 20 times, Andrew picks up the phone. He proceeds to tell me that the chairs would not be in until the end of March, which is six to eight weeks past the initial 10-12 weeks in which they were to be delivered. Obviously unhappy on how no one returned my phone calls and of Andrew's nonchalant attitude, I told him that this was unacceptable. He began screaming at me over the phone and said that I could pick up my deposit. What furniture company does this after three months?! This was a red flag that my order was probably never placed! After having invested so much time and energy into this purchase, I declined and said that I expected the chairs at the end of March and would be calling back.

In the meantime, I did a little research on my order. I called the Canadel plant in Canada and spoke with Maria from Consumer Relations. I gave her the history of my order. First of all she said, "We don't close three weeks in December." They have a normal holiday schedule, and my order would have maybe been delayed at the most a week, but that I should have had my chairs by mid January. This is a month before Andrew said I would get them and two and half months before I actually received them!

She gave my information to the Virginia sales rep for Canadel who called me. Basically, my chairs did not get started in production until sometime in March because there were financial problems with Herndon Dinettes & Stools. Apparently, my deposit was used on an order that was placed before me, and I had to wait until someone else's deposit could be used to start my stools. Robbing Peter to pay Paul. I told the sales rep about the different online reports of dissatisfied customers and that Canadel should not be doing business with Herndon Dinettes and Stools. She said that she would convey this to Canadel management.

I actually picked up my stools on April 6, 18 weeks from when I initially placed the order!

Andrew (the owner) is rude, non-responsive, and is operating a store on the verge of bankruptcy. Allen has been working as the store manager for seven years and fully knows or is capable of finding out the status of every order. However, he hides behind Andrew with excuse after excuse that he doesn't deal with the manufacturers and doesnt try to be proactive for the customer. He too is non-responsive. In the close to 50 messages and phone calls that I left over many months, not one was returned!

I wish I would have read the reports on this site before I purchased my stools. I am happy with the stools and the workmanship of Canadel, but wish I would have ordered them from another store distributer. Take Your Business Elsewhere!