Although my experience pales against the others which have been posted, my shopping experience with Harlem Furniture, the fastest growing furniture store in Chicagoland, is the worst I've ever had. I should have had a clue when the salesman added on items to my initial bill that I didn't request, like a $50 mattress pad and scotchguard.
To secure my purchase would be in stock when I was ready for delivery, I put 20% down and said I would call at the beginning of the next month after I had closed on the real estate for which the purchase was intended. Within 48 hrs, I was getting repeat calls requesting I set up delivery. I returned the calls and explained again what was on the computer -- that I'd call later to arrange delivery.
When I learned of my closing date, I called to arrange delivery, and was told to call distribution, which I did. The nice young woman there explained that my furniture, which was to be earmarked for me, wasn't in stock until the 13th of the month, that for some unknown reason someone had put a bogus delivery date in the computer that I had not authorized. Further checking found the furniture was indeed in stock, and she kindly set up my delivery for Friday in the 3 hour window that the hi-rise building had allowed for the delivery. She told me to call her the next day if I hadn't received a phone call confirming the delivery by noon.
The next day, before noon, I got the confirmation call which also reminded me that I had a balance owing. I explained for the third time -- the day before I had explained to the assistant sales manager and to the scheduler -- that I lived an hour and a half from the store, and would be in on Wednesday to pay the balance before the Friday delivery. I reiterated that since the store already had my credit card number for the down payment, they were free to put the balance on the card, but they insisted that store policy required that I come in in-person to do that. All were fine with my paying the balance on Wednesday.
True to my word, as I had been all along, I traveled to the store on Wednesday morning on the way to my closing in the city to pay the balance and double check that the delivery would be on Friday. That's when I learned that the delivery had been cancelled. After a half hour of wrangling, getting distribution on the phone and learning they could not deliver on Friday as confirmed, I requested my money back, aprx. $2000. At that point an assistant manager was brought in, and he asked that I allow them to try to get the matter settled, and could I come back that evening after I finished my closing.
That evening I returned,in rush hour, and saw yet another assistant manager who wanted me to wait for another half hour for an answer from the distribution center. I told him I would wait no longer, and he disappeared for another 15 minutes and returned with the manager. He asked me to wait until closing, or the next morning for an answer, and he would send me my credit if there were no cancellations on the delivery route by then. The likelihood of that happening was slim and none, in
my opinion, and so I demanded my credit on my card. Of course, the first thing that was requested was my credit card so that they could refund my money, even though they had said they could send me a credit without it. Keep in my mind that twice I made a three hour round trip to Harlem because they refused to process a credit card on the phone -- now, suddenly, if I would leave without my credit card being credited, they would see that it was properly done, later.
The real kicker is, after getting back home that night, I had a message from them wanting to confirm a 13th of the month delivery date that I never set up. In the whole mess, there was never an apology, never an attempt to compensate for a total of 4 trips to the store (aprx. 9hrs and 20 minutes), several long distance calls, and a great deal of aggravation.
While I was standing and waiting for manager Arzad Talabani, a salesman was overheard on the phone apologizing to a customer for a screw up and offering to waive the delivery fee and give her a $50 gift certificate; a man came in with a check from his son for his son's account and they refused to take it, saying the son had to bring it in , himself; and another man came in to ask if his balance could be put on a different credit card from the original one, and he was refused.
Harlem Furniture posts its number one goal as "Getting It Right the First Time." Sounds like mission impossible to me! They appear to be totally incompetent. The salesman, the distribution lady, the assistant manager all told me a three hour time window for delivery was adequate, only to later be told that none of these people knew what they were talking about. Afer reading the other complaints, I feel better about sticking to my principles, even though I had to sleep on the floor, and have yet to find a living room suite I like as much, because I now know that had I taken delivery at another time, there was no assurance my furniture would have arrived undamaged.
Harlem Furniture will not continue to thrive -- because a satisfied customer tells three, and a dissatisfied customer tells ten -- with the internet it may be tens of thousands.
Pennie
Chicago, Illinois
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