Complaint Review: Home Decorators Collection - Internet Internet

This is a cautionary tale to all who order furniture from Home Decorators!

Home Decorators featured a new line of Martha Stewart furniture in their catalogue last month. One of her pieces was a slightly vintage looking desk called the "Ms. Ingrid" (valued at around $400). It was the perfect item to complete my home office.

I ordered it on the Home Decorators website right away, citing my need for a desk and the trustworthiness of Home Decorators as good reason. I was pretty happy about them offering free shipping too. 

I was even happier when I found out it was going to arrive in a matter of days.

My happiness quickly came to a halt. Home Decorators' choice of carrier for an item of this kind (anything below 150 pounds or so) is UPS. This is particular desk is 110 pounds to be exact. While that doesn't sound too daunting and considering that UPS is fairly reliable, one might wonder what the complaint could possibly be...

I live in a third story Florida condominium with no elevator available - which means access to it involves several flights of stairs.

A few days after I placed my order, I watched in mild horror as the UPS man wrestled the gargantuan box all the way up to my unit. Needless to say, when I opened the package the desk was in fact, cracked and chipped.

I called for an exchange immediately. Another UPS man came to take the broken desk away, visibly annoyed at having to bear the weight of it. He ended up dragging it off.

It occurred to me then that Home Decorators might attempt to ship the second desk in the same manner - UPS - which in turn would send one man with a useless dolly/hand truck and an item too large for him to handle.

I set about contacting Home Decorators in any way I could to prevent the problem. I called. I emailed. I called and emailed some more. I explained the matter clearly (and kindly) - that if the same means of shipping were used, the new desk was sure to arrive broken.

I asked that Home Decorators arrange for UPS to send a second man to help carry the item up.

I even offered to forego free shipping and pay out of my pocket to have their selected freight company deliver it.

My emails were responded to without being read. My phonecalls were responded to with sheer indifference. No one could be bothered to look into it.

I was told to contact UPS myself and make arrangements for an item Home Decorators was shipping, even though I had no information concerning the shipment and no whereabouts of the facility from which it was being sent!

I was told that their freight company refused to deliver any items to a third story apartment. Strange, in light of the fact that I have ordered large furniture from Home Decorators before and the very same freight company was used without issue or complaint.

I was given profuse apologies, all of them inane.

Desk Number Two was delivered this morning and guess what folks? It's broken.

I had to witness yet another UPS man (a tiny one this time) haul the monstrous box up, one stair at a time. I actually flinched when I heardthe crunching and cracking noises.

I've called for a refund, but sadly, am still without a desk.

Hopefully the rest of you shoppers will have better luck with Home Decorators than I did. Perhaps now that they will have sustained the monetary loss of two somewhat expensive items, they will be more attentive to the requests of their customers. Or not.