Complaint Review: Patriot Furniture - Killeen Texas

Hello, as an Ex-Employee of Patriot Furniture ( Killeen and Waco ) I have had the chance to meat Eddie Vale. Yes he is a crude arrogant hot head, he is also a very fair individual should you actually contact him with your issue with some respect and courtesy, if you come at him ranting and raving and threatning then you will get no where. I have seen several "Innocent" folks enter the store and be escorted from the property by the KPD, the only problem is that they nice quiet innocent folks ( at least thats what they claim ) come into the store screaming and carrying on, making a scene and driving away business, and thats their intent. I have also seen ( true story here ) a customer contact the store about a custom leather order that was screwed up by the sales person ( wrong leather ordered ) took longer than expected to finish ( remember Patriot dosnt make this stuff, they rely onthe time frames givin by the manufacturers ). when the furniture came in, and was wrong the customers were upset, but rather than screaming, contacted the store in a curtious manner, found out what went wrong, and were offered 2 solutions. 1 accept the furniture ( wrong texture right color ) and get it for actuall cost or 2 use the furniture till we could re-order the right stuff and get it to them, I know this for a fact because I was one of the people delivering it, Clay Odell is a different story, He is a used car salesman, and will tell anyone anything to get the sale then drop the ball and screw around getting things fixed, if a driver has to go out to fix a screwup then they cant deliver new orders, the sales people dont get paid till the order is in the house. so of course they want NEW deliveries to go out rather than replacements or pickups, the sales people have total control over the delivery book, As to the person that started these patriot furniture rants, If you ordered a ton of software from Microsoft and only got 1/2 of it would you say that Bill is a con, NO Blame the sales people, they are the ones that are lying to you, they are the ones that do not bother to tell you that only part of your order is here, Blame Richard ( warehouse manager ) for NOT demanding that the sales folks let you know that only part of your order is there, These are the folks that have a day to day hand in the business, in my dealings with Mr Vale, and trust me they were not all nice, his main dealings with the store are walking around, pointing where they want stuff, then going to his office, He is the owner, he pays people to see that things are run smooth. yell at them, call them liars and cheats ( and I will agree with Mr. Odell being a lying sniviling used car salesman ) And just for the record, in case people think I am a fan of Mr Vale, I Honestly cant stand him. and have had my fair share of blowouts with him, his temper was the reason I quit. If this thread was about Eddie being a rotton SOB then I would have to agree, but he is NOT a cheat, he is NOT a liar or a crook.... Tony Corbett, Patriot Furniture Killen Sales then warehouse and Waco Warehouse.

I am also an ex-employee of Patriot Furniture and I have to put my 2 cents in. It was the best job I ever had because I loved working at the best furniture company in Killeen. We had the best prices, the best selection and brands for any budget, and a very good relationship with fellow employees. For anyone who does not know furniture, it may be harder to understand so I sympathize with them. It helps alot when you work behind the scenes of a business and see all the work that goes into it and all the problems that can be encountered, which we have no control over. The army works pretty much the same way. I have seen customers wait for over 6 months for furniture, but I know we ordered it as soon as special orders were placed by the salespeople. Usually it's the manufacturers who are having problems making the specific order and that's what takes so long. Otherwise, things are shipped to Killeen as soon as possible. If an item is discontinued, the customer will be notified. It is NOT in ANYONE'S interest to purposely delay any shipment or rip off a customer. Companies WANT to complete a sale and make the money and they like repeat customers. I presume that you, anonymous, are ignorant to this and were only thinking of your own wants. And like Joe said, you were ranting. I've seen alot of customers such as you. Sorry, but ranting doesn't help anyone, and it only makes you feel better if they immediately placate you by handing you what you want. I don't know what your specific situation was. Maybe it was a really outrageous special order that they couldn't cancel and would have a hard time selling? And yes, special orders that are not normal stock items are usually nonrefundable, all sales final, and you initial that off on the invoice, I'm pretty sure. Granted, Eddie Vale is not the best businessman or manager, from my experience, but he does know what he's doing in the businessworld. He was pretty strict with employees and would not tolerate assault on a customer. We were required to refer them to a manager and call the police if the customer became hostile and disruptive to business. Every business does that. I can only imagine how loud you must have became and maybe even obscene, to warrant the call. Very classy. In fact, Eddie used to require us to make follow-up phone calls after furniture was delivered to ensure the customers were satisfied with their purchase and the level of customer service, from sale to delivery. Any issues were reported to him directly. Well, issues were left on his desk because he was super busy and hardly ever in his office. He dealt with the appropriate employee regarding the issue. I can only imagine how much busier he was after becoming city council member. That's probably why you could never see him personally. He pays good managers good money so that he doesn't have to be there for every aspect of running his business. On top of that, nobody wants to listen to an unreasonable person ranting. And at the time that you made this report, did you know of anything negative he did while on the city council? I hardly think it's fair to trash the city councilman without any proof of incompetence. I left Killeen right after he got elected, but I have no doubt he was the right man for the job. He is a no nonsense kinda guy and he is very direct and proactive about things that need to be done.

I am an ex-employee of Patriot Furniture. I have to say that this was one of the best jobs that I have ever had. I worked personally with Eddie Vale and can say he is a strictly a business man. He has to protect his store and his and employees best interests. He is not dis-honest and if you compare the prices he has vs other stores he has the best prices. I live in another state now and wish I could find prices like his. He is not ripping off anyone. We were never allowed to assault customers and as far as I am concerned that is complete rubbish. It is very hard to work with the public and unless you have then you don't understand. What people don't understand is Patriot Furniture like most chain furniture stores have no control over outside vendors. If the furniture is not in stock it has to be ordered. They do the best they can to get it to you as quick as possible. It is the American way these days to be impatient! Causing a scene, cussing or getting physical with the employees is not going to get you your sofa any faster. It just makes you look like an idiot! You say resolve your issues like a man? What do you want him to do go 8 rounds with you? That is not professional and not how things are handled in a business environment. Do you beat up waiters who bring you cold food or give bad service? Look at yourself, do you cause a scene everywhere you go if things aren't to your protection? You can't satisfy the never changing unsatisfied. Be an adult and grow up. You probably didn't even know he was on the city council until your furniture didn't come in. Then you thought it would be worth your while to drag his name through the mud. I bet 1 year later nothing has changed. Way to go, you accomplished alot! Jessica Mobile, Alabama

You ever hear of a wolf in sheeps clothing? I have lived in this area for the last 18 years. I purchased twice from Patriot Furniture in Killeen, Texas. I will never do it again. The first time was a bed that fell apart within weeks and the second time was a cornergroup sofa that had built in recliners and massagers. I noticed a problem right away as one of the recliners was leaning. I pointed this out to the delivery guys. They said call the store and they will repair or replace it. Upon further inspection I found one of the massagers did not work and the pull out sofa bed was not even attached to the frame. I called the store several times and was promised it would be repaired or replaced. Nothing was ever done. After a while I cut my losses and figured my time is more valuable spent elsewhere. I now warn everyone not to shop at Patriot. I lost $2,600 in bad furniture at this place, but I figure I have also saved several people from purchasing from a company that does not back up the goods they peddle and I have prevented a lot of funds being spent there and I will continue to do so. I do not know how they remain open and how Eddie can sleep at night. It is a shame. Eddie being on any Council, Chamber of Commerce or other public venue seems downright criminal!

This is the first time I have seen someone I have personally done business with name smeared in a ugly way. i have done business with Patriot Furniture twice and have NEVER had problems. I think maybe your customer service attuide was lacking. I will agree there are businessman around the area out to make a fast deal. But, Patriot Furniture(Eddie Vale) is one in maybe hundreds. Eddie may be alot of things, but I did personelly meet him and he is very down to earth. I think you had one instance and your blowing this way out. I'm not saying, he is not a coward. But, what this this slamming buinessman and the city counsil. Can you do a better job in either place? We all make mistakes and maybe, Eddie didnt want to deal with a roofless customer.

While I agree that this gentleman may be a bit passive agressive, I also have to disagree with the rebuttal. In the Killeen area, just as in most military communities, a business does not have to be honest and upstanding to be successful. One does not even have to abide by any norms in practicing business. Due to the very large transient population, any given business can "rip off" people on a daily basis and suffer no ill effects. In fact, many business in this area do just that. They have made an art of taking advantage of soldiers and their families who are mostly young, poor, and largely undereducated about the real world. A good litmus test would be to transplant that business into an area that is not military and see if they survive using the same business tactics. As a manager, I can assure you I would listen about two seconds when some parasite called to tell me Joe hasn't paid a bill. Real businesses are not allowed to contact an employer and must depend on selectiveness and quality to insure a bill is paid. Average non-military people won't pay in excess of 100% interest on an illegal loan or a tax refund scam. A non-military town the size of Killeen will not support more than a few Buy-Here Pay-Here lots. In the real world, there is no Instant Financing, E-1 and Up! Most towns do not have their own chain of Pawn Shops. Every time an Army "Surplus" store buys a piece of equipment from Joe, they KNOWINGLY are purchasing stolen military property. Every single time. Most of them thrive with no involvement by law enforcement or city officials. I live in a mid-size town of about 60,000 people. Here we have no banks that automatically give every single customer a line of credit, charge them 30 bucks every time they use it,call it free overdraft protection, and then offer a "fresh start" loan to pay off all of the "Fees" they have incurred. What has happened around Ft. Hood and most other military installations, is that parasites and morally inept persons have identified the weaknesses most often attributed to soldiers, such as money management skills, and a great desire for "Stuff" and they exploit it to the Nth degree. The surrounding communities of a military installation are a world of their own and will continue to be as long as we continue to have young soldiers,families and Americans with a total lack of conscious. The best thing that could ever happen to these areas is to allow the BRAC commision to shuffle the post from state to state faster than the leeches can set up shop.

You need to send a written request CMRRR to Homecomings sayingwhen I come across an anonymously filed commentary. By its very nature, anonymity inspires the darker side of our human nature. Quite simply put, anonymity allows us a way of unloading our aggressions without the possibility of direct recourse. Psychologists have a term for this behavior; it's called passive-aggressiveness. Example: a person who displays a vulgar hand gesture at you from a passing car is being passively aggressive; this same person would never dream of doing this standing right in front of you.
I believe we have such a case here; a disgruntled customer (?) who lacks the wherewithal to resolve his/her issue in a civil and acceptable manner.

So, the question is, did this really happen? Is the businessman referred to in this complaint truly as bad as this anonymous writer makes him out to be? We don't know, we can't question the writer; we have no way to corroborate his story. All we have is one persons pent up aggression being aired in a way that requires no accountability.

I'd like to examine what this person wrote and offer my rebuttal based on what I know about Eddie Vale. I need to make it known up front that Eddie is a friend of mine and I know him well; in fact I believe I know him better then most. I would also like to mention that anyone who knows me (and yes my real name is included) knows that I try hard to be as unbiased as possible; even when it is to my detriment. So what I say hear I say as an unattached observer of the facts.

The anonymous writer said, Eddie Vale owner of all the patriot franchises in the Killeen, TX area is a liar, thief and cheat.

Patriot is not a franchise
Who among us have never lied; especially those in business
Eddie Vale is not a thief. In fact, based on what I know of Eddie, he's less likely to steal anything from anyone then your average person
Cheating is a reflection on a person's morality and I can tell you that I know few people who have displayed a more moral disposition then Eddie Vale

You said, He doesn't deserve to be (a) council member.

If you want someone who will call it as he sees it and has little chance of being bought or bullied then Vale deserves the position on the city council.

You said: He doesn't support the military; he rips off soldiers at every chance he gets

I was once a soldier in the field artillery at Fort Hood. I can tell you from experience that as far as we were concerned (the soldiers), we believed ALL the businesses in Killeen ripped off the soldiers. Now, at a 49 years old, I've come to understand that regardless of where a business is it will be believed that they are out to rip off the populace of that area; whether it's factory workers, university students or the military. Business is business and by its very nature it is driven to be competitive and profitable. Customers who are happy with their purchase quietly enjoy it and customers who are unhappy will feel ripped off. Business is not occupation specific, a customer is a customer and a business that takes advantage of its customers and rips them off doesn't remain in business very long.

You said: if anything he is so weak he has to call the police on you if you want a refund for something you never received. I had the police called on me because he can't be a man and deal with his own screw up. He lets his employees physically assault you and won't do anything but cover it up and make it look like you're the bad guy.

That sounds like ranting. If the police were called on you then there's more to this story then you've revealed. If his employees physically assaulted you then you have a legitimate complaint. If you are suggesting he was not man enough to deal with you directly then I believe we are talking about 2 different Eddie Vales. If, what you've said above is 100% TRUE, then you need a lawyer and resolve this in the correct manner; unfortunately the lawyer will require your correct name and address.

(As you can see, I believe in being as fair and open minded as possible but I have little sympathy for anonymously made accusations.)

You said: He's not a man how can somebody who can't keep a customer satisfied be on a council he doesn't have a brain of his own

I think you just described the criteria for the qualifications of political office.

You said: He insults American soldiers, he is degrading, a thorn in societies back. Eddie Vale grow up and be a man quit taking advantage of your customers and resolve these issues like a man. I bet you can't you spineless coward.

More ranting, which certainly doesn't help your position but it does support the passive-aggressive disposition I described above. I think you need to get out of the car and face him man to man and I bet you will get your problem worked out.

You said: You don't need to be a member of the chamber of commerce your not dignified enough.

I have no idea what that even means.



The bottom-line is this; Eddie Vale is a businessman. Businessmen don't survive as long as he has by ripping off their customers, either you deliver or you don't deliver; the consumer is smart, they catch on when something isn't right. I don't think it is fair to denigrate a person in an open forum like this and even more unfair to do so anonymously. I believe that recklessly throwing around accusations, such as you've done here, while hiding behind the word anonymous is a reflection of your own inability to be a man.

I believe that Eddie Vale can be an arrogant SOB and at times wouldn't have minded popping him in the head a few times myself, but in fairness, he isn't a liar, nor a cheat, nor a thief or coward. He's an intelligent, capable individual.