LA Z BOY INC

After several months of combing SF and the  East Bay for a 3-seater sofa for our home office/guest room, we wandered into La-z Boy in Emeryville. We wanted something sturdy, stylish and worth the price .

We decided to upgrade to a sleeper sofa because they now have an optional air mattress that can be attached above the traditional 3-inch mattress (the one famous for backaches). It was not until we were at the desk signing order forms that we were told it would take SIX WEEKS for the sofa to be delivered because it was a 'special order.' The price was not cheap $1300+, but we 'bit the bullet' thinking that we'd purchased a quality piece of furniture from a company that would stand behind their product.

That was a mistake.

We opted to have the sofa delivered in spite of the $89 fee. (We are too old to muscle heavy furniture ourselves and had no other option.) Once the papers were signed, things went down hill quickly.

When they called that the sofa was ready for deliver, we discovered that they only make deliveries in the evening, which was inconvenient for us.

The sofa arrived damaged. The quarter-inch plywood board across the bottom of the back (3" wide) was cracked badly. When I pointed this out to the lead delivery man, he tried to blow me off, "No broken, only crack."

I was given the option of refusing delivery and sending the sofa back to the factory or have it repaired in our home. I took pity on the workmen and took the second option. It took TWO WEEKS for an inspector to arrive to confirm the diagnosis...and another SIX WEEKS to get it fixed. The repair men had to borrow a hammer to do the repairs, and left staples and wire around and under the sofa. (They neglected to tell me about the wires holding the mattress closed for shipping, which took me a frustrating 15 minutes to discover and remove.

When we contacted the showroom to ask questions (three times), and then complain about the disappointing service, the response was cool and smug. It was as if they were saying, "Hey, we have your signature on a contract and we have your money, so what more do you expect for $1300!"

We had planned to purchase a love seat and two chairs we saw earlier for our living room, but we've decided to spend our $1800-$2000 elsewhere.

In hind sight, we should have opted for the $700 non-sleeper sofa we saw in another store and purchased an inflatable mattress ($40-$60). That would have met our needs and saved us a great deal of money and aggravation.

Now we know why they are called La-z Boy.

After looking at many furniture stores to replace an aging recliner (think Frasier), we found what we wanted at La-Z-Boy. The salesman was knowledgeable and friendly but not at all high-pressure. They were able to deliver the furniture in 3 days, were on time, assembled the chair and removed all packaging.

I bought these items brand new. They were not satisfactory at all, however when attempting to return these items they were not cooperative at all. I have been going back and forth with them, but thus far have not gotten anywhere.