ARNWINE HOME FURNISHINGS

I'd been having back and neck problems and going to physical therapy to help relieve the pain. A friend who owned an Ekornes Stressless Recliner recommended that I try hers for an afternoon of football to see if it helped. It did. The Stressless recliners are wonderful chairs for anyone with back, neck, or shoulder pain. I decided to purchase a pair of Stressless chairs for my den. Arnwine's Home Furnishings is the exclusive dealer for Stressless furniture in Knoxville, so I visited their store on a Sunday afternoon. The salesman was very helpful and polite. He provided the information I needed, helped me select the right chairs and didn't try to push me into something over my budget. As we were filling out the paper work, I mentioned the ad I'd seen on the website about getting up to $450 off on any Stressless purchase. He said that wasn't really $450 off, but up to that amount in free accessories. Okay... I selected the attached tables and the felt pads to go under the chairs and ottomans. Purchase was a smooth process. I was in and out in less than 45 mintues, with the promise that the chairs would be delivered in 3 to 4 weeks. That didn't seem excessive to me, especially since Ekornes is a foreign brand. After all, I'd selected the color, the style of leather, the color of the bases and tables. It was perfectly reasonable that it would take several weeks before I received my chairs. On Thursday at the end of the 4th week, I called the store to inquire about my chairs. The lady who answered didn't know when they would arrive and didn't know how to check. She said it would be the first of the week before anyone would be available who could tell me when the chairs would arrive. She said she'd have someone call me. Okay. I'd been told 3 to 4 weeks. The 4th week would be over on Sunday, and the lady I spoke with didn't seem concerned that I couldn't get any information (much less my chairs) until the next week. There are snags everywhere, but it helps when customer service folks act like they care that their promises won't be kept. By Wednesday of the next week, I stil hadn't been contacted, so I called back. This time I spoke with a different lady, one who knew how to check on my order. She said that the chairs I'd ordered were in stock so they should be available in another one or two weeks. In stock? I thought they were special orders that had to be manufactured. I expressed frustration and surprise that in stock items would be delayed so long. She asked me, "Is that a problem?" I was thrown a little off kilter by the question, but said, "No, I don't guess that's actually a problem, but why is it taking so long?" Her reply was, "Processes. Transportation." In the age of Amazon, when people receive goods quickly and efficiently everyday, the excuse of taking 5 to 6 weeks to deliver in stock items due to processes and transportation doesn't fly. At the beginning of the 7th week, I called back and left a frustrated message, inquiring about my chairs and stating that I expected to hear back from them with something positive. A little while later a gentleman from Arnwine's called me. His name was Jim. Finally I was on the line with someone who knew how to speak to a frustrated customer. He had the most soothing voice. First he expressed total understanding of my frustration. Then he said that one of my chairs had arrived and that the other would arrive the on Friday. That was great news. My mom was visiting me and could receive the chairs without my having to take off from work. It ws agreed that they would be delivered on Friday afternoon. Then... I realized that I was taking my mother to a doctor's appointment that afternoon. I called back and spoke to Jim again to inquire about Saturday delivery. He said that since I'd had to wait so long, that yes, he could arrange that. We agreed that the chairs would be delivered at 11 am on Saturday. They were delivered on time by a very pleasant gentleman named William. He carried them in and began the process of adding the tables. As he started on the 2nd table I noticed that the table on the first chair sat crooked. He went back to work on it. He switched out the tables, he changed the tables from one side of the chairs to the other. Nothing he did made them level. He said he'd have to come back after talking with someone else at the store to figure out what was wrong. I said that was fine. And then I asked about the felt pads that were to go on the bottom of the chairs and ottomans. He didn't know anything about that. I showed him the original paperwork for the purchase. The information about the felt pads for the chairs and the ottomans was clearly written across the bottom. He said he could put them on when he came back, but that I'd need to call Jim and let him know about the tables and the pads. So I did. On Monday while I was at work but my Mom was still available, WIlliam came back with another gentleman. They fixed the problem with the tables. And they added felt pads to the bottom of the chairs. When I checked things out after I got home, I discovered that the pads hadn't been added to the ottomans. Rather than call back and have people come out again to rectify that omission, I decided to just let it go and buy felt pads that I could put on myself. Overall it was a very mixed experience. The salesman was great. William and his co-worker who did the delivery and fixed the tables were both extremely pleasant. The women I spoke with when making those frustrating calls to find out what was wrong, were less helpful. Jim was capable and made a genuine effort to make things right. The time involved: 7 full weeks instead of the original 3 or 4 was excessive. A very mixed bag indeed. But the chairs are GREAT. So very comfortable. They've made a huge difference in my pain level due to the ergonomic design. If anyone wants to order these particular chairs, you have to go through Arnwine's. They are the only local option. My advice would be to deal with Jim directly throughout the process. He may not be able to get them delivered on time, but he will make you feel better about the delay.