@lliedaw, while acknowledging Nick Scali has less than a top reputation for after sales it is unusual for most companies to ignore complaints as you have reported. Perhaps Plush has been put under the same management regime for post sales issues?
Have you gone into store to hand deliver a Letter of Complaint per your refund, and send your Fair Trading a copy with dates and the person who you served? Fair trading is unlikely to step in but if you decide to go to a tribunal all of this will be required as ‘evidence’ that you have followed the ACL to no avail.
Thank you Phil, I have sent Letters of Complaint to this company without any acknowledgement from them until I notified Plush by email that I had lodged a complaint with the NSW Office of Fair Trading and quoted the number. Lo and behold! Two days later my refund appeared in my bank acct. No notifications or apologies from Plush though. Buyer beware of Plush Think Sofas.
Thanks for the update @lliedaw and happy you got a good outcome. It is sad some companies make their customers jump through so many hoops. There remain a few that still don’t comply with their responsibilities unless a court action is taken so it is good to know Plush finally stepped up to complete the process.
We have had a leather sofa for 2 to 3 years. One arm has been pitted and we were told this was our fault, and it may well have been we are not disputing this. On contacting plush after some considerable time we were told to find someone local to fix it. I said we would prefer Plush to fix it as they probably had the matching leather.
I was then put on hold until eternity.
Help
There is another thread here that suggests that Plush are not very good at customer service. If they don’t want to serve you there is little you can do about it and, according to some, you may be doing yourself a favour by not dealing with them.
As for the matching leather you are likely making a false assumption. These sofas are made in bulk in a factory somewhere in SE Asia that is geared to building new furniture on demand. Such places (or their local fronts like Plush or Nick Scali) often warn that the exact colour you see at the showroom may not be matched. You may be asking the impossible.
As for them rudely leaving you hanging on that is common and once again there is little to be done about it. If you want to have your time wasted ask a junior staff member a question they don’t know the answer to.
My take is - cut your losses and run. Maybe get some protectors to cover the arms or change the lighting so it is less obvious. Or do as they suggest and get a local to fix it.
Plush is a furniture retailer and not a furniture manufacturer. They purchase the products they sell from manufacturers, and these manufacturers could be located in Australia or overseas.
Most furniture retailers can’t do repairs … but some may have repairers they use to repair their own stock. I have a good mate that used to work for a repairer in Capalaba Qld and they did repairs for a number of the major retailers in SE Qld.
It is possible that Plush could arrange the repair for you, but it won’t be in your interest as it will cost significantly more than it would if you did it yourself (they would add a mark up to the cost to organise the repair for you).
I would be organising your own repairer yourself. Search online for upholsters or furniture repairs in your local area. Alternatively, ask friends and/or relatives for any recommendations. When you contact them ask if they do collect and drop off and also experienced in leather work including matching leathers.
As @syncretic indicated, there was an existing topic dealing with Plush Furniture. I have moved your post there to continue the existing discussion. As he and @phb said, go somewhere else to have the leather repaired.
Search out a specialist furniture repairer and make sure that they have a range of leather tints to match the leather colour with precision. If you go through Plush, they would add a hefty surcharge on top of the repair charge.
I just heard they are giving me a full refund. After a hell battle!!
When I first ordered they estimated a 4 month wait now it’s been 8 months and still no chair. I have nagged them everyday for 3 weeks. After then finally telling them I was going to the Ombudsman. Now I just get a phone call saying they will refund me. Still not happy about no chair but at least I get my money back. Just really annoyed me and I will only stick to Australian products from now on.
Hi @TinaJ1974, I merged your experience into this growing topic about Plush. You may be interested in a similar topic about Plush’s recent new owner, Nick Scali furniture. Both seem to be delivering similarly unimpressive approaches to ‘customer satisfaction’.
I hope you have a smooth process to buy and receive your replacement furniture.
Don’t be taken in by Plush/Nick Scali claims in their advertising that their furniture is specifically designed for you. It is all cobbled together in job lots in Asia. It’s a wonder that they haven’t been prosecuted for false advertising. Once bitten, twice shy.
Even better, never purchase furniture from Plush/Nick Scali. Do some research and look for a reliable Australian manufacturer, but you will probably need to pay a lot more for quality. After a nightmare with Plush I eventually received my refund for a shonky sofa and purchased another from Berkowitz Furniture after veiwing and sitting on a sofa in their showroom. When said sofa arrived it is nothing like the sofa I sat on in the showroom (although the delivery time was much faster) the seats are much firmer, even uncomfortable and the dimensions and cushioning in the arms are uneven. I couldn’t face another prolonged stoush with Berkowitz so now I live with ‘Buyers Remorse’.
Hi Everyone
I have been dealing with Plush/Nick Scali for over a year! I purchased a Modular lounge from Plush in June 2019, only the Essentials grade leather, so bonded. 2021 August it started peeling, so called plush for warranty claim. Plush sent independant service technician to assess. Technician said peeling caused by perspiration build up. Plush then informed me, that I had’nt cared for lounge correctly and this voided warranty, but if I contributed $600 towards repair they could fix it.
This did not tickle my fancy so I contacted NSW Fair Trading. NSWFT did what they could ( basically nothing ) and said they contacted Plush confirming that a senior technician reviewed the report and agreed it had not been looked after. I had used the plush care pack for 3yrs every 2 months what BS! Plush then said if you contribute $300 to repair the lounge, we can repair. I said No.
I then instigated proceedings with NCAT to defend my consumer rights with ACL. The first hearing was in November 2021 which was basically concillation. Plush refused to budge and so did I. The arbitration hearing date was then set for early Feb2022. Just before the hearing started in Feb, Plush agreed to fix the lounge. Orders were then made by NCAT that plush would fix my lounge by the 4/04/22. Plush sent the same technician around and when he saw the lounge he said it had deteriated too much to be repaired and needed a whole new cover. Plush sent me an email stating they would do this but would take 12 weeks for parts to come in.
So now the date is July 2022 and still no contact, so I contact them and they say parts taking longer than expected. I’m a pretty patient person, the date is now late August and nothing. I receive text message early Sept saying sorry we will be in contact shortly WTF! I then call Sept 15th, get put through the ringer with Plush customer care saying sorry we are not going to fix it.
I then reinstigated my proceedings through NCAT. I have been given a date of 23/11/22 for my hearing. Nick Scali / Plush have been contacting me now, offering over the phone full refunds/replacements. I am receiving emails now from Plush offering replacements.
After reading the above posts from everyone, and my own experience, I dont trust them. I think I need to have the tribunal proceedings finish, and then hopefully a news organisation picks up the story from the published decision, and gives Plush some reputational damage.
I will let you all know what happens!
