decor8 reader, Laura W., is looking for a sofa and needs your help. She says, “I found one online that I love from Club Furniture, but I am not sure about their quality. Have you heard anything about them? I’m feeling a little iffy about buying a sofa without trying it out first.”
I’ve not shopped them before, but it appears as though they offer a great warranty, which includes a 20 day no frills money back guarantee, even stating they’ll pay the return freight on the item (not the original shipping fees, but everything else would be refunded). Not bad!
In addition to the warranty, I’d call them directly and see what kind of customer service they provide. Ask lots of questions and get a feel for them over the phone. I’d also check out the Better Business Bureau online. I go there whenever I question a company that I’m about to deal with. It seems that Club Furniture is owned by One Source Plus, Inc., so do a search under that name and see where it gets you. If they’ve had an unusual amount of complaints, you’ll learn about those there.
decor8 readers, have any of you ever purchased a sofa online without experiencing it first hand? What are your thoughts on this? Has anyone shopped with Club Furniture before?
Thanks Laura for writing in!
January 29th, 2007 at 2:54 pm
The deals at CF look amazing, and the warranty reads as being very honest, family run, we want to make you happy. I would go for it. Don’t think about it so hard. It’s only a sofa. You can return it within 20 days, you can’t get much better than that.
January 29th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
The 20 day return policy sounds good to me too.
My only concern with buying a sofa without testing it out first would be comfort. I’ve gone to stores to test out what looked like a comfortable sofa only to find it very uncomfortable. Then I’ve said down on some very uncomfortable looking sofas and was surprised when they were very comfortable. Looks can be deceiving.
If you are concerned about color I would first ask them to mail you a fabric swatch. If you like the color, go for it. If it isn’t what you had hoped all you have to lose is the cost of shipping, that isn’t too bad.
January 29th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
Between the return policy and warranty, it sounds pretty safe to me. Plus it’s a Yahoo shopping site so that means they’ve rated it pretty high.
I’ve bought sofas online before (I work for a shopping Web site, it’s my job to scope ‘em out) and the only real issue, like others have said, is comfort. A few things I’d recommend: think about the fabric you’ve been most comfortable with in old sofas or chairs you’ve had. Try to visualize lying down on it. If you like a soft slope to rest your neck and head, you don’t want a sofa with hard lines and deep cushions. Also, think about firmness. Look into what the sofa is stuffed with. Upholstery foam is the cheapest and what you’ll find in most sofas. Some are filled with down. Keep that in mind if you’ve got allergies.
January 29th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
Allison brought up a great point. And I think today is the last day they’ll give buyers a “free” down fill upgrade on any sofa purchase. Can’t go wrong with that!!