Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  03/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We purchased these chair because they stated that they were made for the outdoors and hold up to 300lbs and were backed by their quality satisfaction guarantee. We have had multiple people fall while dining in them. They asked me to send a picture of the first chair boxed and ready to be picked up before they would send a mailing label. Due to trying to survive ************ this became low on priority because it was only one chair. During that time more chairs broke and more customers fell to the ground. If we are to be sued, you can be sure we will be seeing them as well. We now have 10 broken chairs and 10 or more that are getting ready to break. If it was just one chair and it was out of warranty, I could understand them not covering it. But on their website, it says in paragraph 3 on their ABOUT page "Seating Masters specializes in making commercial-grade furniture that is made to withstand the wear and tear of a busy restaurant environment. We are not only a furniture distributor, but also a manufacturer. We stand behind our products which are rigorously tested for strength and durability." Obviously, there is a defect or a bad batch to have problems with this many chairs and we want them to either give us new chairs or pay to have the ones broken fixed.

  Business response

  03/28/2023

  Hi *****,
  Your order was delivered in the end of June 2021.  The first instance of any issues was reported to us by you on November 13th.  The same day I had asked for the picture to be resent and I did not receive anything until December 15th,2021. 
  On 12/22/2021, I requested you to send a picture of the item in a box ready to be picked up so we can have our QA Team inspect it to see what happened.  I never received a response in regards to this request.  On 3/10/2022, 3 months later, you responded that you were looking for an update.  I had no update since what I had requested was never sent to me.
  I responded the same day asking for a picture of the box packed up and ready for pick up.  You responded that you had already sent the picture, but it was an old picture that was sent and not what I had asked for.  I responded explaining again what I needed.  Instead of sending that picture to assist you, you waited until May with no response other than you have a second ************ asking what could be done.
  I explained the next day that we want to help but I need that picture to pick up the one chair that broke, but again that email was not responded to with what was requested.  Yet again you had waited over 2 months to respond and it was still not what I had requested.  Now in July 2022, we are over a year since the original delivery and 7 months after we asked for the packed item.  If we would have had that item packed up immediately, we probably could have avoided any of the other incidents you and your customers encountered.  We additionally were not sent any proof that any chair was broken in use.  Again the next day, I promptly responded that if you would like a solution, I need the first chair to be packed up.
  I did not hear back until January 18th, 2023.  You had stated that 7 chairs had broken but did not provide us with any documentation to support that nor again the chair boxed up for pick up.
  I warned you the next day,we wanted to help but it is difficult when we do not receive what we had requested especially since there was only a 6 month warranty, but I would still see what could be done when I have all the pictures I have requested for over a year and a half.
  For some reason a week later,a third party was involved stating that he was the new point of contact and that 20 pieces had broken.  Once again, I reminded this person that I would need pictures of each broken item and of the 1 item packed in a box.  I received the requested pictures on 1/30/2023 including the original request of the 1 item packed in a box.
  ***** your representative had reached out to me and shared his concerns that because of the broken items you are at 50% capacity, but if a chair would have been shipped to us in the first place, I do not believe that this situation would have occurred.  The chair was eventually picked up the end of February.
  I had explained on March 15th the following:
  The QA Department has decided that due to the age of the order and how long it has taken to receive any response that was requested,this order is no longer eligible under the Warranty Policy.
  
  The Warranty Policy that was mutually agreed upon at the time the order was placed stated that we can only be held responsible for manufacturer defects within 6 months after delivery.
  
  While this was first reported within that timeframe, we did not receive a response after we first responded until 4 months after the first point of contact/complaint.  Since March 2022, we had not received a picture until recently of what was required to move forward, which was a box containing one of the defective items.  The next response from the customer was in May, but still did not contain what was asked for.
  
  In June and July of 2022, the customer was still making claims about the items, however still did not cooperate in regards to the request for the return.  We did not hear again from the customer until January 2023.
  
  I had stated in my response that we were unsure if we would be able to assist due to how far outside of the Warranty Period we are at right now in this current time.
  
  As we believe the customer has had reasonable use of these items well above the lifetime set by the Warranty Policy, we will not be able to provide any refund or replacements.
  
  We can assist you with a discount on a new order but that is all.
  
  Thank you,
  ************
  ****** response is that we do not stand by the quality of the furniture we sell, as we never had the chance to show that we stood by our product because the warranty policy and instructions were not followed properly.  Additionally as the chairs are out of warranty and deemed dangerous by you, then they need to be taken out of service, but it is nothing to do with us as we have no responsibility after the warranty period is over even though we did attempt to resolve it after that point.
  On March 17th, I sent a quote to ***** with a discount for a new purchase.  Instead of any other feedback, I was threatened with a BBB complaint and negative comments all over the internet.  You say we did not honor our quality promise, but I have to disagree that we were never given the chance to fulfill that promise as we did try to help but we never got the responses in a timely manner to solve the issue.  I think that asking for a picture for a year and a half of a damaged chair is quite reasonable given we do not have to do anything beyond 6 months for you.
  Your claim that the items will break again is unsubstantiated as batches of these items have changed and we have not heard of any other issues and if the issue is reported within the agreed upon manner and policy, we would definitely help you.
  I do not appreciate being told that I also did not work hard enough on your case as I had always promptly returned emails and just needed some cooperation in order to help you.
  That being said, if you reach out to us again, I would like to offer you a better discount to keep you as a satisfied customer.

  Customer response

  04/12/2023

   
  Complaint: 19629966
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  Dear Seating Masters,

  
  

  I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the outcome of my recent inquiry regarding your chairs. As you may recall, I had concerns about the safety and durability of your chairs, particularly after they were out of warranty. Your response, which essentially stated that your chairs are only good for six months and no longer safe for people over 300lbs after that time, was deeply disappointing and concerning.

  
  

  In fact, I had the chairs inspected by a professional welder, who noted that they were of low quality and had taken shortcuts in their construction. Specifically, he pointed out that the bars across the seat were used for support instead of welding them onto the main frame of the chair. Additionally, he noted that stacking the chairs puts continual pressure on them and should be avoided. He also believed that we had been taken advantage of in terms of the price we paid.

  
  

  My primary question remains: does your company stand behind your products for longer than six months? Your website claims that your chairs are safe for outdoor use, stackable, and can hold up to 300lbs. I chose to purchase them based on these assurances, and I am deeply disappointed that they have not lived up to these claims.

  
  

  I have attached a picture of the rails used in the chairs, which clearly shows the shortcuts taken in their construction.

  
  

  I am not interested in a discount on chairs I would never buy again. I have noticed that many other customers have shared similar experiences on your social media platforms, and I do not want to be one of the many customers who simply give up and let your company win.

  
  

  I look forward to your response and hope that we can come to a satisfactory resolution.

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  Sincerely,

  ***************************
  Owner
  ************* & The Tri Tip Trolleys

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Business response

  04/17/2023

  We stand by our products through the Warranty Policy.  The items you received and had use of were exactly what was purchased and offered at that **** and what was agreed upon.

  You encountered issues, we wanted to assist.  We were more than willing to assist for more than a year (more than double the original warranty period), but we were not receiving any responses.  Essentially, because we do stand behind our products, we did honor the warranty for more **** than what was agreed upon.  At a certain ****, claims like these can no longer be processed if not enough information is provided or if the courtesy grace **** has run out.

  Again, the invitation is open to receive a nice discount on your next purchase.

  Customer response

  04/17/2023

   
  Complaint: 19629966
  
  I am rejecting this response because: they are saying that there chairs are only good for 6 months and break after the warranty is done. Dissatisfied with their response and really the only thing that would satisfy me is if they would stand behind their quality and replace the chairs. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

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