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July 17, 2011

Art Van Furniture – Why I Won’t Buy

Filed under: Main — Ryan Jones @ 12:46 pm

Just wanted to post a recommendation that all my friends NOT shop at Art Van Furniture. I’ve had such a horrible experience there, that I felt I needed to share it.

Back in February I ordered an expensive Natuzzi Italian leather sofa, chair, and ottoman from the Art Van store in Taylor, Michigan. It was called the Natuzzi Bianca series and it was exclusive to Art Van. Before leaving the store I had to put down $250 and sign up for an Art Van credit card.

Before placing the order, the salesperson told me that I could have the furniture delivered in a few weeks. When I left the store though, I noticed that my receipt said delivery would be in 7 weeks. That’s more than a few but I understood that it takes time to order things.

One week after My furniture was supposed to be delivered, I called to inquire why it wasn’t delivered. My date had changed to June but nobody had notified me. I asked to cancel the order because I needed furniture sooner than that, but I was told that they would have to keep my $250 as a restocking fee. That didn’t make sense since the furniture wasn’t in stock, but they wouldn’t let me cancel.

In June I still didn’t get the furniture so I called Art Van and was told that my delivery date was now July. Again nobody had notified me so I asked Art Van to cancel it one more time. Same story, I’d have to pay the $250.

The next week I noticed that the same set I bought was 20% off on the front page of the sale paper. I’m not sure if it’s legal for Art Van to advertise something that they clearly don’t have in stock, but I called anyway and asked for the 20% to be applied to my order. I was told they’d have to wait until it came in to do it.

In July, I got a call from Art Van that my furniture was in. I set up a delivery for the next day and took the day off work. I also arranged to give my current living room set away to an older couple in need. Then I paid to have my carpet cleaned. After all of that I got another call from Art Van – they lost part of my order.

I called Art Van the next day and again asked that they just cancel the order and refund my money. They obviously sold my furniture that they don’t have in stock and don’t have the capacity to produce. The manager begged me for more time to “find” the lost piece – meanwhile they tried to deliver a chair and ottoman without the sofa. The delivery guy was pissed, but I made him put the chair back on the truck and refused delivery. What good is a chair if it’s clear that there’s no way to make a sofa to match?

I called Art Van back and told the manager that the only way I’m accepting delivery now is if the couch is free. Otherwise, I don’t want anything please refund my $250 to my credit card. He didn’t hang up on me, but his curt “I’ll call you back” might as well have been a hang up. 2 days later, I haven’t gotten a call back.

So that’s where we stand. Art Van Furniture in Taylor, MI sold me something that they not only didn’t have, but they also didn’t have the ability to acquire. They won’t refund my money and they won’t fix the situation – despite the fact that I type this from a folding chair in an empty living room. To make matters worse, they’re still advertising the same set that I bought in their weekly flyers. How many more people like me have had a similar terrible experience from Art Van? Please share your story below.

Update: After another 2 days of me complaining, I finally got my initial deposit refunded to my credit card. That doesn’t fix the fact that I wasted a day off work or have an empty living room, but at least it’s a start.

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