The Singapore Forum

Never again will we buy anything major from Freedom Furniture. Nothing that needs delivering or even assembling after we've brought it home ourselves. Nothing bigger than a teapot. Thought the debacle over the sofa was bad enough, but the outdoor furniture trumps that one.

Ordered some modular patio furniture (2 corner seats and an ottoman) in the middle of January, i.e., when it was still warm. Due to their high delivery charges - we know, we paid them twice when we got the lounge furniture - we decided we'd pick it up from the store when the waro delivered it there.

Chased it several times and eventually got it the weekend before we went to the UK - late March. Just as Autumn came. Due to other issues (leaking ceilings), left it wrapped until Neo got back.

I got back, Neo advised me that the two halves of the modular sofa had different feet. They show, I wouldn't accept them. Freedom said they would deliver a replacement this morning. Freedom texted at 5.45am this morning! Said they would be here at 6.15. Thankfully I was awake due to being unwell, or we wouldn't have heard the sms come in.

True to their word, they arrived at 6.15am. (Who TF delivers things at 6.15am? If we'd wanted them to, it would have been impossible.)

They brought 2 new pieces with fittings unlike either of the two we already had. Neo checked them; the visible part of feet looked like those on the ottoman so he accepted them.

Came to put them together - there is no way the fittings provided will fit to the braces at the corners of the units. (I thought it might be down to Neo's dubious DIY skills but he's right.)

So Neo has now spent most of the afternoon on the phone to both the store and central customer services. We can't seem to find a way forward so have told them we want a refund and the damn things collecting. They're getting back to us.

I think they'll offer us a credit note. I think we're within our rights for a refund. Anybody? Bender?

6:15!!!

I am thinking a full refund would be appropriate. Stick to your guns and try it.


(I hate Freedom too...they used to be OK but not in recent years...)

Had similar problems with fridge - though one that we thought was faulty - company replaced it but was still a faulty one. So we took them to the small claims tribuanls and now we have a proper functional fridge of a different brand (fingerss crossed). If it wasn't working or stopped working properly we would demand a refund and buy it from another store.

Personally, I would pursue the case till I got what I wanted. So yes you should try to get a refund since you already gave them a chance to fix it but I would still give them another chance and ask them to assemble it to ensure that it is proper before they leave. Shouldn't you check the items before accepting it as in sg at least, you have to sign a the delivery order stating that you have checked the goods and that they are in order.

Surely there is some law or tribuanl over there for such matters?

Were they sold to you as modular units that fit together? If so, and they won't, you're entitled to a refund. Be firm. Gather evidence. Follow up every phone conversation in writing.

See
accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/3863

Give 'em hell Kooky! that's outrageous.

Thanks for the link, Bender - I knew you'd know All I'd found so far was Fair Trading.

Yes they're modular units - buy as many as your patio can take, kind of thing. Do they fit together? Didn't get that far. They originally had non-matching feet; now the feet just don't fit into the braces on the bottom of the units as the braces have one central hole and the feet have 3. Well they can be screwed together - the central one is a little leveling foot - but they will not secure.

Customer Services proposed solution was to get the Spare Parts Dept to ring us. Due to the mix of fittings already delivered we suspect they've already had a half-hearted go at it so we said no thanks.

These are not $50 units, BTW. Over a grand's worth.

So $50 else where, just that you happen to be in Australia where they seem to overcharge for everything. Shame the internet can't deliver this sort of stuff!

In this case, maybe not, but I certainly know what you're saying.

So you are saying that you can buy delivery online cheaper than you can in a bricks and mortar store?

What, and encourage a retailer we all know to get on his soapbox and post on my thread?

Yes if sold as modular peices and you cant fit them together and they cant fix them - refund!

Kooky wrote:What, and encourage a retailer we all know to get on his soapbox and post on my thread?

You mean have the thread go off on a tangent somehow? No, we would never do that!

Is anyone else having a George Michael problem? (not one involving public toilets)

No, I wasn't.

So an update, as I know you've all been stressing over it. Modular units returned, full refund received, almost identical furniture purchased in the Meyer sale for half the price - delivered, installed, no separate feet, looks fab

Now where the hell am I going to shop for a queen bed for the guest room? Oh and that's another thread...

Meyer perhaps?

Ikea?

Excellent result K!

Myer?

Was away when you posted this.

I'd seen Freedom stuff in various Aussie house mags and was looking forward to shopping there.

The staff in the branch nearest to me have been lovely. Have shelves, coffee table, desk chairs all with no dramas (self-collection), although assembly instructions less easy to follow than IKEA.

BUT I've had to return 3 defective smaller things; a beach umbrella that broke the first day, broken lamp and (never seen this before) I bought two canteens of cutlery (not cheap), made of solid metal, and 3 spoons cracked apart across the bowl. I returned lamps and cutlery to a branch further away where I bought them and they were REALLY snotty. Initially would only give me a refund on 1 lamp (and not on matching lamp and shades for 2, and had none to exchange. I pointed out that I wanted the whole set) and only wanted to refund one set of cutlery till I asked them to prove which set the defective spoons came from.

I'm now VERY wary of buying stuff from there. It's dearer than IKEA but quality really no better.

Spare room bed: We've got a black metal one from IKEA which was cheap and looks nice.

I need sofa for outside too - will have to look in Myer!

All our UK colleagues spent up big time with Freedom when they got here, really went for it for some reason. But some of them had enourmous difficulty and problems with the larger delivery items, damage, big scratches etc. I'd toyed with getting a couch from them but dead wary of anything I don't buy immediately from them and put together myself.

For couches, I'm a big fan of IKEA but then getting covers from www.bemz.com so they don't look like IKEA, IYSWIM. With 4 cats and a 4 year old (and a husband) washable sofa covers are a must.

Most of the stores we've been in only seem to have huge beds - chunky frames, and/or what I know as divans. Things with solid bases that you screw a headboard to. All very expensive, probably great to sleep on, but not what we want or need.

Tas - went to King St on Saturday with the intention of going in the couple of shops we went in; remember the one with recycled teak? Was all set to go in until I saw the fruitloop that harassed us, and decided no bloody way

Did she offer you a massage from the door way?

I love my bed, it's exactly what I wanted and I suspect may be you are looking for - I have a simple frame, slats bed, no head board, local place up the road from me (not sure where they moved to, if they went to that Artarmon place of shut down). Still have receipt I think if you want to know who. Put the dosh into the mattress (which wasn't that expensive on reflection). Can just fit those slighter flatter roller storage containers under it too, so there is a little bit storage room there. You can bounce up and down on the slats as well without them breaking ( some special wood, guy in shop showed me when I bought it - I tested them out a couple times as well when turning over the mattress, and you can - possibly high risk activity but the 10year old in me had to know)

Give 'em hell Kooky! that's outrageous.
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That's just what I want to express!!!

Right on, brother.