
Kathy of Citrus Heights, CA on Jan. 29, 2007
We purchased a set of leather furniture from Becks Furniture on October 2, 2003. The set includes a couch, loveseat, and chair, all of which are recliners. Because of the price tag of leather furniture, we purchased their warranty, as we were planning to use this furniture for a very long time. Leather, as described by our salesperson, Jacqueline Jones, doesnt wear out, it wears in.? We told her we wanted the furniture to hold up to constant daily use, and were concerned about the furniture sagging and breaking down as we have experienced numerous times in the past with cheaper furniture.
The warranty, as Jacqueline Jones described, would cover everything, from manufacturer defects to cuts, tears and even stains caused by the consumer. Thus, in reliance on the word of our salesperson, we felt that purchasing their 5-year warranty would protect our investment and give us many years of good use of the furniture.
Within approximately one year of purchase, a seam located between the back cushion and the couch back came apart on one of the recliners on the couch. This is due to the design of the cushions in that they are not separate (removable), from the furniture, and are sewn to the units. We called Becks and they did send out a technician who replaced the damaged section of the couch to our satisfaction.
On or around December 1, 2006 the very same spot came apart again. In addition to this, we noticed that the same section of the couch (right side) had started to sink down overall and was actually touching the floor in the front area of the couch. We called Becks Furniture and were informed that Guardsman (their warranty provider) now handles their warranty issues, so Becks Furniture mailed us the specific form required by Guardsman to fill out and send in. We received the form, filled it out as requested, and included a copy of our sales receipt (showing our purchase of the warranty), and mailed it in. Within 2 weeks we received a letter from Guardsman denying our entire claim stating the damages we reported are not covered due to the following reasons:
Your Protection Plan does not cover the type of stain/damage reported.
The stain or damage reported to Guardsman exceeded the required 5 business day reporting timeframe.
This is unbelievable. It is obviously a form letter and is very vague about the reasons for the denial. When we initially discussed the warranty with Jacqueline Jones on October 4, 2003, she did not tell us about a 5 business day reporting requirement, led us to believe that this warranty covered tears, and did not provide a written copy of the warranty.
Subsequent phone calls to Becks Furniture and Guardsman have been futile. Becks Furnitures position is that this is not their issue, there is nothing they can do, we are subject to Guardsmans policies and this is not their responsibility. Guardsman states that per their policies, we are not covered by the warranty.
There is nothing on Guardsmans form that states anything about a 5 business day reporting requirement. The only thing remotely close to this states to return the completed form within 10 days,? but is not specific as to when to count the 10 days from date of damage; or from date of notification; or from date of receipt of their form, etc. In fact their 5 business day reporting timeframe? as stated in their denial letter is very much open to interpretation as well.
We, the paying customers, were not informed by Becks Furniture when they turned over their warranty issues to Guardsman, much less of any changes to our warranty coverage. Apparently, Becks Furniture is done with us (their paying customer). Becks Furniture has made it clear to us that they have no intention of servicing us, and state that it is out of their hands to do anything; i.e. in the words of their representative, it is not our responsibility.? As you can see by how this has evolved, we have been placed into quite a frustrating situation. We truly believe Becks Furniture does not wish to provide customer service to retain existing customers, and believe that we have been victims of dishonesty on the part of Becks Furniture and/or Guardsman.