Crate and Barrel Reviews

My guess... they are refusing the item to me because they discounted it too deep. They offered me a 15% discount which is a joke. Apparently if I lived in another province they were willing to price match the item and ship the item to a store close to my home but that was taken away when I confirmed I live in BC. The right thing would have been to ship the item to my home in good faith. I have worked in customer service and no solution was never the answer. Disappointed is an understatement.

They charged my credit card for Full amount, but when it came to delivering the furniture, they were nowhere to be found. After multiple failed delivery dates and excuses, I was left without my purchase and no resolution in sight. Despite repeated calls and emails, thy refused to take responsibility. This business operated with no regard for professionalism or ethics. They made promises they never intended to keep. Communication was evasive and they would often shift blame rather than take accountability. Their shady practices and lack of integrity made it clear that they cared more about profits than their customers or reputation.

That’s why, having both worked in customer service and having had such great experiences with so many online companies, the ordeal I recently experienced with Crate and Barrel came as a shock to the system. Because so many items on Crate and Barrel are extremely overpriced given the simplicity of their design and the origin of their products, I usually pass on their offerings. But a long time ago I fell in love with an industrial oversized lamp the company made. At $375 for one table lamp, I couldn’t justify buying two of these for my nightstands, no matter how much I loved the design. But I still found myself pining for them, so I set a price drop alert and crossed my fingers that someday they’d go on sale and I wouldn’t have to feel guilty spending more than $700 on two lamps.

Over half a year passed and one day I got the alert: they were on clearance. I was so excited I stopped what I was doing and immediately ordered them. I’d recently been diagnosed with a severe chronic illness that left me bedridden for a large portion of the day, so to try and cheer myself up I decided to essentially make a “pretty prison” and focused on decorating my bedroom to make it a cheerful and soothing place. These lamps were practically works of art in comparison to anything else I owned and I eagerly followed the tracking number as they made their way across the country. But when the delivery day came I was confused when only one package was waiting on my doorstep.

I checked the tracking number, which listed both lamps as now delivered. But I’d only received one of the lamps I ordered. After waiting 20 minutes on Crate and Barrel’s customer service chat and getting disconnected before I could speak to anyone I sent an email query. It took a while to get a response, and when I did the gist of the email I received was “the other one’s probably still on the way.” Several more days went by and I hadn’t received any updates so I reached out again. This time customer service sent a broken tracking link. I had to sift through my emails to find the original (correct) tracking link for the second lamp. It went to a page that said my item was delayed and that it may be lost. Now I was starting to panic, as clearance items have very limited stock and every day that went by was like Russian roulette when I refreshed the product page on the website to see if the lamp was still available.

During this time I continued to reach out to customer service, who assured me all was well and to be patient. They assured me that I’d see the package start to move (it had been stagnant in Bloomington, CA for weeks now) the following Monday. That Monday instead of seeing my package finally move FedEx informed me that it essentially didn’t exist and to reach out to the sender (Crate and Barrel). Reaching out to the sender is something I’d been doing for weeks, so I was familiar with the protocol.

But this time when I called customer service I practically begged them to send me the item I’d paid for and been told I’d receive, well…weeks ago. “I’ve contacted the company through chat, emails, and phone calls,” I said to the latest customer service agent. “It’s been a month. Please, please don’t tell me to be patient. This never shipped.” “Do you want a refund in the form of a credit?” the disinterested voice responded. “You’ll have to send back the other one.” Did I want a credit to the store that led me on a wild customer service goose chase for a month, gaslighting me into believing I’d ever receive the last thing I ordered. No. No, I did not.

With a politeness my boyfriend was surprised I possessed given how much time and effort I’d spent over the last month pleading with a company to just send me what I ordered, I explained that I just wanted the second lamp I ordered. “Please,” I said. “I’ve said this each time I’ve previously reached out, but this item is on clearance and I’m scared with each passing day it’ll no longer be in stock. Please send a replacement. The second lamp was never sent, as you’ve acknowledged on your end. Please, please send a replacement.”

After a brief moment the customer service rep said, “Well, looks like we don’t have that in stock anymore. So you want a store credit for the other lamp? And then you can mail back the other one to us, of course. Sound good?” I was emotionally exhausted going into this fiftieth attempt to get customer service to fix the issue I’d pointed out a month ago. If this company had listened the first, second, or even fifth time I’d contacted them they would have seen that my order was never sent. They would have been able to easily send a replacement because the lamp was still in stock during the weeks I asked them to do so.

I’d been told at one point that a supervisor would reach out to help me and this of course never happened. But after being informed I’d never be receiving the rest of my order and that I could package and lug the other lamp to the post office to receive a refund in the form of a store credit (are you kidding me?!) I just felt completely hollow. I’ve never written a negative review of a company, let alone been able to describe a company as leaving me feeling dead inside after attempting to purchase something from them, but this was only because I’d lived a sheltered Zappos/Chewy/Amazon lifestyle prior to experiencing the Crate and Barrel customer service black hole.

I was so excited to treat myself to a birthday present I really wanted, practically giddy that the $750 lamps I’d coveted all year had a brief window of attainability. I leapt to purchase them the moment they went on sale, and week after week I kept getting the brush off from Crate and Barrel every time I said that FedEx told me the package isn’t/would never be in transit. I tried to file a claim but Fed Ex said only the sender could do so, and clearly they didn’t. Most of my emails went unanswered, and when they were answered I was told to be patient and that my package would be sent on Monday. No, scratch that—it’ll be sent Thursday. Ignore that last date—you’ll get it next week. Never mind. Want a store credit? And don’t forget to lug that other lamp to the post office.

Having worked in customer service, it blows my mind that a company could operate this way. I never left customers feeling uncertain and resolved their issue on the spot, so to be foisted from customer service agent to customer service agent over the course of a month until my problem was “resolved” because what I’d ordered was now out of stock was something I never expected from such a large, long-running company. It’s upsetting because if this had been my elderly mother she would have given up midway through this process (or at least by week four) and Crate and Barrel would have kept her money without ever sending the item she paid for. So I’m trying to let potential customers know the peril they face if they place an online order.

If you’re willing to dedicate hours of your life to chasing down an order you placed a month ago only to be told by the company you begged to send a replacement while the item was still in stock that you’ll never receive it but that they’re happy to give a refund in the form of a store credit back to the company that never sent you said order then Godspeed and good luck to thee. Mistakes happen, but it’s how a company responds to their error that truly reveals how much they value their customers. If even just one person I’d reached out to in the last four weeks had said, “You’re right. Something’s wrong and we need to look further into it.

Let’s either find out why you never got your order or send a replacement asap before the item is permanently out of stock” I wouldn’t be writing this review. To take the time to write the only negative review I’ve ever written a company had to fail me on every level at every single stage of the process, and Crate and Barrel is the only company in my decades of online shopping that has made me more than hesitant to ever patronize again. I want people to know that you’ll potentially spend hours of your life chasing down the products you paid for, waiting in queue after queue only to be told you need to be patient a month after your order supposedly shipped, then ask if you’d like a store credit for the item you never received when the fiftieth person you talk to finally looks into your situation and says, “Huh. Yeah it does show on my end that you never received your order last month.

Anyway, it’s been a really long time so it’s out of stock now.” At this point I may have to go to my bank and file a claim because the least acceptable outcome is a store credit to the company that gaslit me for a month into believing I’d receive my order “any day now.” This may shock you Crate and Barrel but I don’t want place another order with you. All I wanted was what I ordered. I’m still waiting on my missing order (#** in case the company ever gets back from their month-long lunch break and wants to fix this.

Doubtful at this point, but I just wanted to to validate the review for the company lest they think I’m just a secret Z Gallery operative). Still waiting for my order. Still waiting for Crate and Barrel to contact FedEx and try to fix this (FedEx informed me only the package sender can file a claim so I’m completely powerless). Still waiting for a response to my last email. And I’m still waiting for that long-promised call from a supervisor. If everyone working at Crate and Barrel customer service simultaneously exploded then I deeply apologize for my persistence. And of course thoughts and prayers to all the customer service reps’ families.

Original Review: Aug. 28, 2024

We purchased a sectional from Crate & Barrel for $6,433.62 on July 5, 2024. We did not received it until mid August 2024. I was not aware that the sectionals were custom made since they were on display on their website. We received a text that delivery would need to be scheduled recently. Even after the company sent us a text about the delivery, we had to spend the entire day trying to reach them to get delivery scheduled. None of their numbers worked or were reachable. We had to contact Crate & Barrel store which helped get a hold of them.

Also, the furniture has so many defects and poor workmanship. The bottom cushions are uneven and vary in thickness from 9 inches to almost 10 inches, the corners of the back pillow edges are not properly made and have wrinkles. The bottom cushions also have wrinkles which seem to be due to improper stitching. The back of the section has gaps in the corners and not properly affixed to the sectional. The fabric has a bad smell to it which smells like smoke or some chemical or like animal barn and musty smell. We can’t even sit on them. I am wondering where they were made and the environment they were made in. They seem unhealthy and unclean to sit on.

We tried to contact customer service about these issues but no one answers. This experience has been the most horrible experience of my life and I am so regretful to have made this purchase. This company sent us a poorly made furniture with poor quality, so late, we cannot get a hold of them, and the furniture smells so bad. The response from the company added insult to injury. We paid $6,433.62 for this sectional and for it to be like this is unacceptable. After not being able to reach anyone with your company, we filed a BBB complaint and received a non responsive answer. We regret this purchase; the sectional looks more like a used furniture made by small low quality shop but sold at a premium price.

They kept saying it was with the accounting department and then they said they would issue an e-shop card but it never reflected in my crate&barrel account but I finally got a physical card. I made the purchase online again and this time I decided to opt for in-store pick-up because the shipping option turned out to be a disaster. The in-store pick-up came with the same day delivery option and I had placed the order before 12 pm to get it. I never got any message that my order was ready for pick-up. The same delivery has turned into a 3rd day waiting and still no update. I checked with the store where I am supposed to pick up my order and they haven't received the order yet. This is the state of Crate&Barrel. This is pathetic on their part for the premium they charge and their CEO claiming that their Customers are the centre of everything they do! They don't even know what they are doing and I am shocked that they are still in business.

I attempted to fix the bed by hiring a technician, who was unable to adjust it to its original position. I then purchased a universal remote control, but it did not work either. The brand of the bed went out of business after the pandemic, and they no longer sell the remote control. I am a 52-year-old disabled person with a bone tumor in my legs living alone in one bedrrom apartament with one bed, and CB2's negligence to fix my bed has exacerbated my existing health issues. Sleeping on a couch for an extended period has caused back and leg pain, and has disrupted my daily functioning.

It is clear that CB2 only cares about making profits without ensuring customer satisfaction. The escalation department of Crate & Barrel, consisting of Barbara ** and LaShawn B., handled my complaint unprofessionally and failed to resolve the damage to my property. They didn't want to be responsible and referred the issue to the manager of the warehouse. The manager of the warehouse referred the issue to the manager "Mike of the delivery company Rider Last Mile". The manager Mike of the delivery company Rider Last Mile referred the issue to the truck owner, "Mr. David **". And the truck owner Mr. David ** referred the issue to the "illegal ** delivery driver Ricardo **" who broke the vase and stole the remote control. However, this driver (beside that he doesn't speak English), refused to take responsibility for the issue, stating that he did not have the money to solve the problem.

I made business with Crate & Barrel, not with the illegal delivery driver, or the truck owner, or the warehouse manager as Crate & Barrel forced me to handle the issue with them. I paid Crate & Barrel directly for their products and delivery service, not their employees. All these individuals are so unprofessional, and their only response to resolving the issue has been to SHIFT THE BLAME to one another, passing the buck and avoiding accountability. To wash their hands they have repeatedly referred me to new people to talk and seek solution, and I am exhausted and frustrated from repeatedly talking with new people, and begging the company to take responsibility for the damage they caused in my home and me.

Crate & Barrel's lack of integrity, responsibility, and professionalism is evident in their lack of insurance coverage for customer property damage and their treatment of customers, which is akin to treating them like animals rather than human beings. A reputable company would never damage a customer's property, particularly a handicapped individual, and expect them to sleep on the floor or on a couch like a dog for months without taking immediate action to resolve the issue. Instead, they would take full responsibility for the damage and work to rectify the situation promptly, but this company has not even apologized because they don't respect customers. Unfortunately, the Crate & Barrel executive customer service team has also been unresponsive and uncooperative, expecting me to resolve the issue directly with the delivery ** man, which is not only inconvenient but also illegal.

I am scheduled to undergo surgery in August and desperately need my bed. I will not allow Crate & Barrel to continue causing me damage. In order to recover my bed and vase, I believe my only recourse is to take legal action against Crate & Barrel, forcing them to face a judge and ultimately hold them accountable for their actions.. - I am so disappointed of Crate & Barrel.