Sofa Showcase never delivered furniture that was ordered and took 7 months to refund money victimized many consumers Eatontown New Jersey

This company makes a practice of taking orders for furniture and money for the orders and then never delivering and then not refunding the money. In effect, they are taking no interest loans from unsuspecting consumers, because it takes an inordinate amount of time to realize that you are not going to get your furniture, even more time to try to get a refund, and if you ever do (many haven't), all you get back is the original amount.

For us, we received no furniture and only received a refund after 7 months and many calls, letters, complaints. Only when I threatened to picket the store and contact a lawyer did I finally get a refund. Even that has not worked for many consumers. There are many complaints posted on the internet about this company, and over 90 (probably more by now) with the NJ Department of Consumer Affairs. Victim customers have contacted the news media, the police department, and have even taken the company to court and then not getting the money that was rendered in the judgment. Here are the specifics of my story, which unfortunately, sounds like everyone else's:

We ordered a sofa from Sofa Showcase on December 15, 2001, with the promise that the sofa would be delivered in 10 to 12 weeks, which means that the sofa should have been delivered between February 22 and March 8. As the weeks passed, I finally called this company and was told that the 10 to 12 weeks really meant a manufacturers' lead time, and that it did not have anything to do with the date of purchase.

I had to call several times before I was able to get someone on the phone and get even this much information. I was finally told that the orders were delayed and that the sofa was to be delivered by April 19 (more than four months past the order date), even though the contract indicates that the merchandise should be delivered absolutely no later than April 15.

I was first told that someone would have to call me, and they didn't. I called back and was told that the computer system was down and that they were loading 5 trucks, but that they could not tell me if my merchandise was on any of them. Further, they asked that I call back in a week and then see what they could tell me. I insisted that they find out where the merchandise was and when I would receive it, but again I did not receive a phone call when promised.

When I finally did receive the call, they told me that the merchandise was damaged in shipping, which of course, is a familiar story line provided by merchants who fail to meet delivery dates. Now I am being told that they have no way of telling me when I will receive the sofa.

The store insisted that we pay in full up front, yet we never received our merchandise. After a complaint to the name-brand furniture company, we received a letter indicating that Sofa Showcase has not paid their bills to that company either, and hence, they will not produce or ship furniture for them.

At one point, I finally reached someone who was identified to me as a manager, who told me that I would receive a $150 refund the next day and that the merchandise would be delivered by the end of May (but no later than June 7). We did not receive the promised refund (actually a discount offered for our inconvenience), and when I called on May 29, I was again told that they have no information, that there is merchandise on trucks somewhere, but that they have no way of knowing if my merchandise is included. The person with whom I had been talking now tells me that he is just a salesman with no authority in the matter. Even so, he refuses to give me the name and contact information for a manager.

When I called the person who is supposed to be the manager of customer service, she also indicated that she had no information, but promised to fax me documentation of when the merchandise was ordered and the information from the factory, which she never did. I left additional phone calls, which have not been returned. I finally received information from another victimized consumer about the name of the store owner (supposedly). I placed many calls to him and could only ever get an answering machine.

I learned far too late that there are a myriad of complaints against this company, with stories very similar to mine: merchandise not delivered or substandard and late, refunds not provided as promised, no ability to contact a manager, and unreturned calls to customer service.

Only after I filed a complaint with the NJ Department of Consumer Affairs, the Better Business Bureau, a local TV station, and on another website and made several threatening phone calls to a salesperson in which I said I would picket the store and call a lawyer, did I finally get a refund. It took many days of my time, many certified and registered latters, and 7 months, without getting any merchandise and only getting back our original amount.

So, they effectively kept our money with no interest for 7 months and misled us into believing that they actually placed an order for furniture, which they evidently did not. Our story is just like many others, who unfortunately paid them even more money and had even more difficulty getting money back, if at all.

This is evidently the primary "business" that this company is in: take orders for furniture which is never actually ordered, keep the money, and then give it back months later only after as much resistance as possible. Presumably when the stock market was going up, they made quite a good living on this scam. Now, they are just keeping the money and tricking as many people as possible. In the meantime, it is quite likely, they will go out of business and then reopen under another name. I cannot understand why these people are not in jail.

Nancy
Fanwood, New Jersey

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