Cratefurniture.com - Homespun Home Fashions Took Money, Delivered Nothing Petersburg Virginia

I'm yet another victim of the Cratefurniture.com ripoff. On April 27, 2007 I placed an order with "Julie" for replacement cushions for a loveseat, an ottoman, and arm pads. "Julie" said that delivery would be in 8 to 10 weeks but they needed payment up front since all orders were custom made. I gave her my credit card number and was charged $478.85 which posted on May 2.

On July 11, I left a message asking about the status of the order. "Julie" called back the next day and said that delivery was delayed and was now scheduled for the last week of July to the first week of August.

On September 12, I submitted a complaint on the form for comments (since removed) on the cratefurniture.com web site. I received a call back from "Julie" the next day who said that my order was "now in production" and that the upholstery would be delived the week of October 15 and the ottoman would be delivered the week of October 24.

On November 3 I wrote to the company president, Mark McCracken, requesting either 1) all the merchandise by November 30 or 2) a full refund by November 30. I also sent a copy to the Better Business Bureau of Central Virginia.

On December 11 I left a cancellation message on the Cratefurniture.com answering machine. On December 12 I received an automated call back that the refund was "in process."

After a week, I called my credit card compay (Mastercard through Bank of America) to see if there was a credit posted for $478.85. Of course there wasn't.

Fortunately, though, in talking to the Customer Satisfaction Department of Mastercard, I found that they were willing to handle the dispute for me since it had been less than 60 days since the last promised delivery date. They did not limit their involvement to 60 days after the transaction--in which case I certainly would have been out of luck. This past week I received a letter from Bank of America saying that they are crediting my account for $478.85.

My hard-earned advice is this: First, if you charged your purchase from Cratefurniture.com, at least try to see if your credit card company will intervene, even if you think it is too late. Second, the Better Business Bureau keeps statistics but is ineffective in fighting for you. Third, if you have ordered recently act soon to get a refund--don't give this company the benefit of a doubt they way I did because they are nothing but scam artists. Fourth, try to locate every scrap of paper where you took notes regarding the transaction. Even though I did not have something in writing from the company, I took notes of who I spoke with each time and what they said. Fifth, If you haven't ordered anything yet--DON'T--because you will never see it!

Frances
Mechanicsville, Maryland
U.S.A.