TRS - Ashley Furniture are con artists - don't fall victim to their sales ploys! Waco Texas

We went into Ashley Furniture in Waco on Feb. 7th just looking at furniture. We had no plans to buy any until our income tax refund came in. The sales person "Rob" helps us and quoted us a price for an entire bedroom set (headboard, footboard, rails, dresser, mirror, two nightstands, bench & armoire), minus the promotional deduction that was going on at the time. The bottom line was something that we thought was a very good deal, considering it was the entire collection. We told him that we would have to wait a week until our refund was in and he sent us to TRS to discuss in house financing. In the meantime, we added a coffee table and end table to complete our living room set and then waited on TRS to prepare the documents. We were told that we could write a post-dated check for the down payment and they would hold it until Feb. 16th until the refund was deposited so that we could have the promotional sales discount. We then signed 3 separate contracts in duplicate, all the while the TRS sales person was talking. When I returned home, I began going over the 3 sets of finance documents and noticed that the armoire was not included in the list of furniture and contacted the store. I was told by Rob that he had messed up and he would add it to our order and just to come in to TRS to pay another down payment for this $696 armoire, which I feel was a sales scam in and of itself since he had quoted an entire collection to us and did not write it down. He basically told me that I should have added it up my own self while in the store, deducted the coupon, added in delivery and sales tax and known that it was not an accurate figure. I assumed that was his job to check his own math!

I contacted Lisa at TRS on Friday, 2/13/09 and told her that my refund check was delayed a week and to please not deposit the check yet. She assured me that she had it right there and she would hold it another week. Imagine my surprise when I was contacted by Ryan at TRS on Tuesday, 2/17/09 (the day after a bank holiday) stating that my check had been returned as insufficient. I questioned him extensively and he stated that the check clearly said Feb. 16 and that it was not good and he didn't care what his employee Lisa had told me. Odd, since he had already received it back on Tuesday and I called her on the previous Friday and Monday was a holiday. I checked my bank balance and found out that not only did TRS deposit it early, they deposited it on Feb. 10, six days before they were supposed to in the first place! I asked for my check to be returned to me and all contracts with TRS be voided since I have not picked up the furniture yet. He advised that he didn't have the check and it was at the corporate office. I have incurred 5 NSF fees and even had a check returned because of this domino effect. Ryan states that he deposited it himself because Alex didn't tell him to hold it and he admits that it was TRS error; however, he refused to pay my $149.95 worth of NSF fees.

I contacted Ashley Furniture and left a message for the owner, Rusty Wilks, who has never returned my call. I did however contact Ryan on 2/18/09 to question why I never received a letter from him admitting TRS error so that I could present it to my bank and perhaps be credited the fees. Ryan was extremely rude and asked me if I had called the store and talked with Kyla, the receptionist and "tried to get him fired." I simply left a message for the owner asking him to call me regarding business practices with both his salesperson and TRS so that he would be advised as to what is going on his store and felt that the receptionist certainly overstepped her bounds by telling Ryan what the owner's message from me was.

On Feb. 19th, I was contacted by my bank, Extraco, and advised that Ryan had called the branch listed on my check and given a representative my account number (strange, since he claims he didn't have the check) and asked personal questions about my bank balance and number of NSF fees and admitted to the bank representative that it was TRS's fault for the entire thing. The bank did not give him any info and told him that they should pay any fees incurred and then contacted me to let me know that he had contacted them. He repeatedly told me that he would send a letter and was never authorized to contact my bank to discuss my account without my permission. Basically, Extraco is not going to refund me any fees because it was not their error and I am already out almost $150 and haven't even picked up the furniture.

I am extremely displeased with the business practices of Ashley Furniture and TRS Finance Co. In reading the large volume of complaints against this company, I would strongly ward any unsuspecting consumer against doing business with either company. I have posted on this site, contacted the Better Business Bureau and also the news media regarding this issue and plan to file a legal suit to recover my losses.

Screwed by trs and ashley furniture in waco
Gatesville, Texas
U.S.A.