Levin Furniture

My wife and I have made two separate purchases at Levin over the last year and a half. The selection was nice and the price seemed reasonable. Their sales service was friendly and didn't perch over us as we looked around, but was very helpful when it came time to selecting everything. Delivery time wasn't horrible - I believe it took a couple of weeks to get our furniture delivered. I had pretty much decided not to look anywhere else for furniture from that point on, until...

A year and a half after we bought our living room set, the frame on the sectional we bought started to come apart. In one section the springs had broken and the seat back had come lose.

I was surprised since the last sofa we had lasted over 10 years with no issues except for normal wear and tear, but I understand that things happen. We had bought the warranty they suggested with our purchase, so I figured it would just be a matter of scheduling the service call to have it repaired. The warranty was for 5 years so, if we had more problems, at least we would have some time to get it addressed.

We called the main customer service number and they referred us to the place that services their warranty claims - I was not surprised at this. It seemed to make sense that they would farm this out. We called that number but was told that they only cover things like stains and tears, not frame problems. We ended up calling customer service back and they agreed that the warranty place did not cover frame issues. They then told us that we would need to call another company that they recommend and that they would give us an estimate to fix the issue. I mentioned that we had bought the warranty they offered, but they said that it only covers the fabric. The parts are covered from the manufacturer, but labor is not covered after the first year. I asked her if there was anything else that we could have bought to cover the frame after the first year and she said, "no".

As I was upset I asked for the manager to call me back. Laura called me back the next day. I pleaded my case and she said that they would cover the cost of the estimate to fix my sofa, but we would have to cover the repair. I let her know that was not going to make me happy, but we could start there. About a week later the repair person came out and said the spring clips had broken and some other boards had come apart and that Levin would call me back with an estimate. Laura called us back a few days later and said that the cost would be $100 and to let her know what we would like to do. I called back and left her a message that I was feeling like I was mislead with the warranty. She called and let us know, as a one time courtesy they would split the cost with us. I again, left her a message back to call me and that I would take their offer only because we needed it fixed and I didn't feel like I had another options. Its been over a week and we never heard back.

I gave up and decided to have a look for myself. As it turns out, the problem was the cheap construction. I was surprised how little there was to the frame when I looked, and most of it was cheap chipboard that had been stapled together. The root of the issue was, all of the staples had pulled out on the one side of the frame. Its no wonder they won't sell a warranty that covers it.

I am very disappointed as I felt I had found a really great place, but the dining room table that we bought a year ago is also having structural issues now too. What good is a furniture place that treats you well and has a good selection if it all falls apart and the company won't stand behind the products they sell?