Dwight and I decided to use part of my tax refund to buy a sectional couch and a new recliner. We visited all three furniture stores in Wilson, NC and surprisingly, there wasn’t a single other customer in any of them.
Farmer’s Furniture: We met a very nice gentleman there — excellent service, courteous, and helpful. Loved him.
Lakeside Home Furniture: Nice selection, though I found their prices a little on the high side.
Ashley HomeStore: Unfortunately, this is where the experience went downhill. I worked with a salesperson named Allan Coyle, who ultimately lost what would have been a $3,000 sale. He was the most arrogant and disagreeable salesperson I’ve ever encountered — completely uninterested in making a sale or helping a customer.
Another employee, who sat nearby the entire time, listened to the whole conversation where Mr. Coyle essentially talked me out of making a purchase, yet said nothing. Honestly, if anyone is looking for a stress-free job where you just scroll on your phone and turn customers away, furniture sales might be the place to be.
Mr. Coyle only told me what he couldn’t do — never once did he offer what he could do. For example:
On a $3,000 purchase, he said delivery would cost $200. I offered to pick it up myself and was told that’s not allowed.
When he asked about payment, I said either cash or my own financing. He didn’t like that at all.
When I told him which financing company I use (with whom I’ve had three loans over three years — all paid off same-as-cash within 90 days), he was dismissive and said I couldn’t secure financing on my own. That was false — I’ve used the same company previously for a $1,300 computer from Best Buy with no issue.
When I asked about delivery timelines, he said it would take a couple of weeks. The sectional I wanted was actually in stock at the back of the store (in the outlet section), and when I asked about purchasing the floor model, he gave me an evasive answer.
I thanked him for his time, took his card, and told him I’d think about it. Once outside, I told Dwight, “I really liked that sectional — but there’s no way I’d buy anything from here now.”
All three stores were completely empty — not a single customer in sight. I plan to send a copy of this interaction to corporate, because it’s really disappointing how drastically customer service seems to have declined.
Desired outcome: Customer service training and eager and accomodating salesclerks.
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