Buona Furniture
reviews and complaints

We bought a white, leather sectional sofa from Buona Furniture, Richmond Hill location on May 27 2016. The furniture was delivered, set up and the couch looked good, but after a couple of days we noticed a small grey discoloration on the back of the couch which we thought was dirt. We tried to clean it with a baby wipe, and then leather cleaner, but it wouldn't come out. The white paint was missing. The spot was small so we didn't bother saying anything.

We went away on vacation for 2 weeks and came home and started to notice some greyish streaks on the seating areas of the couch that could not be removed with leather cleaner. It appeared as though the white colour was fading in these areas. On July 7th we spoke to Gabriel at Buona and sent an email in regards to the grey streaks.

On July 12th an employee from the Richmond Hill location was sent out to our condo unit. He tried to clean the areas in question on the couch without success. He agreed with us that it was not dirt, and said it appeared to be a "manufacturer defect'. He said he would tell Gabriel or Brian at the store and then the couch could be repaired or replaced. We immediately had said we wanted it replaced. We did not want a bad paint job to continue in other places on the couch.

A couple of weeks went by, and we called on July 26th to inquire about what was going to be done with our defective couch. We were told by Gabriel that the person who could make that decision was at a Las Vegas trade show.

We did not hear from Buona again until Brian called on Aug 2nd. Brian refused to replace the couch, and said they would repair it. We argued back and forth about this, because he could not guarantee me that the couch would not continue to fade. Brian stated that the person he sent out to clean and inspect the couch said the grey streaks were from 'wear", and he would be doing us a "favour" by fixing the couch. This was unacceptable to us. The grey streaks appeared within a month, we sat on the couch with throws placed on it, no jeans, no dark clothing. We also had been on a two week vacation. So really how could we have worn out the couch? Brain said he would take the half of the sectional that was fading and repair it. He never specified how. I continued to argue for a replacement, because the couch was under a one year warranty.

We've had the couch professionally evaluated and "leather" and paint technique is just cheap Chinese manufacturing. Buona Furniture uses "Bicast" or "Split" leather. Bicast leather is a leather by-product that is made by laminating polyurethane with split leather (explains the plasticy feel). Split leather is leather created from the fibrous part of the hide that is left over once the top grain has been separated from the hide. So by Chinese standards this couch is way overpriced, and now we know you certainly cannot get a decent full-grain leather couch for less than $5, 000 in North America.

Long story short Brian refused to honor the warranty and dared us to take him to court. Who has time for that? Today (March 2018), we sit on the couch using throws and the white is STILL gradually fading and the grey areas more pronounced.

We strongly suggest you DO NOT do business with Buona furniture. They are unethical and flat out liars that will say and do anything to get a sale. Instead research a reputable leather furniture store, check out their reviews online, then go into the store and and inspect the furniture. If you don't like how they deal with you, leave them alone.

Buona Futniture (Richmond Hill location) was such a massive fail with their arrogant and shady salesperson (Brian) and defective couch, that I filled out a BBB complaint. We had initially checked them out at the BBB, and there were 4 complaints with 1 unresolved. Now there are 6 complaints and two unresolved not including our recent complaint. We've even been in email contact with Ellen Roseman of the Toronto Star who has taken an interest from the start.

Here are the events as we sent to the BBB:

We bought a white, leather sectional sofa from Buona Furniture, Richmond Hill location on May 27 2016. The furniture was delivered, set up and the couch looked good, but after a couple of days we noticed a small grey discoloration on the back of the couch which we thought was dirt. We tried to clean it with a baby wipe, and then leather cleaner, but it wouldn't come out. The white paint was missing. The spot was small so we didn't bother saying anything.

We went away on vacation for 2 weeks and came home and started to notice some greyish streaks on the seating areas of the couch that could not be removed with leather cleaner. It appeared as though the white colour was fading in these areas. On July 7th we spoke to Gabriel at Buona and sent an email in regards to the grey streaks.

On July 12th an employee from the Richmond Hill location was sent out to our condo unit. He tried to clean the areas in question on the couch without success. He agreed with us that it was not dirt, and said it appeared to be a "manufacturer defect'. He said he would tell Gabriel or Brian at the store and then the couch could be repaired or replaced. We immediately had said we wanted it replaced. We did not want a bad paint job to continue in other places on the couch.

A couple of weeks went by, and we called on July 26th to inquire about what was going to be done with our defective couch. We were told by Gabriel that the person who could make that decision was at a Las Vegas trade show.

We did not hear from Buona again until Brian called on Aug 2nd. Brian refused to replace the couch, and said they would repair it. We argued back and forth about this, because he could not guarantee me that the couch would not continue to fade. Brian stated that the person he sent out to clean and inspect the couch said the grey streaks were from 'wear", and he would be doing us a "favour" by fixing the couch. This was unacceptable to us. The grey streaks appeared within a month, we sat on the couch with throws placed on it, no jeans, no dark clothing. We also had been on a two week vacation. So really how could we have worn out the couch? Brain said he would take the half of the sectional that was fading and repair it. He never specified how. I continued to argue for a replacement, because the couch was under a one year warranty.

In order to avoid any more hardship and agruement, I agreed to have the couch repaired. Two days later, on August 4th movers came to remove the couch. they wrapped the edges of the couch in Saran wrap like plastic material. Nothing to prevent the couch from being further damaged if they needed to drag it in the elevator like they did the first time. I had printed the agreement Brian and I had come to on the telephone which included: how long the couch would take to repair (7 -10 days), what was to be done, no further damage to the couch, and to have an independent third party evaluate the couch for quality issues.

I asked the mover to sign that paper after he asked me to sign a paper stating I agreed to have "Buona Furniture remove couch". No where on the paper did it say what Buona was going to do. The mover took a picture of my document on his mobile phone and sent it to Brian. Brian told him not to sign the paper. Brian then called me on my mobile to ask me what the paper was about. He said he was only removing the couch to have a third party look at it. That is not what we agreed on! I had the movers put the couch back.

I had my own paid leather expert evaluate the couch on Aug 8th and he concluded that the white paint was fading and it was indeed a manufacturer defect. I sent the evaluation via email to Buona and have not heard back from them.

Consumer's Desired Resolution:
This Milano couch was defective in a way that we did not know about at the time of purchase, or delivery. Buona has a 1 year warranty on the couch and there is an implied warranty under the Sale of Goods Act in Ontario.The implied warranty states that the goods be of merchantable quality and fit for the purpose for which they were sold. "In a contract of sale: 13. (b) an implied warranty that the buyer will have and enjoy quiet possession of the goods."We want a replacement of this WHITE MILANO FULL COWHIDE LEATHER SECTIONAL. One that has been PROPERLY dyed and finished. If they cannot replace it, we want a refund of our $4, 160.87