MadisonSeating
Reviews and Complaints

Madison Seating really let me down. It all started when I received my chair and there were no instructions on how to assemble it. I searched online for a while, but couldn't find anything helpful. So, I reached out to customer service and waited for a response. When they finally got back to me, they just sent me a link to a YouTube video. I couldn't believe it! I paid a lot of money for this chair and they couldn't even include proper instructions.

To make matters worse, they also sent me a part that didn't even belong to the chair. It took me a while to figure out where it went, and when I contacted customer service about it, they just said it was a mistake. I was really frustrated at this point.

Once I finally got the chair assembled, I realized that it was too small for me. I'm 6'4" and the chair just wasn't going to work. I found a YouTube video that showed how to verify the size of the Aeron chair, and it confirmed that they had shipped me the wrong size. When I contacted customer service again, they didn't even apologize. They just sent me a shipping label to return the chair. This was a huge hassle because I had to take the chair apart and find a big box to ship it back in. I also had to miss a day of work to wait for FedEx to come pick it up.

After I returned the chair, they said they would send me a new one right away. But they didn't. They waited until they received the returned chair and then waited another week to send the new one. It's been a month and a half of chair drama, and I'm still not happy with the service I received from Madison Seating.

If you're thinking about buying a chair from them, I would recommend looking elsewhere. They might have good deals, but they clearly don't care about their customers. Save yourself the hassle and buy locally.

So, we were moving from one coast to another and we needed to get a new office chair. We found Madisonseating online and decided to order from them. They promised that the chair would arrive in 10 to 15 business days, which was perfect for us. We didn't want to ship it because we trusted Madisonseating to deliver it on time.

As the end of the time frame approached, we started to get worried because we hadn't heard anything from Madisonseating. We reached out to them to confirm that the chair was on its way, but they told us that due to Covid-19 delays, it would be an additional two weeks. We were a bit surprised because their website still said that the chair would arrive in 10 to 15 days if we ordered it that same day. But we thought, "okay, we can wait two more weeks."

Two weeks passed, and we still hadn't heard anything from Madisonseating. We reached out to them again, and they told us that it would be as much as another month before the chair would arrive. At this point, we were frustrated and decided to cancel our order.

It was clear to us that Madisonseating didn't have the chair in stock, but they were still selling it with a promise that it would arrive on time. They didn't even bother to let us know that our order was delayed. We had to reach out to them multiple times to get any information.

They blamed Covid-19 for the delays, but we felt like they were just stringing us along. We ended up buying a chair locally because we had already moved cross-country by the time Madisonseating finally admitted that they couldn't deliver the chair.

Overall, we were disappointed with our experience with Madisonseating. We wouldn't recommend them to anyone who needs a chair quickly or who wants to be kept informed about their order.

I bought a Herman Miller Aeron chair from Madisonseating.com, and I was excited to get it. The price was really good, but it was supposed to take 10-14 business days to ship. I was okay with that because I was getting a good deal. But after 14 business days, I still hadn't heard anything about my order. I was starting to get worried, so I contacted customer service.

They told me that the chair I ordered was out-of-stock. I was really surprised because I never got any notification about it being out-of-stock. I waited for three weeks, and I didn't hear anything. I checked the website, and it didn't say anything about it being out-of-stock either.

I was disappointed, but they offered to substitute a different chair size. They said it would take another 10-14 business days to ship. I wasn't happy about that, but I agreed to it. Then, they cancelled my order without asking me. I was really upset because they didn't even apologize or explain why they cancelled my order. They didn't even offer me anything to keep my business.

I was curious, so I went back to the website to see if I could still order the chair I wanted. To my surprise, I was able to put it in my cart without any indication that it was out-of-stock. I asked customer service about it, and they said they were updating their site.

I understand that businesses are having a hard time right now, but I don't think it's okay to make a customer wait for three weeks for nothing. They should have told me that the chair was out-of-stock when I ordered it. And why does it take so long to ship a chair that's in-stock?

I decided to look for other retailers with similar prices and better reviews. I found some, and I took my business elsewhere. I suggest you do the same.

I gotta say, I'm pretty bummed about my experience with Madisonseating. I was really excited to get a new chair for my home office, so I ordered one from them back in July. I knew there might be some delays because of COVID, but the website said it would only take 10-15 days to ship. Well, that definitely didn't happen.

I tried calling them a few times, but their phone support was down. So I sent them an email in early August to see what was up. They told me it would be mid-August before my chair shipped. But that date came and went, and I still didn't have my chair. So I emailed them again, and they gave me a new shipping estimate of late August. But that date came and went too, and I still didn't have my chair.

This went on for months. Every time I emailed them, they gave me a new shipping estimate, but the date would come and go and I still wouldn't have my chair. It was really frustrating. Finally, in late October, I told them I wanted to cancel my order if they couldn't give me a concrete date. They sent me another canned email with a new date, but didn't acknowledge my request to cancel. So I asked them to cancel one more time, and they finally did.

I understand that COVID has messed up a lot of things, but I really wish they had handled this better. It was really disappointing to not have any communication or transparency about what was going on. When I first saw their prices, I thought they were too good to be true, and it turns out they were. I wouldn't recommend Madisonseating to anyone.

Man, let me tell you about my experience with Madisonseating. I ordered a desk from them and it turned into a whole ordeal. First off, the delivery company they used was straight up terrible. They didn't even bother to call and schedule a delivery time, they just showed up unannounced and then got lost on the way to my place. I had to spend a good half hour giving them turn-by-turn directions just to get them to my door.

And then, to top it all off, they didn't even deliver the desk because I wasn't home. I specifically told them to drop it off at the leasing office, but they didn't listen. So I come home and there's no package at the office. And then they have the nerve to tell me they'll charge me $100 for another delivery attempt because I couldn't take their surprise delivery.

After a week of going back and forth with the delivery company and Madisonseating, they finally agreed not to charge me for another delivery attempt. But then, when I finally got my desk, only one of the boxes had the parts I needed. The other box had the legs to a completely different item, like a coffee table or something.

So now I'm stuck dealing with customer service and the delivery company again just to get the legs to my desk. It's been a whole mess and I still haven't gotten my whole desk yet. I mean, I think they'll eventually get everything to me, but I'm never ordering from Madisonseating again. They need to find a new delivery company, especially in the L.A. area. It's just been a total pain.

So, I thought I was getting a brand spanking new chair from Madisonseating, but boy was I wrong. When I received my package, I was shocked to find out that they had sent me an "open box" chair. Now, I know what you're thinking, "what's wrong with that?" Well, let me tell you, this chair looked like it had been through the wringer. It was covered in dust and scratches, the cloth on the seat and back was so dirty that I had to give it a good scrub down before I could even think about sitting in it. And don't even get me started on the gooey stains, I couldn't even look at them without feeling queasy.

To make matters worse, the chair had several stripped screw holes and Allen screws, which meant that I couldn't even put it together properly without a trip to the hardware store. And let's not forget about the fact that it looked like a piece of crap compared to a brand new Aeron chair.

I called Madisonseating to complain and they said that I could send it back for a refund, but they wouldn't pay for the $285 return shipping cost. Can you believe that? I ended up losing $285 on the entire transaction.

After doing some research, I found out that Madisonseating has a history of fraud and even got sued by Herman Miller for it. So, take my advice and avoid these guys like the plague. Spread the word and save yourself the headache.

So, I was on the phone waiting to speak to a Madison Seating sales rep, and I heard a message about their "No Hassle, Easy Return Sales Policy". That made me feel pretty good about buying a side table from them.

But when the table arrived, it just didn't work for the spot we had planned to use it. So, I called to arrange returning the item, and they told me that I needed to email them instead of calling. That seemed a bit strange, but it made more sense after I got an email from them with their Terms of Use. It said that I would get a credit for the purchase price of the item, minus a 30% restocking fee and the initial shipping cost.

That meant that out of the $105.73 I spent, I would only get a refund of $19.02. That's less than 20% of the cost, with $66.71 being taken out for the restocking fee and initial shipping, and then another $20 for postage to send the table back. So, basically, it cost me around $90 just to return a $105 item using Madison Seating's "No Hassle, Easy Return Sales Policy".

I called to complain today, and they told me that I had clicked a Terms of Use Agreement when I bought the table. They also said that they had sent me an additional email with the Terms of Use after I initiated the return. So, legally, Madison Seating was covered.

I know that it was my fault for not reading the initial Agreement more closely. Maybe I'm just too used to clicking "Agree" on all those Apple updates. But I still feel like it's misleading to have a "No Hassle, Easy Return Sales Policy" when their return policy is actually more strict than any other furniture store I've dealt with.

I'm not saying that this company is trying to deceive anyone. But after this experience, I definitely feel like I've been deceived.

This company, Madisonseating, has some issues with their return policy that can be quite frustrating. If you have any problems with your chair, they require you to send the entire chair back to them for service. While they will cover any problems with the chair, you will be responsible for the shipping costs, which can be quite expensive. For example, shipping a chair can cost around $50 each way, which can add up to $700-$800 or more over the life of the warranty.

One issue that I had with this company was when one of the chair arms broke 7 months after purchase. Initially, they insisted that I spend $100 on shipping the entire chair rather than allowing me to send only the broken arm. After I refused, they told me that the other option was to sell me the replacement part, which they valued at $39.99. However, I was able to purchase the same part at a local hardware store for only $0.58.

After much back and forth, the company did offer to send me the part I needed as a one-time courtesy. However, they made it clear that if anything else went wrong, I would have to strictly adhere to the warranty as stated (i.e. $100 shipping). In the end, I was able to resolve the issue by purchasing a part locally and repairing the chair on my own.

Overall, the prices on the chairs are great, and the company will honor their warranty as written. However, even for small issues, expect to pay full shipping each way, which can be expensive. Additionally, the customer service can be unpleasant to deal with at first, but the managing supervisor, Annie, was incredibly nice and did a great job explaining things to me in a pleasant manner once it escalated to her.

In conclusion, if you are looking for a good deal on a chair, Madisonseating may be a good option for you. However, be aware of their return policy and shipping costs, and be prepared to deal with some unpleasant customer service at first.

Office chairs can be a real pain in the wallet, and that's why I decided to give Madisonseating a try. They specialize in refurbished chairs that are a fraction of the cost of a brand new one. I knew that I wasn't going to get a chair that was like-new for 85% off of retail, but I decided to take my chances with them. Unfortunately, my chair arrived three weeks late, but it was well packed and looked new mechanically. However, the fabric was noticeably lower quality than the stock OEM weave and the chair padding was not up to OEM par either. I've used this exact chair at my company for years, and I know how it should look and feel.

I left a 3-star product review on their site stating basically what I just posted above--that the chair mechanics looked great, but that the refurbished padding and fabric were both really poor quality compared to OEM, and that the fabric swatches they have on their own site didn't match the poor quality fabric I received on my chair. But then something strange happened. They edited my 3-star review and removed the information I described regarding the fabric and padding. They also changed my product review to a 5-star review, which is deceptive and unethical in my opinion.

To be fair, customer service did contact me after I posted an initial 1-star review and tried to make things right. That's why I bumped my review up to 3 stars. But even with their offer to waive the restocking fee, it's just not worth the time, cost, and hassle of returning the chair. It's not a bad chair for the price, and I will probably get the padding replaced and reupholstered with better quality materials at some point, since the chair frame, levers, and hydraulics are actually in pretty solid shape. But if I had seen this chair in person first, I probably would not have purchased it, especially since I now know that they censor and edit product reviews on their own site. Would I buy from Madison again? Probably not.

I was super stoked to buy a chair from Madisonseating! I mean, who doesn't love a good chair, am I right? So, I went ahead and made the purchase, and they told me it would be shipped in 10 to 14 business days. No biggie, I thought, I can wait that long. But then, the days turned into weeks, and I still hadn't received my chair. So, I decided to shoot them an email to see what was up. And guess what? They told me it would be shipped by the end of the month. Okay, I thought, I can wait a little longer. But then, the end of the month came and went, and still no chair. So, I emailed them again, and this time they told me it would be shipped in the middle of October. Alright, I thought, I can wait a little longer. But then, you guessed it, October came and went, and still no chair. So, I emailed them again, and this time they told me it would be shipped mid November.

Now, don't get me wrong, I understand that there are delays in shipping because of Covid. But what I don't understand is why they couldn't be transparent about it from the get-go. I mean, if they know there are delays, why not just tell me that when I make the purchase? And why do I have to be the one to reach out to them every time to find out what's going on? And don't even get me started on their customer service. When you call in, it says they're experiencing "short delays" in shipping. But 2 1/2 months is not a short delay, my friends.

To make matters worse, when I went to look at the shipping times as if I was purchasing a new chair, it still said 10 to 14 days. That's false advertising if you ask me. And when I complained and asked to speak to a manager, they just went ahead and canceled my order without even asking me if I wanted it canceled. I mean, come on, that's just rude.

I've purchased things from other companies that have delays because of Covid, and you know what? They were transparent about it. They let me know upfront that there might be delays, and they kept me updated throughout the process. But Madisonseating? Nope, they just kept stringing me along. And when I finally had enough and decided to leave a review, they canceled my order because of it. That's just not cool, man.

So, if you're thinking about doing business with Madisonseating, I would highly recommend that you don't. Unless, of course, you enjoy waiting months for your chair and dealing with terrible customer service. And if you do decide to go ahead and make a purchase, just know that there might be delays, and they might not be upfront with you about it. But hey, maybe you'll get lucky and actually receive your chair on time. Stranger things have happened, right?

Supposedly, my office chair came with a 10 year warranty. Chair broke and Madison seating wanted to charge me. Terrible customer service.

I purchased a Steelcase Leap chair from Madison Seating for a Christmas gift for my husband. I ordered it a few weeks before Christmas, but it didn't arrived until Jan. 4th. The late delivery wasn't too big an issue, I should have read the shipping policy and realized it would arrive late. But when it arrived, one of the arm-rests was broken. I contacted Customer Service that same day (Jan. 4) before 1:30 in the afternoon, and was told all the Customer Service team had already gone home for the day and couldn't help me until Monday. I asked if it was customary for them to close before 2 PM on Fridays, and they said sometimes. Later they emailed me to say that they're a Jewish company and so must close earlier on Friday for the Sabbath. I was raised with similar customs, so I was bit surprised, because sundown on Friday evening is nowhere near 2 pm, but I just accepted the explanation. I was told on Monday that they were shipping me the replacement parts and I would get them as soon as possible.

I received a shipping confirmation email from Madison Seating saying my order of replacement parts had been shipped on Jan. 8. I contacted them on Jan. 20th to find out why they hadn't arrived yet. They informed me that they hadn't shipped them at all, and they'd be shipping them in "24-48 hours". No apologies at any time. That was Jan. 20th. They arrived today, 11 days later, Jan. 31. I called UPS to find out when they were actually shipped. UPS informed me that the shipping label was created on Jan. 10, but my package wasn't actually shipped until Jan. 25th.

I am beyond angry at this company. What kind of company cares so little for their customers that they ship a broken product, take nearly a month to ship them a replacement piece (not a new chair, just a replacement arm-rest), and NEVER ONCE APOLOGIZE? Not to mention outright lying and telling me they had shipped my replacement parts on the 8th. And on the 10th. And "24-48 hours" after the 20th.

Oh, and the kicker? When the replacement parts arrived today, one of them was already broken.

Save your money and your sanity, and shop at a place that actually gives two cents about their customers.

Bought chair had bad arm rests and a used bottom seat that sags. If you want the 10 year warranty you have to spend $300 to ship back and forth. Spend the extra money on a Herman Miller directly and get the 17 year warranty where they come to your house to fix warranty repairs. I have owned 4 Herman Miller chairs, this being the fourth. Do not buy used CRAP with fine print warranty.

well, what they advertise and what they promise in their ads is fake. The quality is terrible, it's far from what they say. Customer service is one more big disadvantage.
They urgently have to train their employees how to talk to customers. I have had the worst experience in dealing with representatives, who were very rude and ignorant to me, but never did their job.
Please, be careful.

Purchase a chair online from them.
Chair was not up to my expectations.
Called to get RA for return, no you have to write them. First Hassle.
Then I went to dissemble the chair, would not come apart, called for instructions, no you need to write. Second Hassle.
They sent an article on how to recycle your chair & several You Tube videos, that were generic on how to disassemble. Third hassle, cannot get apart.
So know I know not to call & only write & request a bigger box for RTV as chair would not fit in original box.
Fourth Hassle. No we do not provide boxes or can pay for FEDEX to pack.
Fifth hassle so now I need to go to FEDEX & pay them $30.00 to box this item up.
Looks like I am not the only person who feels the !00% tagline is not so 100%.
So do your home work on this company before pushing the button.

I purchased an item on their website which is, as published, covered by a "100% satisfaction guarantee" This guarantee according to their website allows customers to return purchased items if for any reason they are not happy with their purchase as long as they do it within 30 days of receipt, and in addition they mention twice that they will cover the return shipping cost.

My purchase was supposed to be delivered on December 30th but it wasn't. I started an investigation with FedEx and according to Madison Seating, on January 4th they started a "full trace investigation" with FedEx as well. On January 5th the item is delivered and I contact Madison Seating by email to confirm receipt. Receipt is therefore acknowledged by both parties on January 5th 2017.

On January 25th, well within the 30 days from receipt, I contact Madison Seating to return the item. They provide a return authorization code, but fail to provide appropriate shipping instructions. I go to FedEx and UPS with the authorization code and both tell me that shipping is not covered.
I contact Madison Seating promptly. First, they say that shipping is not covered. When I refer them to their own guarantee, they change their argument to "it's now too late, that only applies within the 30 days from receipt"

First of all, receipt was January 5th so we were within 20 days of receipt. But even if they want to consider receipt on December 30th (which is not true) I would still have been within 30 days from receipt.

I tried amicably to resolve the issue on multiple occasions and even offered to share the shipping cost. They continuously refuse to reach an agreement, and continuously refuse to honor their "satisfaction guarantee"

Received a chair that was ordered 12/27/16 today and it is defective. Called the number on paper work and was told they do not take calls I have to email service department. Shortly after sending my email I received a reply with a you tube video of how to operate my chair and instructions to reply if this doesn't work. I replied it doesn't work and need someone to call me with an RMA so I can return the chair. Several hours later no response so I email again and follow up an hour later with another email and a phone call. Spoke with a very rude "Joseph" claiming to be Sr. Customer service Manager and "I should not expect a response in 5 minutes of sending my email" He refused to give his last name or email and said he would be handling all of my issues. I told him I was very disappointed in the "100% customer satisfaction guarantee" as stated on the letter that arrived with my chair. He was very rude and was told we would most likely never do business with them again.

Don't believe their so-called "satisfaction guarantee". You don't even have to take my word for it; just add one to your cart and go to checkout. Then take a look at their terms and conditions. Better yet, here's a link directly to their terms: https://www.madisonseating.com/terms-of-use.html

THAT'S the policy they adhere to. Their claims of playing return shipping are worth less than the paper it's printed on. Oh, and on top of you having to pay return shipping, they also charge a $50 restocking fee. So be darn sure you're getting exactly what you want, because it'll cost you $100-$200 or more to return it.

To make it even more clear, I've linked some screenshots highlighting their lie.

I feel SCAMMED. I purchased a brand new Freedom Task Chair with Headrest from Madison Seating online in 2012. I THOUGHT I bought a brand new chair, but slowly over the course of 3 years, the wheels started to crack and fall apart, and the head rest and seat back would tear and rub off from normal use, the screws from the back side was coming out and not staying into the cushions, and the plastic backing was coming apart from the frame that attaches to the leather. This chair was falling apart everywhere except the actual frame which is metal and plastic and stayed intact. I use the chair as a home office chair under normal use with hardwood floors, just myself, and I don't weigh more than 150 lbs. I took the seat cushion and head rest and the back rest apart and found that the chair was from 2007! There were labels on the inside of the parts showing that this was made in 2007, and I bought this in 2012. They sold me a BAD OLD CHAIR!

I had to get new parts including the wheels directly from Humanscale headquarters. When I compared the new parts from Humanscale with the old bad original parts from Madison Seating it was like night and day: the new parts had good smooth leather and was not rubbery/sticky like with the bad Madison Seating parts, the stitching was superior, the stapling was neater, and the leather was cut nicely and not all frayed. It was as if someone tried to reupholster it with bad leather, leather that doesn't even match Humanscale's leather at all. If you try to deal with Madison Seating for replacement parts, they will ask you to send the whole chair back so they can fix it (you must pay for the shipping both ways, which would be around $200 in shipping for me). What a nightmare.

I'm so glad Humanscale Corporate Headquarters was able to help me fix the chair with brand new parts. Just don't buy from Madison Seating! DO NOT BUY HUMANSCALE CHAIRS FROM THERE! Madison's warranty doesn't cover shipping costs both ways and it's so expensive to ship the whole thing both ways. Plus, they may ship you a refurbished chair, if they cannot fix it, which is what I believe I got in the first place. I found out online at Humanscale that Madison Seating is NOT AN AUTHORIZED RESELLER (meaning that Madison's customer service and product quality does NOT meet the manufacturer’s quality and customer service standards).

Also, I should mention that someone at Madison Seating (or wherever they got that chair) tried to remove the labels showing that the chair was made in 2007. There were deep dented scratch marks all over one of the labels as if someone used a metal tool to remove the date label to hide the fact that they were made that year. It shows that someone really tried hard to hide the fact that they were old parts. No wonder everything was falling apart! SO SHADY!

I was NOT 100% happy with the chair and did not want to be charged to ship the chair back. It’s expensive to ship a chair back to the east coast from west coast! The reason why the chair was cheaper in the first place was because it was OLD. THEY SOLD ME AN OLD CHAIR! What kind of chair breaks down in 3 years time from the wheel casters (all 5 wheels) to the leather and seat and back cushions? Chairs that are old break down like that (from 2007 to 2015). I was scammed and they sold me an old chair that was refurbished most likely.

I am HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS of all the 5 star ratings I see on other websites. Makes me wonder how this scam company got these ratings.

I have photographs to prove all of the above in my statement. See the pictures here below. You can see the difference in the quality of the stitching between the old head rest (white, poorly stapled and frayed edges) and the new head rest from Humanscale corporate headquarters (black and clean lines, neat and clean stapling). Look at the label being torn off on one piece, and how they left the other label on (from 2007). I will be searching other review sites to post my review and warn other people about this online scam company.

Still not sure if you should buy a chair from here? Search online for these keywords: "Class Action Lawsuit Madison Seating" and you will find the story behind their business model. Seems like the owners of the company may have a history with selling old chairs.

Do not order anything from MadisonSeating website, they sell used chairs as brand new!
I've ordered a chair from MadisonSeating and when it finally arrived I saw that something wasn't right. I thought I bought a brand new chair but it looked used. That moment I thought that it was only my imagination, but when I checked the reviews I found out they really sold me an old chair! I'm not the only victim and there are a lot people who had the same problem!
Avoid MadisonSeating at all costs!