Tailor-made furniture raises complaints

The Consumer Council released a statement yesterday announcing the results of a survey on tailor-­made furniture, published also in the latest issue of the entity’s Consumer Report (no. 271).
The Council states that it has received 17 complaints regarding tailor-made furniture last year, covering such issues as products not meeting customers’ expectations, late delivery and unsatisfactory customer service.
According to the statement, the Council attributes many of these problems to insufficient information provided by furniture companies to consumers, including such details as the dimensions of the pieces of furniture, not taking responsibility for late delivery and extra fees charged for buildings with multiple floors.
Meanwhile, a separate survey collected responses from seven furniture companies. The survey was additionally featured in the latest issue of the Consumer Report and only those companies that offer tailor-made services were invited to participate in the survey. Questions included related to quotation, measuring and specific details of the purchase.
The producer survey concluded that consumers are reminded to make relevant enquiries before agreeing to purchases, though it also stated that best practice for producers might involve the inclusion of the terms and conditions of the order on the invoice or contract, in order to safeguard consumer rights.