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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Aibu to buy this couch?

105 replies

planeymcplaneface · 25/05/2016 19:27

I have found a couch that i love and that i want to buy. Ive moved twice before i moved into my current house and in all that time my furniture has been 2nd hand, ive nothing at all against 2nd hand things they have been a godsend.
However i would like to get a new one as ive never had a new one before and it would be nice to.
I got told iwbu from my sisters as it would be on a 4yr interest free payment plan which would be 41 a month which i can afford now i would however not be able to afford the cost as a lump sum. Plus it is more than half price just now which is a great saving.
Aibu to buy this couch and not listen to my sisters?

OP posts:

Baconyum · 26/05/2016 05:32

Your money your choice but I think you've been misled on the interest free side

£41x12 months x 4 years = £1968

MurphysChild · 26/05/2016 06:11

When I was much younger and couldn't afford to buy outright I did buy quite a few larger items on interest free credit, only one at once mind. I fell in love with my barker and stone house dining room furniture and it took 18 months to pay off. It is still perfect many years later and I love it just as much.

Choose a timeless piece and look after it and it will be fine.

Janecc · 26/05/2016 06:34

Baconymum is right, that's £41 too much so I'm assuming it should be 47 months correct?

Original poster

planeymcplaneface · 26/05/2016 08:04

I cant drive so i dont have to worry about needing a car anytime soon. Ive never done anything on finance before this would be the only one ive done. I spoke to my auntie last night and she said that if i want the couch then to go for it as ive made sure i can afford it then its alright

OP posts:

UntilTheCowsComeHome · 26/05/2016 09:22

12 years ago the only way we could afford a decent sofa was to pay monthly through DFS.

It's been long since paid off but is still going strong. I love our sofa, it's really comfy and still looks good as it's a classic design.

openthecurtains · 26/05/2016 09:43

If you're not 100% sure it will fit in well, I suggest using masking tape to create the shape of the sofa on your floor from the website dimensions - easy to do and remove and gives you a really good idea of what space it takes up.

CheeseFan · 26/05/2016 09:49

YABU The Helix range is one of the ugliest ranges I have seen.

Original poster

planeymcplaneface · 26/05/2016 09:50

cheesefan well i like it thats all that matters

OP posts:

AwakeCantSleep · 26/05/2016 09:52

Have you looked in other stores? Don't be fooled by dfs "discounts" - it's actually impossible to buy a sofa at full retail price in there. The price you quoted sounds quite expensive to me - but then my sofa is a very affordable number from Ikea. 0% finance may sound like a good deal but you are paying for the finance through the price of the sofa.

As others have said, do you really fancy paying for a (by then) old sofa in four years time? The novelty will have worn off after six months or so.

Mycraneisfixed · 26/05/2016 10:01

I bought a very comfortable lazy boy sofa from DFS simply because I could pay monthly. Two years later it was looking a bit thin on back cushions so I rang and asked how much to re-cover. They said it free of charge. So not only good value but also good after-sales services. Go for it!

OneMagnumisneverenough · 26/05/2016 10:05

Have you looked into one of the 0% Credit card deals going about - I doubt you'd get 4 years right enough but it would give you the option of shopping around or at least getting a discount from dfs because you don't want/need the finance from them. It would also give you the option to pay it off a bit faster if you had a little extra some months.

I'm not trying to persuade you not to do it, just to do what you are going to do with your eyes wide open. It's also not my personal taste in sofas, but you are right in that it is you that will be buying and sitting on it so if you love it then that is what matters, just make sure that you think you will still love it at least until you've finished paying for it.

Also, you mentioned one being on ebay but not local, it might be worth investigating how much a courier would cost as you might find it is still worth doing though obviously slightly less of a bargain than being able to get one locally.

I wouldn't feel pressured by the sale - there is always a sale! legally they must offer the items at full price for a while in order to show that they are now selling at half price, so you may see it go back to full price occasionally, but it soon comes back on half price again. If you need time to think, take time to think.

CheeseFan · 26/05/2016 10:06

Planey you are right. Apart from my most unhelpful opinion, I would say that I bought a DFS sofa on the 0% finance deal as also couldn't afford one any other way, but am only paying about £16 a month. Of course it totally depends on your own situation but £40 feels a lot more to me and I would worry about having to pay that out every month, and I earn a reasonable amount.

CheeseFan · 26/05/2016 10:11

Also, just to let you know. When I rang to make the order and sort all the finance out, they wanted to know that I work over 15 hours a week and earn a certain amount so that they can be confident that I can afford it, according to whatever calculations they use. And the guy who took my order was the most annoying, patronising man in the world!

OneMagnumisneverenough · 26/05/2016 10:13

Although if you ditch the cuddle sofa that brings the price and payment down considerably. If you continued to pay it over 47 months then it works out at £27.62 or if you still paid around £41 it would be paid off in 32 months.

OneMagnumisneverenough · 26/05/2016 10:16

Although if you got a 2 year 0% interest Credit card deal and paid the same to a credit card, it would give you near a £1k to spend anywhere you liked (obv dependent on financial circumstances) and you'd have paid it off in 2 years. If you go for this option. set up a DD for the monthly payment and cut up the card as soon as you've used it to buy the sofa to save you from temptation.

Coffeethrowtrampbitch · 26/05/2016 10:20

Yanbu op, your sofa your choice.

Make your sisters sit on the floor if they don't like your new sofa .

I know lots of posters haven't liked dfs but my sister got two sofas from there years ago and they are still fine and comfortable.

We have concerns about fitting one in so have looked at sofas from Nabru. You build those (which I have heard is hellish) but no worries about fitting them in and apparently they last forever and have great aftercare.

I've had great fun on their sofa designer and would not be impressed if someone poured cold water on my excitement the way your sisters have done, it's a mean thing to do when this is your first brand new sofa.

AndNowItsSeven · 26/05/2016 10:26

Op it's not your Aunty that will decide if you can afford it dfs will do a credit check.
A brand new couch is a luxury item if you can't afford to buy it outright.

smilingeyes11 · 26/05/2016 10:33

I think the style of the Helix is going to look dated very quickly tbh. I think they make nice models. I have a 5 year old DFS suite - it is ok, but not massively comfy and it is showing signs of wear. Don't think I would buy again. I too found their aftercare pretty woeful. One seat you can feel the wooden frame through and the guy who came out basically told me tough luck, nothing they could or would do to sort it.

smilingeyes11 · 26/05/2016 10:33

nicer

Frrrrrrippery · 26/05/2016 10:53

Would it save you a lot not to have the sofa-bed part of the sofa. I find sofa -beds more uncomfortable and more prone to breaking than a normal sofa.

You could use the money you save on a decent blow up mattress.

Frrrrrrippery · 26/05/2016 10:58

What about two of the four seaters (formal back) It would only be just over £1100 for the two of them and that would be a LOT of seating. Plus I think it would date less.

The cushion back four seaters are even less at £499

Original poster

planeymcplaneface · 26/05/2016 11:26

I have my sisters stay a lot and my older sister has a 4yo thats why the sofa bed seemed the best option to me

OP posts:

AwakeCantSleep · 26/05/2016 11:51

Where are your guests sleeping currently? Would an air mattress work? I have one, it is super comfy. I sometimes sleep on it myself and the guests get my room.

I really don't think it's a good idea to get into debt (or more debt than necessary) just to accommodate other people at your house. If I was you I'd get a nice comfy sofa big enough for my own family, plus a couple of bean bags or something. And an air mattress for guests staying over.

Original poster

planeymcplaneface · 26/05/2016 11:59

When my younger sister stays she jumps in beside me and when my older sister stays she gets my room.

OP posts:

OneMagnumisneverenough · 26/05/2016 12:07

Ime, sofa beds are only comfy if you get top end with decent sprung mattresses, otherwise it's more comfortable just to sleep on the sofa if it's long enough. With not so good mattresses, you can feel the bars of the mechanism through the mattress. Sleeping on a camping mat is better.

I also think it's lovely that you are trying to accommodate your sisters but you need to think of yourself first. is that the reason they are saying not to do it? Are they worried that you are over-extending yourself for their benefit?

Keep in mind too that you are all getting older, your sisters might meet new partners soon and not stay over so often.

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