Nursery furniture - am I being a jerk?

[closetmeupandshootmetotheskies]

We paid a lot for furniture from a well known brand, Like a LOT LOT of money for us.

It was delayed massively but we were happy to wait because we wanted this specific set. It's arrived (and the delays were a joke, this company swore down they had been in touch, no emails no communication, nothing) and it's damaged. What we saw was solid wood. We've been send MDF.

We are both livid. I want to shove lot on a pallet, pay for it to be sent back and get a refund. Hubs wants to kick off. Either way, are we being unreasonable for paying a lot of money for a premium solid woodset, and wanting to send back because they have not sent us this??

Of course not. If you didn't get the product you paid for, returning it is completely appropriate.

@Midlifemusings

Of course not. If you didn't get the product you paid for, returning it is completely appropriate.

Hey, thank you. I feel like a mug, to be honest. We spent over the odds, and that was stupid of us. But I also think I was second guessing my reaction to all of this, worrying we were being out of line. I think we're going to go with sending it back, getting a refund, and making a formal complaint. Apparently this company changed their supplier knowing full well they would go from solid oak to chipboard!!!

We'll go to Ikea or something and get basis stuff. Save the money and spend it on doing something nice as a family instead. Lesson learned I guess?

We paid what I would consider a lot lot of money from a well known brand for a furniture set. It was mdf and has lasted us 7 years with 2 children using from birth and 3 children using it to jump on 🤦🏻‍♀️. It's still being used as a toddler bed for one now. Could you get the balance refunded and keep what you have? If it looks like what you picked and you get money back is there any issue?

@Heyisforhorses

We paid what I would consider a lot lot of money from a well known brand for a furniture set. It was mdf and has lasted us 7 years with 2 children using from birth and 3 children using it to jump on 🤦🏻‍♀️. It's still being used as a toddler bed for one now. Could you get the balance refunded and keep what you have? If it looks like what you picked and you get money back is there any issue?

Really good point. But it doesn't look like what we saw and made the order off. Apologies, I put and worded it all badly. It's not necessarily the MDF that is the issue (we inherited a bookcase from hubs Mum that's made of the stuff and it's insanely sturdy, I am sure it will outlive us and the kids!)

It's the price we paid, waaayyy over odds for MDF and fact the colour and finish is well different to what we saw :(

And I understand that OP, if I paid for solid wood and got mdf I would be freaked too. I also know how important it is to have the furniture "just right" 🙂 I'd look at what you have, see if you still like it and then go for a refund of difference. I'd also factor in waiting times for replacement items esp solid wood when making a decision. If they don't give a satisfactory refund amount, get full amount back and go elsewhere.

Really good advice, thank you so much

I’d be really hurt and annoyed too. I hope you get it sorted OP. How disappointing

How are you a mug. You paid what you did for a good solid wood set! You didn't pay for an MDF set. You deserve the item you paid for. Proper wood items are amazing and will hold their value. I can only afford MDF and it's crap in comparison, but pay accordingly. Especially your nursery set it's so important that itmakes you happy

Just send it back op and do ikea.

Their kids furniture is great and will last much longer then a nursery set. Your little one might be in a proper bed from 18mths (and they spend the first 6 mths in your room)

@Allmyarseandpeggymartin

Just send it back op and do ikea.

Their kids furniture is great and will last much longer then a nursery set. Your little one might be in a proper bed from 18mths (and they spend the first 6 mths in your room)

He's already 6 months, the furniture was delayed that much. When we were told last year it was going to be late, neither of us wanted to cause a fuss, you know?

But yeah, you're right, thank you :)

That’s such a rip-off! They’ve sent you furniture that’s different from what you ordered... on purpose. Nursery furniture has a finite useful life in a given family, so sending it so late is crap too.

Get a refund and buy something else!

Its not what you ordered so definitely get a refund.

Then buy some nice plain stuff they can grow into... my elder DD still has the chest of drawers we bought for her room as a baby and she's nearly 11 (and it is IKEA!) Plus my old dressing table.

It doesn't matter if you paid £50 for it or £5000, if it was advertised as something that it isn't you've every right to be annoyed and request a refund.

Tell them you want a refund AND compensation for their crap service and the inconvenience.

We bought an expensive sofa recently which was very delayed. I said I wanted a 25% discount ( which was the new selling price) and while they didn’t give me that much I did get a very healthy voucher.

Be specific.

@MatildaTheCat

Tell them you want a refund AND compensation for their crap service and the inconvenience.

We bought an expensive sofa recently which was very delayed. I said I wanted a 25% discount ( which was the new selling price) and while they didn’t give me that much I did get a very healthy voucher.

Be specific.

Oooh, sounds like while you didn't get what you asked for specifically, they made an effort to put it right?

This company have been useless. They swore up and down that they had been in touch with us about delays by email, but they'd not. We had to wait until the day before delivery, and realised we heard nothing, and then we spoke to someone dead rude on the phone.

We used DHs crib from when he was a baby for the first 6 months, and it'll do for a few more weeks. I'm off to Ikea start of next week with my MIL (I'm one of those sickoes that actually loves my MIL, she's the best) and we're going to look for a wardrobe. Not sure on the cotbed, but we'll have a natter about it and figure something out.

I'm just narked that we spent so much and were lied to by the lass in the shop, and now we've spent a lot of money and not had what we ordered.

Not at all. It’s not what you’ve paid for.
If it was advertised as MDF at the price you paid, you wouldn’t have paid for it. You should have real wood, not compressed cardboard fibres.

You need to check the description thoroughly often. They'll say something like "solid wood" in the initial bits but when you look through the finer bits it'll say something like "backs of drawers and cabinets MDF" which is irritating.

I'd send it back, assuming you haven't made it up, and say not as expected.

I'm sure you've thought of this, and you may just want new for baby, but if you look on marketplace there's often really lovely things for children's rooms that are really cheap if you can drive a bit to puck them up. We got a lovely wooden chest of drawers for £25-it has a tiny scratch on one corner but other than that looks like new. That was off ebay rather than marketplace, but you get the picture.

@MargaretThursday

You need to check the description thoroughly often. They'll say something like "solid wood" in the initial bits but when you look through the finer bits it'll say something like "backs of drawers and cabinets MDF" which is irritating.

I'd send it back, assuming you haven't made it up, and say not as expected.

I'm sure you've thought of this, and you may just want new for baby, but if you look on marketplace there's often really lovely things for children's rooms that are really cheap if you can drive a bit to puck them up. We got a lovely wooden chest of drawers for £25-it has a tiny scratch on one corner but other than that looks like new. That was off ebay rather than marketplace, but you get the picture.

TBH, I think it's very easy for first time parents to fall into the marketing BS and schtick of "get everything new!!". I feel like a bit of a tit for it. We have a second hand travel system (though we did buy a new car seat and base cos that felt sensible, you know?) so we feel a little daft.

Whole lot is going back tomorrow, the company in question wanted to charge us nearly £50!!!!!! to pick it up. We have a spare pallet (christ only knows form where, haha) so I've bunged it on there, and I found a company who will ship it back for under half what this company wanted to charge us for collection.

I guess we both see this as a learning experience and better it happened with the first, eh?? :)

You shouldn't be paying for the return either if it's not as described. Did you pay with credit card? Should be easier to get a full refund if so. I'd start talking about consumer rights legislation.

100% send it back and get a refund. Also maybe consider reporting to trading standards if they’re false advertising and making it so hard to return when they’re at fault

On another note don’t knock ikea baby furniture! Our cot was from ikea and it was amazing. Went through two babies (born 15 months apart) and has only just been taken down now to make way for a big girl bed. For the price it was amazing quality. Very sturdy despite being raised and lowered x2 and surviving two babies and toddlers in a short amount of time.

You shouldn't be paying to return something that isn't what you ordered.

I had similar from a national furniture company. I told them I wanted an immediate refund and they could collect it at their leisure. I would have raised a grievance through my credit card otherwise. They refunded fully and never did collect it.

@justfiveminutes

You shouldn't be paying to return something that isn't what you ordered.

I had similar from a national furniture company. I told them I wanted an immediate refund and they could collect it at their leisure. I would have raised a grievance through my credit card otherwise. They refunded fully and never did collect it.

We're going to send them the bill for it in a formal complaint, we've found their CEO details :) Just, £15 is cheaper than £40, which is what they wanted to charge us (apparently this is their standard for everything? Insane. We returned something through another company recently, our cock up, ordered wrong size door locks. They sent us a FOC DPD label, and charges us a small % for repinnning the locks, and let us use the rest as credit for what we actually needed. Was our fault, so the free return seemed totally fair, likewise the % back? We ordered a specialised product and cocked up. I'm happy to pay it, and lesson learned for next time).

But £40? When we are in the cancellation period, there were huge delays and they chose to change suppliers? Naw thanks.

We have IKEA nursery furniture and it’s predominantly solid pine, the drawers sides and things are MDF but the main frame and doors are all solid. Can’t fault it at all!

MDF is not solid timber.
Solid timber will be a lot more expensive, so for them to have sent you MDF when you paid for Solid timber is a rip off.

Hope you get all your money back.

Definitely send it back and opt for normal sized furniture for your lo. Don’t get a cot bed if you want to have more children. Also when your lo is old enough for a bed just get a normal sized one. You’ll save a fortune by cutting out the cutesy baby , toddler, child stuff.