Sofa.com - Help!

[sofacomhelp]

I’d be really grateful for some views on a situation with sofa.com as I honestly don't know what to do.

I ordered a Bluebell 2.5 seater sofa which was delivered at end February. The delivery experience, which was supposed to be white glove, was awful — the sofa was delivered marked/stained/creased (which they acknowledge)- the driver ripped open the protective covering and dragged it across the road. He was also rude and unhelpful, and I was left in a position where I had to assist the other guy with moving and holding the sofa despite being a disabled customer as he refused to. To make matters worse, on delivery they caused damage to my wall and skirting board.

I raised a complaint the same day. Since then, it has taken repeated chasing to get responses and the matter still isn’t properly resolved.

To summarise where things have landed:

• They have agreed to replace the sofa (which is necessary as it was damaged on delivery - see attached photo/ lots of marks and creases) and
• They have refunded the £119 delivery charge.

However it has been so difficult dealing with their customer service team (I've had to spend so long chasing/ following up/the service has been so poor) and I am really worried that if there are any other problems its going to be a nightmare (I still dont have confirmation as to when a replacement could be delivered and that I wont be charged for delivery).

In addition to be honest the sofa looks a mess- it wasn't cheap and is only a couple of months old but looks wrecked. I do plump it every day but the cushions are constantly slouched and need puffing back up which never lasts long and are very creased. Of course, I dont know to what extent this is because of the delivery damage. I wondered if anyone else had this sofa and what they did to keep it looking okay- is it the colour/ the fabric? The advertising photos (attached) look so much better.

I am just not sure what to do - cancel the whole order , order a different colour/material/fabric - what do you think? If you think I should order a different fabric any recommendations? Would really appreciate any views or similar experiences. Thank you.

I do not have that sofa and have never bought from that company so cannot help there but hopefully by replying it gives a bump.

I would ask for a full refund and go elsewhere as it does not look good and that is only after a couple of months and I would be worried the replacement would look just as saggy after a short amount of time.

We almost purchased from them ten years ago, but ultimately opted for a different brand so no experience other than receiving lots of fabric samples.

However, I believe that in the intervening years, quality has gone down so I don't think I'd be considering sofa.com now. I also heard that the showroom models are a better/different quality to the sofas actually received and that buying an ex-display sofa is the only way to guarantee they'll be the same. How much truth there is in this, I don't know.

In your position @sofacomhelp I'd be requesting a full refund and buying elsewhere.

I’m sorry for your experience… there is a furniture ombudsman

I had a bluebell and sold it 11 years ago and it looked different to your photo. The stuffing was much better and no problems with delivery and quality despite them having a logistical problem getting it in. I feel like quality might have gone downhill since the peak of its popularity

Didn't they get bought by Frasers group?

I have a Bluebell 2.5 sofa and my back cushions are nowhere near as slouchy as your picture @sofacomhelp, and my sofa must be 5 years old now.
Even the bottom cushions look wonky - though I know they can take time to settle.
My sofa looks like the blue one you’ve posted.
If I were you I’d go for a full refund and look elsewhere.

Thank you so much for the feedback. Are there any other good models or brands you would recommend?

They are a bit marmite but the Loaf outlet is worth a look. I got an absolute bargain on an ex-display in a discontinued fabric.

The feather stuffing does give more of a slouchy look though (that dip at the top of cushions).

I always work on the assumption that the website is the absolute pinnacle of how it's going to look but I agree that yours does look quite a lot worse than the website pic.

I have a Bluebell chair bought in 2019 and it has given me backache since 2021. I'd never buy from them again - mine looks as bad as OP's sofa despite daily turning of cushions & plumping

Sofa.com used to be amazing. Then mike Ashley bought them.

Have a look at Sofa Sofa. They have some beautiful sofas, well priced and great service. Or Ikea?

I bought a sofa from sofa.com in 2022 I think and have always been disappointed with the back cushions - they are not stuffed enough! I wish I'd complained at the time but didn't for some reason and now I think I'll just have to diy or get another company to make new fillings/pads for the back covers. I do like cushions to have a bit of 'give' but these are just horrible - completely saggy and not filled enough.