Do not buy a sofa from Laura Ashley

[Mistymoo15]

About 15 yrs ago my mother bought a sofa from Laura Ashley. She has since given it to me as it won't fit in her new house. It's well made and very comfy. However, my ideas about interior design do not match my mother's and I'm decorating the room the sofa is in. I'd like a new set of loose covers for the sofa.

You would think that a company like Laura Ashley would be able to help me, wouldn't you? The amount they charge for sofas? And that 15 yrs would be a reasonable amount of time for loose covers to wear out and need replacing?
Can Laura Ashley help me in any way at all? No. Did they suggest anything I might be able to do? No. Where they rude to me on the phone? Yes.
That model of sofa is discontinued so therefore I cannot buy new loose covers from them.
In order for you all to avoid similar, poor customer service from a brand that promotes the opposite I strongly suggest you do not buy anything from Laura Ashley. Certainly not a sofa.
If anyone knows of a company that has reasonably priced, tasteful, made to measure covers I'd love to hear about them. Thank you very much.

My brain is boggling. Give your head a wobble and find somewhere to knock you some covers up.

Christ on a bike.

Well, Thank you for the support and suggestions. It's been helpful! You certainly know how to make people feel welcome here on their first day.

Saying that hopefulpuffin- That is the sort of customer service I was expecting, I wish I had a Rowe sofa.
And psipsina- that was my perception of Laura Ashley, it certainly isn't now.

I started this thread as a warning to others who may still have had that perception and to enquire if any knew where I might get some tasteful new covers. Not to be told to "wobble my head" or that I "am proper nuts". Cheers guys, you're super nice.

You're going mad over a piece of furniture that is 15 years old. Can you really not see how you're sounding. Demanding new covers for something that old doesn't compute. If you were warning about recent shizzle then fair enough... but what you're asking for is unreasonable.

You can get new covers made by other places if it means that much to you.

Lololol at you lot being all unsupportive to the op

It's been a bad day for her. Finding out Laura Ashley is, erm Laura Ashley with Laura Ashley levels of service and then being told she is "proper nuts" for being, erm proper nuts. Especially as she only joined today too

You joined Mumsnet specifically to warn it's users about Laura Ashley? Why?

Would you join your local WI for the sole purpose of walking in loudly announcing that you expected none of them to shop at Laura Ashley, ever. Then plonk your arse down and expect them NOT to go "erm...okaaaaay"?

So OP your opening post here was "don't buy from this company, they are crap" on what everyone else unanimously agrees are completely spurious grounds, then you complain that WE are not being friendly enough?

you could have started off with a friendlier OP or even just a more neutrally framed question. I get that you're irate at LA, why rant at us about it and then kick off at the responses you get?

What would you have us do? Not express that your demand is unreasonable?

(A bit of me is still wondering if this is a cunningly disguised advert - I'd be thrilled if my sofa lasted 15 years)

15 years!

Fantastic advert for buying a sofa from Laura Ashley.

Have you joined lots of forums today just to rant about Laura Ashley, or just this one?

I don't get at all why you are irate at LA. You are being utterly ridiculous. For starters, they aren't a loose-cover-supplying company are they? Secondly, 15 years means it is a strong well made sofa. Stop running them down because you are doing yourself no favours.

FWIW I had a very old sofa and armchairs I had professionally covered. Twice. It cost an arm and a leg. I eventually gave it away and got something that wasn't going to last 15 years because I would be bored of it after all that time and to re-cover costs too much, so I now go for cheaper options.

I suggest you either live with what you've got, or google uphsolsterers in your area, or put some throws over it, or sell it.

I've heard loads of stories of LAs piss poor products and customer service

This isn't one of them

Don't buy from LA! Their customer service truly is shit and that is well documented on here and elsewhere online.

Having said that though ... 15 years is good going for a sofa so of course they can't help in this instance !

Tbf I've had a Laura Ashley chair that lasted 22 years and looked great, then it wore out very suddenly because the dog ate it and had to go.

I'm a bit relieved tbh. I thought I'd just made a huge mistake and was going to regret a considerable purchase after much looking around for a decent sofa bed for our -pokey- living room.

We bought a Laura Ashley sofa in January and have just had text to say it's ready for delivery, they've confirmed they can bring it on a Saturday and the day before they'll give us a 3 hr time slot in which to expect it... Sofa so good (sorry!)

15 years? Praise indeed.
My LA sofas, leather, split three times within the first year. Faulty batch apparently.
I found LA customer service brilliant, full refund transferred into my bank account within four days and said sofas collected.
So, shite quality but good customer service.

I am pretty sure LA do not do a reupholstering service anyway- not matter how new the sofa . My LA sofa (leather) is 13 years old and will easily last another 13 I would think.

Another side- our sofa and chair is from LA and is around 12 years old. It is still in stock as a range. I have had new covers made and new inners for the seat cushions. The sofa is still in good condition and I am a bit shocked that so many people are saying a sofa wouldn't last that long. we have had 2 sofas 30 years- one Habitat first ( we had new covers made) and the LA. We didn't allow the DCs to use them as a trampoline mind you.

Just to clarify- Laura Ashley made the new covers- they are loose covers. This is a normal service they offer for any furniture which is still in their range. They also provided the new foam inners for the seat cushions.

my mums sofa must be coming up to 30 years old and is still going strong, what's so unusual about that? decent brands do last for years, my £300 sofa from SCS isn't going to last anywhere near as long as a £1500+ from multiyork would.

there are loads of companies that will re-upholster furniture

here's one for starters

Good old Plumbs do new covers OP if you are still looking- well established.

I'm a little late to the party here but had an identical problem; can't part with my faithful Laura Ashley suite but the terracotta jacquard no longer did it for me. After a jaunt around ikea I noticed that my suite is very similar to the ektorp range, took a punt and bought a set of covers there and then, got them home fully expecting them to not fit but they do- almost perfectly (as perfectly as you can expect really!) I had to tack the 3 seater a little shorter but for the sake of just over £100 I have modern looking simple covers. Worth checking :-)

My LA sofa is still going strong after nearly 30 years - now resigned to the play room though !!!

I've just bought a laura ashley sofa.
Lovely one...fits perfectly.

from my neighbour for £50

Wasn't there a thread about Laura Ashley wooden furniture and them being incredibly unreasonable to someone who turned out to be some kind of super solicitor and who was hauling them into court?

i was coming on to agree with you- I had a Laura Ashley sofa for 4 years that needed repairing, which cost me £300. The upholsterer said the quality is just not there any more (and it was poor manufacturing rather than misuse). I'd never buy another sofa from them. Having said that, their stuff is not especially top end but at least it is always being discounted.

YADBU in the scenario you outline though.