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M&S sofas- are they any good?

17 replies

ilikeyoursleeves · 19/07/2011 20:43

I am thinking about buying one in their current sale but I'm wondering what they are like- can anyone comment? Many thanks :)

OP posts:
smartyparts · 19/07/2011 20:49

We recently replaced out ten year old M&S sofas, for no reason other than we had got bored with them!

They were still in fantastic nick. Very, very well made imo.

ilikeyoursleeves · 19/07/2011 20:58

what sofa did you have smartypants? Did you replace them with another M&S one?

OP posts:
bitzermaloney · 19/07/2011 22:44

We bought a couple of M&S Urbino sofas and an armchair in their last sale, and are pleased with them, though can't say how well they will wear yet.

LaCidrai · 19/07/2011 23:04

I'm still on mine bought 15 years ago. Seats still firm, fabric looking good, mind you it did cost over £2k for 1 x 2 seater and 1 x 3 (but looks like a 2 ifyswim).

SirenSusan · 20/07/2011 05:45

M&S clothing quality has dropped considerably in recent years - it's hard not to think the same will have happened to their home furnishings. Everything has got cheaper and that didn't just happen because of better negotiating!

LoveInAColdChamberOfSecrets · 20/07/2011 06:31

We have one bought about three years ago - very happy with it. The back cushions are feather which means they need quite a lot of plumping to stay looking good but is v comfy and still looks new.

Zeeky · 20/07/2011 07:21

We have a 3 seater, arm chair & giant pouffe in cream suedette (bought before we had 2 kids!). It must be at least 10 yrs old & other than a few marks on the fabric which is to be expected with 2 under 4s on a cream sofa, it is like new. I think it is the comfiest sofa ever & our friends often comment on how comfy it is too. Will definitely buy m&s again in future.

Mandy21 · 20/07/2011 08:54

Think its definitely a case of you get what you pay for. We bought 2 sofas from M&S about 3 years ago - can't remember what the range was called but probably their 2nd or 3rd cheapest sofas. There is no support in them and although they still look good (before anyone sits on them!), they're certainly not going to last much longer I wouldn't have thought just because I think we're getting closer and closer to the floor when we sit on them. If you go for more expensive ranges, then I'm sure the quality will be better.

emsyj · 20/07/2011 09:08

Be careful to check your delivery very very thoroughly if you get a M&S sofa. I was out when ours were delivered (my sister waited in for the delivery as a favour to me while I was at work) and I didn't really take much notice of them, just sat on them! Then 2 weeks later, I moved them to hoover behind and underneath and found a 2" long deep knife cut in the back of one of them (on the top corner of the back piece). I thought 'oh it's M&S, I'll just ring them and tell them' but they were rude and awful and basically accused me of doing it myself Shock Hmm.

I contacted Consumer Direct who prepared a letter for me saying that M&S were in the wrong, but they still wouldn't back down. I think what happened was that the delivery men removed the protective packaging from the sofa with a knife and cut the sofa by mistake, then positioned it so that the damage couldn't be seen. They denied this totally and said it was ludicrous etc.

Eventually I sued them and got a new sofa. It took up a lot of time and energy for a whole year of my life. I would never ever ever buy furniture from them again, which is a shame as the quality of the sofas is really good. We've had them for 6 years and there isn't a mark on them (leather). But I wouldn't deal with their crappy customer service again.

Bizarrely, a few weeks after I got my new sofa (and cheque for my court costs, of course) I got a call from someone at M&S head office saying how terrible the whole business was and it should never have happened etc and she wanted to speak to me in detail about it. She made arrangements to call me at a convenient time (when I wasn't at work) in 2 weeks and guess what? Yep, never ever heard from her again!

So proceed with caution. If you have a problem with your furniture that comes to light more than 3 days after delivery, they will tell you to sod off even though legally they cannot do this.

NarcissaMalfoy · 20/07/2011 09:23

Mine are 15 years old and are still going strong despite a lot of abuse from my DCs. The covers wash well but the arms are a bit grubby and are difficult to clean. We have throws over them so dont notice it.

I think they cost £3k which was a huge amount to us at the time (well still is!) but I've definitely had my money's worth.

SirenSusan · 20/07/2011 09:27

We had an awful experience with M&S and a pair of leather shoes which split along the crease after less than a month of wear - to and from work. They refused to accept that the shoes were faulty and we were too busy to fight it. Their customer service has taken a nose dive and I no longer consider them to be a quality brand.

lawnimp · 20/07/2011 09:30

what's better then people? john lewis? also need a new sofa and ikeas look very floppy

Clayhead · 20/07/2011 09:34

Have got a 10 year old one and a 5 year old one, both still in excellent condition. There was a problem with the foot on the footstool and a new part was dispatched ASAP.

crystalglasses · 20/07/2011 09:35

Had our 2 sofas for nearly 20 years. Replaced the seat cushions about 5 years ago along with new loose covers, because the fabric wore out, but the sofas are still looking great. If we replace them in the next year or so it will be because we're bored with them

DeanBeth · 22/12/2012 09:26

Be careful when buying M&S furniture.

I agree the older models were great, we had a sofabed from them that is now over 13yrs old. It has been great and was only replaced (We actually just moved it into the kids playroom) as it is showing a few too many coffee stains.

Alas buying a new sofabed from M&S was a big mistake. Because we were so impressed with the original we purchased a Abbey sofabed in Boston Leather. The frame on this has collapsed/bent in less than 3 years. I compared the steel thicknesses between the two and not unsurprisingly the faulty sofabed is made from steel over 30% thinner.

We have looked after it carefully and even the official report says it is in A1 condition. Marks a Spencer's customer service has been shocking. We were told that they could not deal with us; we would have to go through FIRA. It has been a painful experience of being fobbed off, bounced around and we still do not have a resolution. At the moment we are stuck with a £1,700 sofabed that is unusable, possibly unsafe and no way forward other than the courts.

I have another thread running here if you would like more information or can help us.

www.mumsnet.com/.../1642131-Never-buy-a-sofabed-or-sofa-from-Marks- Spencer-M-S

Sad
AKissIsNotAContract · 22/12/2012 20:58

Lawnimp: our sofa is from cargo and we are very happy with it. It's only 2 years old so can't comment on how long it will last but it still looks like new and I would buy from them again.

ldebbielewis · 22/08/2018 18:24

I bought two matching leather portabello sofas a few years ago . Cream leather.....looked the part!
However noticed recently one sagging in the middle and the supporting cross piece was moving downwards when we sat on it. Im 9st and was afraid it was going to snap. Incidently the living room was "the Best Room" and the sofas were hardly used.

Went to M&S and they sent out an independent assessor(FIRA).......apparently ...who in fairness pointed out a massive Knot in the back of the supporting rail that had weakenED the sofa over time.He quoted it was a manufacturing fault as it would have been there at manufacture. I stupidly assumed all would be ok and I would get a repair.

Not to be .....beware the sliding scale. They would not offer me a repair and offered a measely amount of about £500 as compensation? I could sell them for more on Gumtree. At the minutewe are pursuing other avenuesto try recompense but totally dissatisfied. I bought from M&S stupidly assuming I was buying quality. Will never buy from there again.
DO NOT BUY THEIR SOFAS!

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