Fed-up grandparents say the luxury sofa they bought just months ago now looks a 'disgrace.'
Pauline, 71, and Richard, 73, from Middlesbrough, saved up over a number of years to buy a new one after their 25-year-old couch became unusable, reports Teeside Live. Mr and Mrs Hill were delighted to get their new grey leather suite from ScS, costing £2600, in January 2022 but after just seven months of use, large patches had worn to white and the stitching began to come apart.
Pauline, says the sofa was "a disgrace" and grandma contacted the company to report the fault with the three seater sofa and two armchairs. ScS sent out a specialist to assess the damage, and Pauline says that she was told that the stitching was 'an issue with the manufacturing,' but that the leather patches would be deemed as 'wear and tear'.
She says they put the issues down to Richard's medication which means he emits oils from his hair which reacted with the leather, however Pauline claims this doesn't line up with where her husband sits. She added: "When I bought it I was told that it was top quality, that's why we paid the extra. We're pensioners, and he is disabled.
"I said to my daughter, I don't want to sound rude but I feel as though they're taking the mickey out of me." After months, an agreement was reached that both parties would share the cost of repairs with the Hill's - costing the grandparents an extra £428.
Pauline was desperate to get the new suite fixed so said she paid the fee, but says months later it is still not resolved. She added: "What my jip is, I don't understand why I should have to pay £428 to get the chair fixed when in actual fact it was only eight months old when the problems started. We saved up for a long time to buy that."
Pauline was then later told that repair work would now not be possible and that she could use the funds for a replacement.
Next, the pensioners were told that the range was being discontinued. ScS called again and said they would again be repairing the original suite, 10 months after she first contacted them.
The grandma has said the ongoing issues has left her feeling embarrassed and says they no longer invite friends and family into their home because of 'the state of the suite'.
She explained: "It's very upsetting. My husband's got the early stages of dementia and it's upsetting him because of the suite. It's embarrassing when people come in the house, I don't like people coming in the house because I'm ashamed.
"It's about the size of a saucer - a white mark on the back of the chair. It hits you as soon as you walk in."
An ScS spokesperson said: “There was accidental damage, as well as a defect, with one of the chairs purchased by the customer. We had agreed with the customer to repair the chair, with the customer meeting the costs of the accidental damage element.
"Having reviewed the customer's concerns further, we have agreed as a gesture of goodwill to replace the furniture. The model is discontinued so we’ve asked the customer to select a different range and we’ll replace the full suite free of charge."
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