On the surface, the luxury furniture brand Maker&Son seems to offer the perfect retail experience, if you can afford it. Its website shows a young woman with her eyes shut, resting on a handmade couch. A large sofa costs up to £11,000 and a deposit of almost £6,000 is needed to secure it. Products are made from “natural sustainable materials” and a plethora of five-star reviews appear from happy customers.
But a closer look at Maker&Son reveals a different story – one of contested insolvency, allegations of debt owed to suppliers, unhappy customers and former staff claiming they have not been paid pension contributions. Those unhappy customers include some high-profile names, such as the former adult film actor Mia Khalifa, who claims to have lost thousands, and rants at the “heathens” who took £4,000 from her for a cloud chair.
