I can make this simple: if there is anywhere else that you can go to get your furniture refinished, go there. Or, light your furniture on fire and experience less frustration than you will if you work with Simon Telfer, the owner of this establishment.
Last year, I left two pieces of deeply sentimental furniture with Simon and his team. A dresser that I wanted completely refinished and made more modern, and an antique piece that I simply wanted to be cleaned and waxed.
This month, I finally received word that the pieces were done and ready for pickup. I excitedly asked to see pictures of the work. When I received the pictures, I discovered that the dresser had simply been repainted, but not refinished. I began working with the team to remedy the problem, but as we went further and further through the process, it became clear that the owner, Simon, had not told the team my wishes. The team further indicated that they were concerned my furniture would be damaged if they tried to fix it. With all of this in mind, I asked for my furniture to be returned. I asked Simon to review the original scope of work and let me know what a fair rate would be, given that I had asked for the item to be completely refinished (stripped, sanded, holes repaired, repainted, slides and hardware replaced, and scrolling on bottom and drawers removed), and it had simply been painted.
Simon refused. After much argument, he offered to take $300 off of my $1600 bill because "the scrolling wasn't removed." I agreed to pay and asked for my furniture to be returned. Then, despite having issued full payment, Simon told me that he would not reissue my furniture to me unless I signed a paper saying that I accepted the furniture as is, had no right to warranty, or anything else. Basically, I had to sign a form saying that him and his team did a good job. I told him I was not comfortable signing the form, and he told me that I could either sign it, or get a lawyer.
After finding out the furniture had been taken into a booth and spraypainted, I called with a specific question. My Dad built this dresser for me when I was a child, and he wrote me a note in the backboard. I asked the team if it had been painted over, and Simon emailed me to say, "I heard you have an issue, and that doesn't change anything." I was told it was painted over, and I was utterly devasted by the action and by Simon's lack of empathy toward something that I had previously indicated was important to me.
When the furniture was delivered to my house, I asked about the state of it. The dresser still has nicks and holes all over. (These are not natural wood knots, to be clear--they are the holes that come with owning a dresser throughout childhood). The antique piece was full of dust and still had wax on it that had not been removed. In this case, the quality of the work speaks for itself and its saying "don't trust Simon with your business." read more