My fiancé and I recently visited the Ashley Furniture location in Fairfield to purchase a bedroom set. We initially came in, found something we liked, and informed the salesperson, Jordan, that we would return the following day to complete the purchase.
When we came back, our experience quickly became frustrating. Throughout the process, Jordan repeatedly attempted to upsell us on items and services we clearly stated we did not want. Every step of the purchase seemed to involve additional charges or add-ons we hadn't asked for.
One specific issue involved a Stearns & Foster mattress that was displayed on the sales floor with a price of $4,000. Jordan informed us that the online price was actually $4,400, and said he would check with his supervisor about honoring the displayed price. When he returned, he told us that since we were paying cash for the furniture and financing the mattress, the manager approved an $1,800 credit, which we felt was fair.
However, things continued to go downhill when we began the financing application for the mattress. Jordan initially encouraged us to apply for about $9,500 in financing, even though we had made it clear we were only financing the mattress. After we were easily approved, he then pushed us to request even more credit, which felt unnecessary and inappropriate.
While waiting for the mattress financing, my fiancé asked if he could go ahead and pay for the furniture with cash. When we reviewed the receipt, we noticed multiple protection plans and additional charges added to the purchase that we never agreed to. When we questioned this, Jordan insisted that these protection plans were required with the furniture purchase. From our experience buying furniture in the past, we knew these plans are optional, not mandatory.
At that point, the situation became very uncomfortable. Jordan continued to push the additional services and even began mentioning personal reasons, such as needing to support his daughter, which felt like an attempt to guilt us into accepting the extra charges so he could earn a commission.
To make matters worse, another employee at the front counter who was assisting him verified our information but laughed and joked about the situation rather than helping resolve it professionally. The entire interaction felt dismissive and extremely unprofessional.
Because of this experience, we chose to leave the Fairfield store without making the purchase.
Fortunately, we went to another Ashley Furniture location in Concord, where we worked with Mohammed, and the experience was the complete opposite. Mohammed provided excellent customer service, clearly explained everything, confirmed that protection plans were optional, and still honored the discounts we were previously offered. In fact, he helped us receive even additional discounts, and we ultimately purchased everything we originally wanted at a lower price than Jordan was advising us of.
The contrast between the two stores was shocking. The Fairfield location provided the worst customer service experience we have ever had, while the Concord location demonstrated exactly how customers should be treated.
Ashley Furniture should seriously review the sales practices happening at the Fairfield store, particularly with the salesperson Jordan. Customers should never feel pressured, misled, or forced into services they did not request. read more