If I could give zero stars, I would. Our sectional (for which we purchased the protection plan)…read morefailed. That is, the center section's wood frame snapped and broke. Since we had purchased the protection plan ($265), we reached out to Bernie & Phyl's, who was able to send someone by about a week later. The service tech came out, took photos and pointed out a giant knot in the wood where it broke. He also pointed out that the electric recliner for another section was open about 3/4" (not closing flat), and that springs on the third section (chaise lounge) appeared to be raised. I told him those were not real issues, we were concerned with the collapsed, unsafe section where someone could have been hurt.
He let me know we would hear from the service department "within 3-5 days." Given we were on the verge of a holiday weekend, I gave it a few extra days, and then called them. The response I got was, "Oh, yeah, well, you have multiple issues going on with the furniture, so nothing is covered." I said that is unacceptable, this is a serious flaw as pointed out by your service technician. She said, "well you never called about the other 'issues' so that voids your warranty." In our view, those were not issues at all. However, a snapped frame that could have seriously hurt someone is. I asked for a supervisor and was told to talk to Shelly.
Long story short, Shelly offered, then un-offered to refund the warranty cost, stating, "well I was trying to be nice but I don't have to be! I'm done!" and hung up the phone in my face. This was after I asked her for her supervisor's name, to which she replied "Kevin {and his last name which I don't want to post here}."
I got in touch with Kevin. In fact, he called me back, stating that he was confused as to why Shelly would have given me his name, as he deals with sales. However, he stated that he would get my information over to Sonia, the customer service manager, who would call me. I waited several days and did not receive a call. I filled out the online contact form, explaining the situation, and asking for Sonia to please give me a call to discuss a solution to the sofa issue, and to discuss Shelly's treatement of me.
I got a form response electronically signed by Sonia that sounds very much like others' experience here. Here's her response:
Hi Heather,
Thank you for your email, and I am sorry for the frustration and inconvenience this situation has caused. I certainly understand how difficult it is to be without comfortable seating in your living room, and I appreciate your patience while we reviewed your concerns.
I have reviewed the service findings and warranty determination. While I understand this is not the outcome you were hoping for, the damage noted on the inspection was determined to be the result of accumulated wear and damage over time. Unfortunately, conditions resulting from accumulated damage are not covered under either the manufacturer's warranty or the protection plan.
I know this is disappointing, particularly given your loyalty as a customer and the investment you made in your furniture. Please know that we carefully reviewed the information available before reaching this decision, and based on the findings, we are unable to approve warranty coverage for the reported concerns.
If you would like to discuss the service findings in greater detail, I would be happy to speak with you directly.
Sincerely,
Sonia [****]
Customer Care Department
Bernie & Phyl's Furniture
I responded saying that yes, I would greatly appreciate a call back. That was on July 8th. Yesterday, I called the corporate office and was transferred to someone named Hannah. She listened to the whole story, said she would run it by her boss and call me back. She didn't.
Today, I called the corporate office again, and spoke to someone who did/would not identify themselves by name. After 18 minutes, she said she would "see if Sonia is available to talk to you." I sat on hold a bit more, was transferred and hung up on. Assuming positive intent, I called back. Four times. Each time, I was hung up on upon pressing 3 to speak to the operator.
I have spent thousands of dollars in this store. The sales team in Saugus, MA, is actually really kind and easy to work with. It is a shame that the customer service department is not willing to help customers or to treat others with dignity, as we would have been more than happy and willing to continue shopping there as we did when we purchased an entire bedroom set as well.
All this to say, not only is the "warranty" misleading and full of weird loopholes, the customer service department is not a group of people looking to help others. They are straight up unkind and start the conversation with a negative attitude. Kevin (sales manager) was kind and actually said to me, "this is unfortunate. I actually side with you based on what you told me happened," but he has also disappeared from the situation. Shop in another furniture store!
