We purchased two recliners from Harvey Norman Bundall for approximately $4000 after waiting a significant amount of time for them to be manufactured and delivered. Unfortunately the experience since then has been extremely disappointing.
Due to repairs being carried out in our home following Cyclone Alfred, the lounges remained stored in their original manufacturer boxes while work inside the house was being completed. When we finally unpacked them, both chairs immediately displayed the same faults.
From the first use there was a loud mechanical clunking noise and the footrest mechanism intermittently fails to elevate properly during normal use. These issues occur on both recliners.
A technician attended and acknowledged that the spring mechanism required adjustment. Despite both chairs showing the same faults, the store has taken the position that this is only a minor issue and that a simple adjustment is the only remedy they are willing to offer.
In addition, the recliners are extremely uncomfortable to sit in for any extended period of time. They are honestly the most uncomfortable chairs we have ever sat in and we are in our fifties and have owned many different lounge suites over the years. After approximately thirty minutes of normal sitting the discomfort becomes significant enough that the chairs cannot reasonably be used for extended seating. A recliner that cannot be comfortably used for normal sitting or reclining is not performing its basic function and raises serious concerns about whether the product is fit for its intended purpose, particularly for a purchase of this value.
During discussions with the store, the franchise owner stated that the footrest behaviour was common and that in his thirty years of selling lounges it is normal for the footrest not to engage properly without adjusting your weight. We found this surprising as we have owned lounges for decades and have never experienced this issue with any recliner we have previously used.
The most disappointing part of this situation has been the way it has been handled by store management. Communication has felt dismissive and inflexible, with little willingness to genuinely engage with the concerns raised or work toward a fair outcome.
As customers living with disabilities, functional seating is not simply a comfort It directly affects everyday usability in our home and that context did not appear to be taken seriously or even considered during discussions with the store.
After waiting so long for the lounges to be produced and paying around $4000 we expected far better quality and after sales support from a major national retailer. Instead the experience has left us feeling that the faults are being minimised rather than properly addressed.
Because the store has refused to resolve the issue fairly or provide a refund we will now be pursuing the matter through the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal. This is not a step we wanted to take but we have been left with no reasonable alternative other than to formally dispute the matter and deal with the time, stress and legal process that comes with that.
We hope Harvey Norman head office reviews how this situation has been handled, as the current response from the Bundall franchise has been extremely disappointing for customers who simply expected functional furniture and reasonable after sales support read more
