I am constantly looking for unique items of furniture for my new place. Taftan is fantastic if you want to add a bit of personality to your home--there is a definite sense of quirky style in this place. The shop is crowded with loads of items, often stacked on each other, but somehow it doesn't feel overwhelming. Instead you feel like you are searching through found treasures. They carry everything from tables, to ornate chests to tableware and baby gifts. The staff are very helpful, but not pushy at all. I purchased a console table on Saturday afternoon and they delivered it 25 hours later on a Sunday for free! Plus, they have a nice collection of globes. And really, who doesn't love a globe? read more

Disastrous buying experience from Taftan's Wandsworth Bridge Road branch. Would recommend staying clear of Taftan and the new brand they said they are launching called 'the old boot company' or something similar. The sofa was bought off shop floor (from the new 'the old boot company' product range apparently) with a small discount given. I inspected the sofa carefully and took pictures before purchase to ensure I was comfortable with the quality. The sofa was mostly fine (i.e. no scuffing / tears and the only marks visible were natural hide marks) but the leather dying needed to be touched up in several areas and the sofa needed to be vacuumed under the seats. The shop keeper agreed to have these things done before delivery but both items were still outsanding upon delivery. Now to the delivery. I was appalled that such an expensive item (£2,100 for a 4 seater sofa) was delivered without plastic / bubble wrap and 2 people walked the sofa up 6 flights of stairs in a London apartment building. They didn't even ask or tell me that delivery would be an issue and cause damage as I could have at that point declined delivery. The sofa was damaged materially during delivery - visible scuffing in many places, broken leg, lots of small scratches / marks and discolouration on one arm, a small tear in leather on the side of the sofa which I think could easily rip open further over time. In any case, no longer the look of a 'new' expensive sofa and a reduced shelf life. Initially Taftan agreed to fix it and make it perfect ("it was a really difficult delivery but we will make sure you end up with a perfect sofa" were their exact words) - nothing of the sort was done. The leg broken during delivery was hammered back in however damage to the leather (which is what I paid so much for) was not fixed. Some 'touching up' was done by the shop keeper himself even though I was told the touching up related to delivery damage and also the touching up initially agreed on purchase would be done by their professional leather 'finisher'. The shop keeper used what appeared to be a black texta / marker pen to paint over problem areas and much of that colour has since evaporated. The leather torn during delivery was not fixed. I asked Taftan that I would like all the damage that was caused during delivery written specifically into my warranty such that for example if the small tear soon becomes a large tear, it is covered etc. They agreed to do this over phone / text messages but I have not received a revised warranty. Taftan has not returned any calls since I started asking for a return / refund due to inadequate resolution of damage caused during delivery. After making me wait for weeks, they have recently sent text messages denying that any damage was done at all. They are now suggesting that the damage was already there when I purchased the sofa and I somehow missed all of it. At the time of buying I was told the product was 'as new' and had only been in the shop for 2 weeks. Taftan by text messages has also threatened to pursue legal action against me if I take any of the steps I told them I planned to take if nothing was done to fix the damage - i.e. write reviews, contact trade services and my credit card company to seek resolution and refund. These are my rights as a consumer. read more

I have had a terrible experience with Taftan - the full details are below, but the short summary is (A) I ordered goods and paid in full (almost a thousand pounds); (B) they told me they were due for delivery in 12 weeks, 20 weeks later they admitted they had no idea where they were; (C) They offered a refund, which I agreed to; (D) 6 weeks later, still no money. I then threatened legal action and finally was refunded - six months wasted on these jokers. A badly run company - don't trust them with your money, don't expect after-sale service. 1. I placed an order for custom-built furniture in November 2010, when Taftan quoted a 12 week delivery at a cost of £980; 2. there were significant delays and delivery was moved to mid-March (apparently as Taftan appointed new suppliers because they were in dispute with previous suppliers); 3. I was informed that the order has been delayed again, and that the order reached the UK on 2 April (5 months after the order date, or just over 20 weeks); 4. 5 days later (7 April, now approx 21 weeks), I was informed that the order actually hadn't arrived and they had no idea where it was - I was offered a refund or I could wait another 12 weeks and they would "re"(!) make it; 5. I took approx 2 weeks to source bespoke furniture elsewhere (thankfully much cheaper than Taftan) and then asked for a refund, I was told this could only be done to the payment card, so I re-provided card details; 6. This payment was not processed. No-one at Taftan called to let me know; 7. I telephoned Taftan at Abbeville Road to complain. They gave me a rather ridiculous excuse - the person who knows how to refund credit cards is on holiday and no-one else can do this. I was forced to wait until 18 May. 8. The person in the shop promised to call me at 10:00 am on 18 May to confirm the refund had been processed. She didn't call. 9. I called at 12:30 on 18 May, to be told that the credit card transaction was too old, and that's why no refund was made. 10. She then took my bank details and promised to do a transfer that same day (Wednesday 18 May). No money was received. 11. I called the main shop in Cheshire on 24 May - the girl there had no idea how to contact the directors and was extremely evasive. 12. I emailed the director on 25 May setting out all of this, demanding that he call me. 13. No call was received. 14. I telephoned Taftan on Abbeville Road again on 26 May and threatened legal action, finally the refund was processed - 6 months with no furniture and without £980. I won't be using them again. read more

I actually dealt with this customer, I work at Taftan, and most of what he has to say is utter rubbish. He was quoted a longer than usual leadtime for a very unusual piece of furniture that it turned out was not possible for us to make, we explained that we had made an attempt at it, we were not happy with it and that we would gladly give him a full refund, which we did, rather than deliver something that we were not satisfied with. It was a total one off situation that was born from trying to help a customer with a very specific item that was not within our normal manufacturing capacity. Taftan has been in Clapham for over ten years and has a fantastic reputation for quality, after sales service and unique products. I guess after 10 years is is inevitable that one disappointed customer will have an axe to grind but I can assure you that we have dealt with thousands and thousands of customers over the years,we have a great relationship with them and lots and lots of them come back again and again. read more

I've just had delivered a fantastic sofa from Old Boot in Wandsworth Bridge Road and it's beautiful. I was a bit concerned when I saw a review about Taftan and the disastrous buying experience posted by Roopleen P. It turns out that Old Boot Sofas has nothing to do with Taftan - all they have done is moved into the old Taftan shop. So I was not only relieved when my sofa was delivered but absolutely delighted with the 2 lads who delivered it - how they got it up the stairs I'll never know - but my experience was top notch from start to finish and the sofa was under £1500! - for a hand made leather chesterfield - Bargain! Thanx Old Boot great job. read more