Our experience with the Ashley Furniture Riverdale store went from a 5-star experience, to a -5,…read moreand thankfully back to a 5-star--all because of one employee.
My 76-year-old mother-in-law, who has difficulty walking, went into the Riverdale location to purchase a recliner. Initially, the experience was wonderful. They met her at the door with a wheelchair and pushed her around the store until she found a recliner she thought would work for her. The chair was delivered without any issues, and she was specifically told she had 72 hours to return or exchange it.
My mother-in-law prefers to sleep in her recliner rather than in her bed, so finding a chair that is comfortable enough to sleep in is especially important to her. There is also a very personal and heartbreaking reason for this: her husband of 30 years, a veteran, passed away in their bed. Since losing him, she has understandably not felt comfortable sleeping there and prefers to sleep in her recliner.
After trying the new recliner for a couple of days, she realized it was simply too firm and uncomfortable for her.
When she called the store, she spoke with the manager, Spencer. Instead of helping her find a solution, he told her that because the chair was new, it was going to be hard and actually suggested that she "jump on it" to break it in. When we explained that she sleeps in her recliner, his solution was essentially, "Can't she get an adjustable bed instead of a chair?"
Considering the circumstances behind why she chooses not to sleep in her bed, that suggestion was not only unhelpful, but incredibly insensitive. She wasn't shopping for a bed--she was shopping for a recliner that she could comfortably sleep in.
Spencer also expressed concern that if they exchanged the chair and she didn't like the next one, she would want to exchange that one as well. He then tried to tell us that they don't normally accept returns or exchanges on chairs once they have been delivered, but that because this was supposedly the "first time in nine years," he would make an exception. This was extremely confusing considering my mother-in-law had been clearly told at the time of purchase that she had 72 hours to return or exchange the chair.
To make matters worse, Spencer told my mother-in-law not to come into the store that day because it was Labor Day and he would be too busy to help her, and instructed her to come back the following day--which would have pushed her beyond the 72-hour timeframe she had been given.
My husband took my mother-in-law into the store anyway because we weren't comfortable allowing that deadline to pass. Spencer was abrasive and made it very clear that he was unhappy they had come in after he had told her not to. Instead of trying to resolve the situation, it felt as though we were being made to feel difficult for simply asking the store to honor what my mother-in-law had been told when she purchased the chair.
Thankfully, Noah stepped in, and the entire experience changed.
Noah is not a sales representative, but he should be. He was professional, patient, compassionate, and exceptionally helpful. He listened to my mother-in-law, treated her with dignity and respect, and took wonderful care of her. He handled the situation exactly the way you would hope any customer--especially a 76-year-old widow with mobility issues--would be treated.
Noah is the reason this experience went back to a 5-star experience. Ashley Furniture is extremely fortunate to have him. The difference between the way Noah handled this situation and the way management handled it was night and day.
If you choose to shop at the Riverdale Ashley Furniture location, I highly recommend asking for Noah. He deserves the recognition and, quite frankly, demonstrated the level of professionalism, compassion, and customer service we would have expected from the manager.
