New Sofa - $$Broyhill vs $Klaussner, Professional vs Rude staff

[pjrose]

It's new sofa time (and new dishwasher). I found two that I like, one twice the price and likely better quality from nicer store, but is it worth twice the price?
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Store 1, Klaussner, $500 on some kind of closeout sale (or are Klaussners that cheaply made?) Style and "feel" are good, quality seems ok to me. Seat and back cushions are all removable and switchable. After multiple store visits to take home swatches, I found fabric that looks good. Price great but does that reflect poor quality?

Friendly, patient, helpful salesman. BUT rude owners, enough that if I didn't like the couch, price, and salesman I would have walked right out.

One co-owner told me (jokingly??) they "should start charging rent for how much time [I'm] taking up." Note that the place was NOT busy. A few days ago when my salesman was out sick, the same person said I should "make up [my] mind because we're getting tired of seeing [you]." The other co-owner insisted a fabric didn't come in a particular color (yes it does), and if it wasn't with the other swatches it wasn't available, period. Other than these types of comments, they completely ignored me and another woman, who had also been working with the out-sick salesman.

The online store reviews of the store report similar rudeness as well as issues with delivery, unresolved problems, etc. (As I'm typing this, I'm reading "trust your gut and run far away".)

Today I returned the latest set of fabric samples; my salesman was back and he brought up that he had heard I was in and that they had given me a tough time. (He heard this from another salesperson.) He said he hoped I'd order the sofa, but he'd understand if I didn't.

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Store 2, Broyhill, $1,100 on sale. Style and "feel" similar, details better - e.g. pleats in the skirt, more welting. Back cushions not removable/ switchable. Seat cushions really good; thicker, and cut-away shows springs in addition to foam. I found a fabric I really like - same overall look and color as the Klaussner, but more design detail and may be sturdier.

It's a more upscale store, everyone friendly and professional. Reviews are almost all positive. Reviews that reported problems say they were resolved.

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Price vs quality? Anyone familiar with Klaussner? Is Broyhill better, and if so, that much better?

Rude treatment by the owners? In a year or five years are the nice salespeople and/or rude owners going to make a difference in the sofa?

Which store do I trust in case of problems (that's a no-brainer). Is that worth more than double the price?

And even if both stores got great reviews and the price were the same, then there's sturdier quality and fabric I like better (but not THAT MUCH better) vs removable/switchable cushions.

 

[b2bailey]

Our current sofa does not have switchable cushions and I wish it did, for several reasons.

 

[Passepartout]

Never heard of Klaussner. Not that that means much, but I am from an old 'furniture family'. Mom started a decorator store when i was 6, and stepdad sold for Drexel Heritage for years.

I think I'd go with the Broyhill. Even if everything in the sale went perfectly, and there were the smallest question about the less expensive sofa, would you feel intimidated contacting the store? And if something went wrong- a die lot on the fabric doesn't match the panel next to it, or the delivery people scratch a door casing coming in to the house. Are you confident they will make it right? I'm not.

A $500 sofa is not even close to middle-range. $1100 is. I know the difference is significant, but honestly, in 2-3 years, you'll be happy you bought the better one. And a bonus- the better one may well be able to be re-upholstered when it wears out, whereas the cheap one will be a throw-away.

Jim

 

[MuranoJo]

Since you're back East, you could make a trip to NC and order some of the top names for ~40% off. You'll have to wait a few months to get it, but you'll be able to afford better quality for a good price.

(Or, if you pretty much know what you want, you could shop them online and place the order there without traveling.) We've gotten about half our furniture this way.

Re. switchable cushions, we just learned something new with a Flexsteel leather recliner we were considering: My concern was the cushions would lose their 'umph' after some time and yet they were not removable. The salesperson rolled the recliner over and pointed out a zipper compartment where you could reach in and replace the back cushion, and the seat section had a Velcro-type entrance where you could also replace that cushion. Maybe something to look for. Good luck!

 

[tiel]

We were in a similar situation a few years ago. Went the cheaper sofa, and later regretted it completely. I think, with furniture, especially upholstered furniture, you generally get what you pay for. I would definitely go with the Broyhill sofa you liked.

 

[spirits]

I would go with the better quality one

As a newlywed, we bought a Drexel couch and loveseat. It was on sale and still double the price of one we saw at Sears. But the quality was wonderful. I have had the cushions reupholsterd twice because the material wore out but the frame was still rock solid.
I still have the loveseat downstairs (my mother in law got the couch when she moved into her nursing home but we had to throw it away when the building got a bedbug infestation)
I would switch my midprice leather couch in a heartbeat for that old couch.
Quality, like a lot of things, lasts better in the longrun. I tell my husband that about his wife everyday

 

[Passepartout]

As a newlywed, we bought a Drexel couch and loveseat.

I have a Heritage sofa that I got from my parents. Timeless style that has been reupholstered twice. I wouldn't take 3 new ones for it.

 

[DaveNV]

I'd go with the Broyhill, if only because it's likely to last longer than the cheaper one. (How soon do you want to buy another sofa?) And while you're at it, maybe ask if the one you order can be made with removable cushions. It might be an option they can work into things. Since they'll be ordering it in the fabric you want, maybe removable cushions are also available, and maybe even the better pleated skirt. Some brands customize things like arm and leg style, cushion number and so forth. Can't hurt to ask.

As for the rude owners, you may want to drop by the store and have a face-to-face with them, and let them know one of the major reasons you're not buying from them is because you don't like how you were treated in the store, and you wonder whether there would be similarly rude treatment after the sale. Being rude to potential customers is certainly NOT how anyone should run a business these days - especially a business that has competition, and in this case it very likely cost them a sale. Just a thought.

Dave

 

[glypnirsgirl]

You need to know if you are just buying a name or are you buying quality.

It is fairly easy to tell even on upholstered furniture. First, good furniture will have specifications. For a good quality sofa, you want to have a kiln-dried hardwood frame that is corner-blocked, screwed and glued (on all four corners). The frame gives the sofa its sturdiness. If you don't see the specs (should be on the back side of the hang tag), then ask the salesperson to turn the sofa over for you.

Poorly made sofas are simply stapled together. The salesman will usually refuse to turn it over --- it's at risk of falling apart.

The highest quality furniture will have a foundation of 8 way, hand-tied springs. Next comes 4 way machine tied springs (some people argue that these are actually superior because jute is used on the hand tied, the machine tied are tied with metal wires), then comes serpentine springs - also metal or pirelli webbing (made by the tire company --- it is usually found on leather furniture). The foundation contributes to both the longevity and the comfort of the sofa --- you don't want it to feel like you just sat down on a rock ... or a marshmallow.

I love furniture. My taste has been consistent my whole life. The things I like I almost always like and do not grow tired of.

In 1979, when I graduated from law school, my first mother-in-law gave my husband and I $3000 to buy furniture for our home --- up until that time we had been living in student housing. I had seen a corner of a coffee table in an ad for a magazine (yes, advertising the magazine, not furniture). I kept that ad and showed it to furniture sales people at many stores in Chicago. Finally, at Colby’s in downtown Chicago, I asked a salesman if he had that table and he recognized it. He showed it to me and I loved it in person even more than in the ad. I still love the coffee table as it sits in my living room today. I have lived in 4 homes since buying it, and every time I have moved, the coffee table has come with me. I still love that coffee table. Here is one just like it for sale on ebay.

I bought that table and two wing chairs --- and spent the whole $3k plus a little doing it. I just got the wing chairs back from the upholsterer. They look and feel brand new.

I have enjoyed those pieces every single day since I bought them. To me, they were worth the money. (My mother in law was horrified, she thought that she was giving me enough money for the full apartment to be furnished).

If you know what you like, I think that it is worth it to get exactly what you want.

 

[MuranoJo]

I still love the coffee table as it sits in my living room today. I have lived in 4 homes since buying it, and every time I have moved, the coffee table has come with me. I still love that coffee table. Here is one just like it for sale on ebay.

Beautiful coffee table, and it would even look great in my living room which has a somewhat oriental feel to it. I saw one in a very similar style at Henredon's here in town quite a few years ago.

PJ,
I also echo the suggestions for going for the quality--as long as you find something you really like, as it could be with you for years.
That's why shopping in NC is really appealing to me--top-flight quality for quite a discount.

 

[Rose Pink]

PJ, if it were me, I'd just go with the one I like best and not worry about how I was treated in the store.

If you think that the less expensive one may be low quality and not outlive it's price point and that you may not be able to return it to the manufacturer, then I'd avoid the risk and buy the other.

I've had Ethan Allen and I've had RC Willey. Now we have Pottery Barn. Some day I will have something else. It's just a couch. (I'm feeling rather mellow today. LOL)

PS: Sometimes spending a lot of money for the sake of "quality" can be difficult when the family decides to actually use the furniture. You know: eat on it, sleep on it, drool on it. Earlier in our marriage, I bought nicer furniture thinking it was a good investment for the future. I actually had one of those chairs recovered when the first fabric wore out--the costs of that were almost as much as buying a new chair. The fine finishes on the wood pieces (dresser, bed, etc) got dinged up by the children and the husband. After that I decided to buy only distressed looking furniture so I wouldn't feel so bad/angry when it got damaged. Life is too short to worry about furniture.