Sponsored by
Couple call for settee weight warning EXCLUSIVE
EDGE OF DESPAIR: Michael Woolf on the sofa at his home in Shadwell, Leeds. PIC: Simon Hulme
A disgruntled consumer says her £2,000 sofa suite should come with a ‘weight warning’ after her husband was told he was too fat to sit on the edge of his seat.
Barbara Woolf, from Shadwell, said her husband Michael, 77, was being told where to place his derriere.
The seating advice was said to have been made to the pair during a visit at their home by a member of staff for furniture store Barker and Stonehouse at Birstall.
Cushions on one of the couches they had purchased in September from the Canterbury range were falling completely flat, and the couple reported the problem.
Mark Wilkinson, Barker and Stonehouse’s national services manager, said later the firm would source and fit a firmer interior as a ‘gesture of goodwill’ for its customers, asking for £50 to cover its wholesale costs.
Click here to register and have your say on the stories and issues that matter to you
The stuffing was initially replaced but when it started to lose all support again, they were told the issue was not the foam filling, but Mr Woolf’s weight.
Barbara, 69, a retired estate agent, said: “The fella was coming out with all this stuff. He wanted to know how many hours Michael sat on the suite.
“The outcome was that Michael should sit right back in the seat and in the middle, not at the edge.
“The man looked at where I sat and said that was fine, as I weighed less.
“Michael’s 15 or 16 stone – not 20. ”
She said a warning was needed to stop heavier customers from buying the settees if the cushions’ inners were only suitable for lighter people.
Michael, who is 5ft 10ins tall and plays badminton twice a week, wants the cushions re-filled with something more durable – and for free.
He argues the two sofas are ‘not fit for purpose’, or of ‘satisfactory quality’ under the Sale of Goods Act.
Services manager Mr Wilkinson said: “The consumer chooses to use a low coffee table as their dining table so they are taking their meals while watching TV, perched on the edge of the sofa, while eating.”.
“With the best will in the world, the outer edges of any foam material is the least resistant.
“So by sitting right on the edge of the sofa rather than on the sofa cushion as designed, it’s having that effect earlier than we would anticipate. It’s a lounge sofa rather than a dining seat.”
Michael said: “What a load of twaddle. I am not prepared to pay another £50. I have never heard so much rubbish about the way I sit.
“I have sat on settees over the years and never had to do it in a certain way.
“If I had only paid £700 for the two, fine, but when I have already spent £2,000 and I am being told I can’t sit on the edge – what a load of cobblers.”
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Leeds
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
Comments
There are 16 comments to this article
Page 1 of 2
witchwoman
Monday, January 30, 2012 at 04:54 AMif i was buying a sofa suite at 2000 pounds i would have bought something better then that one her husband looks as if he don,t fit on it he looks to tall ps sorry don,t like your taste
OzTyke
Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 11:28 PMJust looking at the sag on the cushion and the top of the base, it's a very poorly constructed and upholstered piece of furniture. Also terrible public relations from the company, who could easily repair or fix the item, or reimburse their dissatisfied customer. Not very bright of Mr Wilkinson to have his hand out for an extra 50 quid either, it makes them look cheap. I wonder, does Ken Bates own Barker & Stonehouse because their customers appear to be paying Premier League prices for League Two furniture?
qbywhites
Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 08:03 PMhave just sat in my sofas in my other lounge and conservatory, both are 3 and 2 seaters paid £260 for one and £280 for other, brand new not seconds,plus small delivery,came wrapped they dont sag like the one in photo,everyone thinks mine cost a lot more than i paid, look on ebay.one is dark brown leather the other 2 tone brown,cream cam with 5 matching cushions.the cushions would have been £260 at there shop.you have to look for bargains its not hard
qbywhites
Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 07:38 PMi weigh 14 stone. bought mine from ikea 6 years ago still looks like new ,i sit in the same sofa 8 hours during the day ,(not at once before any jokes) cost £600in total for 1 seater,a 2 seater and a 3 seater, £2000 is a lot of money for a sofa i could buy a new kitchen and get it fitted for that,its obviuosly been cheaply made. i would ask for a full refund,its not fit for purpose.
flash1947
Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 02:00 PMi worked in furicher 4 a few years and this is a bit over the top .you will find it has been made on the cheap prob chinese .but at a price of a settee that should last a lot lot longer .best buy ITALIAN made or dutch ?
ILCAPA
Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 01:05 PMIf he's 15 or 16 stone then I think your scales are broke as well.
Brer Fox
Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 07:58 PMI have a 2 seat sofa from Ikea. Its comfy.It was £90.Thankyou.
nevben1954
Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 02:17 PMI am suprised that as what would see to be a company with a reputable history and noted for quality are making such an issue of this. Realistically the problem should rest with the manufacturers to resolve and is is they who are failing to comply with the Sales of Goods and Services act. There are foams available to resolve the problem and I suggest that you ignore the sales company and contact the manufacturer direct, I would be very suprised if they did not resolve your problem.
tildatwos
Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 01:41 PMMaybe it would be best to invest in a dining table and chairs for eating meals - rather than slumped over a low table while sat on the edge of the settee? From the photo poor posture looks a real issue, unless it was the photographer who set things up like this?
NH
Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 01:10 PMSurely they sat on it in the showroom??....If not, well Just ask for a refund and go buy a decent one...? or maybe getting a picture of your lounge in the paper is more pressing..? Again...this isn't news....
ILCAPA
Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 12:34 PM£2000 for a sofa is cheap nowadays
Liam123
Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 11:38 AMIf £50 covers the wholesale cost of the replacement filling that was put in previously, I think that should tell you all you need to know about the quality of the materials used. To be fair though, if the couple wanted a firmer sofa they should have researched it a bit more before paying £2000 for a soft lounge sofa.
decolyn
Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 09:55 AMthis company charge a lot for their furniture so they should provide quality goods, my sofa is from Argos and its never given me a moments sagging despite it being 9 years since i bought it. i am surprised they don't make people be weighed and measured for width before the sell you a sofa, i would be asking for my money back, he is right the sofa is not fit for purpose,,, incidentally my friend has a sofa that was made in the 1940's and that's not sagging, possibly this company may be using an inferior cushion inner.
dowden
Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 09:32 AMI have just realised looking at the suite it is the same one as ours with different fabric colours,is it a manufacturers fault?.
dowden
Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 09:29 AMWe bought a suite for over 2k from Barker and Stonehouse,we had them out to fix a fault with the arm covers rubbing the fabric away and now the castors will not tighten up and the cushions sink and flatten just like the above story.We have vowed to buy a cheaper sofa from a different store in future as paying more for supposed quality doesn't work.
Page 1 of 2
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.