"don't put all your eggs in one basket"


at the beginning of March, when I exchanged on the house, XCH very kindly gave me a budget for new furniture to replace the crappy old stuff from the former family home (hardly any of which he wanted to take with him) so that I could start afresh. . .

. . .I went to the nearest store to do some shopping (I'm very lazy) (but kinda figured it made sense to get the whole lot in one place)

there was a sale on!
four items for the price of three!

.
I chose a new sofa for the sitting room (XCH took the new sofa with him, leaving the other sofa behind) (yes, we had two sofas), a new dining table and chairs (XCH left the really old, but perfectly functioning stuff, behind, but took the new stuff we'd bought for the old family house when we moved in - the boys used the old kitchen table as a computer desk) and something I have always wanted (but XCH had never bought me) (that used to bug me, but then that's married life, eh)

a dressing table!

I paid the 35% deposit (no, before you ask, unfortunately I did not pay using a credit card - I don't do credit) and sat back and waited

and waited. . .

and waited. . .

(well, I did go in a few times, and ask about my order - but the staff never seemed to be sure when the "whole order" was going to be ready)
.
the shop then had a sale, and everything I had put a deposit down on was cheaper than the price I paid, even including the "four for the price of three offer". . . but I figured my order would turn up in time for when we moved into the new house and there was no point cancelling and replacing it all and having to wait (especially seeing as everything was taking so long to turn up anyhow). . .

a couple of weeks ago I paid the balance of one part of the order (hurrah! I thought - a new sofa for the new home!) and today the company were supposed to deliver that part of the order

someone phoned me to say that the driver was off sick and they couldn't deliver (after I'd waited at the new abode since seven in the morning, juggling the school run with builders' deliveries) (I was quite impressed that someone called me tho, delivery companies are usually rubbish at customer service)

a little later, I happened to be passing the shop (as I go to and fro from the current house to the new abode to check on the work and buy the builders the paint and other bits and pieces of buildering stuff they need) (I'm a wimp - it's quite exhausting) and lo and behold the furniture shop was being cleared out. . .
.
the company has gone into administration, the goods I've paid for are not being released (the driver wasn't sick at all, it turns out, the receivers are not allowing any orders to be sent out, even tho furniture is in stock, fully paid for, in the warehouse)

the staff in the shop, who were (understandably) very upset because they are about to lose their jobs, gave me three phone numbers to call. . .

. . .answering machines are on at all three numbers, giving you about 30 seconds to leave a message before the tapes run out

I'm a few thousand pounds down, but XCH still has his job and I still have a (nasty old) sofa for my children to sit on and a (rather shoddy) dining table for them to eat at - no point complaining, really
.
shame about the new cushions
I bought to go with the new sofa
- wish I'd kept hold of the receipts for those!
.
(they don't match the horrible sofa, sadly)

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hugs to you!

I, Like The View said...

thanks

:-)

katherine. said...

don't know how it all works over there...here you would either get your money or the furniture...it make take a while...

I think XCH should fund you again...

Anonymous said...

So that's it? the money's gone and the furnitures not coming? That's just nutty!!! C:/

At least you already have your adult bed...

C:)

Sorrow said...

Now I shall not complain about the shoddy dresser i picked up at a yard sale 18 years ago or the 2 old sofas I was given years ago from a friend...
Hugs to you....
and
:P
to the store !

I, Like The View said...

sorrow it would be alright if I actually liked the sofa the children and I currently have

:-(

but hey! I have a sofa!!

;-)

craig actually, don't tell anyone, but I am going to give it to The Teen. . . he's been 6'2" for over a year, is very broad in the shoulders and has grown out of his child bed (and I'm not tellin' what I have instead!)

;-D

katherine it will take years. . . but, on the other hand, I might be really really lucky

:-)

(good idea, but I think XCH probably ran out of patience and money a while back)

Anonymous said...

nope, you'll have to tell XCH that he can either run out of patience or run out of money, but not both. That's just selfish.

Mel said...

omgosh.....
OMgosh!

Well, that more than sucks....

Anonymous said...

Good morning!! C:)

Malcolm Cinnamond said...

I'm bloody furious on your behalf. That's just outrageous. It sounds as if someone, somewhere knew this was going to happen when they took the order.

It's nothing short of theft, but because none of us are supposed to rock the capitalist boat, the businessman/woman responsible will get away scott (Scot?) free.

I have a gun if you need to let off steam.

I, Like The View said...

malc it is pretty shoddy, isn't it

someone, somewhere knew something, and yet they still took my (and presumably other people's) money; and I'm now stuck between staff who have no jobs, know nothing (not even the name of the receiver/administrator), "customer service" that suddenly hits rock bottom and my money/goods tied up and inaccessible

:-(

all of a sudden those Barclaycard adverts about consumer protection make a whole lot of sense

shoot a few rabbits for me, will ya

%-)

craig morning! :-D

mel it does. . . and there's nothing I can do right now

*sigh*

*calm*

:-)

it's only furniture, not like the house collapsed during an earthquake (altho it did almost burn down at the weekend, as there was a fault with the alarm system and a fuse burnt out in a cupboard. . . smoke damage all over the place)

shot the man has credit, he might lend me some. . .

*crosses fingers*

:-)

Gordie said...

Ouch,
((((ILTV))))

I, Like The View said...

yeah

ouch


big time


:-(

still, at the end of the day it's only furniture and the money's gone now

no use crying over spilt milk (as my mother used to say)

as I said, I still have all the old crappy stuff - which is more than some people might

just really really don't need the hassle of dealing with administrators/receivers on top of everything else right now