The nightmare that began in June 2023 finally came to an end on Saturday 30th March 2024 with a 16-minute visit from the big man himself. Andy and his assistant manager [D.F.S Aintree Liverpool] visited my home on the above date and after 10 months of e-mails, telephone calls, numerous visits to the store and four separate upholsterer visits [who all reported back to Andy that the sofa was in perfect condition]. All of the stress, anxiety and upset ended on the above date when Andy and his assistant manager both agreed that the sofa was in poor condition and not fit for purpose and did in fact need to be changed. I was invited back to the store to pick a replacement, I was also advised that because of my chronic back condition, perhaps a recliner would be more suitable? I called into the store and was naïve to think that because of the numerous issues that I had over the past 10 months, I would just pick a sofa, be given a delivery date and that would be the end of the matter but no, it was a bit more complicated than that, D.F.S. added insurance that I did not want [it did not help with my first sofa] they also added a cleaning kit, I did not ask for this either, my outstanding balance to pay was now £265.00??? I asked for the insurance and cleaning kit to be removed and was left with a balance of £73.00??? After 10 months of stress, anxiety, upset, and not being taken seriously or being listened too, I was surprised to be paying anything. Then, the D.F.S. saga took another unexpected turn, whilst ordering a new sofa on Saturday the 30th of March, my partner and I ordered a lamp table on finance [£299.00]. Because it was a bank holiday, we would have to wait until Tuesday 2nd of April to get a decision. We waited until Friday 5th of April for said decision, but heard nothing, no contact whatsoever. We decided to pop into the store to see Andy and he was surprised because he assumed that a decision had been made in regard to the table, my old sofa had been picked up on 2nd of April, we had been told when the new sofa was being delivered. He was then surprised that finance on the table was changed to a cash payment. When my partner and I left the store on the 30th March, we had a balance of £73.00 to pay but when we returned to the store on Friday 5th April, this had jumped up to £548.00 ie the £299.00 for the lamp table, insurance for said table [which we did not want] and the £73.00 balance for the sofa. We canceled the super expensive table, paid the £73.00 balance off the sofa but, we still had no idea when our new sofa would be arriving so, Andy gave me is e-mail address, said that he was in the store until 6pm and promised to get to the bottom of the matter. I am writing this on Saturday 6th April 11.22am and up to date, we have heard nothing. Quick update, Sunday 7th April, I received an email from D.F.S. To let me know that and I quote “Due to each order putting different demands on our delivery service we cannot give a specific delivery time”. They then went on to say that a £799.00 balance was due, this order was a faulty sofa exchange, and I only had a £73.00 balance to pay, and this had been paid in full???? I contacted Andy, manager, D.F.S. store Aintree, Liverpool to ask what was going on and he replied with a very short curt message which I will quote “I’ve just uploaded the order it’s 0 balance now don’t worry” end quote. If you read the two emails below, you will notice some inconsistency’s, bearing in mind it took 10 months to finally be heard. 1) The usage fee has been wavered. The sofa was not fit for purpose from day one. 2) I have gone out of my way to overrule the engineer's findings and allowed you to pick a new sofa, I disagree, his visit to my home and subsequent findings in regard to the sofas condition are the reason why I was allowed to reselect free of charge. 3) “ One could say you have had use of a sofa free of charge for 10 months”. What a strange thing for a store manager to say. Friday 12th April 2024, I received a message to say that my new sofa was to be delivered on Sunday the 14th of April between 7.06 and 10.06 am. Sunday morning, I was up at 5.30am and waited. 9.01am, a couple of guys arrived to take the faulty sofa away. The new sofa never arrived but after the numerous issues over the past 10 months, sadly I was not at all surprised. Monday morning, I was once again up at 5.30 am and waited. The new sofa arrived just before 12pm and it was all a bit rushed, I had a hospital appointment for 1pm and my partner was out shopping with her daughter and so, I had to call her to ask her to come home which she did. The sofa was installed , the delivery guys left, and I was about to leave for my hospital appointment when my partner called me back because she noticed a very small rip in the left arm. Later on, we had a chat and we both decided that the stress of the past 10 months with D.F.S. all of the numerous issues and problems had taken its toll and we decided to live with it, we both decided to never deal with D.F.S. again. Mick Blower Andrew Ashcroft (DFS) 11 Apr 2024, 16:01 BST Hi Mr Blower we had this conversation when i visited your home, i wavered a usage fee which we charge all customers , so i allowed you to reselect free of charge, this was due to the situation you described, i will consider this complaint now closed as i have gone put of my way to overrule the engineers findings and to allow you to pick a new sofa with no fee, one could say you have had use of a sofa free of charge for 10 months. Andrew Ashcroft (DFS) 11 Apr 2024, 14:18 BST Hi Mr Blower Your sofa care was refunded and the credit was added to the order, other wise you would of had to pay more toward the new sofa as it was more than £300 more expensive Andrew Branch General Manager DFS Aintree Andrew Ashcroft (DFS) 11 Apr 2024, 16:01 BST Hi Mr Blower we had this conversation when i visited your home, i wavered a usage fee which we charge all customers , so i allowed you to reselect free of charge, this was due to the situation you described, i will consider this complaint now closed as i have gone put of my way to overrule the engineers findings and to allow you to pick a new sofa with no fee, one could say you have had use of a sofa free of charge for 10 months. Andrew Ashcroft (DFS) 11 Apr 2024, 14:18 BST Hi Mr Blower Your sofa care was refunded and the credit was added to the order, other wise you would of had to pay more toward the new sofa as it was more than £300 more expensive Andrew Branch General Manager DFS Aintree The nightmare that began in June 2023 finally came to an end on Saturday 30th March 2024 with a 16-minute visit from the big man himself. Andy and his assistant manager [D.F.S Aintree Liverpool] visited my home on the above date and after 10 months of e-mails, telephone calls, numerous visits to the store and four separate upholsterer visits [who all reported back to Andy that the sofa was in perfect condition]. All of the stress, anxiety and upset ended on the above date when Andy and his assistant manager both agreed that the sofa was in poor condition and not fit for purpose and did in fact need to be changed. I was invited back to the store to pick a replacement, I was also advised that because of my chronic back condition, perhaps a recliner would be more suitable? I called into the store and was naïve to think that because of the numerous issues that I had over the past 10 months, I would just pick a sofa, be given a delivery date and that would be the end of the matter but no, it was a bit more complicated than that, D.F.S. added insurance that I did not want [it did not help with my first sofa] they also added a cleaning kit, I did not ask for this either, my outstanding balance to pay was now £265.00??? I asked for the insurance and cleaning kit to be removed and was left with a balance of £73.00??? After 10 months of stress, anxiety, upset, and not being taken seriously or being listened too, I was surprised to be paying anything. Then, the D.F.S. saga took another unexpected turn, whilst ordering a new sofa on Saturday the 30th of March, my partner and I ordered a lamp table on finance [£299.00]. Because it was a bank holiday, we would have to wait until Tuesday 2nd of April to get a decision. We waited until Friday 5th of April for said decision, but heard nothing, no contact whatsoever. We decided to pop into the store to see Andy and he was surprised because he assumed that a decision had been made in regard to the table, my old sofa had been picked up on 2nd of April, we had been told when the new sofa was being delivered. He was then surprised that finance on the table was changed to a cash payment. When my partner and I left the store on the 30th March, we had a balance of £73.00 to pay but when we returned to the store on Friday 5th April, this had jumped up to £548.00 ie the £299.00 for the lamp table, insurance for said table [which we did not want] and the £73.00 balance for the sofa. We canceled the super expensive table, paid the £73.00 balance off the sofa but, we still had no idea when our new sofa would be arriving so, Andy gave me is e-mail address, said that he was in the store until 6pm and promised to get to the bottom of the matter. I am writing this on Saturday 6th April 11.22am and up to date, we have heard nothing. Quick update, Sunday 7th April, I received an email from D.F.S. To let me know that and I quote “Due to each order putting different demands on our delivery service we cannot give a specific delivery time”. They then went on to say that a £799.00 balance was due, this order was a faulty sofa exchange, and I only had a £73.00 balance to pay, and this had been paid in full???? I contacted Andy, manager, D.F.S. store Aintree, Liverpool to ask what was going on and he replied with a very short curt message which I will quote “I’ve just uploaded the order it’s 0 balance now don’t worry” end quote. If you read the two emails below, you will notice some inconsistency’s, bearing in mind it took 10 months to finally be heard. 1) The usage fee has been wavered. The sofa was not fit for purpose from day one. 2) I have gone out of my way to overrule the engineer's findings and allowed you to pick a new sofa, I disagree, his visit to my home and subsequent findings in regard to the sofas condition are the reason why I was allowed to reselect free of charge. 3) “ One could say you have had use of a sofa free of charge for 10 months”. What a strange thing for a store manager to say. Friday 12th April 2024, I received a message to say that my new sofa was to be delivered on Sunday the 14th of April between 7.06 and 10.06 am. Sunday morning, I was up at 5.30am and waited. 9.01am, a couple of guys arrived to take the faulty sofa away. The new sofa never arrived but after the numerous issues over the past 10 months, sadly I was not at all surprised. Monday morning, I was once again up at 5.30 am and waited. The new sofa arrived just before 12pm and it was all a bit rushed, I had a hospital appointment for 1pm and my partner was out shopping with her daughter and so, I had to call her to ask her to come home which she did. The sofa was installed , the delivery guys left, and I was about to leave for my hospital appointment when my partner called me back because she noticed a very small rip in the left arm. Later on, we had a chat and we both decided that the stress of the past 10 months with D.F.S. all of the numerous issues and problems had taken its toll and we decided to live with it, we both decided to never deal with D.F.S. again. Mick Blower Andrew Ashcroft (DFS) 11 Apr 2024, 16:01 BST Hi Mr Blower we had this conversation when i visited your home, i wavered a usage fee which we charge all customers , so i allowed you to reselect free of charge, this was due to the situation you described, i will consider this complaint now closed as i have gone put of my way to overrule the engineers findings and to allow you to pick a new sofa with no fee, one could say you have had use of a sofa free of charge for 10 months. Andrew Ashcroft (DFS) 11 Apr 2024, 14:18 BST Hi Mr Blower Your sofa care was refunded and the credit was added to the order, other wise you would of had to pay more toward the new sofa as it was more than £300 more expensive Andrew Branch General Manager DFS Aintree Andrew Ashcroft (DFS) 11 Apr 2024, 16:01 BST Hi Mr Blower we had this conversation when i visited your home, i wavered a usage fee which we charge all customers , so i allowed you to reselect free of charge, this was due to the situation you described, i will consider this complaint now closed as i have gone put of my way to overrule the engineers findings and to allow you to pick a new sofa with no fee, one could say you have had use of a sofa free of charge for 10 months. Andrew Ashcroft (DFS) 11 Apr 2024, 14:18 BST Hi Mr Blower Your sofa care was refunded and the credit was added to the order, other wise you would of had to pay more toward the new sofa as it was more than £300 more expensive Andrew Branch General Manager DFS Aintree