If you can post a picture of the fixture you are looking at, someone could possibly tell you who makes it, if not Restoration Hardware.

The 90 day warranty makes sense in that most companies feel that if something is going to go wrong with a lighting fixture it will be during installation or shortly thereafter. Some companies we previously did business with did not even offer a 90 day warranty. However, since we had a repair shop, we warranted the fixtures ourselves.

I'd be very cautious dealing with anyone who was that evasive about the source of their products. "I don't know" is one thing, but "I won't tell you" is quite another.

Thanks for your input, ilitem & davidr.
The 90d warranty alarms me most selfishly because I was going to take advantage of the current sale, but we are building and I am not 100% sure we will be ready to install the fixtures within 90 days of receipt!
And it was most definitely a "we won't tell you"... in fact she said, "for legal reasons I am not allowed to disclose...", even after I sent her off to check with a supervisor. She did add that there were 2 or 3 of their fixtures where she was allowed to comment, but not the schoolhouse/classic iron/Quentin/Grafton series that I am considering.
Thanks again,
PB

i just read somewhere on garden web that RH's lighting is manufactured in china and there are concerns about quality. looks good but not made well. i could be wrong, but i know i was just reading earlier... GL.

Hello! paperbirch...I live in Canada too.
I was looking for a lighting fixture for a long time on internet because where I live there is not too many lighting stores.
I do like RH, pottery barn, crate and barrel, etc. but last week I went to one of the lighting stores here asking if they carry Minka Lavery brand then they told me that not because it does not have all the security standards that Canada requiere.
The sales person told me that if something happen with this light the insurance Company does not cover anything.
Then I went to get one from kichler.

Hope you understand my grammar

"for legal reasons I am not allowed to disclose..."

And what law would that be?

According to the FTC, "the U.S. Customs Service of the Department of the Treasury requires country-of-origin marking on foreign imports as they are received into this country and until such time as the imported product is 'substantially transformed' in the United States or sold to the ultimate purchaser."

So, if their lights are made overseas, they have to be marked with the country of origin. All you're asking the rep to do is read you the label. "Look for that phrase, 'Made in ...' - what's the next word?"

If they want your business, why won't they answer?

The rules for identifying country of origin are a bit arcane. If they're imported, textile products are required to be identified as such in catalogs and internet listings. This isn't true of light fixtures, AFAIK, but there's no prohibition on disclosing the country of origin.

I suspect the answer is that Chinese goods are getting some bad press these days. Restoration Hardware doesn't want to own up to the fact that their lights are made by Chinese sweatshops, so they made up a bogus excuse.

Up to you, but I still wouldn't trade with a company of that sort.

I don't understand the problem with Minka-Lavery lighting. Kichler and Minka are both produced in China. At one time Kichler was produced in the US. However, to be competitive, they moved much of their product to China.

I would check with the insurance company. Also, when you check on the Kichler fixture, see if it has the country of origin on it.

Both companies have wonderful products. I sold them for over 30 years and never had a problem.

kateskouros, I think I read the same posts as you regarding concerns over quality! I don't have anything fundamentally against imported items, or those made in China specifically - it was the implication (as I understood it) from this other post that perhaps the manufacturer had been changed and there had been an accompanying drop in quality without a "surface change"...

I agree with you 100% davidr that RH is likely just looking to dissociate itself from various bits of bad press attached to the "Made in China" label lately! I did order bath fixtures recently from RH and the salesperson at that time very happily told me they were made by Newport Brass... no legal problem ;-)

And decorgirl-06, you are right that we have to make sure things have the right CSA/C-UL or whatever stamp for Canadian safety standards - but most of these products are also sold in RH stores in Canada so I admit to assuming they meet our codes... good point to double-check.

i have purchased 2 fixtures from RH and couldnt be happier, most of my other fixtures are Quorum or Kichler... i say , if the price is right, go for it! you can return them if they are defective.

Don't buy anything - lighting, appliances, plumbing, etc, that you can't check for proper function and quality before the warranty runs out! The headache is no way worth whatever money you might save. Besides, your project will always take longer than you think, and before you know it there is another Big Sale coming up ;->

Most of the Lighting carried by RH is private label so you wouldn't be able to buy it direct, nor would the manufacturer matter based on the fact you can only buy it at RH. Most of it is made by Robert Abbey, Visual Comfort, among others etc... and Minka Aire for the Fans. All are good quality products and though they say the warranty I have never seen the company reject a return for a defect and that's even years later.

RH quality poor recently. I wouldn't go with them. For some reason, their customer service has really gone done hill. They wouldn't or couldn't tell me what the lighting was made out of and it was hard even to get through to anyone.