Hubbardton Forge - disappointment

16 years ago

We recently did an extensive reno and went with an arts & crafts / mission theme. Everywhere lighting store we visited, we were most impressed with Hubbardton Forge - particularly their metal work. We also like that they have a choice of finishes for their fixtures. Once our designer zeroed in on the same dining room fixture we did, we were convinced and ordered this fixture: http://www.vtforge.com/ProductsInfo.cfm?Design=132205# . HD is expensive but their metal work is, in our opinion, worth it.

Well, it finally arrived yesterday and we are disappointed:

- this is a complicated, 2 hour assembly and, in my view, the customer is being asked to assemble a number of things that could be pre-assembled.

- one of the shades arrived broken in 4 places and it is due to inadequate packaging. Of interest, while the forgings are done entirely in the US, all of the shade packaging was "made in China".

- the assembly instructions called for 8 hex nuts and none were included.

- the instructions described the wiring requirement of black to black and white to white. Unfortunately, the fixture was prewired with an all-black lamp cord. I presume that the ribbed side is neutral but, really!

- three of the four light mounts (the inverted cups) are not welded on in proper alignment and once we mounted, the glass shades are not level with one another. This should NEVER have gotten past quality inspection and is enough for us to take back the fixture.

- the glass shades' mounting hardware is inadequate to ensure that the shades remain properly centred.

To make matters worse, we ordered four sconces for the adjacent living room - two of which apparently came in. As we unpacked, though, it was clear that only the shades had arrived.

We're happy that we bought locally (rather than on-line) as we now have to sort out this mess.

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Comments (5)

coffeehaus
15 years ago
Wow, so sorry to read of your lighting woes. Yes, you are lucky to have dealt with a local retailer so that you have some redress.
We used several HF fixtures in our house, and they all met or exceeded expectations with regard to style and materials. Our electrician did the installations, so I cannot comment on the assembly of the fixtures. Although unfortunate, I hope that your experience is the exception rather than the rule, as HF makes beautiful lighting fixtures.
captsmethwick
Original Author
15 years ago
An update: Apparently, our complaint to HF wasn't isolated and their investigation turned up an alignment problem on their jigs - a problem our retailer says could take months to correct. They've offered a replacement model (there are none we like) or a discount to keep it (I don't think so) but at least they're going to do something. They haven't yet offered a full refund...

Attached is a link to the model in question.

Here is a link that might be useful: HF model 132205
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captsmethwick
Original Author
15 years ago
A final update: After months of to and fro, HF sent a regional rep to our house earlier this week. After 5 hours of work, he succeeded in bending the lamp housings and adequately aligning the shades and we're now happy with the fixture. Although he spoke carefully, he conceded that it was a very difficult fixture to assemble/install and that there were design issues and manufacturing problems with the lamp housings and the shades themselves.

All is good now & I'm impressed by how HF stood behind their product.
kalapointer
15 years ago
We have several HF fixtures and the same Trustle DR fixture (132200)but with round up pointing shades. My DH installed all of them and I won't say they were easy, but he didn't have any problems and only had to make minor adjustments. We bought locally for most and an island pendent had 2 broken shades. The dealer knew they were broken when he received them and had HF replacements sent before we picked them up. I beleive all of the glass shades are made in China, but everything else is made in Vermont. We love the looks and the quality.
captsmethwick
Original Author
15 years ago
Yes, the glass shades are made in China and they were part of the problem. Our style has a lower, smaller shade that is like an inverted pillbox hat that essentially diffuses the bulb. The glass on the bottom of those shades was wildly uneven and they wouldn't mount straight - the installer had to bend the metal brackets to which they're installed. In addition, the bulb housing cups were not welded straight and they had to be bent. Both problems were factory quality control - in both Vermont and China. The result looked like somebody with bad teeth. After a significant amount of work (and replacement shades), all looks good. I dread the prospect of using ever having to replace those shades!