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parulsrivastava

Buying stuff on Houzz

Parul Srivastava
7 years ago
So we just moved countries and I have to furnish a house 3 times the size of my previous apartment. Exciting as that it, I find myself short on time to actually spend days visiting furniture showrooms. I was wondering if I should just buy the stuff online.....I've never bought furniture online before! And I see conflicting reviews of stuff being sold on Houzz. How has your experience been? Do you recommend it?

Comments (24)

  • Parul Srivastava
    Original Author
    7 years ago
    Thank you for that input!
  • havingfun
    7 years ago

    no problem have fun,

  • Frankie
    7 years ago

    I have purchased a few small things from some of the sellers on Houzz, but it is important to know Houzz is not the seller. The items are sold by different companies so research them careful before making a purchase. That being said I've had good experiences with the things I have bought. I've also had good luck with Amazon Prime and Home depot Furniture. You have to go into the online site on Home depot then look up furniture. It's not advertised but they have a selection of high quality wood products. Again make sure you research each buy and check reviews.

  • Parul Srivastava
    Original Author
    7 years ago
    Thank you Rollinggirl
  • PRO
    Cancork Floor Inc.
    7 years ago

    When it comes to actual "furniture" - such as arm chairs, sofas, loungers, beds, ottomans, etc, it is INTENSELY important to try them out in a show room. Someone else's description of physical comfort is something you cannot rely on. What works for a 20-something woman who is 5'4" and 105 lbs is not going to feel right to a 60+ man with back/hip problems who is 6'9" and 290 lbs.

    I have no problem buying accessories on-line. Area rugs, storage units, book shelves, entertainment units, etc. These things work very well when purchasing "on-line". The only thing you need to be aware of is the photos on line cannot offer "true" colour representation. Sometimes this is an issue...but with most things it works out in the end.

    One thing you can do is buy a good measuring tape ($5-$10 at home depot) and a few rolls of craft paper + some masking tape. If you are interested in an item, you can "map out" the size of the thing with your measuring tape + craft paper + masking tape. You can make a mock-up of the foot print. Then put it into the place you have in mind.

    How many times we have seen clients on Houzz complaining about the "great buy" they found for a 7 foot long sectional - only to find out it is 3 feet TOO BIG for the space. Had that same person pulled out the tape measure and the craft paper and done a foot print 'mock-up' of that monster, they would have saved themselves $1300 worth of Oooopsa (non-returnable...or return shipping is more expensive than the item).

    Even if you don't have the "time" to go out and "shop", you will want to take the time to measure out the foot prints of some of your items. Yes it is an extra 20 minutes per item....but it will save you THOUSANDS of dollars in mistakes.

  • Frankie
    7 years ago

    Good advice Cancork. I only buy furniture that is used for things other than sitting or lying on. Eg. Bookcases, dressers, etc online. Even still I make sure I check the measurements against the space first.

  • Debra Fleeger
    3 years ago

    NO! I have always liked what houzz has to offer. I ordered a double swing chair in July and patiently waited for delivery. It was damaged (some of the wicker was cut) and I didn't take a photo, that was a mistake!. I called Houzz that day and they said they would contact the shipper to verify the damage. It's been a week and I haven't heard from them. I contacted my credit card company and will not pay. American express is great at resolving discrepancies. I doubt I'll buy anything from them again. I trusted that they would take care of it, a naive assumption.

  • HU-114564521
    3 years ago

    Two damaged items from them so far


  • Debra Fleeger
    3 years ago

    Update on my refund! I did receive it today. Thankful that American express intervened. customer service is an easy fix, it's all in the training.

  • HU-114564521
    3 years ago

    I put my table on their card. If they do not pick it up I will not pay them . Total B.S


  • HU-114564521
    3 years ago



  • HU-114564521
    3 years ago



  • Paula Mackin
    3 years ago

    Be very careful if you buy from Houzz for a renovation project! I used to be a regular customer. Bought two very expensive vanity lights for a master bath. They arrived in October and then the project was delayed due to Covid. They remained (unopened) in my house until December. upon opening, it was clear they would not fit in the space. They were never installed, one has never even been opened. They refuse to take a return, even for a credit vs. refund, stating had to be returned within 30 days of receipt. I took a month to hear from them after many messages I left on the website went unanswered.

  • Fernanda Grillo
    2 years ago

    Do not buy from this website. I bought a bed a month ago and they never delivered the bed. there is no customer service at all or a way to comunicate with them. I tried text messages and are automated, tried 0800 and they do not have people to answer. tried the chat and they leave you 30min waiting saying you are 2nd in line and email they dont respond. they leave you in the dark!

  • HU-372732315
    2 years ago

    I've been trying to contact customer support for a few days now (with one simple question before i make a purchase). The chat only lets you talk to the bot and offers you to email/ message company from the website.... the website messaging page - gives me a message (s) that they are too busy and cannot respond and some other excuse . All that before i even send a message - I just choose the categories from the drop down.. finally -i figured I'll call the number from "contact us" during business hours listed on the web... well...the recorded message says" this is text only line' please hang up and send a text message... so i did, just to receive a reply similar to the one in the chat. i cannt to get anywhere without the order number ( which i don't have yet).

    Honestly worst customer service ever. And that's me wanting to spend money on the purchase. Very frustrating. if thats how it operates before im a customer... i dont want to know how its going to look if/when I actually need support..

    im out. i Dont think i'll ever consider houzz.com for future purchases.

  • HU-81661590526
    2 years ago

    I ordered wallpaper border in May, and I got four samples of what i ordered, they charged me 45.01 four pieces of useless paper! I have called several times with no results. If I were you I would take your business elsewhere.

  • PRO
    Accents of Artistry
    2 years ago

    Do not use Houzz for online purchases! Ordered a Chandelier for over $800. On the same dayI ordered the chandelier a message came back from Houzz ---new delivery date 2 months longer than originally stated. BUT on back order for 5 months longer than the original delivery date. Do that fuzzy math. Then I was told the online business that was selling the chandelier can no longer get the discountinued chandelier. Wait for it ................ now I need to wait up to 10 days to get my money back!!! Oh wait until I tell my customer they can't get the chandelier AND no money back for over a week! Never again will I shop for a customer or myself on this site!

  • Paul O'Kane
    2 years ago

    Be cautious when using Houzz. We purchased a table from Houzz 6 weeks ago with 5 day shipping. We did not receive the table almost 5 weeks later when we moved. Ceva Logistics was the shipper and they were completely unprofessional and incompetent. No one would answer their phone for days at a time and were rude when you actually reach them. Our table was in Boston for almost 19 days for no good reason. After we moved we notified Houzz the product was never delivered. They won't refund our money until they can get Ceva to locate the table and return it. Completely unacceptable customer service.

  • jude11170
    2 years ago

    PLEASE, DO NOT purchase anything from this company!,

    They are criminals! They send you something damaged and will not accept responsibility for it!!!!

    Told us they would send us anothe rond and never have, but kept our money and will not vall back!!

    They totaly SUCK BIG TIME!!!!

  • kamundson
    2 years ago

    Don't do it. We ordered something from Houzz, and they said it would arrive between in about 2 weeks. Then tracking said between 2 and 6 weeks. We waited. We waited. Tracking said it didn't move and never left China. They said they contacted the seller twice for information, but the seller never responded to me or them. We waited more. Finally I wanted to cancel after 5 weeks and tracking still hadn't moved, but the 6 weeks wasn't up yet, so they said I had to wait more. Luckily I ordered through PayPal, so I started a dispute. Houzz told me I would probably have to wait 90 days for my money to be returned if I had a dispute out so I called Paypal. That was not true. I believe that they wanted me to cancel the dispute. Paypal refunded me 5 days later. I ordered the same product from someone else. I came in 5 days.

  • Kelly Geary
    2 years ago

    Agree with all of these comments. I purchased two tubs, back to back, from Houzz. Both previously used and damaged. They refuse to issue the full refund, citing one of the tubs is outside their refund policy. Their business practices are illegal -- selling open box/used items without advertising them as such. BUYER BEWARE!!!



  • Barb
    2 years ago

    I wish I had read this before I purchased anything! I bought a bathroom vanity that was nearly $100 more than locally bc it was out of stock. When I checked the status of shipping it said it was out of stock with Houzz as well. They said they’d contact manufacturer and IF it is out of stock they’ll help me find something similar and offer a discount but they could not cancel my order. Worst part is I used my debit card so they actually have my money! I am going to contact my bank if I do not hear back from them.

  • Angel 18432
    2 years ago

    Just found this thread and thought it should be bumped up so buyers can be made aware of this information. Also from reading a few threads, if you do venture to buy something, pay with paypal - this is probably the best way to get your money back.