Lee Industries Stools - quality control problem?
The wood finish on first set of stools came unsatisfactory (see photo in comments).
After consulting with their furniture refinisher, it was decided by the retailer, as a first course of action, to have Lee Industries send 3 new stools.
Three new stools arrived yesterday.
1) The wood finish problem was much improved, and it would be acceptable to us, albeit not what we would expect of stools priced @ $1200/stool, BUT explains 2 problems with the replacement stools -
A.) Without even a side-by-side comparison, when the first replacement stool was pulled off the truck, the leather appeared to be a completely different grey, it is not, it was ordered properly. The leather is completely missing the blue undertones that pull the countertop stone and island paint together which led us to chose to this particular grey. Is this is a tolerable variance, and we just got lucky with the first set of stools, or is this legitimately outside color tolerance (see photo in comments).
3) I realize leather is organic and blemishes are to be expected. However, 2 of the 3 replacement stools, have obvious and distracting markings. I am not sure if this too is an acceptable variance and we just got lucky with the other 4 stools having smooth finish with minor blemishes. We have 4 pieces of leather furniture in our home from other manufacturers (sofa, 2 chairs, ottoman), and those pieces do not have distinct markings, blemishes yes, but distinct markings no. As my husband said, if we received a sofa with 3 sofa cushions with so much variance, it would be an eyesore and not be acceptable to us, would this hold true to stools used side by side? (photo attached to post).
I am not a customer who is comfortable complaining, especially without a clear understanding of what is reasonable to expect for what I paid. I try to balance an eye for detail with realistic expectations. My retailer is very supportive and has been providing excellent customer service on the entire purchase which is more than the stools. We had hoped to buy Lee Industries sofa and chairs for family room next, but questioning quality control at this point. We still have a whole house to still furnish. I will be asked on Monday, when I get my first opportunity to speak to the retailer after they received pictures, I am sure I am going to be asked what I want to be done to resolve situation. I am not sure what are reasonable solutions. Any input advice appreciated.
Comments (9)
- 7 years agoOriginal stools on new room. Also, picture of color variance from replacement stools to new stools.
- 7 years agoPicture of stool selections. And few pictures representative of how bad wood finish was on 3 original stools.
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7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
7 years ago- 7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
“Leather is a natural product and each hide will vary in coloration, natural markings, dye lot, and texture.
Aniline dyed and produced on English Bull hides with a soft oil tannage and pull-up effect”What is Pull Up leather?, What are the main characteristics of this type of leather? and Pro's & Con's of Pull Up leather
Pull Up leather is a type of aniline leather that is coloured with aniline dyes that are sealed using natural oils and/or waxes instead of paints, pigments and top coats. They end up having a coloured wax or oil finish on the top. Pull-Up leather is therefore also called as waxed leather or oiled leather. They are mainly used for making shoes and bags but they have also been used for making furniture.
Pull-Up leather has a sanded surface underneath the finish. However, on some Pull Up leather, the natural grain remains undamaged. The grain structure can be fine or coarse with either a gloss or a matt finish. The main characteristic of these leather types is they develop patina very quickly. Pull Up leather also have a lighter colour when they are stretched or when they get scratched.
Pull-Up, waxed and oiled leather tend to develop patina very quickly in comparison to other leather types.
Pro's & Con's of Pull Up Leather
The leather gets scratched easily and you can remove some of the colour if you rub the surface with a damp cloth. On the plus side, Pull Up leather is extremely soft and feels very natural. They develop a beautiful patina and have a lived in look. They are porous leathers and hence need to be protected from the outset as liquids can penetrate the surface and cause stains which can be difficult to remove.
- 7 years ago@Sammy here are some comparisons of wood finish. I think that is what you are asking for first.
- 7 years ago
- 7 years ago@Sabrina here is another picture of the stool color variance. Yes, the retailer does have the picture I posted of the original and new lined up. I plan to go et the sample to photograph on each stool.
Sabrina Alfin Interiors