IMO a 4K table should be perfect when done , I am sick of shoddy workmanship and being offered money to forget it . I say either a new table , or at least a new top and a discout for the wait and the crappy workman ship I have a cutom live edge table made i na place just outside of Toronto it was shipped all the way to a little town in BC 2 shipping companies involved not one bit of damge anythere but the packing was awesome and really was what probably kept this pristine. Waht was the packaging like? When you unpacked was the packaging damaged ? If not them my guess it left the shop damagaed.

I paid to have the delivery people unbox and set it up so I really don’t know how the packaging was or if it could have been damaged when they unboxed it on the street before bringing it in.

I would want a refund.

^^ agreed I would would pursue the refund

My firm sold furniture for years. More than half of the furniture arrived at the receiver damaged and sometimes it is damaged upon delivery to the home. The standard course of action is for it to be repaired locally. We work with a local furniture restorer who is almost always able to repair successfully and the furniture lines reimburse us the cost.

You can have this table delivered a dozen times and it can show damage each time. Between being on trucks, trains or ships and being moved multiple times before it eventually makes it to your home, it's impossible to prevent damage 100% of the time. If you decide to send it back, they are only going to call their own repairperson and resell it. They're not going to trash it and make a new one.

Be practical and think about the cost and inconvenience to you to start over with a new table order before you return it and ask for a refund.

Thank you for your perspective. I would feel so much better if they had a local repair person who they recommended and trusted to send - there seems to be no recourse if I find someone using thumbtack.com and I am not satisfied with their work. Seems like a big gamble. This is a piece I am planning on having for years (forever) and it doesn’t seem fair for me to put up with a patch job. Also the money they are offering is less than the cost of delivery. I might take the offer if it felt like I was getting the table at a sale price.

Freight and shipping is just not what it use to be so many untrained new comers so sorry this happened. Before accepting the refund I would get some quotes in writing and add in your time for finding the furniture repair company and see if the $300 seems fair if not renegotiate for acceptance of the sub par product. Keep in mind the furniture repair company will do it's best but it may still not be perfect so factor that in. Good luck!

I wouldn't look to thumbtack for this type of pro. Google furniture restoration and repair in your area. Depending on the damage, they will more than likely repair in your home. If they charge more than your offer, let the dealer know you will return the table instead of accepting it. I'm guessing they will offer you more money for the repair at that point.

From your order information, how was delivery described? The issue is with the manufacturer of the table and the delivery service chosen. Opening a box out on the sidewalk is not white glove. The vendor is responsible for the table to be delivered in perfect condition. It was not, the burden is on them. Let them deal with their (poor) choice of delivery. Tell them you do not want the table and they can make arrangements for the table to be picked up. Done. It sounds, from your post, that the quality of the table is subpar. Just get rid of it and start anew.

Meanwhile, guessing you used your charge card for purchase; contact them right away and tell them what you have told houzz. (Take pictures of the damage.). This is when using your Visa/MasterCard can help.

The store is in Midwest, and I live in the northeast. I went off of reviews - not all positive but many. I took a gamble. I really wanted a solid wood table. No veneers. I actually think it’s well made but it sustained damage to its stability in transit.

Did you pay with a credit card.

I ordered a csbinet and the door fell off after a week. Long saga but I opened a dispute with my credit card company and I succeeded in having the charges reversed. I provided them with pictures, emails as well as a letter from an expert explaining how the construction was defective and not up to industry standards for a chest of this price.

My scenario was a bit different as they wanted me to pack it up and pay for return shipping cross country and I said it was their responsibility to handle shipping as they had sold a defective item. I was adamant because I knew it was a ploy to make it impossible to return since it would be logistically difficult and expensive for me and they would have very limited ability to sell a used and damaged decorative cabinet so tjey really didnt want it back. 🤷‍♀️

Honestly the whole situation has made me reluctant to order furniture from a non local source or unless it is through a decorator who wouid handle issues. For example, I had a custom hood made and the first one delivered was the wrong size. My decorator handled it and the company arranged for a shipping company to pick up the hood from my home at no cost to me and sent me a replacement hood as soon as it was manufatured by them at no cost.

Yes American Express. That is crazy that they expected you to ship it back at your own expense!

"The seller will always be responsible for the package containing their product".

Then contact American Express.

A lot of times they ask for it to be shipped back in their packaging. I keep all packaging for quite awhile just in case.

If it is white glove delivery service - I ask for the box.

Good Luck!

Look for a company called Furniture Medic in your area. We did an international corporate move and that is who their insurance called when a very nice armoire was damaged on our trip back home.

I would return the table. Can you show the table? Would like to recommend other sources for a good quality table if I know what you are looking for. I paid $4k for my table 23 years ago, solid wood and has withstood several moves, including cross country and international, with no damage.

@Elisabeth DlFeo If you are responding to me regarding paying shipping costs back, it was I think a ploy to make it entirely impractical for me to return it.

They also wanted me to repair it and offered me a slight discount.

In my circumstances, I didn't want to do it as the entire construction was faulty.

However I did have a lot of custom furniture made including a dining room table, wall unit, all of my cabinets. I also had a vintage bedroom suite (wood) completely redone and refinished. In your circumstances, if you loved the table, I might find a really good wood crafter and have them attempt a repair. It is really amazing what can be done with wood by someone who knows what they are doing.

So that truly is an option. You could tell them that you will attempt to locate an expert in your area and they will attempt a repair. If it is done to your satisfaction then you will accept $X dollars as compensation. If it can't be repaired then you will expect them to arrange for shipping back to them.

You should open up a claim with the credit card company as soon as possible to preserve your rights.

I just wanted to mention that preserving the packaging isn't always feasible with large items. The only way the cabinet could get taken out of its packaging was to have it cut off so there was nothing to "save". Not to mention logistically the difficulty of getting a large item picked up or even repackaging a large item into a box.

They are saying they can only offer $350 towards a repair, and they say the damage is minor so it should be able to be fixed, good as new. The quote I got from a wood repair guy in area is $200. Even so, I feel like I should be able to have the choice to get a refund if I am not comfortable keeping this piece. They said in an email prior to me ordering that damage in shipment is very rare since I was worried that any damage had to be inspected on arrival before signing for it- well, I think they were wrong.

No one can help determine if the damage is minor because we have not been given the privilege of seeing what you're talking about.

See damage attached

I would return based on your first picture, never mind the rest. I’ve had two overseas moves without furniture damage, including an antique (early 1800s) dresser the first packer described as “loosey goosey.”

It's a very nice table!

If the $200.00 local guy can fix it good as new, I'd use him. Imagine the headache of returning such a large item.

He cannot fix the damage in the first picture - I am requesting a full refund through my credit card co. It’s the company’s problem how to get the table. I tried to refuse delivery because I saw the damage then and they wouldn’t let me. Would have made it easier.

I assume you have started an dispute with the credit card company.

If possible get a letter from the repair company stating that this is not something that ca be fixed and is not considered to be "normal" for wood tables at this price level.