Furniture Debaucle (sp?)

If I had a hit list, Pottery Barn would be on it and probably numero uno. Let me explain (if you care to hear my rants). We started off our furniture hunt going to every single store under the sun and I found this style from Pottery Barn and was in love with the classic lines and overall timeless look. We ordered a couch (pictured above) and a couch with an extended chaise for our family room. The only downer was that they wouldn't be shipped until March 18th...bummer considering we ordered them on January 1st! We paid in the store and were on our way home to wait awhile for our duds.

Strike 1: I was surprised when about 5 days later, the amount that we had paid for the furniture was refunded to our account. I promptly called Pottery Barn to see what this was about and they said that it was just an authorization for the furniture and that we wouldn't be formally charged until it was shipped, in March. I asked them if I would be let know in advance when this would be happening and they assured me of it. I was concerned because we usually don't keep such a grandeous amount in our checking account for security purposes and would have to transfer it from another account. To my surprise, I logged in to my online account merely three weeks later to find that our account had been bounced by the amount of our furniture! LOVELY. They had failed to let me know it had been shipped. GOOD ONE PB.

Strike 2: While I was excited that the furniture was scheduled to arrive early, I was more than peeved at the situation at hand. Luckily Howard was able to talk to our bank (who had charged us many fees for bouncing) and they were willing to refund us all fees if we could get PB to reverse the charges and re-charge it when we had transferred the money in. Ok, great! (or so I thought) When Pottery Barn went to recharge us, they charged us TWICE. Once again, bouncing our account! (Are you annoyed yet? Because when people mess with my bank account I get realll cranky) So, Howard once again called our bank and they saw the stupid move PB made and told us they would not charge us any overdraft fees, etc. However, the second charge didn't clear until today, so our primary checking account was basically unusable for 4-5 days.

Strike 3: I was called yesterday to say that they were going to be delivering our furniture today and that they could bring it between the hours of 2:30 and 4:30. When we paid over $100 a pop for each piece of furniture for Pottery Barn's renowned "In-Home Delivery Service" we were assured that they would accomodate our schedule with many choices of dates and times. When I asked for other options, I was simply told if that won't work we'll have to deliver it at a later date.

Strike 4 (OK in baseball terms, they would already be OUT, but sadly there are a few more to come): Howard took off a half day of work today to be home for the delivery and luckily he got home early, because they called us 3 hours early asking if they could come then. We didn't have the other furniture moved out, nor was the room vacuumed...I was not prepared! I would rather people be early than late, but this was VERY EARLY.

Strike 5: The delivery men proceeded to trapse through my home IN THEIR SNOWY BOOTS! I gasped as they walked onto the hardwoods, but must have let out a squeal as they paraded onto my freshly cleaned carpets IN THEIR SNOWY BOOTS! WHAT?! They quickly cut the furniture out of the plastic and set it down. HORRIFYING. You can imagine my excitement after just mopping two days prior...are you ready to come out again Mr.Mop? Sure hope so.

Strike 6: THEY ONLY BROUGHT ONE COUCH. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??? I was nearly in tears to hear this announcement. They brought our three seater couch and the stool for the chaise couch. And they weren't even sure when the next delivery would be. Great. Lovely. Splendid!

So, I guess I'm all out of strikes, but I definitely called our local Pottery Barn store and ranted. I told her my summary of events, almost on the verge of tears. I explained to her how I had previously been SO pleased with Pottery Barn but after this, was not so sure. She was able to give me a credit of 10% of our purchase, which was nice, but gee I'm not sure that covers it all! She was also able to write up a complaint about the shoe prints on the floor and we'll see where that goes.

All I can say is, GIVE ME MY FURNITURE and lets be done. I'm not sure what my thoughts are on Pottery Barn after this mess. I gaze through their magazines monthly thinking about how I can apply such great design to my home and occasionally purchasing a few things...however, PB has really left a bad taste in my mouth! What's a girl to do?!

We were also able to move our leather furniture into the front room, finally getting a start with making it look more like a "room". It fits nicely in the front room, I just have some sprucing up to do. Starting with some curtains and a flower arrangement by the two leather chairs. I am also looking for end tables and a rug. I had also thought of putting a two-seater table against the wall for "games". Our "in a few years plan" is to build floor to ceiling shelving/cabinets/with a built in desk along the side wall, but for now I need something else over there. I will post some more photos as both rooms come together. It's nice to be getting closer!