With comments from readers who have worked for Coricraft indicating that they are setting us up for failure from the start, you really have to wonder why people still buy from them.

But, when we do, a “small” percentage of us suffer.

Here is a letter to the Coricraft CEO from a reader who is fed up with Coricraft and trying to get a refund.

Pretty interesting…

The CEO Coricraft
I am writing to you to complain about the service rendered by your Springfield branch and the despatch centre in Pinetown and to hereby demand an immediate refund in full.

On the 13th of September 2009 I completed my payment, in cash (R16 935.00) and 2 days later I paid for delivery of the said goods (R250.00) to which I refer you to your own policy see below.

RISK OF LOSS

Customers who elect to collect from Coricraft’s premises unconditionally agree and accept that the risk of loss and title for such items passes to you at the time of collection by you or your appointed agent. The risk of loss and title passes to you, the customer, upon delivery as evidenced by the signature of the person taking delivery, on our copy of the invoice.

I paid for delivery expecting to receive my goods in a brand new condition and undamaged as they were purchased brand new and had to be made to order. I paid in full for the goods and the delivery, in good faith, believing that you would deliver the correct products and in an acceptable condition.

The Goods were delivered in the beginning of November 2009 and on delivery I noticed that the corner unit did not match the 2 div unit (a very dark colour and blatantly wrong and never removed from the truck) also supplied and that the Wong coffee table had a dent in the one end when removed from the box. There were also marks on some of the covers and this can be seen to be written on the invoices for replacement by Shaheeda from your Pinetown office. This in its self proves that the covers and the coffee table I received were not going to be treated as new from the date of delivery. No one would have accepted them as new.

I made notes on the delivery note and phoned Shaheeda as well as your store and reported ALL that was wrong. I was assured that the errors would be corrected by December 2009 including the delivery of the 2 div couch.

I was concerned of the issue of wear and tear and scratches and I approached Shaheeda in particular by phone, as well as the staff at your Springfield branch. They all assured me that I need not worry of the condition of the goods if there were some extra marks and extra scratches, as they understood that there would be some damage to the product between date of delivery and date of exchange. I accepted this as I was concerned as I have a young child of 2 yrs, as well as 2 teenagers, at home and I wanted to be assured that there would be no problem at a later stage. The time limit promised was in the next 4 weeks as the staff at Springfield checked the availability online while I was there in October and stated clearly to my fiancé and I that, the Wong coffee table would land by December to replace mine and that they would deliver everything In December 2009 and exchange the covers to a colour that was firstly correct and to one that matched.

The weeks dragged on and I had to continually follow up as no staff member from Pinetown and Springfield ever bothered to return a call after they said they would. I received no sms’s and no emails updating me. I had to threaten to cancel the deal in the beginning of December as I recall. The 2 div couch arrived around the 13th of December 2009 and what do I find? The colour of the 2 div did not match the already delivered corner suite and NO Wong coffee table. Again I updated the Springfield branch and the Pinetown office speaking again to Shaheeda. I was promised delivery ASAP. I notified the Pinetown branch around the 22nd of December that I was going away and that should deliver after the 15th of January 2010. This I did with either Shaheeda or her assistant.

I made numerous calls to the Springfield office and again threatened to cancel the deal towards the end of January 2010 and into the beginning of February 2010.

In the meantime please realise that I had 2 sets of guests with young children as well as the fact that I LIVE in my house. In other words the units I purchased were being used on a daily basis by everyone and yes they did get dirty. They were not bought for show. It’s normal wear and tear. I did not take the scotch guard option as I did not believe that it was required and for that fact alone, had the exchange been done as promised, we would not be faced with the situation we have now. One must remember that scotch guarding is an optional extra and not required to keep the goods replaceable in your policies

2 weeks ago I contacted Shaheeda again and I was promised delivery last week as she “remembered something about that delivery”. Well isn’t that great. I was remembered but not delivered. Last week on Friday I phoned the customer care line and I was put through to Mark, the Regional manager. He was very helpful and asked if there was any other way it could be resolved and I stated NO! Over and above the previous complaints certain cushions have started to collapse, especially the ones most used, and no matter what one does to puff them up, those cushions continue to look and sit lower than the others. I was polite as I have been with your staff throughout my ordeal but, he even joked and said if it were him, he would have been swearing in December at your staff. What can I say? It’s not the way I work.

What is pleasing to see is that on your website, of which I am a registered user, a client can see what is going on with their orders and complaints. It’s nice to see an invoice on the 24th of February 2010 for the replacement of the goods. The truck unfortunately did not get the delivery because they never arrived.

So throughout the last 8 months I have held my tongue and been polite only to be walked over, lied to and misled into believing that the goods were going to be exchanged. Now that I have asked for a refund, now and only now, has anyone bothered about the condition of the goods. If I had said yes to Mark on Friday, I can almost guarantee that the goods would have been exchanged on Monday the 17th of May 2010 or in the next week. Strange now that I need my refund due to Coricraft’s poor service, that now Mark refuses saying that he cannot refund the money and that the goods can be sold and I can get whatever they are sold for. What the hell kind of customer service is that. Where is your responsibility as a retailer and manufacturer to ensure your staff uphold your systems and policies. If I take another suite and coffee table it’s great but refund, never. That is totally and absolutely unacceptable. 8 months and I still don’t have the replacement and the product promised to me in September and then in December. I have had enough.

Oh and by the way. I did have a 8 week old puppy during December that died in January. It was an early Christmas present for my daughter of 2yrs. Yes, it did chew the corners of the coffee table but, Had the unit, firstly been delivered correctly and undamaged from day one in November, or a month later in early December, the problem would have been mine. However, the lack of efficiency from the staff in your company as well as the poor delivery service and broken promises, leaves the ball in your court. I do not see why I should take responsibility for their lack of service 8 months after I bought the items and 6 months after the last promise of delivery at the beginning of December 2009. I believe that the cost should be borne by the staff involved as well as the Store manager. Why should I, the customer that paid in full for his goods in September 2009, be held responsible for any further damage to the items concerned. Had I known that this was your policy and had your staff bothered to explain it as such, I would have refused the delivery or they should have collected the goods or not completed the delivery. That now becomes their problem not mine.

To assist you in making your decision I have copied further extracts of your company policy as follows:

RETURN POLICY

All merchandise displayed and sold by Coricraft is subject to stringent quality control standards. Should a customer not be satisfied with any product received within 7 days from date of receipt, Coricraft will endeavour to repair or replace the item in question. If within a reasonable time period Coricraft is unable to repair or replace the item a full refund of all monies paid will be made.

I was not happy on both days of delivery and I notified both the branch and the despatch in writing and by phone and personal call in every instance. So I did respond within 7 days. Next is a reasonable time period. Do you think that for one minute they can claim that this complaint has been repaired or replaced within a reasonable time period? This leads me to one option and that is invoking the last sentence of the above extract in which your company promises to refund me in full.

By the way I spent 22 years in the furniture retail industry and most of that in middle and senior management. I now own my own manufacturing company manufacturing outdoor furniture as well as procurement, for the hospitality industry. In the past 25yrs I can assure you that at no time would I have made this the customer’s problem. I would have held the staff members concerned accountable and requested a refund. Things happen, I understand. But when it’s done, it’s done.

I am demanding an immediate refund as I no longer have the goods in my possession. The goods were collected by Coricraft yesterday 17th May 2010 with the intent to refund me. The goods would have been exchanged no question had I agreed but I asked for a refund instead and I do not see why the responsibility of the condition was not mine in the exchange option but becomes mine 72 hours later when I request a refund.

Please contact me urgently.

© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2010. | Coricraft Refund Policy Hell | 12 comments. Click here to add yours... |

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The main problem with Coricraft is that there’s no reason to GIVE good service. They’ve received your deposit, so it’s unlikely you’ll back out, and the furniture is not sitting in the showroom, so it’s somebody else’s problem. I’m not sure if the sales staff receive commission, but I would expect that they do, so it’s in their own best interest to give good service if they will receive more custom from other shoppers because of it.

So, here’s my plan.

If it’s used or not is a different matter entirely, because nobody enjoys writing positive reviews, only complaints. If you receive good service from a particular person, please leave their name and store name as a comment below. Then, any other potential buyers will be able to ask directly for that person. Of course, you would have to tell the sales person how you found out about them so that they are encouraged to give you good service.

It’s not the best solution, but a solution that might help future shoppers, and the company and it’s staff.

© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2007. | Coricraft good service | 12 comments. Click here to add yours... |

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So we ordered 6 dining room chairs from Coricraft Design Quarter in Fourways in June 2006 and we were told that they would arrive in South Africa (and possibly in Joburg) by September, due to the fact that there was no stock in South Africa at the moment. So, like the fools we are, we deposited our money. But we were confident because the extremely helpful person behind the counter said that we could count on him to follow up as it was his specialty.

Nobody followed up.

So we went into the store and asked to speak to this special person, only to find that he no longer worked there. Beautiful. But Martin would be glad to help us.

Take it away Martin:

Martin: If you wait a bit, the next available cashier behind the counter will be able to help you find out if your stock is here.
Us: Ok, thanks.

Martin then walks off, and we wait, and watch as the 5 busy cashiers help customers, only to get up and leave as soon as they’re finished. With only 2 cashiers left, Martin comes back and sits behind a computer to look up something, so, JOKINGLY, I start a conversation:

Me: So, does the fact you’re behind a computer make you a cashier who can help us now?
Martin: NO! I told you. A cashier will help you if you just wait for them!
Me: Ok, but they are all leaving, and we’ve been waiting 20 minutes. So surely you know how to look things up on the computer.
Martin: That is not my job. You will have to wait for a cashier! These are the people who will help you!

WOW! Ok, thanks Martin! Of course, somebody else did end up helping us, only to tell us that our stock had been ready in the Coricraft Wynberg warehouse for 2 weeks!

Oh boy, not again!

The only good thing from this experience? The customers standing next to us with eyes as wide as plates, and passing comments to us about how they wished they hadn’t already paid a deposit, or they would have cancelled their sale after an outburst like that!

So, what are your comments?

© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2006. | Coricraft Design Quarter – OMG | 18 comments. Click here to add yours... |

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As a quick little break from the incompetence of the staff of Coricraft, I’d just like to spend a little time discussing the amazing homepage for Coricraft, available at www.coricraft.co.za. Let’s analyse it a little.

- At the bottom left of the page, in nice bright colours, we have a list of all the Customer Service staff at Coricraft.
- At the bottom right, we have a list of all the Coricraft Staff members who have been thanked for their great service by Coricraft Customers
- In the middle of the page, near the bottom, we have a list of all the stores that have delivered their couches and bookshelves and tables when they promised
- And, at the top of the page, in BEAUTIFUL fonts, are the contact details for Coricraft. We have their e-mail address and their phone number. Careful, you might not be able to see it too well.

In case you read this after they’ve decided to change the beautiful Coricraft website, I’ve taken a screenshot. You can just click on the image on the left to see a larger version for your viewing pleasure.

Oh, and don’t you just LOVE the Coricraft Logo at the top!!!

© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2006. | www.CORICRAFT.co.za – WOW | 17 comments. Click here to add yours... |

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Normally, I wouldn’t put such personal feelings on the internet in such a public place. Especially since there are a lot of potential customers of Coricraft coming to this site. But, PLEASE let me explain why you should go shop somewhere else before trying Coricraft.

In the previous article, “Coricraft Menlyn – A different language“, I mentioned that our Bookshelf arrived damaged. Perhaps it WAS my fault for not checking it properly, but it was late (they eventually arrived at 6PM to deliver the goods, after making me wait all day), and the large crack was under a shelf, which you had to bend down to see. Well, it took a whole 2 months to get the damaged bookshelf swapped out for an undamaged one.

You may ask how we eventually got Coricraft to deliver a new bookshelf. Well, after a 2 month run-around, here was the clinching conversation.

The players are:

My Wife – W
Coricraft Dumbass – CD

W: We are tired of this run-around, and would like to know when the bookshelf will be delivered!

CD: Ok, I will phone you back to let you know

W: NO! You’ve said that too many times. I want to know WHEN you will phone me back!

CD: I will phone you back this afternoon.

W: Will you definitely phone me back?

CD: Yes.

W: OK, but if you don’t phone me back today and give me an EXACT date and time of when this will be delivered, I will phone your head-office and speak to management!

CD: No, please don’t do that, we’ll get into trouble!

Now, is that not supposed to be the point! “We’ll get into trouble!”

YES, that IS supposed to be the “Coricraft Dumbass” in the photo.

© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2006. | Coricraft Wynberg – OH, MY, FREAK!!! | 10 comments. Click here to add yours... |

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The next day, we phoned again. And, like the fools we seem to be, listened when she said she would phone us back. AGAIN!!! And, again, she did not. So we phoned and spoke to the manager… Guess what, just as useless.

To cut a short story long, we received our Study Desk, and Display unit/Bookshelf after a lot of back and forth.

GREAT! Or not. The Coricraft bookshelf was damaged.

© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2006. | Coricraft Menlyn – A different language | 3 comments. Click here to add yours... |

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Anyway, after the bad service at Coricraft Sandton (which I wrote in this post: “Coricraft Sandton – From excellent to SHOCKING!“), we decided to ask for the desk and display unit in Coricraft Morningside.

We went into the store on Saturday, and they told us the stock was arriving in Cape Town (via ship) during the week, on Tuesday the latest. They would then phone us by Thursday and let us know if we could place an order, because they wouldn’t let us order stock they didn’t have. Fair enough.

Next Saturday came around, no phone call, so we went BACK to the store. Hmmm… The manager wasn’t in the store, but the lady behind the counter left a note on the desk where the mananger sits, and he would phone us on Monday.

Guess what. STILL no phone call. How many months has it been? All I can say is, I’m sure Coricraft hires people who have not been through school. Is that a generalisation??? Well, the stories have STILL not finished. Believe it or not, there’s more to come.

© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2006. | Coricraft Morningside – Suckers for Punishment | Only one comment. Click here to add yours... |

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We noticed a nice set of dining room chairs that we thought would look great in our as-yet unfurnished dining room. Unfortunately, I’m not always the prepared type, so I did not have the exact measurements of our dining room, so just buying 6 or 8 chairs can become quite risky if you’re buying without careful thought. Unfortunately for us, the lady in the store was quite eager to make a sale. Why UNFORTUNATELY?! Well, the conversation went a little like this:

Sales Assistant (SA): Hi, can I help you
Us: No thanks, we’re just looking
SA: I see you’re looking at these chairs. Do you like them
Us: Yes we do.
SA: Would you like to buy them?
Us: Not yet thanks. We’re still deciding, and we’re not sure how many we can get.
SA: Well, they’re on sale, and you should buy them now while we have stock
Us: Thanks, but we’ll discuss it.
SA: Ok, but remember, we might not have them in stock soon
Us: Ok. thanks. We’ll go home and decide.
SA: But they might sell out.
Us: Yes. But we need to make sure.
SA: Ok, I’ll be over there if you need me, but like I said, they might sell out this week.
Us (to each other): QUICK. Get out while we’re still alive…

Ok, the last line I just made up, but it might have been close to something like that. Anyway, that sales pitch might be some people’s cup of tea, but it DEFINITELY is not ours… It might not sound so bad written down, but when you’re discussing whether you can afford something, and whether they’re really worth their price, and whether you can actually take them, the LAST thing you need is such “dedicated” Coricraft Customer Service.

But wait, there’s more!

© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2006. | Coricraft Morningside – Psychotic Uselessness | 3 comments. Click here to add yours... |

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Six months later, and we spotted a matching display unit and desk on the floor in the shop. In my personal opinion, they are a stylish combination, and I am proud that we eventually bought them. Even though it took 8 months to eventually receive. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning.

We walked into the Coricraft Sandton store, and noticed the 2 pieces of furniture. Unfortunately, the desk had a “SOLD” sign on. So we asked the lady on the floor if she could find out if they had any more stock in the warehouse. She said she would check, and phone us back during the week. 2 weeks later, and no phone call.

So, we went back to the store, and spoke to the manager. He said he would follow up with the staff member, and ensure she phoned us by Tuesday. Saturday came round, and STILL no phone call. So, we phoned the manager. This time he said he would phone us back during the week.

Do I feel like a CLOWN for believing him?!? He still hasn’t phoned. 10 months later!

© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2006. | Coricraft Sandton – From excellent to SHOCKING! | 36 comments. Click here to add yours... |

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Coricraft may be reasonably priced
Coricraft may have decent looking furniture
But Coricraft should give you MEDICINE when you order something from them, because Coricraft WILL NOT give you ANY customer satisfaction!!!

I have tried 4 different stores in the hope that I will be treated well, and the items I’ve ordered will arrive on time and in good condition at least once, but no, 5 out of 4 times they have proved their incompetence. Why 5 out of 4? The Coricraft warehouse in Wynberg, Johannesburg is the lame arm of a sick company.

Anyway, there’s a lot more to this story, so feel free to read our travels through the dark land of Coricraft South Africa:

- Coricraft Sandton – From excellent to SHOCKING!
- Coricraft Morningside – Psychotic Uselessness
- Coricraft Morningside – Suckers for Punishment
- Coricraft Menlyn – A different language
- Coricraft Wynberg – OH, MY, FREAK!!!
- www.coricraft.co.za – WOW
- Coricraft Design Quarter – OMG
- Coricraft good service
- Coricraft Refund Policy Hell

© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2006. | Coricraft | 50 comments. Click here to add yours... |

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