PROBLEM SOLVED

Leslie Azor's new Natuzzi sofa set is coming apart. The company keeps sending a repairman to her home, but so far, he hasn't been able to fix the furniture. Can she get a refund?

I bought a Natuzzi recliner sofa set last year from a local retailer. After using the furniture lightly for a few months, it was clear there was something wrong with it.

One recliner was completely defective and you feel the metal bar in the footrest. The leather has wrinkled and pushed up the metal pieces because the foam holding it all together is defective. The sofa warped to one side. The other side is following suit.

The retailer would not replace the damaged recliner and said we had to deal with Natuzzi directly because we didn't identify the issue the day it was delivered. That was impossible to do.

Natuzzi has twice sent a repairman with stacks of foam to "repair" one of the recliners, and after the second visit, the repairman also requested parts for the other recliner. I have had to wait six months each time for the foam parts and then for the repairman, and he has had to leave both times, unable to fix the recliners because the foam was defective.

Now I have had to wait again for more foam shipped from China, with no guarantee that it will come when promised or that it will work. This is now a year of waiting with no end in sight and accepting at best a patch of what was supposed to be an expensive Italian sofa.

The repairman has told us he practically needs to reconstruct all of the inside parts. I have a copy of the back-and-forth emails with Natuzzi -- all communication with them has been in writing. I want to close this chapter with them and stop trying to patch a new sofa as if it was 10 years old.

I want them to either fully replace both recliners, with the assurance they will be checked before they are sent to us to ensure they are not defective or return our money.

Leslie Azor, Miami

Natuzzi should have delivered the quality product it promised, for which you paid $6,000. Also, the retailer should have stood behind the purchase.

Many retailers have warranties, guarantees, or policies that would ensure that if something happens to your purchase, you can get a quick refund. I think the retailer's demand that you say something upon delivery was unreasonable. I mean, you hardly had time to sit on your new leather furniture before its warranty expired. Come on!

Natuzzi's warranty leaves something to be desired. It contains lots of exclusions and doesn't specify a time frame for repairs. It also appears to be an awkward translation of the Italian warranty. When I read it, I'm not sure what you are -- and aren't -- entitled to. It's just a promise to repair your furniture if something goes wrong.

You did a great job of keeping a paper trail -- all the correspondence between you and the retailer. It's one of the key components of being able to advocate for yourself.

Unfortunately, your case dragged on for too long. The company was not living up to its promise to "create harmony in spaces." So I reached out to Natuzzi on your behalf.

A representative from both your retailer and Natuzzi contacted you the next day. They offered you a full replacement of the sofa. "You did in one day what I couldn't in nine months," you said.

I'm happy to help.

Christopher Elliott is the chief advocacy officer for Elliott Advocacy. Email him at [email protected] or get help with any consumer problem by contacting him at http://www.elliott.org/help

© 2022 Christopher Elliott