shoprico's Profile

Dear Apartment Therapy patron,

I would like to addresss some comments that have been made on this site as owner and proprietor of my own store. Rico has a terms of sale provided with every order placed and signed for by the customer. The terms clearly state that production schedules are estimates. You will find the same exact terms at any other reputable furniture store. The idea of promises never enter ANY offer.

We represent many brands of excellent furniture that, unless stocked or sold off our floor, are custom ordered. Although some of our furniture arrives in a few weeks, 6 to 8 weeks is an industry standard for special orders. To save on freight cost, some stores provide longer lead times. They bundle orders from a manufacturer for a lower transport rate. We do not practice this. We freight orders immediately when ready to ship from the producer to our fulfillment center. Our brands are reputable, and typically deliver within schedule. Delayed orders occur rarely, and if so it's usually because of a fabric back order or a freight company schedule. We always notify the customer in these instances.

Once we receive product in our fulfillment facility, it is inspected and prepared for delivery. This aspect requires a time schedule. The customer is contacted for a delivery appointment once the order has been inspected in our warehouse and the balance is settled. Sometimes a customer is so eager for their furniture that they press us to deliver faster than our primary delivery team can accommodate. To satisfy impatience, we use a secondary team that will retrieve the product from our warehouse, sometimes bypassing due course. Usually these deliveries go well but because of the haste this strategy requires, our center may not have the opportunity to properly inspect and prepare the product correctly.

Damages occasionally occur to every furniture store. It's inherent in the business, typically caused by the manufacturer, freight company or delivery team. What has cultivated good will for us is that we correct all problems regardless of fault lines. We will always support our customer even at our loss. We can only provide this support if given the time required to properly process the problem.

Upon delivery, the customer should inspect product before signing off on the delivery. If a defect or damage is discovered after delivery, we require photographic documentation. We absolutely are available to solve these problems and do not need to be cornered. Once a problem is brought to our attention, a dated log file is kept of every single interaction made and step taken to right the problem. Our files are open for review by special request.

I'm stating our procedures to set the record straight with regards to a recent matter listed by customer Edverse. The facts were weighed by American Express when the customer charged back the balance of their order instead of working with us to repair the sofa. American Express sided with us and paid us back. We still have the fabric for the repair, which would have come out perfectly as it was a small damage. We use experienced, expert upholsterers for all repairs. As noted before, we will work with the customer until he or she is fully satisfied in the rare instance a problem should occur. We are still willing to fix their sofa.

We are a favored destination for home furnishings and our own lighting products. We are well versed in offering quality sofas at great prices. We think that is why NY Magazine picked us as best sofa destination in their "Best of New York" 2007 issue.

Sincerely,
Rico
Owner