susandon's Profile

full disclosure, I am the senior merchant at VivaTerra, but I can assure you, you will receive nothing but the best service when it comes to this bed. It's made by the most attentive, hard-working artisan in LA and I can't tell you how many times he has gone above and beyond to make sure the customer is perfectly happy. He's made custom color changes when the stain didn't match other furniture as expected and he's even driven to customers houses to help them set up the bed (if you're in the LA area you're set!). This is not a customized bed, so I don't mean to give you that impression - but these are just examples of his dedication to 100% customer satisfaction.
As for other complaints - customer service is a very hard nut to crack. We are constantly reviewing and improving on our service. And it's great to hear that beckyjo had a good experience.
And yes, the bed is on sale until Sept. 30th so you've got 8 days left! thanks, susan

I am a merchant from VivaTerra and wanted to share with you our findings on this collection. (sorry for the long post!)

Like many of you, we were attracted to the clean lines and rustic chic of these pieces, and we loved that they reuse a precious resource; hardwood. Our ties are from colonial era India and as noted they are usually ironwood or teak that has degraded to the point of being unusable as a tie. They are either being replaced by concrete, plastic or wooden ties, or not replaced as railroad is no longer in use.

According to an advisor at the Railroad Tie Association the history of treating wood ties in the US did not begin in earnest until the early part of the 20th century. Then even after that it took several decades for them all to be treated. Since the US was the most industrial nation during this time period we have been told that it is extremely unlikely that creosote (a by-product of the coal coking process used for steel making) would have been used to any extent in India to treat ties. With the vast amount of naturally durable wood species like ironwood and teak available locally and throughout the British Empire we believe that it is highly improbable that anyone would have spent the money to use a wood preservative. Nevertheless, we have been investigating testing options for the wood.

In regards to packaging concerns, the pieces use the same amount of packaging whether you buy them from a local store or a catalog. We belive that catalog shopping can be a more efficient route for buying goods - the efficiency of consolidated shipments (to our warehouse and direct to the customer) eliminates the middle step in non-catalog shopping: shipping to stores and driving to stores by customers.

And lastly, thank you to all our fans on this site - it's great to read the feedback and to feel the appreciation for the collection we've put together. Eco-living has never been a trend for us. We mailed our first catalog in 2004 and everyone here has been passionate about sustainable design well before it was trendy.

OK, that's all I've got! I appologize for any delays and frustration with customer service. We are continually trying to upgrade our servive. Thanks, and happy home making...
p.s. the chairs really are comfortable!