My husband & I stopped in Metropolitan Furniture in 2005 looking for a ""high quality"" DURABLE sofa to replace a very low-end set I purchased in the Montgomery Ward's clearance center 17 years earlier (and was told would last 5 years...) We found a sofa we liked and had an extensive discussion with the sales associate. We explained we were hard on furniture, let our pets on it, etc., and wanted something that would last a LONG TIME; he assured us that the $1,400 Flexsteel sofa, available in-stock, was the right model for us. It seemed nice, it was a color that wouldn't show stains between cleanings, and appeared to have a durable fabric that would hold up to a lot of usage.
Think again. Shortly after the 1 year fabric warranty ended, the fabric began pilling badly. Our elderly dog developed arthritis and never ended up using the sofa, so that wasn't the issue. Our new puppy was trained not to sleep on the sofa. We moved to a larger house, and the sofa was used less and less, yet at 5 years old, the fabric wore completely through?
Bottom line, I feel we were flat-out lied to about the quality of the fabric in order to sell the in-stock merchandise. We specifically told the sales associate we would pay more for a durable fabric as we wanted something long-lasting. We also purchased 2 leather chairs that day. I've researched Flexsteel fabrics, and have determined both the sofa and chairs are of Flexsteel's lowest quality line.
We purchased a quality sofa from a competitor two years ago, and the piece of junk from Metropolitan sits virtually unused in our basement. It's too expensive to have recovered, and a slip-cover isn't an option since it reclines. At least the now 7 year old ""puppy"" is happy since he's allowed on it. Mighty expensive dog bed! And pretty pathetic that my ""apartment grade"" Montgomery Wards sofa and love seat lasted 17 years (at a price of $400), and sat on my curb less than 10 minutes before someone picked it up, and this $1400 mistake is now a dog bed all because a dishonest sales associate had to push the in-stock merchandise rather than order a higher-quality version that we specifically requested.
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