Gardner-White Furniture
Reviews and Complaints

February 1, 2010 – We went to Gardner White Furniture Store in Canton, MI to shop for a mattress set. We were greeted by Jim Baumstark, sales associate. We advised him that we were looking for something very specific - an ultra plush/soft mattress set. Our current mattress set was about 10 years old, sagged in the middle, and lumpy. After meticulously browsing their showroom selection and "testing" various mattresses, we selected the Simmons Rozelle. We selected this model specifically because it was an ultra plush/soft mattress.

February 13, 2010 – The mattress set was delivered in the evening. We immediately noticed that our mattress was much firmer than the mattress set displayed in the Gardner White showroom.

February 14, 2010 – We went back to the store and went to the customer service desk to advise them that the mattress that we received was too firm. The customer service sales associate told us that new mattress sets typically take a few weeks to “settle” into their desired firmness/softness levels and temperature, and to "walk" the mattress out. This seemed reasonable to us, so we decided to try their suggestion.

We spent the next five weeks attempting to “walk” the mattress out, and give it time to “settle” into the softness that it was ultimately supposed to be. During those six weeks, and despite our best efforts - the mattress has not gotten any softer at all. It is still extremely firm. And surprisingly, we noticed there is now a sag or depression in the middle of the mattress (which ironically does not affect the softness level at all). We would expect some sagging after several years of use, but certainly not after only six weeks. This is clearly defect and a quality issue.

February 22, 2010 – We called Gardner White once again and complained about the quality of the mattress set, despite having tried their suggestions. They arranged for a technician to come out to our home and inspect the mattress.

February 25, 2010 – The technician performed the mattress inspection and would not address the “softness/firmness” issue. He did mention that the depression in the middle of the mattress was only 1 inch, and therefore within manufacturer’s parameters.

February 25, 2010 – Having strongly disagreed with technician’s findings, we called and spoke with store manager, Dwane, regarding our mattress issues. He advised that the technician had not yet officially filed his report, and that there wasn’t anything they could do until the technician did so. He expected the technician to file his report on the following Saturday.

February 27, 2010 – We received a voicemail from the Gardner White technician that the report had been filed, and that there wasn’t anything they could do to help us. We called Gardner White and spoke again with the store manager, Dwane, who reiterated the technician’s findings. We were given these options:
1) Wait until the official 60 days after purchase date (2/12/10), and exchange the mattress set for another. We would be subject to a $59.99 exchange fee, plus 10% restocking fee. *We refuse to pay these outrageous fees to replace a mattress that is defective. *
2) Have another “third party” company come out to inspect our depression issue. If the “third party” comes out and determines there is more than 1 ½ inches in depression, then at that time the mattress would be deemed defective, and they would replace it for us. However, they will NOT address our “softness/firmness” issue – as this is “subjective” – and therefore they are not able to help.
*Although both of these issues are important and warranted, the most important issue to us is the “softness/firmness” issue. If the “third party” cannot repair the “softness/firmness” issue, then we do not see the point in bothering with this option.*

A few other relevant FACTS:
• We purchased the Guardsman Mattress Protection Plan with our set (noted on invoice)
• The Gardner-White website mission statements says:
Buy with confidence.
At Gardner-White we guarantee that our prices are the lowest in town. If you find the same furniture with the same terms for less we will refund the difference. We also guarantee our products against manufacturer’s defects for at least one year.
These are just a few examples of our commitment to our customers. Because at Gardner-White, providing you with great furniture and great service is what we do.
http://www.gardner-white.com/about_us/mission.php

In summary, we purchased a mattress set from Gardner White Furniture Store in Canton, MI. When it was delivered, we found the set to be defective. Upon seeking help from the store to rectify the situation, we realized we may have fallen victim to the store scam of “bait and switch”. Either the store intentionally misrepresented their merchandise on the showroom floor; or we received a defective set – for which the store will not take responsibility for. In either case, unscrupulous business practices are being used here, and we intend to stand up for ourselves in order to make this situation “right”. Ultimately, we are not looking for our money back, we are not looking for a different model mattress. The outcome we would like to see is to have Gardner White replace our defective mattress set with the same make & model without the defects.

I purchased a Big Picture TV package from the Gardner White store in Canton, MI on Feb 22nd, 2010. I purchased the package that included the Lipari sofa, loveseat, tables, 42” and 24” TVs for 3399.99. I also purchased leather protection for 179.99, paid shipping of 69.99 and taxes of 214.80. Total purchase amount was 3864.77. We purchased that day as we were told the sale was ending that weekend of President’s Day. We couldn’t make it in Sunday, so our salesman Terry said they’d extend the offer to the next day.

On March 7th, I went back into the store with a friend who was interested in buying a sofa. I noticed that the sofa and loveseat I had just purchased were on sale for the “Employee Discount” sale, marked down to $982 and $962. I spoke to my salesman, Terry, who, talked to the manager Dwayne, who advised that the only thing I’d be able to do is return the purchase and pay a 25% restocking fee. At this point, I had the sofa, loveseat, and TVs. The tables were on back order. I expressed that I’d have to think about it, and the salesman said “let me know what would make you happy”.

I went home and crunched numbers. If I were to have purchased everything when on sale, there was a price difference of $540.81 (sofa = 982, loveseat = 962, tables 369.99, 24” TV from Best Buy = 229.99, 42” TV from Best Buy = 599.99, leather protection = 179.99). I did not include the price of shipping or taxes as I was told that would be paid for if we did not buy a package. I returned to the store on March 8th to speak to Terry and show him the difference. He said Dwayne offered to pay for my taxes and shipping. I said that was not enough and I would like to speak to Dwayne. Terry went back to talk to him, and came back and advised that Dwayne would pay for taxes and shipping. I reminded him that’s what the initial offer was, and that I’d like to speak directly to Dwayne. He went again to talk to Dwayne, and came back again, as Dwayne was “very busy” that day, and offered to round it up to $300. I said I didn’t believe that was all they could do, and that I’d like to speak to Dwayne. Again, Terry went to speak to Dwayne, and returned and said he would offer me $400. I asked why Dwayne would not speak to me directly, and Terry advised he was busy with other things. As I waited, Dwayne finally came over and sat down to talk to me. At first things were cordial, but as we started to talk, he became agitated and stood up. So, he was standing over me, talking over his glasses at me. We discussed the price difference, and he said since it was TV package, there was nothing he could do. I asked since the tables weren’t delivered yet, could we do a return (on paper) of the purchase, we return the TVs and not have the tables delivered, and just keep the couches. He claimed he couldn’t do this as the couches were already in our home and that it was corporate policy. I tried to tell him that I felt that I was getting the run around, however, he cut me off, and said “no, I was not”, and then proceeded to push a handful of paper toward me to tell me how busy he was handling other issues. I advised that I would be calling the corporate office, to which he said go ahead, and walked away. Terry returned and apologized, and said the $400 offer was on the table. I said I’d let them know what I would do once I talked to corporate.

I tried to call corporate from Gardner White that day and could not get through. I called the next day Tuesday March 9th, and left a message for Ms. Preston. She returned my call on Thursday March 11th, which I missed. I called her again on Friday March 12th and left another message. I did not receive a return call, so I called again, today Friday March 19th.

In the meantime, the loveseat that was delivered did not have even cushions on the back. I called the Canton store and set up an appointment to have a technician come out and look at it on March 16th (the tables were also delivered that day). The technician came out, took pictures of the uneven cushions, sat in the seat, and gave me a receipt and advised that someone from the office would be calling me with results in a couple of days. I also asked him to look at the handles on the recliners as the handles on the loveseat automatically go down, and the handles on the sofa stay up when the seats are reclined. I received a call on Thursday March 18th from the office, stating that they found no manufacturer’s defects, and that the loveseat could be adjusted via clips in the back. I asked who would adjust it, and was told that they had talked to their buyer and they said it was fairly simple and that I should be able to do it. I advised that I thought it was odd that they would ask the consumer to fix their own product, and was told they would transfer me back to the Canton store to set up an appointment to have a technician come out and adjust the seat. I was also told that no products are perfect as they are “movement” pieces, and are made in more than one piece. I was also told that the buyer said the handles would not go down unless the seats were fully reclined. I advised that I’d be talking to corporate regarding other issues I had been having and that I’d let them know what I’d do.

At this point, I am ready to return everything I have purchased, and expect to not pay a restocking fee, OR, I expect that something be done to rectify this situation.
First, I feel that we were wrongly led to believe that the sale was going to end that Sunday, when in fact, it’s still going on now. I was told that no where in the advertisements does it say “Free TVs” as I advised that really, we had paid for the TVs in our package, but strangely enough, your website says ““FREE HDTV/GAMING CONSOLE” OPTIONS:”.
Second, your website mission statement says that we can:
Buy with confidence.
At Gardner-White we guarantee that our prices are the lowest in town. If you find the same furniture with the same terms for less we will refund the difference. We also guarantee our products against manufacturer’s defects for at least one year.
These are just a few examples of our commitment to our customers. Because at Gardner-White, providing you with great furniture and great service is what we do.
http://www.gardner-white.com/about_us/mission.php
I certainly don’t feel very confident in your “great furniture and great service” at this point.
Third, I feel that the manager at the Canton store Dwayne was rude and tried to bully me out of the store. I get that people are trying to sell a product and make money, but let me tell you… the friend that went with me that day looking for a sofa, went and bought one from Art Van after hearing my story!
Fourth, I find it extremely frustrating that I would like to make an informed decision, and can’t because I am waiting for Ms. Preston to return my call for a week.
Fifth, I cannot fathom that you would tell your consumer to fix their own product that is not 100% right, especially after the office said they could tell by the pictures the back didn’t match. And why, if the technician could have adjusted the back of the loveseat, didn’t he do when he was out here the first time? I don’t believe they knew what they were talking about, especially since they admitted they didn’t know how the furniture worked. And the handles stay up even if the seats are fully reclined, so again, it’s apparently the buyer vs. the consumer.
I am asking for either a refund of the difference in the price noted above, or take back the tables and TVs, and give me the price of the just the couches that was offered during the “Employee Discount” sale. And, the back of the loveseat either needs to be fixed or replaced. After the poor service I have been given, if these two things cannot happen, I will expect that I will return the entire purchase without paying the restocking fee. I would hate to have to tell everyone I know what has happened, as I’m sure you would not want to lose anymore sales to a competitor that has obviously figured out how to please their customer.

Update - When I talked to the top of the chain manager, Ms. Preston (I still have never found out her first name) she said "I am NOT sorry that you are not happy with your furniture", and that they'll "adjust it to manufacturer's specs only". So, if they can't fix it, I'm stuck with a lopsided couch. She said they don't do returns. Well, I can tell you I will never go back there, my friend who was going to go there went to Art Van. I should have just bought from Costco... they take ANYTHING back

I placed six chairs in their layaway at the end of November. I added a chest piece the next month to the layaway. Both the salesperson and office people assured me that I could make payments every two weeks on merchandise til it was paid for, which I did. My payments ranged from 300 - 100 every two weeks. On March 20th the salesperson called to let me know that the furniture had been "dropped". I have almost paid for all the furniture. The chairs had been selected by me because they matched my existing table and two tapestry head chairs that I already owned. The chest was selected becasue it matched my existing bedroom furniture. I am now told by the manager "Pam" that I can not receive a refund and must "just pick something else out." Maybe Pam doesn't understand that you just don't pick furniture out that you don't need, or that doesn't match your existing stuff. I am now BEING FORCED TO BUY WHAT I DON'T WANT OR NEED. I DID NOT BREAK MY CONTRACT WITH THEM - I DID PAY ACCORDING TO THE PLAN. THEY ARE THE ONES NOW WHO CAN NOT GIVE ME WHAT I WAS PAYING FOR. YET THEY WILL NOT REFUND MY MONEY FOR THE GOODS I CAN NOT RECEIVE. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE BELIEVE THEIR POLICIES ARE SOME KIND OF LAW! HOWEVER, THEIR COMPETITOR ART VAN GIVES CUSTOMERS THE OPTION TO EITHER SELECT ANOTHER PIECE OR HAVE THEIR MONEY REFUNDED IN SUCH CASES! SO, PEOPLE GO TO ART VAN AND DON'T MESS WITH THE SLICK TAKE YOUR MONEY WHEN IT AIN'T YOUR FAULT PEOPLE AT GARDNER WHITE! (I WONDER WHAT BILL WOULD THINK OF THIS?)

My husband and I put the Southie reclining 3-piece sectional "big picture package" on layaway towards the end of January. We put about 20% down. We went in today (only a couple weeks later) to take it out of layaway and after paying I was told that the item was discontinued. Wow, now I'm told that? I would have appreciated a phone call so that I could change plans. Now I'm stuck waiting for the bank to redeposit my money so that we can start our furniture search all over again.

Not to mention, our salesman Joseph seen us come in, remembered us and said hello, but when this issue arose he hid in the back. Now that's some wonderful customer service. Never will I step foot in Gardner White again.

I too have an issue as yet unresolved with Gardner White. My sofa is 11 months old and the cushions are totally flat. They can not be fluffed up. It feels like you are sitting on the frame of the sofa or the floor. The filling is a piece of foam with a little batting wrapped around it. There is not enough filling. Also, when using the arm rest you can feel the wood frame of the couch. It is very uncomfortable.

I too had the unpleasant experience of talking to Ms. Preston and another manager. They had a fast talking guy come out and brush off our concerns saying there is "no manufacturers defect". Sound familiar? There wasn't even an attempt to resolve the issue.

On August 30, my husband and I went into the Gardner White furniture store on Hall Road. We spoke with the salesman Jose about a particular couch. We must have taked with him for about an hour and wanted to make sure that the couch that we liked was durable. We were very undecided about this couch and he assured us that the fabric was extremely durable and that the company that manufactured this couch was a well known company for the quality products and assured us that it came with a great warranty.

On August 31 this couch was delivered to our home. On September 13 not even two weeks later, my husband was lying on the floor by the couch and saw that there was already a wear whole in it! Upon further inspection of the couch, we found another wear whole that was very small, but obviously would get bigger. We immediately got in the car and drove to Gardner White. the woman behind the desk was extremely rude to us and basically told us it was our problem. We kept complaining and then jose appeared. When he found out we were there to complain about our furniture, he literally put both hands in the air and stated that we would have to deal with someone else on the issue. Finally, a manager came out to speak with us. We were told that someone would come out today to take a look at it and see if it was fixable and we were led to believe that if it was not fixable, they would just send us another one.

Well, we received a call from the company on our voicemail stating that the report came back that the couch was unfixable and that again it would be our problem and it would only be fixed "at our expense"! After hearing this voicemail we both went over to look at the couch again and found ANOTHER whole in it!

My husband spoke and talked to someone who was really rude to him and then finally was connected with Connie. She is basically telliing us that it will be up to the manufacturer to deal with this that if we would have called within 48 hours they could have done something through Gardner White, but not now. I find this funny since after reading other complaints I find that someone was told three months.

This is horrid customer service and absolutely unacceptable! You would think that they would want to make their customers happy and would do whatever they could to satify us to keep us as future customers and to gain more customers from great word of mouth. However, this is not the case. I guess they would rather lose us as customers and lose future customers since my husband and I plan on telling everyone we know not to go to this store. We are now stuck with paying over $1600 for a couch that is a piece of *** and we haven't even received the first bill yet!

In November, 2007 I paid over 3, 000.00 for a Living
Group from Garnder White by June, 2008 the cushions begin to desegregate with little or no use of
this furniture. I called the Warren store, And I told
sorry there nothing they could or would do about it.
I am now forced to purchase form cushions from other
sources. BEST ADVISE TO NOT SHOP GARNDER-WHITE.

I purchased a mattress at Gardner White in August 2007. Within a month, the mattress sagged over 1+ inches...it actually was 1.25 and they finally exchanged it for another one, after many calls, much hassle, the salesperson never returned my calls. I specifically asked the sales person if this mattress would sag and he said NO...now that I have the new one, it has sagged yet again over 1.5+ inches. I only weigh 135 lbs. I have called them to send someone out yet again and they were supposed to be here this morning between 8 and 10 am. Of course, they have not shown up. I am disgusted by their rudeness, the lies of the salesman and their overall attitude once you have left the salesroom; I will neer buy anything from them again. EVER.

Ordered two tables. Picked each of them up. When the boxes were opened at home, each one was damaged. One broken shelf and one damaged side board on the sofa table. When we reported the first problem we were told that their policy was to repair all damage. We weren't told anything else.
When we picked up the second table, again I wasn't able to get to it right away, it was 4 days later when I opened the box. The box that had the legs in it was already opened. So was the bag of screws! So this thing had been delivered to someone else who didn't have to keep it. Now, I'm really po'd. When I called, they wouldn't take the thing back because their policy requires any returns to come back within 48 hours. So again we have to get the repair guys back.
One more thing, do not buy any Ashley furniture. It's crap! Made in China. Everything but the drawer guides and the legs are made of particle board and the finish mars with the weight of a lamp that has a felt covered base.

The Canton, MI store advertised a free set of sheets with the purchase of a new Serta Branford mattress set. I called 2 days after receiving the set, because the "coupon" for the free sheets did not arrive with the mattress set. I was promised by the salesman, Marvin Blaze that it would be in the mail and I would be getting it within two weeks. I called after about 4 weeks and he told me again that he would send it out and I would get it within two weeks. I called again after 2 weeks and was told the same thing. After another 2 weeks I went to the store and was told again that it would be coming from the headquarters and I would get it in a week or two. It has now been 2 weeks and I still have not received the coupon. I will never do business with this store again, and I will make sure I spread the word to everyone I know not to do business with this store.

The dinette chairs we purchased several months ago "as is" floor models are completely ruined &
are not useable. I am not that naive to believe
that this is the fault of the person sitting in these
chairs. An inferior product was put on the floor
& touted to be something it is not.Being a machine
& tool designer for the last 30 years has taught me
to understand structural integrity. These chairs do not have it! Unfortunately I purchased these chairs against my better judgement, but was assured by the salesperson "not to worry." I would prefer to settle this amicably with perhaps a trade or something, because the junk I have sitting around
my kitchen table isn't getting it,get it?

I initially put up my complaint on complaints.com but after seeing so many of them against Gardner White on this website, I thought I would add to the list. I purchased a top of the line Beauty Rest Mattress. Within 5 days of purchasing we realized how bad the mattress is. There are bumps and indentations all over the mattress.

Initially we thought the mattress is built that way to provide more comfort, there must be a reason or technology associated for the bumps.

But we soon realized there is no reason whatsoever -we approached Gardner white ,warren,Mi with in a week's time (The place where we purchased the mattress around July2004) - to exchange the mattress as it was very uncomfortable to sleep on it .

We were told there are no exchange or returns for mattresses. We really felt very cheated.

With no choice available -we started sleeping on the same mattress thinking probably after a month we will get adjusted but after a month, I developed severe inflammation of the
hip joint (I have doctors consultation receipts to support this statement) and my wife started having similar backache problems - because of the unevenness of the bed.

Right now we are sleeping on the floor. We don't have any of the back problems anymore.

But is there any justice to this -every month I pay around 40$ to Gardner White towards the mattress and I will have to pay this till July 2007 and we get to sleep on the Floor. Can Gardner White or Beauty Rest People -Explain?

It is not only selling a product, customer satisfaction is also very important.

Sharath

About 5 years ago now, I purchased an entire bedroom set at Gardner-White Furniture in Canton, Michigan. It is a nice looking pine bed with headboard and footboard. The mattress sits on 4-5 wooden slats that run across the frame all the way down the center. At the time of purchase, the salesperson didn't inform us that we would be voiding our warranty if the frame didn't have a center support. Actually, there was never any mention of a center support.

And why would it be sold without it, if required, any way? Our mattress now has two indentations where we sleep on each side. The center does not sag. Also, we are not large people, not that it should matter of course. So far, we have had two inspectors come out. We were denied both times due to lack of a center support. This really makes no sense to me since the bed doesn't sag in the center, but this is what they tell us.

I have spoken to the Simmons sales manager of this region. I came to find out that he believed we had one of those metal frames which do require the center support. After informing him that we had the wooden frame with the wooden slats running down the center, he still denied us our claim. At first I figured there was nothing I could about this, and almost let it go-- until I started shopping for new mattresses.

That is when I learned that the center support issue is for the metal frames which only support the edges of the mattress. Our frame supports the edges, as well as having the wooden slats running across to support the center. This is probably why our mattress doesn't sag in the center. And why didn't Gardner-White Furniture in Canton. MI inform us of this issue at the time of purchase? Which reminds me- Bill Bonds (famous local news anchorman)- if you happen to read this- please quit doing these stupid commercials for this company-Gardner-White Furniture in Canton. MI . They don't care about their customers either. You can't need the money that badly...

Any way, I am thinking of starting up my own website dedicated to the people whom have been denied a warranty claim based on some bogus excuses by Simmons. Some type of don't buy a Simmons mattress.com site. Maybe if we can get enough people to boycott their products, they will change their minds about how they treat their customers. Any short clever names for this site will be appreciated. In addition I am going to look into starting a class-action lawsuit against Simmons, if I can find enough consumers whom have been wronged by this company.

I think I will start locally, calling up the local news stations here in metro-Detroit. They seem to like going after companies who don't honor their contracts. Well, I am starting to ramble on a bit now, but this really makes me angry. We need stronger laws in this country to protect the consumers. After all, we are the backbone of this great nation...

Sincerely,

Just another sucker whom has been screwed over by Simmons and Gardner-White furniture in Canton, Michigan...

Dana B.