Walter E Smithe Furniture + Design

UPDATE:
The info below is still accurate but I do want to update and say that I did receive a call from Mark Smithe who reviewed my ordered history and has told me that he would order me new cushion inserts. I have not received them, but I was impressed he took the time to make the call.
I do think however, it is unfortunate that I had to go through these channels to get the customer service I would expect from a store like Walter E Smithe. Nonetheless, impressed one of the owners took the time to call.
ORIGINAL POST:
Where do I begin… I bought some furniture 5 years ago from Walter E Smithe (WES) and had a fairly good experience. I purchased a dining room table & 6 chairs, ottomon, slate nesting tables and a large sectional. Looking back I do feel like we got a bit ripped off however. We moved back to Chicago from overseas and needed everything (couch, table, bedroom furniture, etc.). We loved how WES came to our house and came up with a «plan». We ended up buying everything because we needed it right away. In the end we overpaid for our couch by about $ 2500 (we found the same line through another furniture store for MUCH less!). The table and dining chairs were expensive, but more reasonable than our couch. The leather ottoman and the nesting tables were fairly reasonable, about $ 400 each.
Today… we have had a HORRIBLE experience with them. We paid about $ 300 for the Smithe Coat on our very expensive couch, which is supposed to guarantee that the stain would come out. Well, our stain did not come out after several attempts by WES. SO, because they no longer carried our furniture, we got a really nice sectional in its place for a deep discount. Basically, WES took our old couch we paid over $ 5000 for and we paid $ 1400 for a replacement leather couch which retails for about $ 7000. In the end, they just got more money out of us for a warranty that covers crap.
SO… now to the new couch. IT sucks! The cushions are all different, some firm, some super mushy, so much so that your back KILLS if you sit on it for too long. They sent some genius out to see if our brand new cushions were in fact «flat» and did so by simply opening up the cover and checking to see if all the cushions were the same. I asked him to please sit on the couch to feel for himself how different they were and he refused! He said, «all the cushions are the same, new tags, etc, so there is no way some are flatter than others». He also went on to say that the cushions are broken in and the firmness reflects just that. Mind you, our couch is THREE WEEKS OLD! The cushions should not sink like they do. He also said we have probably used the couch a lot… the ONE person who sits on this couch more than others is my 38 lb. 4 year old, who I doubt very much will reduce the firmness of the couch. We are not huge people either.
So, I get a call from warranty saying that the cushions are brand new and uniform and therefore they will do nothing! Our couch is 3 weeks old… no way should they already be «flat» and uncomfortable. WE had a Superbowl party and all 15 of our guests concurred that the cushions were not uniform in their firmness.
SO… now we have paid WES $ 6500 for a couch that sucks.
On another note, we bought a leather sectional from Costco for less than $ 2000 and it is WONDERFUL! It does not come with any warranty however, but the cushions are firm and the leather is very soft.
Lesson learned. Don’t overpay for your couch by buying one at Walter E Smithe, you’re better off paying much less at stores like Crest Furniture (Love this store!), Costco or even Value City Furniture!
PS. I just remembered something else, the person they sent to come check out our cushions went so far as to tell us to move the firmmer cusions to where we sit the most so it is more comfortable for us. Really? REALLY? We pay this much for a couch and we should pick our favorite cusions and position them into the spot we like to sit? I can see having to do with with a cheapie couch or a hand me down, but not one from WES!