West Elm

This review is for their design services. What a horrible experience! Maybe should add some disclaimers on how busy they are and can’t be available. Why claim to offer design services when you don’t really plan to offer them. First, I was told that someone could come to my house. Then they told me I lived too far. I have been trying to get some help on buying a dining table for over a month now. Called several people several times, sent pictures to a couple of people. and finally got a reply after over a month. Several times they said they will call and never did.

Dismal experience at West Elm Austin yesterday… I don’t even have the energy to tell you all the things that made this a crappy shopping experience. I just know that if you want to be confused and abused shop at West Elm.
I won’t ever again.

The design team at this West Elm store is friendly and completely approachable. Today I worked with Lee, and he helped me make a number of decisions. He then completed my online order, of course applying all possible discounts. I love the high-​end look without the high end snobbery :-) Keep up the good work, West Elm.

***MUST READ to rectify the negative reviews /​Recommendation for Sabrina Consolascio***
First all, I rarely write reviews, but looking at the rating of West Elm and some of the negative reviews on here… I couldn’t help try to rectify what is simply habitual tic tac complaining and feedback for improvement. Most importantly, the value service that is very intuitive and easy to make a decision to ensure fitment, design, and style.
I have lived by West Elm for years and only seen it via walking by. However, we walked in just to see the type of furniture was there… Sabrina’s immediately helped out my wife… knowledge of interior design, and A HUGE HELP with a very awkward lay out. We decided to cancel our pending order with a previous furniture store due Sabrina’s service, in conjunction to the intuitive customizable program that help us visualize the lay out and how everything would fit.
She was VERY patient with us as it was simply an awkward layout combined with looking for the EXACT furniture that really made the new condo feel like home. She even went as far as providing us with a measuring tape to go over to the condo to get EXACT measurements of every wall, window, etc… to ensure that the furniture fit exactly to desire. On top of that, we have a new born puppy and smaller dog that needed attention frequently during this long process, she welcomed them to the store and enjoyed the dog’s company!
I would indefinitely recommended Sabrina over at West Elm, as well as West Elm as a corporate organization.

Purchased the Henry leather couch, Mid Century dresser and NOW the Modern Bed from West Elm. Each experience was really pleasant and helpful! The couch was purchased online and the delivery was seamless and quick – much faster than we were told. The dresser and bed were both purchased in store and everyone we spoke to was really friendly and helpful! They explained our purchasing options and talked to us about the sales going on and what our best options were. We are really pleased and can’t wait to have the pieces in our room

Great place to look around for an item. Depending on the item, the prices are not to bad. Customer service ok. Overall not bad, but don’t think that I will be a regular shopper here.

Really Bad, Terrible Customer Service — If I could have given a zero or –1 rating I would have. We bought a bed earlier in the year, 3 months later the bed broke. Emailed customer service on Nov. 13, heard back on Nov 23, service person out on Dec 5, declared the bed unrepairable. Have not heard back from West Elm Since. Tried Calling customer care, on hold for 30 minutes yesterday. Now on hold again.
I guess we will continue to use the paint cans for bed legs for a while yet.

Well first of all, I LOVE West Elm so there’s no need to explain that further here. This is more a review of Sabrina, their Home Stylist. I have been eyeing a handful of items to use as my wedding centerpieces and waiting for them to go on sale. Earlier this week I checked the website and ALL of my items were on sale! Unfortunately it was a particularly busy day for me at work, so I couldn’t hop onto the task as I normally would have. A friend of mine called the store for me, and was lucky enough to get in touch with Sabrina and explain to her the situation. Long story short, Sabrina took SUCH good care of my whole situation and made it her mission of the day to locate and strategize me getting everything I needed at the best possible deal. She helped me stack coupons and figure out quantities. All the while I felt confident that I was being taken care of, which is absolutely not the case with everyone who tries to «help» in these kinds of situations.
I just wish she was still doing wedding coordination, because I’d hire her in a heartbeat :)

Alright, let me give it to you straight:
West Elm has the contemporary conformist aesthetic on lock, but I can’t hate because hey, a lot of it looks good.
Custom ordered a sofa in August. Understood that it would be up to 3 months before delivery. Opened my first and only store card because of the points, which were compelling as described by the salesgirl on such a large purchase.
Points ($) awarded for the purchase were less than promised. And don’t feel all special because you’re offered free shipping… that’s a sales tactic (as discovered with a failed rug purchase). There is no free shipping. Same with discounts. 10% is the town bicycle and may be used as a euphemism for «free shipping.» Ditto for 15%. And what the hell, even 20%.
Sofa was set for delivery about a month ago. It was a two-​piece sectional… one side had been upholstered in the wrong color. WTH. Refused delivery of incorrect side, got on the phone with customer service. They said it’d be another 10 – 12 weeks before the correct side could be upholstered, shipped, and delivered. Yeah, no. Called WE credit to have that half of the purchase refunded. WE wanted to keep my balance. WE credit reversed the charge. Back and forth with customer service several times, still no sofa, and no update by the end of November as promised, which was only a couple of days ago, but I don’t know man, probably should have refused the whole shebang and gone with the vintage sofa at Uptown Modern.
PS: the half of the sectional that did arrive, aka the chaise, is pretty dope.
PPS: the other half arrived! Only I was somehow charged DOUBLE for it, and now have to contact and deal with customer service again :[

So I actually went in the weekend before last to support a pop sale that was going on. I decided since I was already heading to West Elm that I would go ahead and get this lamp I had been eyeballing. Finally commit to it!
The main issue I had was that online the base stands were photographed strangely so it was hard to tell what that the metal looked like. I really couldn’t decide on white shade and silver base or the charcoal shade with the antique bronze base based on the pictures online. I needed to see it in person.
I see the white/​silver lamp but it had no price tag on it. So I asked an employee if he knew how much it was priced at. Online it was $ 299 but who knows how much it’d be in the store. The employee claimed it was «$ 400ish» with a great deal of attitude. He left and came back with a sign that displayed the actual price, same as online, $ 299, but didn’t bother to say anything to me about the price difference or anything else otherwise.
So I looked around the store searching for the charcoal/​bronze combo and I can’t find it. I asked a different employee if he knows if they have the lamp in the color I’m looking for in store. He told me he’d be right back and went into the back of the store. At this point in time I’ve been in the store for 45 minutes with basically no help. I’m starting to wear impatient. I sit down on the couch and wait for the guy to come out of the stockroom. I waited for another 30 minutes. Nothing. No site of him again.
Another employee was helping a customer right next to me. She never made eye contact. She never asked how I was doing despite being about a foot away from me and her customers walking away from her many times in the time span of 30 minutes just standing there.
By the way, it was a Sunday. And I REALLY do get being busy with lost of customers but I couldn’t buy this freakin’ lamp if I tried. I’ve worked retail. I’m a florist. I work with people ALL DAY.
I finally give up. I decide I want to head elsewhere.
We walk out. The first employee who had «helped» me was standing next to door leaning up against the wall looking at his nails. He neither thanks us for coming, wished us a good day, or opened the door for us. Why in the world would you stand where a greeter or doorman would stand and literally do nothing?!
So I really let this brew overnight. I still felt angry about it a full day later so I decided I would reach out to a manager. I called the store and asked for a manager. I can’t remember for the life of me what this girl’s name was but here’s how the exchange between us went. I told her what happened and she said this «well I personally worked yesterday and it was way busier than normal. So yeah maybe the other employees forgot what they were doing». Ummm okay then.
West Elm isn’t Target. I can’t just grab things off the shelf and go up front to pay for them. My purchases are contingent on your employees 1) talking to me 2) getting what I need from the back.
So I let her keep talking. She doesn’t really apologize for the fact I was forgotten or ignored. Just told that that is part of the business. She moves onto what I actually was doing there. She offers to look for the lamp I was looking for in the first place and put it on hold for me. I said I would take either color. But I just needed to know if they had it. She said to give her 30 minutes, that she would find one for me. She took down my information and said she’d out them on hold for 24 hours if she had them.
I never received a call back. I’m livid now. I can’t believe a manager would forget about a upset customer. I don’t know that there’s any fixing this now. I just can’t believe how little everyone there cares.

I utilized the free design service offered by West Elm and cannot recommend it highly enough. I bought a new house and really struggled with finding the right pieces to achieve the look I wanted thanks to my lack of talent in the area. I worked with Christina Rodriguez and simply emailed her pictures of my space, a description of the look I wanted and a few inspiration photos. Even though she had not been to my house, she was able to recommend the perfect pieces to achieve the look I wanted. She guided me on how to mix furniture/​décor I already had with furniture and décor from West Elm and I didn’t feel any sales pressure. Never again will I struggle with decorating my home — I will always reach out to Christina who I know will do the perfect job!

So I say A-​ok only because I have always felt that West Elm, the saddity/​high-​faluton sister of Pottery Barn (yes more expensive then that place) was always over priced for the quality of their product. Now don’t get me wrong, their products are pretty. but I couldn’t ever spend $ 250 on a shelf. an L-​shape wall shelving unit.
This store is well layed out, the customer service is nice, but again the pricing is what knocks it down a few stars for me. I do wish their sales/​clearance area was bigger, because then that makes the products more affordable. and worth the price. I bought a duvet cover, which is too big for my duvet. but the quality was nice. It is much cheaper to buy their products on their website than to go in store (since the website has a huge sale area). BUT my husband was told that if for some reason they have a product in store that was an online order return, they will honor any sales/​coupons that they have online. So that is always nice.
I wouldn’t say don’t go to this store. I am just saying have some money. You need at least $ 100.00 minimum. UNLESS your just shopping for sales items. A duvet can still run you over $ 100.00 … Please take my Unilocal review for it’s face value and not thinking that I am bashing the store. The location is right off 5^th street across from WFM. they knew what clientele they were going for when they built this location.
Check it out, maybe you will find a steal :)

Wonderful store and shopping experience. After shopping everywhere (online and other retail locations) I ended up buying my living room, dining room and bedroom (everything I needed) all at this store. The store manager really helped me find the right pieces and made me feel very confident with what I was getting. I am having everything ship to the store so it can be consolidated and then delivered to my condo via their «white glove» service which will bring the furniture in, un pack, assemble and dispose of all the packaging waste… all in one stop. Great experience with true expertise!

I bought a sofa and a recliner from Lee (who was recommended by Ashley), and we were ecstatic about our experience. Lee looked for ways to get us the best value and he ended up saving us about $ 700 in discounts.
We received our sofa at the store, I went and picked it up, and the crew in the back loaded it up safely and soundly for me. Our recliner should be delivered sometime tomorrow.
We’ve also purchased lots of linens, décor items and the likes at West Elm and have always been pleased.

The furniture is beautiful and I’m excited about my new bed, but I was disappointed with the customer service from Cindy and Sabrina.
In person, Cindy spent most of our interaction on the phone with other customers and tending to other things — but I gave her the benefit of the doubt if they were understaffed that day. She was overwhelmed and a bit scattered.
On the phone the next day, however, I tried to purchase a large item with her and was curtly told «I’m busy, let me hand you off to a sales associate.» Sabrina kept interrupting me and wouldn’t let me ask my questions. She, too, acted like she had better ways to spend her time than tending to me.
It was not the worst service experience I’ve ever had, but it certainly did not match the par of their furniture.

I had a great experience shopping for new bedding at West Elm. Lee helped me find what I was looking for, made great suggestions regarding color & pattern, and got me out of there quickly! I highly recommend shopping at West Elm. Elena was also very friendly and welcoming and together they made the experience pleasant, noteworthy, and memorable. Thanks guys!

I just moved to Austin and needed a new media console. I found the perfect one at West Elm and chose the «In Home/​White Glove» delivery service. I was initially very wary about the delivery. I read so many horror stories and knew that West Elm had no control on delivery quality (since they hire 3^rd party companies).
However, I must say that the delivery service was great! The delivery guys were on time, very friendly, efficient, and courteous. Finally, it was pouring rain on delivery day and they went out of their way to make sure the furniture was covered and that I didn’t have to go outside. I’m really hoping my good experience wasn’t a fluke!

This review is specifically for Cindy, the Operations Manager at the downtown location.
My fiancé and I purchased a Parker dining table back in late August 2014 and besides using it to host our first Thanksgiving, it got very little use. Despite that, six months later the veneer began rubbing off where our chairs pushed in and it was clear the quality of the veneer finish was subpar.
We went into the downtown West Elm store to see what our options were for a refund/​exchange and were reminded that West Elm has a 30 day return policy and we were well outside of that window. This is when Cindy got involved and said she would see what she could do. Long story short, she was able to do an exchange for us, even though they definitely did’t have to per the company return policy. We told her we really didn’t want another of the same table since it was likely to have the same problem, so we selected the Jensen dining table with a tempered glass top (no veneer!) and Cindy quickly ordered one for us and even price adjusted the 51 cent difference in price so that the exchange would be seamless and we wouldn’t have to pay the difference.
I can’t sing Cindy’s praises enough; she is amazing and definitely knows what good customer service is all about. She listened to our concerns, was understanding and very helpful. She went above and beyond to work out all the details so that we could have a dining table we were happy with. Had we had a different experience with this transaction, we likely wouldn’t have continued shopping there, but Cindy really made us feel like our concerns were important and would be addressed. If you ever have any issues at all, just ask for Cindy, she’ll figure it out. Thanks again, Cindy, for all of your help!!!

Let me just say this upfront… I love West Elm. My entire home is basically a (customized) West Elm catalog due, in large part, to Sabrina. Sabrina is a West Elm in-​house design specialist who transformed my empty home a truly magical haven. Whenever friends come over, they always ask if it was designed professionally. I sigh, try to take some credit, and then say, ‘Actually, yes.’ In my home, both of my rugs, my beds, my armoire, all of my bed coverings, my couch, TV console, etc., all originated from West Elm. They’re all super well made and look even better in my home than they do in the store.
Speaking of the store, the downtown associates are all gracious, accommodating, well-​versed in their craft, and generally awesome.
I never write these reviews, but this company deserves it.
Oh — minus one (very important) detail. The fact that you all are still shipping your goods in styrofoam makes me sick to my stomach. It’s non biodegradable, shows a lack of respect for the environment that gives us life, and makes an absolute mess when unpacking. Although you contribute to local communities, you take away when using this packaging. This shows that you are well behind the packaging curve; I work for Dell, and we use compostable mushroom packaging. Please reconsider your outbound packaging.

I love their design, but the other reviewers’ comments regarding customer services at the store are so true. There were plenty of greeters, but none of them are ready to actually help you with any purchases.
I made the mistake of purchasing two rooms worth of furnishings all at once and I’m still waiting on orders made three months ago! First they sent me more furniture then I ordered and then they sent me whatever items they had left of the product despite it being damaged.
The lessons to take away here are:
1. If you can order the items online without using any of their customer service, in store or over the phone, then do so.
2. Don’t order more than one item at a time.
3. Always wait for a sale because there will always be a sale.
4. When you need to return something, just have UPS pick it back up and return to sender. Don’t bother bringing it back to the store because they will do the same thing that you could have done yourself at home, which is to call in to their furniture division and then WAIT.
5. Make sure you check the product availability. West Elm likes to sell products that are almost half a year in back order!