Curiosity

Not as big as I thought it would be based on Facebook pictures, I would not characterize this place as a ‘mega’ wear house like they do but it is a wear house and the selection was pretty good. The people who worked there wee very nice. The address listed is incorrect they are at 3100 hwy 105 in Boone.

This 1 star is for Curiosity’s customer service. If you live out of state and decide to order something from this place, please be aware of the following:
1. There is no confirmation email. I initially found this place via Etsy and was expecting to do business that way. However, the business owner called instead, and it was done over the phone. This made it much more difficult, as you couldn’t be sure you were indeed ordering what you wanted. They confirmed the piece by having me read the product name (the three capital letters in the product name within parentheses may seem like unique identifiers, but they are not — ie HAI). To be on the safe side, clearly write down the product names of the pieces you want and take screenshots. When I tried to link back to the product page, they had already taken it down. What’s more disconcerting is that a couple days after I ordered my dressers, Curiosity removed all items from its shop.
2. On their Etsy shop, they made it very clear that shipping was not free and that you must call for a quote. That’s what I did. The policy is that they charge you for the price of the item, plus a $ 40 palette fee first. Once the item ships, then they charge the shipping (which for my order and location costs $ 300) separately.
3. There is no follow-​up on when an item ships. I ordered my item (and was charged for the item) on ⁶⁄₄. I didn’t hear anything for more than a week. (Looking back, I am angry at myself for not asking for more details in terms of when the items will be shipped).
I finally call on ⁶⁄₁₇ (thinking it’s on its way). I knew the store is on the outskirts of NC, so I figured it may take some time. The owner communicates that it will get shipped on Wednesday 6/​19, and it’ll take 3 – 5 days to arrive. I am disappointed, but I let it go. I figure it’s an Etsy shop and it’s worthwhile to support local businesses. Maybe they were having a rough couple of weeks.
3 – 5 days come and go, and I don’t hear anything. So on Tuesday 6/​25, I contact the owner, who now tells me that my dressers won’t ship until Friday ⁶⁄₂₈. Now I’m angry — I’ve already been charged for the dressers ($ 700) + palette fee ($ 40), and you don’t follow up with me immediately to tell me shipping has been delayed? He starts to tell me reasons why and then does not apologize. I point out that I am upset that he did NOT communicate the delay — I mean come on, these are big purchases. On top of that, he now explains that the shipping fee may be an additional $ 20 or more — which is UNACCEPTABLE, since my shipping fee was already $ 300. I clearly explained that I took the time to read all his policies, follow all the rules about calling for shipping, and he doesn’t have the decency to contact me to simply communicate shipping status? I threatened to cancel, but based on his explanation and apology (finally), I tell him to proceed. I tell him to contact me on Friday ⁶⁄₂₈ when the item ships.
Friday ⁶⁄₂₈ comes, and he hasn’t contacted me during business hours. I finally had to text him at 6:12 pm. He doesn’t respond until 8:50 pm with the following:
«I’ll send u a tracking number in a few minutes»
and then an hour later at 9:51 pm —
«Actually it will have to be in the am when I can send that to you, but they are gone.»
Saturday ⁶⁄₃₀ «am» comes and goes, and still no tracking number. So I contact him at 6:42 pm. He finally responds at 7:23 pm. with all the information.
The two dressers finally arrived on Monday ⁷⁄₁.
This has been a very stressful and bad experience. The dressers I ordered were NOT worth the hassle. Sure — Curiosity has some great looking stuff. However, this type of customer service has turned me off completely. I will never again buy anything from Curiosity, nor do I recommend it.