Dear Help Squad,
I’m hoping you might be able to help me in my fight with La-Z-Boy over the purchase of a recliner. I have had over three months worth of interaction with “Customer Care.” I really don’t know what to do next. PLEASE, PLEASE help me return this chair that now sits unused in my living room. I am simply exhausted!
Thank you,
Pam, Huntley
Help Squad asked Pam to provide more information on the issue she was experiencing with her new recliner. In response, Pam sent a very detailed log documenting every interaction she had had with La-Z-Boy from the chair’s purchase on Aug. 9, to La-Z-Boy’s several attempts at repair, to her complete exasperation on Dec. 23, following several requests for a full refund.
Below is a summary of her saga:
• 8/9/14 Pam ordered “the chair of her dreams,” a leather Pinnacle Power Recliner XR+, for $2024.29.
• 9/17/14 The chair was delivered. Immediately after sitting in the chair, Pam was “horrified by how badly it hurt my back. It felt like a brick in my lumbar area!” She was told by the store there was nothing they could do; La-Z-Boy Customer Care would have to schedule a technician to come out.
• 10/1/14 A technician from Advantage came to Pam’s home, looked at the chair without sitting in it, took pictures and stated it met company standards.
• 10/8/14 Customer Care called and said there was nothing wrong with the chair. Pam asked for a refund and was denied. Following a lengthy conversation, Pam was told she would receive a new back cushion.
• 10/20/14 Pam received, not a new back cushion, but two large bags of stuffing that required another visit from Advantage to remove and replace the seat back’s innards.
• 11/3/14 Upon replacing the stuffing, the Advantage technician informed Pam there had been several complaints about this particular recliner. For a short time the new stuffing provided Pam some relief from her recliner’s “brick-like” lumbar support, but within two weeks the cushion compacted.
• 11/17/14 Pam called Customer Care again, and again Advantage was scheduled for a house call. Said Pam, “By now I felt like I was in the movie Groundhog Day!”
• 12/12/14 No call or visit from Advantage resulted from Pam’s November 17 call to Customer Care. Pam was furious. She contacted a Customer Care manager and demanded a full refund. She asked “What does La-Z-Boy’s motto ‘Live Life Comfortably’ mean?”
According to Pam, the manager responded, “Ma’am, we do not guarantee comfort.” An Advantage technician arrived that afternoon to inspect and sit in the recliner. He agreed the chair was not comfortable.
• 12/19/14 A La-Z-Boy Customer Care representative called Pam after receiving Advantage’s report. Pam was told her chair was up to code. Pam expressed her expletive-sprinkled disbelief and was asked by Customer Care if she would like a manager to call her back.
As of Jan. 15, 2015, Pam still had not heard from a La-Z-Boy manager. On Jan. 16, Help Squad called La-Z-Boy Customer Care and was immediately referred to Amy Hellebuyck, manger of brand marketing and public relations. Help Squad explained Pam’s situation to Amy and forwarded Pam’s detailed call log.
The next morning Help Squad received the following email: “I’ve worked with our escalation team to address this matter. [T]he team will be contacting the customer today to pick up the chair and issue a full refund. We believe this will help resolve the issue!”
Pam was thrilled! But then … the scheduled pick-up day came and went with no pick up.
The next morning Help Squad got back in touch with Amy. She very quickly looked into the situation and less than four hours later the chair was picked up. By that evening a full refund had been posted to Pam’s credit card.
Need help?
Did a utilities company overcharge you? Did a boutique deny your request for a return? Are you the victim of fraudulent business practices? Is someone just exhibiting bad business behavior? Let Help Squad make the call for you. Send your letters, your complaints, your injustices and your story ideas to HelpSquad@pioneerlocal.com and we will be happy to help you.