I purchased some furniture from EQ3 last month (specifically the Marcel Double Dresser, the Asterix Ladder Shelf, and the Asterix Ladder Desk) and they were delivered to me last Thursday. While I am happy with the in-store customer service and the quality of the furniture, I am writing to complain about the delivery service policy. The policy says that the Standard Delivery Fee does not include “opening any case good packaging” and that you have to pay a separate Assembly and Installation Fee to unbox the furniture and have the packaging taken away. But if you compare this to any other furniture company, their standard delivery fees already include this type of service. So why should I have to pay an extra cost on top of the $95.00 standard delivery fee to have my items opened, placed in the location I want, and have the packaging taken away? If their delivery fee included that type of service, it would have saved me the time and headache of trying to maneuver a super heavy dresser into place, the multiple trips to the garbage and recycling bins to dispose of the Styrofoam and cardboard, and the aftermath of cleaning up the many bits of Styrofoam lying around my condo floors.
I’m thankful that none of my furniture was damaged in transit. I don’t want to imagine the hassle of returning and exchanging them for new ones. When I read the terms of their Return and Exchange policy, I couldn’t believe how misleading they were. Their website states, “Returns will be accepted within 30 days of delivery /receiving accompanied by original receipt, unassembled and in original packaging.” Clearly their delivery guy wasn’t aware of this policy as he told me the easiest way to open the box for the dresser was to take a utility knife and cut three-quarters of the way down to pop off the top of the box. So I follow his instructions and I now realize that if I had to return the dresser I would have been screwed over. With the box being completely destroyed, EQ3 probably wouldn’t have accepted my return request since the box would not be in its “original packaging.”
All I want EQ3 to take away from this is to seriously consider changing their delivery and return policies. What should be included in their standard delivery charge is having the delivery guys unbox the furniture first and checked for damages before bringing them inside anyone’s home. This would also give the customer a chance to inspect the quality of the furniture and confirm that everything is okay to bring inside. Then the guys can place the furniture where they’re supposed to go and take away the garbage themselves. This is no different from how other furniture stores operate and this type of service should be expected. If EQ3 doesn’t change their policies, I’m afraid they’ve lost me as a returning customer.