Delivery Service
Sadly delivery is probably one of the most variable of services. There are a wide variety of companies involved in the supply chain, the level of service you receive is generally based on cost spent by the retailer on delivery and not necessarily related to the amount you paid for your furniture. The industry details are not necessary here but these are the facts you need to establish:
- Does the supplier have its own delivery team or does a third party deliver, if so who?
- Do two men deliver or just one?
- Will the items be placed in my room of choice, left in the hall, outside my front door or at the foot of my drive on a pallet?
- Will I get a delivery time, a morning or afternoon slot or anytime on a specific day?
- How long will I have to wait for the delivery to be arranged?
Some delivery men will go the extra mile and all your new furniture will be placed where you want it by two people with the minimum of fuss. At the other end of the spectrum, one guy may be dragging your heavy and expensive new furniture across your gravel path and leaving it in the pooring rain outside your front door. Find out what you can expect, so you can have an extra pair of hands or two available if required.
No matter how good the delivery firm is, congestion and problems on the day mean a delivery may be late. I would therefore never recommend to arrange help to assemble the furniture on the same day it is to be delivered. Otherwise you may be wasting their time, patience and good will. This is a fact of life in the UK and planning same day delivery and assembly can be fool hardy.
In general, an in-house delivery team will provide a much higher level of service than a large delivery firm, who will approach it from an 80:20 i.e. provide a service that will satisfy most customers, but not specifically you.
Delivery Receipt
When you receive the goods check the packaging is in good condition before siging the delivery note. This is the single biggest indiciator of whether an item has been dropped and its contents might therefore be damaged. Make a note of any damage on the delivery sheet, if need be open it there and then and check it. Don't be shy, you've paid for it, you ought to be diligent.
- Bashed corners of boxes, are often suspect, some suppliers re-enforce boxes in this area, but not all.
- Tears in packaging along the flat surface of a box, often indicate another box or item has been dropped on it.
The packaging usually does its job and damage to the packaging does not necessarily indicate a problem, but it is something to look out for.
The majority of companies both large and small that I have seen will replace any damaged goods without question. In some cases, they offer compensation in the form of vouchers or a refund, if there is damage and this is mutually beneficial and acceptable. However the process with some of the larger firms can be laborious, so it is well to know your statutory rights and stick to your guns if you have a problem. NB: Many retailers offer "terms and conditions", "guarantees" and "warranties" all claiming to be in addition to your statutory rights, but these often offer lower levels of redress than your statutory rights, so do not get fobbed off by these if there is a problem. Be aware also that furniture is heavy and expensive to move, and if the goods do not meet the conditions of the sale you are in a very strong bargaining position.
In our opinion if you are delivering large bulky items, such as furniture, whether it is pre-assembled or flatpack furniture ready to be assembled. If the packages are large the delivery team should consist of two helpful men, the advantages are:
- Two experienced people carrying the box ensures the furniture will not get damaged
- Two helpful men who will carry the furniture to the room of choice and not whinge about extra flights of stairs and so on.
In my experience the market leader in providing this two man furniture delivery service is
Network 4
Flat Pack Blog
Sunday, February 6th, 2011
Whether it is a bunk bed or loft bed, it is important to heed the warnings on the instructions. If you do not attach the slats properly to the upper bunk your child can suffer serious injury. The following two things have been identified:-
- The slats must all be fastened down on the top or raised bunk. On a normal bed the slats are often strung together and fastened down at six anchor point. If the slats fall through the bed you only have 12 inches to fall so no issue. If you are on the top bunk, such a fall could cause a serious injury, especially considering the way the slats might move and trap an unlucky child.
- Slat must be placed right up to the head and foot boards on the upper bunk. Again an unlucky child could slip and get trapped in a seriously uncomfortable or fatal position.
The chances of these two things happening are increased during play and therefore it is imperative that bunk beds and loft beds are assembled correctly.
