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How To Clean My Poorest Barn Couch?

My couch got hit by a car. Now what?

  • I bought a new couch. It got delivered yesterday. The couch is damaged (though it's very minor). I'm going to call "the guy" today and "work something out." Please help me choose the best option. So, the reason the couch got damaged is that the delivery truck got hit by a car on the way to my house. The front corner of the truck got smashed clean off, the cab lost a side mirror, and scary pieces of metal were sticking out every which way. Apparently they got hit by some drunk teens out joyriding. Awesome. Anyway, the couch suffered a puncture wound. It's a slit about the diameter of a nickel, and it's located approximately http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/4051/couch.png. That is not my couch, nor does it look anything like my couch, it just serves to illustrate that it's on the top of the back part, not on a cushion, more or less hidden from view. I noticed it after the guys had finished putting the couch together and hauling it into my apartment. The delivery guys were great about it, took pictures, noted everything fully on a form, and told me that I should do whatever I want, because they're going to bill the damaged truck and damaged contents to the other driver's insurance, and it wasn't going to get them (the delivery guys) in hot water either way. Cool. Here are my options: 1) Get a whole new couch. (This is a very large sectional, and they said it might take a few weeks between ordering a new one and delivering it. I like having my couch right now and would like to continue having my couch.) 2) Let them send someone out to fix it. (It's a microfiber material and the wound is pretty small.) 3) Talk to the shop owner and work out deal where they give me some money back. I think I'm going to call today and ask for a combination of #2 and #3. My questions: a) Is this a bad idea? Should I ask for a whole new couch? I don't particularly care much, honestly, and the idea of getting money back appeals to me. But it's the sort of thing that some people (like, for instance, my mom) would absolutely freak out about. Is there a legitimate reason I should want a whole new couch? b) Assuming I go the other route, how much money should I ask for? I paid $900 for the couch, but I talked it down a bit (a bit). Ideally I'd like to get as much back as possible just because, y'know, money, but I don't want to be ridiculous. I'd also like to be nice about this. The saleslady was very nice to me and gave me candy, and the delivery guys were very nice, too. And they got hit by a car and still delivered in the promised time window. Thanks!

  • Answer:

    Hey, you're me. I'm pretty easy-going about stuff like this. No matter what you do, the insurance company of the joyriding teens, or uninsured motorist or whatever insurance the furniture store has will be picking up the tab. What I'd aim for is let them try to repair the couch AND ask for a couple hundred back. Those are damages that they then could ask for in the insurance settlement. Here's how I'd phrase it: "Hey, this situation sucks for us both. I'm willing to work with you though. Let's see if you can fix the cosmetic thing so that I can live with it. But let's be fair, I ordered and paid for a pristine, new sofa. While I think the repair will be okay, the sofa is damaged and has lost some of its value, so I think a rebate of $$ would be fair." See what they say. More than likely they'll agree to it because schlepping the sofa back, reordering, redelivering and all that hoo-ha will cost them more in the long run. Hondle, baby, hondle.

phunniemee at Ask.Metafilter.Com Visit the source

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If getting a whole new couch is an option that will not hurt anyone but the other driver's insurance company, I would go that route. Furniture is a big expense and you're going to have it a long, long time. It may cause a temporary inconvenience while you wait for the new one to arrive, but if I was shelling out a bunch of cash for something that is going to sit in my living room for years to come, I would want it to be completely right. At least until the cats inevitably tear it up.

something something

1) Get a whole new couch. (This is a very large sectional, and they said it might take a few weeks between ordering a new one and delivering it. I like having my couch right now and would like to continue having my couch.) Is there any reason they have to take the old couch before they bring you the new one? Ask for a new one. The "wear and tear" you inflict on it will be nothing compared to the hole that was in it when you got it.

Etrigan

I will be getting a new couch (er, half of one) this Saturday. I went in armed with so many tools (and a cheat sheet to read, as I am sucky on the phone) and the guy didn't want to play ball, so boom: new couch. I will be vigilant about making sure the color matches. Thanks for the help!

phunniemee

When I've had furniture replaced by a company in the past, they didn't take the old one until the new one was delivered, since freight is expensive, and they don't want to pay for 2 separate deliveries. Likely if you ask to have it replaced, they won't pick up the damaged one until they deliver the new one.

markblasco

I would not buy a couch with a hole in it for less than a 30% discount. I would offer them to keep it for a retroactive 30% off (and in this case I mean a third, 300 bucks) otherwise they can deliver a new one and remove the old one and see if someone else wants to buy it off them at whatever their usual damaged goods rate is.

Iteki

Remember, the $ amounts involved are absolutely trivial for the furniture and insurance companies. Trivial. Therefore, ask for 50+ % off the price you paid. They will negotiate. The furniture company is not going to lose any money because a no fault accident and insurance are involved. They will do just fine, financially. Keep that in mind when you are negotiating and don't feel bad at any point.

Kruger5

What Etrigan said: keep the couch until they give you a new one.

devnull

Is there any reason they have to take the old couch before they bring you the new one? I don't see one, but that's what was implied by the delivery guys. I didn't think to ask, but obviously I can ask on the phone today. If you had called to work this out & wanted a new couch while the delivery guys were there, then they might have taken the couch then. At this point nobody's at your house and the company isn't going to pay to have a truck and labor come out twice, once to pick up and another time to deliver. If my experience with damaged appliances is anything to go by, they really don't want to replace the couch, they want to knock a bit off the price to close out your transaction.

headnsouth

If they replace just that section, you have to be careful about matching the colors. Different dye lots could make a subtle, but noticeable, difference. If it were me, I'd ask for a new couch. That's what you paid for.

CathyG

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