Consumer columnist and West Hartford resident Harlan Levy has more than 20 years of experience writing stories about everyday experiences that anyone could encounter.

Harlan Levy. Courtesy photo

By Harlan Levy

A regular column reader emailed the following request for help:

“We bought a sectional sofa at Raymour and Flanagan in West Hartford in July 2024. We bought the fabric warranty and paid $209.95 for the platinum protection plan. The center piece of the 3-piece sectional had the seams come apart, because by design you have to stick your hand down between pieces to get to the buttons unlike the end pieces where the buttons are exposed on the arm. I feel this is a design/manufacturing defect.

“Their response that they won’t address it, because it did not happen instantaneously and was not reported within seven days, seems extremely scummy to me. Now, on reading their never ending and all-encompassing list of exclusions, maybe I should have realized they were never going to pay for anything, and I was going to be scammed.

“I was wondering if you think there is any chance at all they might fix it, and, if not, whether you would consider using your column to warn others away from making the same mistake I did.

“Thanks, H.S. West Hartford”

First I reviewed Raymour’s initial response to her complaint:

“Our technicians have reviewed the photos. Unfortunately, the determination was made that the holes were the result of accumulated damage, i.e. they have happened over time. By the terms of your Platinum Protection Plan, issues have to be reported within 7 days to be covered.

“We know this is not the result you were expecting, so as a courtesy we would like to offer you a prorated refund of the remainder of your PPP for that item, leaving the other 2 covered. This would come out to $56.68, which we will round up to $75.”

Another tear in a sofa that Raymour and Flanagan refused to fix in spite of a guarantee. Courtesy of Harlan Levy

I then called the store manager, Julio Garcia, and asked him if he would reconsider as a gesture of good consumer service to a good customer. I also made clear that H.S.’s complaint and his response would be the subject of my next column, which goes to up to 800 regular readers and thousands of potential customers. I asked him to get back to me the following Monday, which he failed to do. I then called him the next Friday. He said, “I escalated it, and [Raymour] looked at it and agreed to fix the sofa, so everything should be squared away.”

I then contacted H.S. To confirm it. She wrote, “You are quite the ombudsman! Brittany from Raymour and Flanagan, and I spoke just now, and they are going to replace the center piece of our sectional. Thank you so much for your help with this! The conditions were paying a $74.99 fee for delivery and removal of the old piece. And an understanding that no further claims of any kind could be made if any issues arose with the replacement center piece. Reportedly, the arm side pieces are still covered by the warranty. Managerial approval from Colleen, more paperwork for me to sign. Thanks for your help with this, H.S.”

And that’s another demonstration of the power of the press.

If any reader has a similar problem, email me at [email protected].

JustAnswer

Last week I wrote about a neighbor’s experience with the website JustAnswer, which answers consumer questions – for a $5 fee. The neighbor then found he was being charged monthly fees that he never agreed with.

This week I received the following from Gregory: “Thank you for exposing these crooks. I did ask a simple question, and they charged $5. I paid somewhat reluctantly. After checking my credit card statement, after two billing periods, I had been charged $65 for their services. To cancel they wanted $3 more online. I ended up calling and got the usual phone tree run around until I got a person. He could refund the newest charge but not the older fee and to accomplish this it cost another $5. What a total scam!”

NOTE: If you have a consumer problem, contact me at [email protected] (“Consumer” in subject line), and, with the power of the press, maybe I can help.

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