Custom Sofa Centre allegedly owing thousands to Queensland customers
Customers have been left out of pocket and distraught as a popular custom sofa company fails to deliver while showrooms close across Queensland.
QLD News
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Distraught customers say they have lost thousands of dollars after a popular custom sofa company delivered defective sofas, or in some cases, failed to deliver sofas at all.
The Custom Sofa Centre, while based in New South Wales, had stores throughout South East Queensland, where customers could design sofas to fit spaces that could not accommodate traditional sofa configurations.
Over the past three months at least four showrooms have closed, with customers venting their frustration on social media.
Laurence Jones, 71, from Caloundra said he ordered two leather sofas worth $3779 from the Maroochydore store in October last year.
He is now worried he will not see the sofa or his money again.
“We were told to expect the sofas at the end of January 2023 as they were being made in Malaysia,” Mr Jones said.
“We are yet to receive the sofas.
“We constantly look at our mobile phones and emails hoping to get a response from the company.
“We are extremely stressed and on edge.
“We now have to outlay more money to buy another sofa. Financially, we have lost money that we can’t afford to lose at our age as we are retired.”
Robert Goodwin shares a similar story. He ordered his custom sofa from The Custom Sofa Centre North Lakes in October last year, with an outlay of more than $5117.
“I have been regularly going to the store since mid-January and asking where my lounge is,” he said.
“I turned up there again earlier this month to have my regular chat but the showroom was empty.”
Ally Brown, 37, from Gympie, said she ordered her custom sofa through The Custom Sofa Centre Maroochydore in 2021.
“I started contact with them when the couch was delayed as this was meant to be delivered early February 2022 but it didn’t arrive until the end of April 2022,” she said.
“The couch didn’t look like the picture we saw in the store. It was also damaged.
“Communication was going on roughly a few times a week and it was draining me going in circles, so it is now 2-3 times a month.”
Mrs Brown said she chose to purchase the couch from The Custom Sofa Centre as they could customise the couch to suit her space.
“The store looked established and I thought I would be getting quality for the extra money I would be paying.
“Emotionally it has drained me as I feel stupid to have trusted and spent so much money on a couch that is now a piece of junk.
“It was delivered damaged, then the entire structural base of one part completely collapsed after just 10 days.”
Sharon Donnelley, 60, from Little Mountain ordered her custom sofa from The Custom Sofa Centre Kawana in November last year and spent $5898 in total.
Mrs Donnelley said she was extremely stressed
“We are wage earners and this is the first time in our lives that we have spent such an amount on a piece of furniture,” she said.
“We are sitting on camp chairs. It has created an awful lot of stress, angst and frustration that is ongoing.
“I do not want the sofa now, I require a refund as we have had to order another sofa which we will pay off.”
Prerna Dugar, 37, from Sunny Bank, spent $6400 in October last year and still hasn’t received her sofa.
“We are definitely down financially after having paid close to $6500 which is not a small amount for any working class family,” she said.
“We sold our existing old lounge set after ordering this new one, and this was the first time when we actually ordered such an expensive lounge set so we can relax with our family.
“We were looking forward to this as we spent months looking for a perfect lounge for our family after finally settling for this one.
“Now we are back to square one with no lounge and no money left to order a new one.”
Denise Corbett, 55, from Weetaliba in New South Wales, purchased her sofa through The Custom Sofa Centre at North Lakes in May 2022.
“I picked up the original item in October 2022, but the combination of seats was incorrect so an additional seat was ordered with an agreed sum of money and that is what I’m still chasing.”
The Custom Sofa Centre was contacted for comment.
Have you had a similar experience? Let us know by emailing danica.clayton@news.com.au.
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