Crap, crap and more crap

[byhammerandhand]

What is happening to the quality of today's furniture.

A couple of calls today.  From one extreme to another

1.  La-z-boy duo recliner loveseat.  About 18 months old.  Broken metal in mechanism making the footrest inoperative.  What was not plastic in the mech was metal about 1/3 to 1/2 the thickness of my La-z-boy that's 38 years old.  None of the footrests in this recliner nor the matching reclining sofa fully seat without giving them a kick.  Fabric around the switches for recline pulled out around the plate and it looked like the buttons were hidden behind a fabric rip.   (This was in a junky mobile home park, so I'm guessing they are still paying for this on 48 months same as cash"

2. Mid range ($400K+-) house, brand new, new bunch of furniture.  This house was probably less than 6 months old as it was one of the few on the street that was so new it's not on any online maps.
Bottom of drawer on a bench separated from back of drawer.   Bottom was 1/8" plywood set into a 1/16" groove in the back.  Plywood in back sheared off about 1/32"   Three upholstery staples (that appeared to miss) and a thin line of caulk was all that held it in.   Matching dresser had two drawers where the same 1/8" plywood was in a 28" wide drawer.   Across the bottom was a 1/8" gap where two face plies were just laid up.   Pressing down lightly on the inside would cause the weak area to sag and gap.    Bed headboard (same room)  had a 1.5" dent right in the veneer -- probably over a void.  And a leather ottoman had an open seam on both sides of the button in the center.  

And yesterday -- RH pieces in a $1.25 million house.  Outside backs had a piece of fiberboard that was brad nailed onto the frame.   Brads all pulled through.   The board was loose and bulging and if you pressed on it it would go in about 1/2" and clunk.


... and they say reupholstering on a piece of furniture with good bones and will outlast this junk by generations is too expensive.

[kodydog]

 A lady called yesterday and told me she found 4 springs under her recliner leather sofa . She said the seat feels like she's sinking in. She said the coil springs are 1/2 inch thick and 5" long. I was sitting there talking to her and trying to figure out what type spring system this is. She volunteered to bring the springs to me to examine but I told her I would need to see how they are fastened to the sofa to figure an estimate. Are they fastened to the top of the frame or to the bottom of the frame. Or maybe to the side of the frame. Who knows and i have this sinking suspicion an on site estimate will be a big waist of time.  I'll bet you a dollar to a doughnut this sofa is recycled leather, $800 out the door.

[baileyuph]

There are a lot of ways this discussion can go.  The one point that came to my mind is consumers are driven by price!  Why, well more than one reason but price drives their decisions because that is the easiest to understand. 

If it is "new"  it should be good, is a point consumers think.

They will (many consumers) will spend more for a smart phone, or something of the sort.
than they will for a piece of upholstered furniture.

I do not think anything is going to change, hope I am wrong.

Doyle