Man's row with DFS over sofa which 'lost colour' just months after purchase
A fuming customer claims sofa giant DFS sold him a dodgy recliner.
Willie Scott is engaged in a bitter battle over the leather three-seater which lost its colour within months of purchase.
Willie, 62, shelled out almost £3000 for ex-display kit which soon went wrong.
DFS chiefs, who sold the sofa at their store in Ayr, are standing firm and refusing to replace it under warranty.
Willie, of Ayr, said: "Marks started to appear on the leather within four months of getting it home.
"When I first complained to DFS, they were trying to blame things like oil from the skin and dye transfer.
"I'd taken out extended warranty so they sent out the firm called Guardsman that deals with that. They've twice re-sprayed it but the problem just returns.
"They've now offered to order new parts and replace the bits that are discoloured but the guy warned me they may not appear exactly the same. It will look like a patchwork quilt."
Willie, who for many years was the famous face behind Ayr United's Pandamonium mascot, added: "The thing that's annoyed me most has been the customer care from DFS.
"Whenever I've tried to go in the store and complain, they always claim there's no manager available to speak to me.
"It's been constant hassle and it feels like they're just not interested now that they've got my money so I've been forced to go to the Ombudsman now.
When contacted by Ayrshire Live, a spokesperson for DFS said they were "very sorry to hear that Mr Scott is unhappy with his leather sofa."
They added: "Mr Scott bought an ex-display sofa, at a discounted price, in our clearance sale.
"At the time of purchase, it did not show any signs of leather deterioration or discolouration despite repeated use in store.
"With leather being a natural product, and therefore porous, it can change texture or colour over time due to a combination of factors including exposure to sunlight, dye transfer from the owner's clothing, applying non-leather specific cleaning products or repeated exposure to oils in the skin.
"Following the initial complaint, no manufacturing fault was found. Guardsman identified that the issue was caused by dye transfer within the home and activated Mr Scott's leather care insurance policy.
"Guardsman has informed us that, under the insurance policy, they have ordered new parts to repair the areas of discolouration and are currently working with Mr Scott to resolve his claim.
"If Mr Scott remains unhappy, we recommend that he gets in touch with the Ombudsman as it is their job to find a fair and reasonable outcome and we are obligated to act on their findings if they differ from those of Guardsman. We hope we can find a satisfactory outcome."
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