Tough lessons learned about leather
Consumers need keen eyes and thick skin.
That’s thick as in leather.
Within the past couple of weeks I’ve had complaints from consumers about leather furniture. Usually it involves the finish and/or the color of the leather fading or changing color or simply not being durable.
One complaint involved the color of the leather coming off the sofa when a piece of packing tape came in contact with the leather. Another involved the color of the couch smearing and coming off on the skin of the consumer. In both cases the consumer purchased the extra, super-duper extended warranty. And here’s the shocker: In both cases the retailer’s representative initially said the warranty didn’t cover the defective leather.
Note to consumer: Carefully read your warranty. Warranties are contracts between you and the retailer and/or the manufacturer of the product. Read warranties AND contracts carefully and don’t be afraid to ask for clarification before you buy.
In researching these complaints I got a big surprise and an education: Not all leather is created equally. Much of the leather used in furniture manufacturing is made from ground-up scraps of genuine leather. The scraps are ground up and extruded in a process that produces a product that is made of leather but has other materials, dyes and chemicals added. Think of solid wood vs. particleboard. There’s a big difference — both in the quality and the cost.
This is from the website World of Leather: “…small pieces of leather are then glued together with polyurethane and ‘bonded leather’ is born. The look and sometimes the smell can be very convincing. A bonded leather product that is put together well can be hard for the average person to tell apart from real cut pieces of leather.”
Another clue to cheaper leather is the smell and the feel. Cheaper imitations of genuine leathers often have a chemical smell. Some people have become sick from those chemicals. Some of the best examples of bad, cheap imitation leather furniture come from China. Be sure to check where the furniture was made. Another good way to be safe is to buy your leather furniture from reputable local retailers who will stand behind the products they sell.
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A couple of last-minute Quick Tips: 1. Be sure and reconcile your bank account statements as well as your credit card statements. A friend of this column recently found a $2,500 charge made to a checking account with a counterfeit check! 2. Watch your satellite and cable bills for small permanent charges. Another friend of this column was billed $5 for a “regional sports fee.” When he called to inquire, he was told it was a “normal and customary” charge allowed by his contract. Of course it was added without his permission and was nonrefundable. Check your statements, call the provider and complain. Together we can make a difference.
I have many more interesting cases I’m working on as The CDA Press Consumer Guy. Call me, (208) 449-7222, email me CDAPressConsumerGuy @gmail.com or fax me at (866) 362-9266. Also include your full name and a phone number. You can also find me on Facebook.
I will be speaking at the breakfast meeting of the CDA Pachyderm group at 7 a.m. Friday, Feb. 24, at the Coeur d’Alene IHOP. You’re invited. Come join us. I am available to speak to local groups or gatherings; just give me a call.
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Bill Brooks is the CDA Press Consumer Guy. He is an active Associate Real Estate Broker for Tomlinson-Sotheby’s International Realty in Coeur d’Alene.