I think my problem is that there is only me and one part time advisor and they would be stuck without me (Im not being big headed)

They are also struggling to employ for a new advisor position as the pay is crap and so I really think they would make me work all 3 months of it.

Interestingly they only have to give me one month…..

I’m a Health and Safety Manager for a local utilities company and classed as middle management.

And after doing a bit more research it seems this is the issue.

The 3 series and 4 series arent that big inside compared to say the octavia (had both an estate and hatch in these) or a superb.

Another contender would be a volvo v60

Cheers all.

Currently in a model 3 which is an absolute pain to get my Levo into.

If I change my job (and it’s looking likely) I will get a car allowance and want something really reliable as it will be used for commuting around sites too.

For my budget (16-20k) I can’t get a newish 68 plate 320d or 420d or an older 16 plate 335d. The 330d and 430d fall somewhere between the two.

Or would you forget both and consider something else ?

Interesting on the inov8 recommendations.

I was reading up on the 345 last night. It says they have a mid sized toe box. How do they fit you MrOAB?

I then read up on the 400 and they apparently have a slightly wider toe box.

I’ve been into loads of shops when trying the Scarpa. They felt great initially but have become horrid to walk in for some reason.

@Renton – how was Motorway to deal with?

Absolutely fine to be honest.

All communication was good and they came when they said they would etc.

Would definitely use again.

We sold my wifes Seat Ibiza to a dealer through motorway. Got £16001 (Only paid £15000 for it new in 2021) and the new dealer have sold it already at £18k

Hmmm I did consider plantar but discounted as Im not getting it in any other shoes or boots I wear.

Its literally just behind my toes on the front of the ball of my foot. Its causing cramp and pain in my toes.

I also had blisters of the outside of my little toes which Ive never had before??

As we age the “ball of the foot” fat pad apparently moves, leaving the metatarsal heads somewhat unpadded. Squeezing/ picking up a towel with the toes can help restore the fat pad I believe. Maybe you need to see a podiatrist.
I had exactly that wearing leather soles formal shoes. More padded shoes less so but it did get worse. The exercises seemed to help.
It’s called “fat pad syndrome” I believe.

Oh that fat pad has definitely moved…… up onto my belly !!

What shop was it again? Just so we all know to steer clear….

Shop was Natuzzi in Wednesbury

You’ve been refunded twice?

Not yet, the shop have said they will refund 3-5 days after the sofa has been collected. When it actually collected today I will email them to say Ive already been refunded by my CC company

Agreed, absolute ball ache

Just thought I would follow this up with the outcome:

The shop have finally relinquished and agreed to take the sofa back, refund us and cancel the finance.

Also, as I felt I was getting nowhere with them I raised a section 75 with my credit card who also found in our favour and have refunded us.

So, a result in the end and I’d like to thank you all for the advice given.

Also if they are saying the quality is fine and it’s fit for purpose and within manufacture tolerance how do I proceed

Good point.

However the t&c above aren’t on my contract that I have with the Natuzzi store. Does that matter ??

My head hurts !!

I do appreciate all the help and advice by the way.

I think I will be emailing and cc’ing that guy mentioned above.

First you need to decide what you want to do. Do you want a refund; do you want a replacement; do you want a repair? If it were me, the fact that half the order is still some degree of lost would factor heavily here.

If you want to send it back, you have 14 days from receipt to reject the goods under CCR as above. You do not need to supply a reason to do this, whether the store or a sofa engineer or your sister’s hairdresser does or does not think it’s faulty is irrelevant. Additionally the store has to have explained their cancellation policy in a tangible medium like a letter; if they haven’t, your cancellation period could be up to a year. And again, you haven’t received the full order, if they cannot provide a date of expected delivery this is also grounds for refund.

If you want a replacement or a repair then we’re into Consumer Contract Regulations. Goods have to be fit for purpose (it is) as described (it isn’t) and of satisfactory quality (is it?). You have 30 days from delivery to claim for a refund on these grounds; after than and inside of six months you have to allow them at least one chance to repair / replace. Beyond that… it gets complicated and isn’t relevant here.

What I wouldn’t be doing personally is tossing about with engineer’s reports and third-party inspections. If you don’t want it then tell them to come get it and don’t take no for an answer. I’ve said this many times now, but I’ve had a lot of mileage out of variations on “just to be clear, can you confirm that you’re refusing to honour my statutory rights?”

Hi Cougar,

Just for clarity;

The Sofa was rejected by email to the store on the same day the first sofa was delivered. Reject under goods not as described and not of satisfactory quality. Asked them to refund ASAP and collect the sofa.

Someone from Natuzzi acknowledged this and said it was procedure to get the sofa inspected before carrying on. I reiterated that we want to reject under CCR. They told me that the inspection doesn’t affect my statutory rights.

Sofa inspected, verbally told by engineer on the day that there is too much material and that it will only get baggier and worse. He said he would report the same into the shop and head office.

I then emailed again saying that we still wish to reject and they need to collect (3 times at this point with no acknowledgement)

Someone from head office emails me saying no chance of a refund, its within manufacturer tolerance and they will repair or replace. I emailed this person, the store and head office plus Natuzzi direct saying we are rejecting and want a refund.

Heard nothing since then.

credit card not sure about it as they don’t normally refund for quality issues.

At a loss now as don’t know how to progress further !

EDIT: they have found the other sofa and its sat in the warehouse.

Cheers for the info.

I think the problem with it is that we say the quality isn’t acceptable and also the sofa isn’t the same quality as the one we viewed in the store but the shop and head office are saying it will s and is also within manufacture specification and tolerance.

The issue I have with that is that I’ve not been shown any tolerances etc.

Yes sorry it’s 2 sofas. Finance company can’t start taking money until we have the full delivery

We have paid a £835 deposit on a 4100 sofa

You furnish the cc company with a copy of the engineers report that confirms they are not of suitable quality.

Hi Captmorgan, thanks for the advice.

I submitted a subject access request to the store/head office asking for a copy of the engineers report which they have failed to give me.

I also contacted the chap that came to inspect the sofa and he said he cant help me, so I suspect he was favouring the store.

Hi all,

This is potentially looking like a no go from a section 75 aspect judging by the phone conversation I had with them earlier.

The guy on the phone didn’t sound to promising and said they cant refund for quality issues as its our interpretation of quality against the shop.

Where do I go from here??

Can’t believe this 🥲

Hi all, further update:

Had an email from a place called “designersofas.com” which is apparently head office:

Dear Mr Hetherington,

Your details and concerns have been passed to me as per our company’s escalation protocol.

I am surprised that we have considered the furniture in need of replacement. The pictures clearly show the furniture is acting within the manufacturers specification and is well within industry tolerance.

As an offer has already been made to replace the furniture, as a gesture of goodwill and on a without prejudice basis, I will continue to allow this to take place.

Should you wish to reselect to another model that would better meet your expectation, I would take this into consideration.

Should either of these options not be acceptable I will close this matter as a refund is out of the question.

Please come back to me if you wish to visit the showroom and I will ask you to be met by a regional manager who can assist you further.

Your Sincerely,

Gary

Designer Sofas

Tilling Road

Brent Cross

Now I’m not sure which way to go now. I have the following points:

This company is not mentioned on any of the paperwork I have. The only place mentioned is Natuzzi Wednesbury which is the shop we bought from
I’ve not seen any of the supposed manufacturer tolerances he mentions and nor where they mentioned to me at point of sale.
If the sofa is within tolerance then why are they offering to replace it?
We had an engineer visit at their request and he told us it wasn’t good enough quality and the material was too baggy.

This is the showroom model which is supposedly over 18 months old. you can all the cushions still look tight with no baggy material. More importantly you can see the clear separation at the middle of the two seat cushions.

This is what was delivered to us: How can they say its right??

What do I do now!!

I have a pair of the my22 and a pair of my23 zebs, there isn’t a lot of difference !

How have you found the 2023 Zeb??

I had a 2023 Zeb ultimate and didn’t have a good experience if I’m honest. Sent back for warranty twice and now being sent a new fork that I’m in two minds about keeping.

The Nightmare Before Creasemas

Fantastic !!! Love this.

Alright….. compo face crisis’ averted. We are now going to the outlaws for dinner.

Now, what do I do about the sofa. Store saying head office issue. Head office won’t answer or return calls or emails.

Should I be allowed to have a copy of the report carried out on the sofa ?

Is it time for a section 75 to be raised ?

Wow, lots to unpick here but:

Only thing I can suggest is calling local paper and getting a story run with a picture of you and your wife both with compo face on with the headline “Christmas is ruined”

We were looking forward to hosting this year, there was a chance that I might not have been here if things didn’t go to plan during my heart surgery. Thankfully it did and I’m here to appreciate that hence hosting the on laws for a change.
One has a dodgy back and the other a dodgy hip. cant expect them to sit on the floor or bean bags all day.

I’d be surprised if they take the sofa back when the cushions just need replacing/adjusting

Engineer has visited and said nothing wrong with the cushions but the actual material is too loose and baggy and some of the actual issues have been stitched in so will always be there. He said that bad that he wouldn’t want to touch it.

How about trying to get the store to swap them with a display model and a partial refund? They might play ball as it means they don’t take such a loss

Did consider this but the store display model is the wrong colour.

Still having no joy with this and I’m not sure which way to go now.

All emails are going unanswered, I visited the store we bought it from and the store manager told me it was with head office and that I would get an answer by Friday. This never happened.

I phoned the head office on Friday morning and asked to speak with the person dealing with it to be told he was out all day and that they would get him to call me. I explained that we just want to get our money back and the sofa collected.

I received a random phone call from someone claiming to be from Natuzzi regional office on Friday afternoon and he said they could offer a repair or replacement. When I said that I had sent in a letter over a week ago rejecting the sofa and that we wanted our money back he said he didn’t know anything about that, promised to call me back and hung up.

Its now been over two weeks since we rejected the sofa and asked for our money back and we are no further forward.

My wife is upset, she thinks Christmas is ruined as we were meant to be hosting her family but now cant as have no where for them to sit.

Not sure what thread it is mate sorry.

This is them:
https://brilliantbikes.co.uk/orbea-spares/3677-orbea-wild-fs-linkage-seatstay-kit.html

They are from the top of the seatstay where is connects to the rock linkage

Ive got these:

They are 31mm long roughly

I’m sure they came off a 2021 Orbea wild fs

Would they be any good?

Weeksy can you post up a pic of the one you still have so I can get an idea.

Cheers

Just to update:

Engineer came to inspect the sofa and did as the shop had suggested and tried to dress the cushions, as expected this just pushed all the loose material to the sides and looked rubbish.

Long and short of it is that he said there is too much material and has been manufactured wrong. He then said he would feed his report into the shop.

This was Wednesday last week and I’ve heard nothing since. I’ve even emailed twice to try and arrange the collection as its now taking up room in our lounge and we are now having to sit on our garden furniture.

Any ideas what my next step is? Do I visit store or …..

I’ve got a pair of Briskers and they weren’t up to keeping my hands warm on Saturday when it was about 4degrees.

I had to borrow a pair of Sealskin dragon eyes which were brilliant.

Going to pull the pin on a pair myself.

Thinking about this….. its been getting worse as the temperature has dropped? Coincidence or not relevant?

It does, if the bushes are too tight then the oil at the top of the fork will get squeezed out of them as you ride and never be replenished as the bushes don’t allow new lubrication past them as they are too tight. The splash oil gets scraped off the stanchion by the lower bush and never makes it to where it’s needed.

That makes sense. Initially they felt fine yesterday but did get progressively worse until the end of the ride when they felt awful. I had cramp in my hands and forearms by the end of the ride. on one section Paul and I swapped bikes as a comparison and his Zeb was just soaking everything up and mine was just pinging off everything.

I’ve sent the original retailer an email and will follow up tomorrow with a call. I know sending them back to SRAM via a different retailer probably hasn’t helped in this case but will see what they say.

SO just to update.

Fork was sent back under warranty and the whole fork apart from the lowers was replaced.

First ride today and initially it felt ok but by the end of the ride is was pretty solid and just rattling me to bits.

I had a shockwiz fitted and after every session it was telling me to take off more HSC, I had wound it right off after the first trail.

I even got Paul who I was riding with to have a go and he agreed its pretty rubbish. He has the 2022 Zeb ultimate and its amazing how supple and plush his is compared.

What are my options here now. I bought it in June and its been back once for warranty which doesn’t seem to have fixed the issues?

Sorry, just catching up.

Cushions aren’t removable so cant take it off.

We have sent pics to the shop and the salesman agreed it didn’t look great.

No different padding options were available. The one one in the shop was meant to be 18 months old and still looks tight with no baggy material.

The sofa in the picture of the good one is actually the same size as the one we ordered, both larges I believe. That picture is what we thought we were getting, is exactly the same as the shop model.

Just to update,

I had a call from the manager at the store we bought the sofas from and he again told me that head office want to send a technician to look at the sofa.

They have also found the other sofa too and tried to arrange delivery but we stood our ground and reinforced that we would like to exercise our rights to a refund due to the quality not being the same.

I also had to say that my contract is with the store and not Natuzzi UK and that it was up to them to deal with Natuzzi UK.

I think I may have to get the credit card company involved as they are not acknowledging my request for a refund and instead keep pushing for an engineers visit

Deposit paid by credit card thankfully. So got a little back up there.

Thanks for all the advice everyone, its really appreciated.

Just had a call from the store.

Apparently Natuzzi head office have said that they have to send out a technician to inspect the sofa before they can move forward??

Pretty sure thats not correct and when I said that I had the legal right to a full refund the chap started getting a bit upset and said he would get the store manager to call me tomorrow?

Have I done the right thing? Do i have to let them look at it before refunding? I’m just worried it will turn into a battle when they try and say there’s nothing wrong with it.