When you receive furniture delivery, there are actually many situations that can arise and put you in precarious positions. Almost all of these positions are completely avoidable by simply knowing what to do when the driver arrives, and more importantly, what to do before he leaves. Furniture purchases are usually far too expensive to be ignorant to this information, and the last thing you want is to be stuck with damaged or otherwise incorrect furniture. Here is a little guide on how to handle furniture delivery from start to finish.
The first thing you need to do is make sure you are there when the furniture arrives. While this seems like common sense, many people have "others" take in their furniture. Take the day off work (or half day) and make sure that you receive exactly what you were promised. Additionally, you should make sure that delivery includes setup. If your furniture delivery does not include this service, then you are going to need some help from friends or family. The furniture delivery driver will only be responsible to get the delivery to the front porch-not to the house and certainly not set up in the final resting spot. As such, you should make sure you have some folks to help carry the furniture. If you paid for this service, then this is no concern.
Once the furniture delivery arrives, then you should inspect the cartons completely for holes, tears and rips. Damage of any kind, even to the outer cartons, should be noted and recorded. The reason for this is because it could become very important if you find damage to the furniture. This could have been caused in the delivery process or at the factory. If the outer packaging is damaged, then the damage likely happened in transit. If the outer package is pristine, then the damage was likely from the factory.
Before the delivery driver leaves, make sure that you open and inspect every single piece of furniture. Do not sign any paperwork until you have done this from top to bottom. This means inspect the frames, fabric, legs and function of the furniture. If you have a recliner in the order, for example, make sure that you check the recline option to make sure it works perfectly. If not, then you need to note this on the delivery sheet and contact the furniture company. A quick phone call to the furniture company is vital to the process, because some will ask that you return the furniture.
If you do not call, and accept the furniture, some companies will claim that you are accepting the furniture as is. This is a dirty tactic, so you should protect yourself. Most reputable dealers will not try to stick you with damaged or otherwise incorrect furniture, but it does not hurt to protect your interests. This is done in a few ways.
The first way is to inspect the furniture. The second is to note the problems in writing and on the phone. The third is by having the furniture delivery driver sign off on the damages. Some will resist doing so, but you should insist on this where feasible. When in doubt, simply refuse the delivery. If you feel you are being misled or being forced to accept damaged merchandise, then you should really follow your gut. If the furniture company seems like they might be angling toward sticking you with the furniture for example, you need to refuse the delivery. This is rare, but you should know that you have a right to what you ordered. Do not accept less.
Furniture delivery drivers are usually not employed by the furniture company, and they rarely have an interest one way or the other. The reason for this is because their job is to deliver the furniture. Nothing more and nothing less. Once they deliver the furniture, then they can move on to the next delivery. For this reason, they may rush you through the process. Do not allow them to do this. Take your time and make sure you are getting the furniture you ordered.
In the long run, most furniture companies are going to do the right thing. It is not a bad thing, however, to protect your interests, know your rights and empower yourself. Know what you can and can not do, and be sure to follow through on checking the furniture thoroughly. The last thing you want is to find damage after the delivery. Precious few (although there are some) furniture companies would then do anything to help you. Only the best furniture companies would take care of this type of thing, so do not risk it by skipping the process. If you do these things, then your furniture delivery will go very smooth and your rights will be protected.
