NBC10 Responds has recently seen a trend in complaints from consumers with the same problem: furniture that’s peeling, cracking, and flaking. All of the complaints stem from the same material: bonded leather, which typically costs less than genuine leather. The ‘peeling’ problem is not limited to one store. NBC10 Responds has heard complaints from companies like Aaron’s, Ashley Furniture, Boscov’s, Raymour and Flanigan, and SofasandSectionals.com.
Each company provided a statement to NBC10 Responds:
AARON’S
“Bonded leather is a widely-used material across the furniture industry. Over the last five years, Aaron’s has leased tens of thousands of products manufactured with bonded leather and is aware of a relatively small number of issues. Products manufactured with bonded leather should not be cleaned with abrasive cleaners or leather cleaning solutions which could potentially cause the glue to disengage from the product.
Aaron’s carries a wide range of products to meet every customer’s budget, including top grain Italian leather sofa sets with matching vinyl sides which are popular choices with our customers.
Aaron’s cares about our customers and associates. That’s the value we’ve built the business on for 61 years. When a concern is raised with us, Aaron’s fully reviews the matter and works diligently with our customers in an attempt to keep them as fully satisfied customers.”
ASHLEY FURNITURE
Ashley Furniture Industries designs our products to provide superior value. We continuously seek to improve our products, and Durablend® is no exception. Incremental improvements made to the Durablend® line since 2008 have made it a value-driven furniture option. Although not common, it has come to our attention that some of our customers are reporting that, over time, certain Durablend® products have experienced cracking, peeling and flaking. Because customer satisfaction is of the upmost importance to Ashley, we encourage any customers who are experiencing problems with our products to work with the store where they purchased the product or to contact Ashley’s customer care team (consumeraffairs@ashleyfurniture.com). They will work closely with you to better understand the problem you are experiencing, and where appropriate, explore possible solutions.
BOSCOVS
“We sincerely apologize for any frustration Ms. Gilford has experienced as a result of this situation. As a company Boscov’s values all of our customers and it is never our intent to disappoint anyone.
Ms. Gilford purchased her furniture on February 25, 2014. The pieces were covered by the manufacturer warranty, which is upheld by Boscov’s, for 1 year for manufacturer defects. The additional Guardian warranty purchased by Ms. Gilford, managed by Guardian, covers the furniture for 5 years for accidental stains caused by any food or beverage normally consumed by humans; mold and mildew stains caused by food or beverage spills; stains caused by human or pet bodily fluids; grass, grease, ball¬point pen ink, nail polish, cosmetics, lipstick, crayon, and shoe polish; rips, cuts, punctures or burns from a single relatable occurrence. Lipstick, crayon and ballpoint pen ink marks totaling more than 6 inches in length are considered preventable and will not be covered.
Ms. Gilford contacted Boscov’s on August 23, 2016 and stated that she had already been in contact with Guardian regarding the damage to her furniture, but her claim was denied because they do not cover buckling or peeling of the leather. Upon request, the customer provided Boscov’s with photographs of the furniture. After reviewing the photographs, it was determined that the damage was not covered by either of the warranties due to timing and the type of damage. The customer disconnected the call and we did not hear from her again.
In the interest of customer service, we contacted Ms. Gilford on October 11, 2016 and offered her a refund for the purchase price of the furniture. Ms. Gilford was happy with this and accepted the resolution.”
- In terms of Boscov’s sale of bonded leather furniture – would the one-year factory warranty have covered the peeling problem (if it wasn’t expired)? Yes, any defects with the leather that are not caused by customer misuse would be covered.
- Also – this is a couch that had problems within two years of use. Have you noticed these trend with bonded leather products? Is it disclosed to customers when it is sold? We have no record of the same conditions reported by Ms. Garza resulting in damage to bonded leather furniture. If there was a known issue, we would not continue to sell the product.
RAYMOUR AND FLANIGAN
“The two customers are individual incidents. There is no trend with this type of product. Any customer that purchases with Raymour & Flanigan should reach out to us directly with any issues or concerns.”
SOFAS AND SECTIONALS
“Bonded leather is great for getting the look and feel of leather, at a lower price point. Any furniture cover that contains a percentage of leather can be marketed as "Bonded Leather". Bonded Leather consists of a combination of leather, polyurethane, and polyester. The higher the percentage of leather, the higher quality the bonded leather is. By using the word leather it can make shopping difficult for the uninformed customer. When a customer asks us about bonded leather, we make sure that they understand that there is a difference between bonded leather and top grain leather. If the customer will be putting the furniture in a high traffic area and/or especially with pets, we always recommend a treated, top grain leather as it has the best durability. Bonded leather from a respected manufacturer can still be a great choice, but the customer needs to know that they are not purchasing a real leather and it will not wear the same. If a low quality bonded leather is used in high traffic areas, it can start to fail, and can lead to the ugly peeling of the cover, as this is how bonded leather usually fails. Sofas and Sectionals only sells bonded leather to customers who have been fully informed as to the difference between bonded and top grain leather and what they feel will work for their home.”
Nearly 200 pumpkins were stolen from a family-run farm stand in New Jersey overnight Tuesday, authorities said.
A van was caught on camera pulling up to steal the produce from the Farms View Roadstand in Wayne on three separate occasions early on Tuesday, according to Todd Kuehn, the owner's son.
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Images released by the farm stand -- which has been operating at the location for more than 100 years -- shows dozens of pumpkins missing from the normally pristine lines of produce.
Kuehn said that the stolen pumpkins would have likely sold for between $2,500 and $3,000.
The family is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Anyone with information on the pumpkin thieves should call the Wayne Police Department at 973-633-3530.
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With a push of cold air and some precip on the way, it looks like we could see the season’s first flurries and maybe even a coating for Mount Pocono! However, while I am a huge fan of snow, my concern regarding the cold air and Delaware Valley bound precip is freezing rain and ice pellets. See the Freezing Rain Advisory issued by NWS Mount Holly [[398791961, C,354,274]]
A quick snapshot at temps on the latest NAM run shows a pretty cold thermal profile, so chances are we could see freezing rain for NE and North Central, PA in the AM. Refer to the legend and area for an idea of temperatures.[[398792321, C,450,600]] [[398792431, C,450,600]] [[398792561, C,450,600]]
I also want to add the threat of steady downpours for Philadelphia, for the afternoon and evening commutes.
-Erika Martín
A woman is dead and a man hospitalized after they were shot in the parking lot of a Northeast Philadelphia apartment complex early Friday, police said.
The shooting happened around 1:30 a.m. at the Winchester Walk Apartments at 2600 Welsh Road, police said.
The woman, whose identity is unknown and believed to be between 38 and 39 years old, was found on the ground between two cars. She was shot once in the chest, police said.
Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said paramedics pronounced the woman dead at the scene.
A short time later, a man showed up to the emergency room at nearby Nazareth Hospital with gunshot wounds to his face and left arm.
Police said the man drove himself to the hospital following the shooting.
Small said it appeared the two victims and another man met up in the parking lot when the shooting happened. He is being interviewed by homicide detectives.
At least 12 shots were fired, seven of which were at close range, according to police. Several bullets struck nearby cars and one went flying through an apartment window. No one inside the home was injured.
Small said the victims may have been the intended targets and may have known the victims. Investigators said the shooter could live in the immediate area and that police are going door-to-door to look for witnesses and clues.
Anyone with information is asked to call Philadelphia Police at 215.686.TIPS.
An SUV was flipped onto its side after colliding with a police cruiser in Philadelphia's Hunting Park neighborhood Thursday morning, sending an officer and driver to the hospital, police said.
The officer was responding to a robbery call when her cruiser hit rammed the SUV at Broad and W. Pike streets around 4:30 a.m.
The SUV's driver became trapped and had to be extricated by firefighters, police said.
Both drivers were taken to Temple University Hospital for treatment. They were listed in stable condition.
A West Oak Lane man was shot execution-style just feet from his home early Thursday as he returned home from the 76ers home opener, police tell NBC10.
Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said the 52-year-old man was shot at least six times in front of his house along he 6500 block of N. 17th Street around 12:30 a.m.
Neighbors called 911 after hearing the gunshots and officers found him on the sidewalk with wounds to his chest, torso and back, Small said.
Police scooped him up, rushing him in their cruiser to Albert Einstein Medical Center. Doctors later pronounced him dead, Small said.
His identity has not been released.
Investigators have not yet settled on a motive since the man was not robbed. Small said he still had money, car keys and a cell phone in his pockets.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Philadelphia Police tipline at 215.686.TIPS.
A federal judge has approved a $265 million settlement for the victims of last May's deadly Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia.
The ruling from U.S. Judge Legrome D. Davis released Thursday sets up a settlement program where attorneys for each victim and Amtrak will negotiate how much money Amtrak will compensate each of the injured passengers.
There are more than 125 pending cases from the May 12, 2015, disaster. A speeding Northeast Regional train jumped a sharp curve in the city's Port Richmond neighborhood late that night, killing eight people and injuring more than 200.
The train broke apart after leaving the rails at more than 100 mph. Some cars overturned, others sliced through steel electrical structures and one was crushed like a aluminum can. Four of the passengers killed were ejected from the train.
Federal investigators said the train was traveling at twice the speed limit as it prepared to turn north toward New York City following a stop at 30th Street Station.
Engineer Brandon Bostain lost his bearings after a rock hit the windshield of another train, the National Transportation Safety Board ruled. Bostain told investigators he didn't remember the derailment.
The settlement ruling calls for all pending cases to be settled within 2 1/2 years. The settlement is $30 million shy of a $295 million federal cap on damages. Last year, the cap was raised from $200 million following the derailment
Davis and attorneys leading the litigation — Thomas Kline, Fredrick Eisenberg and Robert Mongeluzzi — call the amount fair and say victims will be spared years of court proceedings.
"While no amount of compensation can replace the loss of human life, or heal the injured, it is immensely significant that the legal aspect of an incident of this magnitude will be resolved in a fraction of the time it could have taken," Mongeluzzi said in a statement.
Osborne Hart credits his Philadelphia mayoral campaign last year with raising his profile in the Socialist Workers Party enough that the political organization put him on its presidential ticket.
The Walmart employee who lives in Germantown is running as the party's vice presidential candidate. He has spent the last several months traveling the country -- and beyond -- alongside his running mate and the Socialist Workers Party presidential candidate, Alyson Kennedy.
Hart, 64, has been active in Socialist Party politics for years, but he said this is the first time he's been part of the party's presidential ticket.
"It came out of what we assessed was a pretty good campaign in the Philadelphia mayoral race," Hart said in a phone interview from the campaign trail in Tennessee. "We’re on the ballot in seven states and Tennessee is one of them."
Hart ultimately didn't make much of a dent in the mayoral election, garnering just 1,257 votes, or 0.5 percent. He finished a very distant fourth to now-Mayor Jim Kenney in an election that saw 238,000 city voters cast ballots.
And while the Socialist Workers Party presidential ticket did make it into seven states' ballots in the Nov. 8 presidential election, Hart won't even be able to vote for himself. His ticket didn't make it onto the Pennsylvania ballot.
New Jersey voters will have the option of pulling the lever for Hart and Kennedy, though they also have plenty of other options besides the Republican and Democratic tickets. Nine political parties secured presidential ballot spots: Republicans, Democrats, Workers World, American Delta, Socialist Workers, Green, Libertarian, Socialism and Liberation, and Constitution.
In Pennsylvania, voters will see the two major parties and three minor parties: Libertarian, Green and Constitution.
Hart will be on ballots in Tennessee, Minnesota, Colorado, Washington state, Utah, Louisiana and New Jersey.
"The issue of ballot access unless you’re a Republican or Democrat is really difficult," Hart said. "I was in Canada recently. And the people in Canada can’t believe it. Same thing in Australia and New Zealand. I was there recently too. In australia, they have a mayoral race going on and there were 19 candidates in the race. People there were like why is there only two candidates on the ballot in the U.S.?"
See if you remember Hart from his Philly mayoral candidacy days. Here's a link to a video he shot with The Next Mayor project last year.
