Complaints

This profile includes complaints for D.O.T. Furniture Ltd's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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D.O.T. Furniture Ltd has 10 locations, listed below.

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  D.O.T. Furniture Ltd

  3105 Dixie Rd Mississauga, ON L4Y 4E3

• 

  D.O.T. Furniture Ltd

  157 Plains Rd E Burlington, ON L7T 2C4

• 

  D.O.T. Furniture Ltd

  157 Plains Road East Burlington, ON L7T 2C4

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  D.O.T. Furniture Ltd

  71 Commerce Park Dr Barrie, ON L4N 8X1

• 

  D.O.T. Furniture Ltd

  90 Ronson Drive Etobicoke, ON M9W 1B6

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:19/06/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased two new black outdoor patio umbrellas from DOT Furniture in Hamilton on June 27, 2022. Total cost $282.50. The patio umbrellas were used in typical fashion on our patio until mid October 2022. They were stored indoors for the winter until May 2023. The umbrellas saw roughly 4 ½ months use. When setting up our patio furniture in May this spring we had noticed how much the two umbrellas had faded. In DOT's own language, the fading was "excessive,” and with no exaggeration, the best description for the two umbrellas now might be purple tie-died.
  
  We brought the issue to the attention of DOT Hamilton staff by taking the two umbrellas to the Hamilton store in May 2023. The staff at the Hamilton store appeared sympathetic but said any warranty decision was up to the head office. They sent head office an email on our behalf. After a bit of prodding, the head office acknowledged but ultimately denied our warranty claim. In the email denying our claim DOT stated “Dot warranty does not cover fading.”
  
  In fact the DOT warranty states it does not cover “normal fading.” I believe the term “normal fading” is key to this issue. Patio umbrellas are intended to be used outdoors in the sun. We expect years of use from these. Granted not a lifetime of trouble-free fade-free use … but years. Normal fading should also take years, not weeks.
  
  It is my belief that DOT”s denial of this claim is arbitrary and overly harsh. This is not “normal fading,” and DOT would never state to any prospective customer that an umbrella completely changing it’s color in one season is “normal.”
  I am asking you to intervene in my issue with DOT Furniture. Patio umbrellas should realistically last at least five to seven years as have all our previous umbrellas. These needed replacing after one year. I expect DOT to stand behind its products, and I firmly believe a refund is in order. Perhaps a pro-rated refund as we did get most of one season’s use from the umbrellas. An 80% refund is fair.

  Business Response

  Date: 30/06/2023

  This customer’s claim was first brought to us in May of 2023 for fading on umbrellas that were purchased in June of 2022.  The umbrellas that were purchased are made out of untreated polyester and are priced as entry-level umbrellas.  The warranty we offer on these products is attached to the product page on our website (https://***********************************************************) which states that normal fading is not considered a defect in material or workmanship and is not covered.  The pattern of fading you can see on the umbrellas especially in stripes in between the ribs indicates the umbrellas were left exposed to the sun closed and uncovered which is why some spots appear more affected than others.  We do our best to inform customers at the time of purchase as well as on our website before they buy that the fabric on this line of umbrellas will fade.  The pictures that the customer provided indicate normal fading for this type of umbrella that can happen within a season of use, therefore we unable to process any refunds or exchanges that this customer has requested.  However in an effort to provide a product of the quality that this customer is expecting we will offer him a 30% discount towards purchasing replacement DotBella autotilt umbrellas (https://********************************************************************) This offer expires July 31st of 2023.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/07/2023

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I intentionally purchased these patio umbrellas from a store
  that specializes in outdoor furniture. When purchasing a patio umbrella from a
  store that specializes in outdoor furniture, there is an expectation and implied
  warranty that the umbrella sold there is suitable for outdoor use and sun
  exposure. And that it will perform adequately or better for several years.
  The two key types of implied warranties
  are merchantability and fitness. Merchantability says that a product will
  meet reasonable expectations of the buyer, while fitness means the product
  meets the buyer's intended use.
  The warranty of fitness for a particular purpose
  is implied when a buyer relies upon the seller to select the goods to fit
  a specific request. For example, this warranty is violated when a buyer asks a
  mechanic to provide snow tires and receives tires that are unsuitable to use in
  snow.
  The expectation of using a patio umbrella more than one
  season outside, and expecting a patio umbrella to retain most of it’s color
  for more than one season is more than reasonable.
  The seller, in the written response, seems to hint that this
  umbrella should not have been in the sun as the damage was caused by less than
  one season's exposure to the outdoors. This might be the only patio umbrella on
  the market that needs a warning label advising "Not For Outdoor Use."
  Also, I was
  not informed I was purchasing A) an "entry level" umbrella … whatever
  that is. This is the first time I've heard that term in this whole discussion,
  and the first time I’ve heard it applied to an outdoor patio umbrella. The
  company's website also does not mention the term "entry level." I
  hope the company is not attempting to move the goal posts by introducing or
  changing product descriptions. And B), despite claims to the contrary, no mention of fading
  was ever discussed with the purchaser or his wife at any point in the process.
  Those discussions absolutely did not take place at any time until this warranty
  claim was initiated.
  I believe a seller should stand behind the products it
  sells. I will go further and say I believe this seller should be embarrassed
  with the performance of this product, and I cannot believe the seller is
  attempting to defend the product by shifting the blame to the purchaser for
  allowing the item to be outside. Imagine... putting a patio umbrella out in the
  sun? Who could be so reckless?
  Finally,
  the settlement offered by DOT Furniture in response to this complaint is in one
  word insulting. The discount being offered barely beats the current sale price
  of the patio umbrellas. It's not a serious offer in any respect and it appears to me the seller is not taking this issue at all seriously.
  To be
  honest, I do not want more DOT patio umbrellas. I own these two DOT umbrellas
  now and have been extremely disappointed with both the product and the company.
  Why would anyone go down that road again. DOT, like the patio umbrellas I'm
  stuck with, have shown their true colors.
  I will stay
  with my original request of an 80% refund, and considering the continued
  frustration with this company and it’s products, I believe this is fair.
  Thank
  you.
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ******* ******

  Business Response

  Date: 10/07/2023

  In response
  to the customer’s rejection of our initial offer, the customer claims that there
  is an implied warranty on the goods received. 
  That the patio umbrella’s primary function is to be used outdoors and
  although that is partially correct – the true function of this item is to
  provide shade outdoors.  Regardless of
  the colour of the fabric of the umbrella they will still perform their function
  should the customer wish to continue using them.  Furthermore, unfortunately we are not aware of
  what conversations may have taken place with the customer at the time of
  purchase, we can only confirm that at the time of purchase and still today our
  warranty on this product is the same.  Dot
  furniture does not guarantee colour-fastness for these umbrellas, there is no
  warranty against fading.  We’ve sold the exact same umbrellas for years with this warranty and
  continue to do so to this day.  Our offer
  of the discounted replacement umbrellas will still be available until July 31st 2023.   Dot is not able provide a refund for these
  umbrellas per the customer’s request.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 13/07/2023

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  
  
  It appears we are at a standstill. The company will not admit that it's product is substandard or performs poorly. I have made my case. The seller has not made his.  The excessive fading is "normal" according to this company, and this  company appears to be quite proud of it's mediocrity. If this company ever wants to be honest with itself and this customer.... they know where to reach me.

  Thank you.

   

  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ******* ******