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Expert: - 9/23/2009


Question

Grandmother's 1929 Sof
Hello Mark,

I'd appreciate your expert advice on the minimum quality workmanship standards required of a custom upholsterer hired for the complete repair of a sofa, circa 1929.  The sofa was my 98-year old grandmother's favorite piece of furniture, so, when she passed away last year, I asked a custom upholsterer whether it would be worth it to fully repair and reupholster the sofa so we could keep and use it in her memory. At the time of inspection, the sofa was thoroughly worn: a wobbly, creaky frame, upholstery torn and faded, and broken springs that sagged to the floor when anyone sat on the sofa (see attached photo). The upholstery shop appraiser who inspected it nevertheless gushed repeatedly about how 'they don't make sofas like this anymore,' that it was 'worth at least $5,000-6,000,' and after all repairs, that 'it would last another 100 years.'  Based on his advice, I chose to accept the sofa from my grandmother's estate, and I hired the upholsterer for all repairs. I paid them $1600, however, less than a month later, I was actually touching the floor whenever I sat in the sofa (yes, IN the sofa, as that's what would instantly happen) due to its saggy springs, and it still creaked and wobbled and was extremely uncomfortable for anyone to sit upon. Trying to resolve these issues over the past year with the custom upholsterer has been nothing short of a nightmare.  The same shop appraiser/inspector/salesman who gushed repeatedly about the sofa's value and comfort now claims that the saggy springs are an inherent design feature of the sofa as well as similar sofas of the period and thus, the saggy spring problem and other issues about the sofa's discomfort cannot be corrected.  He also warned that if we 'tried to sue' over this, we 'would lose in court' because he'd just demonstrate the sofa's inherent design to win the case.  Needless to say, I feel totally ripped off by this upholsterer, as the sofa remains completely unusable and uncomfortable, and now I am out $1600 for a piece of furniture that I didn't really need, but was advised would be a valuable family heirloom when fully repaired.  I filed a complaint with my state's Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), which was unable to satisfactorily resolve the matter and suggests we pursue it in small claims court.  The state of California DCA says the upholstery business stands by its claim that the way the sofa feels 'has nothing to do with the work that they performed.'  Any advice you could offer about this would be much appreciated.

Answer
Hi,

I am going to rely completely on your statements and will rely on your word that nothing you say is exaggerated.  From that for anyone to say that this sofa is worth 5 to 6 thousand dollars is an outright lie,  from the photo that you submit I would have advised you that the value of the sofa you have is only in sentimental value and nothing more.  You are certainly not alone in that you have placed value on a piece of furniture due to the memories, in your case your Grand mother.   The accepted life expectancy of an upholstered piece of furniture is 20 years.

I have served in Superior Court proceedings as an expert witness, and the legal advice that your upholsterer gave you is worthless.  

So let's start at the beginning,  it may take several exchanges before we come to a decision as to what may be your best resource.

First of all I would like you to submit to me a copy of the written estimate that the upholsterer gave you before you awarded him the job.  The estimate must state,  by State law, what he will do for you - such as remove existing materials, materials that he will add to the job as part of reupholstering,  the number of yards of material required to do the job, the contents of the fabric that he will use such as the percentages of each fiber.  The cost per yard of fabric.  Each item that he will do for you must be spelled out, in writing, with your signature that you accepted the estimate,  do you have that?

If the upholsterer did not supply the upholstery material but you purchased the material through a fabric outlet then the estimate should state for fabric C.O.M ( customers own material )

Then I would like to see a copy of the green colored law label that is attached to the sofa in a conspicuous place that can easily be seen by you,  usually under the cushions or even on the bottom of the sofa,  that green law label must state his license number, and the materials that were added to your sofa.  

Then, I would like to see a photo of the sofa after it was upholstered.  After I receive the above information from you I will have a clearer picture of what happened and give you my opinion on how you should proceed.

Mark Miller.

Mark H. Miller

Expertise

custom furniture upholsterery. Became journeyman custom upholsterer in 1969. Certified by Upholsterers Intl. Union. Worked at San Francisco`s most prestigious upholstering shop as senior upholsterer. Am now president of Domar Upholstered Furniture Inc. Have upholstered for Presidents Reagan, Nixon, Clinton and the Queen of England. formerly taught classes in custom upholstering at the San Francisco Community College. Happy to answer all your upholstering questions.

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