• Madisonseating

Madisonseating

Overview

Madisonseating has a rating of 3.74 stars from 409 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally satisfied with their purchases. Reviewers satisfied with Madisonseating most frequently mention customer service, new chair, and steelcase leap. Madisonseating ranks 14th among Furniture sites.

  • Service
    126
  • Value
    119
  • Shipping
    120
  • Returns
    88
  • Quality
    111

This company responds to reviews, but usually not within the first month

Positive reviews (last 12 months): 47.6%
Positive
10
Neutral
1
Negative
10
84
See all photos

What reviewers want you to know

Positive highlights

  • I am super pleased with my shopping experience at Madison seating.
  • We buy all of our office chairs from Madison Seating, because of the great prices and service.

Critical highlights

  • After a month their customer service called yelling at me on the phone and threatened me about the sending to court.
  • I also found out that they are not an authorized Herman Miller seller, so Herman Miller won't honor the warrantee.
How would you rate Madisonseating?
Top Positive Review

“Steelcase Leap V2 stool desk chair”

Sara B.
1/28/24

I love this chair - it's extremely comfortable and the price for an open box refurbished chair was great. Service team was also helpful resolving a minor issue with shipping.

Top Critical Review

“Open box steelcase chairs”

Gawaa A.
1/20/24

I purchase a steelcase chair from them and it was advertised as open box. But I received a steelcase chair with very poor condition which were used like 6-7 years. Chair legs were rusted on most of the places and they tried to paint it to cover the rust and it was still visible. It came in a regular box, Not its original box. Its a overused very old chairs in many years. They describe it as a New - OPEN BOX. And I returned it back but never received my money back. Then I submitted dispute through my credit card company. After a month their customer service called yelling at me on the phone and threatened me about the sending to court. Its a joke company. Waste of time and Money.

Reviews (409)

Rating

Timeframe

Other

Reviews that mention popular keywords

madison seating (173) customer service (197) herman miller (55) office chairs (54)
Thumbnail of user gawaahome
1 review
0 helpful votes
January 20th, 2024

I purchase a steelcase chair from them and it was advertised as open box. But I received a steelcase chair with very poor condition which were used like 6-7 years. Chair legs were rusted on most of the places and they tried to paint it to cover the rust and it was still visible. It came in a regular box, Not its original box. Its a overused very old chairs in many years. They describe it as a New - OPEN BOX. And I returned it back but never received my money back. Then I submitted dispute through my credit card company. After a month their customer service called yelling at me on the phone and threatened me about the sending to court. Its a joke company. Waste of time and Money.

Tip for consumers:
Their customer service were very bad, there was a lady who was very rude

Products used:
Amia Work Task Chair by Steelcase black
CODE: STC-AMIA-BLK-LTER-PLAT

Thumbnail of user scottp1916
1 review
0 helpful votes
January 19th, 2024

Ordered a Herman Miller and it was delivered with a small hole in the seating. So I called and asked if they could give me a replacement. They said no, imperfections are why they are discounted. I accepted that reasoning and fix the chair myself, left them a 5 star review on ebay. Fast forward to now and I am looking to buy another office chair and they have blocked me from buying from them!? I was told if you ever return anything that you are banned from buying again, but I never returned anything. Way to do business!

Tip for consumers:
If you buy from them never question anything or you are not allowed to buy from them ever again.

Products used:
chair

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user kerenc
2 reviews
11 helpful votes
November 7th, 2022
Verified purchase

I used my home address due to their site saying it would come as a freight delivery. The expensive chair came as Fedex without a signature requested. Thankfully, it came on the day that it said it would in the system, and I was able to run down and get it before it was stolen in my neighborhood. I typically get my packages delivery to a package center but they do not accept freight.

Madison Seating included a part that was well-used not open box as part of the delivery and shipped out a replacement (as requested) without confirming delivery address. This got stolen because it came a day early and I had no idea. Madison said tough cookies.

Tip for consumers:
Just be watching for packages like a hawk

Products used:
Herman Miller Aeron Chair - Open Box

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user madisons20
madison s. – Madisonseating Rep

Every shipment released has an email that automatically gets sent to the buyer with the tracking information. Fedex has confirmed the buyer in this instance received the package. As the customer used a package center as an address, she had issues locating the package after delivery, which is out of our hands. It is not recommended to use a packaging center to receive shipments. We strongly suggest using a valid residential or commercial address.

Thumbnail of user sarab1302
1 review
0 helpful votes
January 28th, 2024

I love this chair - it's extremely comfortable and the price for an open box refurbished chair was great. Service team was also helpful resolving a minor issue with shipping.

Thumbnail of user rjr0311
1 review
6 helpful votes
July 19th, 2023

Coming here now to share a recent experience with Madison Seating. I purchased a Steelcase Leap V2 office chair from them to give to my wife, and my God do I regret that purchase. There's an old saying - if something sounds too good to be true, it isn't. I'm feeling that one right now, as seeing a Leap V2 for less than $500 should definitely stand out as something about it not being right.

The chair that Madison Seating provided me, advertised as "open box", was actually crudely refurbished, at best. Comparing it to the Leap V2 I am sitting in right now that I bought from a local seller, the fabric is low quality, uncomfortable and the padding was also likely replaced with lower quality material. The best part, though, was the fact that there were two screws just jammed into the bottom of the seat, right at the lip where the plastic meets the fabric. I assume this was to further secure the fabric from the cheaply done upholstery work, but because they didn't pre-drill the holes, and they weren't threaded, the screws brought plastic up and out and was left in a jagged manner to scratch my legs when I sat in the chair.

I contacted Madison Seating about this, and was told that I could return it...if I paid for the shipping and restocking fees, totaling about half of the cost of the chair. Total scam, and to be fair, I should have seen it coming.

Just buy this stuff full-price from a reputable company, or be sure to inspect it yourself before buying 2nd hand or refurbished. Don't trust Madison Seating.

Service
Value
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Thumbnail of user madisons20
madison s. – Madisonseating Rep

This reviewer has been sending our company aggressive and threatening emails. There is nothing wrong with the item other than he found the chair to be uncomfortable. Below is just one of the delightful emails he sent:
"To be clear, I’ve already written 10 reviews regarding this experience...GFY-Ryan"

Thumbnail of user mariaa2968
1 review
0 helpful votes
January 28th, 2024

They falsely claim to have items in stock, causing unnecessary delays and providing false shipping timelines. I requested to cancel my order and won't be buying another chair from them.

Service
Value
Shipping
Quality
Thumbnail of user rweber21
1 review
0 helpful votes
March 26th, 2024

I purchased a Steelcase office chair from Madison Seating. Their site has an extensive selection, their prices are the best anywhere, and they're customer service is amazing - great communication throughout.

Products used:
Steelcase Office Chair

Service
Value
Shipping
Quality
Thumbnail of user reidw16
1 review
6 helpful votes
September 28th, 2021
Verified purchase

I bought a herman miller aeron chair and decided to splurge on adding attachments they had available at checkout on on August 5th, 2021.

I received a confirmation email from Madison Seating saying:
"The estimated delivery time frame for all in stock items is 10-14 business days from the order date. Should the item selected not be in stock, you will receive an email notification. The FedEx tracking information will be emailed to you prior to shipment so you will know the exact date of delivery."

This was the only email received so I assumed my item was in stock and would be receiving the chair in 10-14 days.

13 days from the purchase I heard nothing from them about the shipping details of my order so I reached out to get the estimated time of arrival of my chair. They responded with another email stating I should wait 10-14 days and it had only been 13 days... Nice.

I reached back out to them 21 days (August 26th) after purchase date with a requested update. They then respond telling me how COVID has really affected their business and that they hope my family is safe and well (I don't care to discuss my family's health to a chair warehousing business. I'd much rather discuss my $600 purchase that is no where to be found). Also in the email they told me if should be shipping early to mid September. Ambiguous. Love it.

Four days later, I am charge the full $600 amount for the chair with 0 shipping details. I am actually notified by my bank that I was charged - not by the company. Seems legit. I reach out asking what is the status as I was just charged the full amount. Their response:

"You were charged as the stock was allocated to your order and the chair is being worked on.

With limited staff working and holidays closures all of next week, we estimate the delivery to be around mid September.

Do you wish to cancel and be refunded?

Sarina"

It is now September 28th, nearly 2 months of back and fourth emails with ambiguous shipping dates from them.

TL; DR
Madison Seating is a headache and I would HIGHLY recommend just buying the real deal instead of trying to get a second hand Herman Miller chair. VERY unimpressive operation they have going on!

Tip for consumers:
They might have the item you want but they also might not - you're taking a gamble if you choose to purchase from Madison Seating! Buyer beware!

Products used:
Herman Miller Aeron Chair

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user kevinr931
1 review
1 helpful vote
February 12th, 2021
Verified purchase

I purchased a Haworth Improv HE chair from Madison seating because they had the most competitive pricing. The chair shipped quickly and the company kept us informed throughout the process. The chair arrived quickly. The appearance was in perfect condition but unfortunately, it did not function properly. I notified customer service and they quickly responded by offering to send a replacement at no further cost if I posted a review. We are appreciative of their accommodating customer service and would order from them again.

Thumbnail of user dionecastro23
2 reviews
5 helpful votes
October 15th, 2023
Verified purchase
• Updated review

I ordered a few chairs, and they sent me the wrong color. After contacting them through email, btw the only way to communicate with them. They would not ship the correct color I ordered and offered me to ship the items back at my cost of over $100.00 due to their error. I just felt like they do not care about their customers at all. Absolutely a terrible experience.

Service
Value
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The absolute worst customer service I have experienced.
September 8th, 2023
• Previous review

I ordered 2 chairs and specificed the color and they sent me the wrong color. They would not own up to it and correct the mistake. They were argumentative via email and I got the feeling they just don't care about their customers.

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user jackobfranklin
1 review
0 helpful votes
November 8th, 2023
Verified purchase

I ordered a chair from Madison Seating, had some issues, and got a quick response and resolution to my problem all during the same week! Would definitely buy from them again.

Service
Value
Shipping
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Thumbnail of user michaell390
1 review
10 helpful votes
February 13th, 2018

I purchased a Herman Miller chair from Madison seating a few years ago. Within 2 years the armrest material (? Leather) began to crack and look awful. Madison seating sent me a complimentary replacement pair which I installed myself. 3 years later, new armrests are cracking again! When I called today I was told they won't replace these and that I should go to eBay to get a replacement set. Even though the manufacturer (Herman Miller) warranties the arm rests for 12 years, the reseller (Madison seating) refuses to do so. For me it's all about customer service and this represents poor service.

Thumbnail of user alexc1578
1 review
1 helpful vote
March 16th, 2023
Verified purchase

We placed an order for eleven Steelcase Leap Chairs and received them just 6 days later! We were simply amazed at the timely fullfillment of our order and the quality of the chairs themselves. Two chairs were damaged during shipping, but Madison Seating came through for us and quickly resolved the issue and sent new chairs. Fantastic customer service! We would highly recommend Madisonseating.com for your office chair needs.

Tip for consumers:
Easy

Products used:
Chairs

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user pwebyd69
1 review
5 helpful votes
June 15th, 2023

If you buy from them on eBay they claim to have a 30 day, hassle free guarantee. Well good luck because if you try to ship anything back the customer service department gets all petty and acts like it's coming out of their pocket. Shipped my chairs back at their expense (thanks eBay) and they only partially refunded my orders, stating the chairs were now in 'used condition'! So they took about $250 from my refund. Crooks, liars, scam artists

Products used:
Two seperate computer chairs

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user kendalle20
1 review
0 helpful votes
March 11th, 2023
Verified purchase

I recently purchased office furniture for a law firm, including a Freedom Chair with Headrest by Humanscale. Due to bad weather nationwide, several items from different vendors arrived damaged. The packaging for this chair was, overall, pretty good, and the damage was relatively minor, but still of concern. I sent Madison Seating a photograph of the damage and within 24 hours they offered to send out a new one. And, they promptly followed through. Short review: Great product lineup. Excellent return policies. Low prices. And they're nice. Will definitely be ordering from Madison Seating in the future.

Tip for consumers:
These are great prices on ergonomic office furniture featured in Wirecutter, Strategist, etc.

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user alexanderi175
1 review
4 helpful votes
October 11th, 2023
Verified purchase

October 11th, 2023
I purchased two Knoll Life office chairs from Madison Seating a while ago. One of the chairs height and seating depth adjustment got broken because of a small plastic part. My chairs were still under Madison Seating's 10 year warranty. To get the plastic part replaced, they asked to send them the whole chair and pay for the shipping and return. From California to New York shipping of such a heavy chair would have costed about $250. The same new chair costs $375 on the MS website. So their 10 year warranty on office chairs and other things is useless and ridiculous. I don't know of any other company that charges customers for shipping of items under warranty or wouldn't contact the manufacturer for a replacement part. I will never do business with Madison Seating again. Their customer service is good for only responding with rejections.

Service
Thumbnail of user johnw5669
1 review
2 helpful votes
June 21st, 2022
Verified purchase

Their website is inaccurate regarding what items are in stock. Their customer service is rude and and unable to provide useful information. I would have gladly either waited for them to fulfill my order and been willing to pay more for a comparable product but their customer service acts like they're doing you a personal favor by assisting with a sale. They make it really hard to give them money in exchange for a product - bad business.

Tip for consumers:
Don’t do it

Products used:
Tried to purchase a chair.

Thumbnail of user jasmynh3
1 review
0 helpful votes
May 4th, 2022
Verified purchase

Madison Seating is our go-to vendor in our organization. Not only do they have a TON of products to choose from, but they have the best pricing BY FAR. For example, our internal ergonomic experts advised us to purchase the Steelcase Leap Chairs for our employees at $850/chair. Madison Seating had the exact same chair for $250- in new, perfect condition. Additionally, their customer service is just wonderful. We once had a small shipping issue that was responded to and rectified within 14 mins of emailing their customer service dept. We won't shop anywhere else!

Products used:
We typically by the Leap Chair from Steelcase, or other Steelcase products.

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user harryy122
1 review
4 helpful votes
February 17th, 2023

This business is a lier who will use your credit card without approval. I bought a chair on this website and two week later they charge me an extra fee on my credit card without notifying me. I contacted them by email Friday Morning but their customer said they are closed on Friday then refused to reply nor provide a correct explanation.

Tip for consumers:
Don't use this website at least no use credit card

Products used:
Aeron Chair by Herman Miller

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user madisons20
madison s. – Madisonseating Rep

The customer used our Fedex account to make unauthorized changes to the shipment while it was in transit to his location. These changes were not covered by our FREE shipping promotion and therefore charged to his account. We emailed him several times regarding the charges and respectfully asked him not use our Fedex account in the future for any service changes.

Thumbnail of user lisab2176
1 review
0 helpful votes
January 20th, 2021
Verified purchase

My order with Madison was easy, and far less expensive than I thought it would be after doing all my research. They set expectations about the delivery and were meeting them, keeping me informed about the progress of the shipment. But when the shipper broke my chairs and I told Madison, they had a solution for me within one business day. I was so impressed with their willingness to overcome external problems to make sure I had my needs met. Thanks, Madison!

Thumbnail of user philc330
1 review
4 helpful votes
March 7th, 2023

I purchased a Herman Miller Aeron office chair from Madison Seating in November of 2022. The hydraulic lift started to malfunction in February of 2023. To get the chair repaired, I am responsible for all shipping which will be $200. If will cost me $200 every time there is an issue even though the chair is under warranty. Ever other company that I have researched covers the cost of shipping. I will never purchase anything from Madison Seating ever again.

Products used:
Chair

Service
Value
Shipping
Quality
Thumbnail of user davidr3114
1 review
0 helpful votes
January 28th, 2021
Verified purchase

I recently ordered an office chair through Madison Seating. As I searched different websites, I found their pricing to be extremely competitive. Once I ordered, I was updated regularly by email. The chair arrived, but FedEx during the shipment had beat up the box pretty badly affecting the chair. I took pictures and contacted service. They responded quickly and offered a great solution. My replacement chair order is in process. Thank you Madison customer service. Nice job!

Products used:
Office chair

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user mattheww1033
1 review
0 helpful votes
April 15th, 2022
Verified purchase

I purchased a refurbished Herman Miller chair from Madison Seating. The chair was refurbished with all Herman Miller parts. Right after my order someone called me to confirm and answer some questions I had. The chair arrived just under 24 hours later. It's indistinguishable from a brand new one and only came in 2 pieces so assembly was super easy.

Service
Value
Shipping
Quality
Thumbnail of user olivern79
1 review
0 helpful votes
August 31st, 2023

I ordered a steel series leap v2 from Madison seating and it arrived in 3 days! Unfortunately it arrived broken. I reached out to the Madison seating customer service team and they immediately offered to send a replacement at no cost to me. Would recommend.

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
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Thumbnail of user conradh20
2 reviews
30 helpful votes
December 12th, 2016

Update 10/29/2018

First, props to Madison Seating for making some positive changes to their website to correct the issues I encountered in my original review. I've upgraded my review by one star, though I don't feel I can justify more than that unless I ever buy another product from them and have a more positive experience. Still, they are moving in the right direction here.

I just took another look at their site, and decided the changes warranted an update here. They finally removed their deceptive "satisfaction guarantee" blurb and replaced it with a far more accurate "moneyback guarantee" link. Also, unlike the previous blurb which linked to a page full of misinformation, the new link now takes you directly to their Terms of Service, so you can see what you're actually getting.

For the curious, I attached a screenshot of what their old "satisfaction guarantee" used to promise, so you can see what the issue was. For most online purchases, paying return shipping isn't a huge deal. But when it's for a chair you paid $500 for instead of buying a new one for $500 more, a $200 return shipping charge is a pretty big deal. At that point, you may as well have bought the new chair for a couple hundred bucks more.

**ORIGINAL REVIEW**

Their "satisfaction guarantee" is false advertising and worthless. Even though they say you have 30 days to return an item and they will pay the return shipping, this is a lie. Hidden in their terms and conditions, they state that not only is the customer liable to pay return shipping, they also charge a $50 restocking fee. The Aeron chair we ordered was too small, and between shipping and restocking fee, it is costing $216 to return the chair.

As for the chair itself, they do indicate that they are open box. This is true, but a bit deceptive. They are essentially used chairs that Madison Seating refurbishes. They claim they provide a 10-year warranty for their Aeron chairs, but given how untrustworthy their "satisfaction guarantee" is, I wouldn't trust this one bit. The chair I got was in good condition, and did look practically new, so if you can be sure you're getting what you want the first time, it can still be a good deal.

Also, their shipping was VERY SLOW. Estimated arrival was 8-10 business days from the date it was ordered, well, it was over 2 weeks before they even made a shipping order, and then another 3 days before they finally shipped it.

In conclusion, if you are sure you know exactly what you want, and you can't find a better price for a nearly-new chair, Madison may still be your best option. Just be aware of what you're getting into.

Update 12/14/2016: Madison is now threatening legal action because of my reviews pointing out their dishonesty. At this point, I cannot recommend this company under any circumstances.

I have photo proof of the purchase, screenshot proof of their lies on their website, which at this point, anyone can still see for themselves, and if they change it, I'm quite certain Google cache will still reveal the truth to anyone who cares.

DO NOT TRUST THIS COMPANY.

Update 6/30/2017, Re: Madison seating response

Yes, as I already clearly stated in my honest and accurate review, you can find the ACTUAL return policy hidden away in the terms and conditions. Calling it "clearly visible" is, at best, somewhat disingenuous, as the terms and conditions conditions are not easily accessible until the purchase page, and then not highly visible so as to attract attention. Unlike the entirely false so-called "satisfaction guarantee" made extremely visible and attention-grabbing on the home page. It is blatant false advertising, nothing more, nothing less. Any company this blatant and shameless with false advertising is a company I can neither trust nor recommend to anyone else to any extent.

The fact that so many reviews exist revealing similar experiences speaks volumes.

Also note that to this date, Madison Seating has never contacted us in any attempt to resolve this amicably, but only to threaten. We ended up selling the chair ourselves at a far more moderate and less-costly loss than returning it.

Caveat emptor.

Tip for consumers:
This company cannot be trusted, period.

Thumbnail of user madisons20
madison s. – Madisonseating Rep

This reviewer is using social media as a means to get around our policy. An order was placed by a Conrad's family member (not Conrad himself) who received the correct item in perfect condition as he accurately confirms above. The purchaser realized the chair ordered was not the correct size and demanded a free return and full refund. Our return policy is clearly displayed on our website. We offered the customer the option of returning the product for refund, but as is standard in the industry, a return fee would be deducted from the credit. Keep in mind, the item was sold at 50% off the retail value with a free shipping promotion. The customer threatened to use this platform if we did not offer an exception on the return. Below is an excerpt from his email:
"Conrad Hershberger
One way or another, this issue will be dealt with, whether with your company's assistance or without... At this point, I am still willing to resolve this issue peacefully, and if a satisfactory resolution is achieved, I will amend my reviews to reflect that..."
It's unfortunate the reviewer chose to use online blogs as a means to make us give in to his unwarranted demands.

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Thumbnail of user madisons20
madison s.
Usually responds not within the first month

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