Design ToscanoReviews 60

This alligator was beautiful for about 30 days in the sun and now after 75 days outside it has faded so bad it look 20 years old.
I contacted customer service ( Katie whom was essentially worthless in considering options I presented by e mail)
Option 1 was replace it at a deeply discounted price.
# 2 send me the paint colors so I can have the paint matched. Oil base, water base?
# 3 I send it back and have them repaint it.

All of these were greeted with the response of,
It's completely out of the 60 day warranty window and there's absolutely nothing we are going to do for you and if you wanted the paint to stay nice you should have applied an acrylic based clear coat sealer over the entire alligator.
Sealing the paint is the customers responsibility!
So sorry.
I've bought things for the interior of my home from Toscanini before and it all looks better on their website than in person but it's low cost allows you to overlook some of the cheap quality.
In this case I paid a fair price and got a bad product.
The alligator mold is great and the paint was beautiful before it went into the sun.
Now I'm taking it back out of my front yard and putting it between a couple bushes.
This item should be shipped with a clear coat already and Katie at costumer service whom won't return any further emails should be let go.
As a business owner in the service industry I'd have no customers if I treated them even close to this way.
~Dan M.

I found what I thought would be a great Buddha statue for my garden. Per the online catalog, there was a picture of a gray one, with three sizes noted below it. I called to confirm that it was available in a smaller size. The Toscano rep confirmed, then completed the order. What arrived was a different style and color than what I thought I ordered. I called back, and was curtly informed that the smaller version was only available in a completely different style and color, and that it was my fault for being confused about the online catalog (Iet alone their rep confirming it). The refused to refund. It took me 3 calls to get them to understand that their catalog system is messed up and that the mistake was theirs and to issue a refund. Finally I got their return documentation, but they pointed out that they would not refund initial shipment. So, while they eventually issued a refund for their mistake, I was stiffed for the outbound shipment. Not happy. After 25 years of association with this company, no more. Prior merchandize was good, thus 2 start vs. one. However, I will not accept rudeness from staff. Nor did they seem interested in understanding why their bizarre catalog might confuse shoppers. Bye bye.

Design Toscano is still up like a scam. Their ordering process (is. The part where they take your money) is very fluid and efficient. Immediately after planning your order they ask you to do a survey... Very clever to solicit reviews after people have found exactly what they want but before any service has actually been provided. Their survey even asks you of they can use your review info for their advertising.
After that, it's an immediate downward slide... Yes, the point of the transaction where they have to actually do something. You cannot get hold of anyone by phone, they don't respond to emails sent to the email address they simply on your order confirmation (customer service!), and don't respond to posts left on their Facebook page.
Basically, they take your money back and after that it's crickets. BEWARE! I will never use this company again.

Submitted August 6,2019

I purchased five outdoor sculptures last year (2018), from Design Toscano.

Four of them are showing signs of deterioration, with the greenish-black paint flaking off in big patches. The underlying white material is visible once the paint has flaked off.

They have not been displayed in an area where they could be damaged by sunshine (UV), dripping water/rain, wind or falling branches. I covered and stored all of them indoors last winter.

I complained and asked questions of Design Toscano about this problem in an email:

"Does moisture (rain) get absorbed by the white
Material (base) and thus cause the paint to
Flake as the material dries?

How do I protect them from further damage?

How may I go about touching up the missing
Paint? Do you supply such a product for this
Purpose?"

I received the following response to my email:

"The resin is very durable and will last many
Years. The paint will fade overtime like most
Painted items exposed to UV ray.

Unfortunately, UV is very damaging to acrylic
Paints. The amount of wear depends upon your
Climate and exposure.

The items can be repainted with an acrylic
Based paint and sealed with a resin safe UV
Protectant spray."

Best regards,
Katie
Customer Service

I am less than impressed with the quality of these pieces. The paint hasn't lasted a full season, and it is my problem to repair. I must find matching paint and re-create the finish on the pieces at my own expense for materials and labor.

I spent over $1000 for these statues, and find it ludicrous that this company is uninterested in better supporting their customers. I won't be back to Design Toscano for another purchase of any kind.

BUYER BEWARE!

Jay Highland
Bayfield, CO

I received an alligator statue from this company last Christmas. I live in Florida and placed it outside in a screened in porch. It sat there for 6 months, and we realized a crack had appeared in its side. Nothing fell on it, no one played with it, it just had sat there. It's as if the material expanded and made the statue split. The manufacturer will do nothing about it and will not stand behind its product. It was not inexpensive, and for the money, it certainly should have lasted longer than 6 months. I will NEVER by another product from this company!

Order two gargoyles from them. Both up on my roof now. Both have peeling paint after less than a year. Impossible to reach without hiring someone. Toscano representative not helpful at all. Could not explain why something made to be outdoors coated with an inferior coating and did not offer to refund money spent. Picture is through an upstairs window. I am a repeat customer of theirs so I would think they would care.

This company is horrible. I tried to order a gift for my daughter and ship it to her house. They wouldn't do it saying it could be a fraud issue. They said they sent me 2 letters to verify and all I had to do was give them the reference number in the letters. The letters didn't arrive until 2 weeks after they said they sent them. So they obviously didn't send them when they said. Then when I emailed them the verification they completely ignored me. I also offered to have the item sent to my address and have my daughter pick it up and they still ignored me. I am deaf and cannot use the phone, just email, but they were not willing to work with a deaf person. It was easier to just ignore me. So my daughter never got her Christmas gift. Horrible company. Do not buy from them.

I went on their site and they were having site problems. I could not check out and the check out page kept coming up "OOPS! Try back again site problems" 4 Days later they emaii me "2 (two) of the same bookcases were coming to me!" When I called (ASAP) saying I want none of the bookcases - customer service said "Oh we had site problems so we figured only 1 not 2 was needed and we. Already sent it to you 4 days ago... no confirmation number every given me, no order number assigned, no confirmation email ever received. I called UPS and said to return it (First time I ever refused any package or had a problem like this,) Then Design Toscano manager customer service called me and pretended I called in the beginning of the week and that I said "please send 1 not 2" bookcases." What a Lie, then why would I have the same bookcase ordered from Walmart that day and I payed more money for the same item if I called them to approve their order, They made it up. I never called them to order anything! I called once only when I found out they took the liberty of sending a bookcase and not telling me. Thank goodness UPS gave me shipping information on my email and I could see something unexpected was coming. I never wrote a review in my life, but this must be said. I have shop for decades and decades with wonderful Stores/Companies, Please stay clear. My credit card company is disputing the $64 plus dollars DT wants for the UPS refusal shipping back to them and handling costs. They need to be closed down. Will report to BBB.

We ordered 3 things and the payment was processed immediately. However, only 2 items arrived as one was supposedly on the back order. Since the order was placed on 2. 14. 18 and today is 3. 30. 18 we have canceled the order beginning of March, but to this day the money has not been refunded. We are going to ask credit company to step in and we will contact IL BBB about this behavior. And do I need to mention that we will not shop there again, lol?