Design Toscano

They send letters instead of emails. Letters!
I placed a large order to rush something no rhwy wanted to "verify" me via phone so they send a letter. Ok odd enough but I call. Weeks later when products still haven't arrived I go to track and it says... call in. I call and they say your bank wouldn't plow it to go through. Finding that hard to believe I call my bank and they say it's not their end. I call back and the guy says. Oh I have to tell my supervisor and I'm t takes three days to get a call back!
Jesus
Still waiting!
Go elsewhere people. Not worth it

I ordered this fountain. Delivery was promp and the fountain is wonderful! I have had the fountain a year now and it is still working great and looks wonderfull! Thank you for a great product.

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 purchased a statue a week ago, thinking it should be here soon... Tried to track it and couldnt. Called and was told that they needed to verify my address, I told thrm they should have let me know before 6 days webt by... Her response is we tried to call you... They need to leave a message but they dudnt. So she said we were sebding you a letter... Why couldnt you send me an email? So I verified if over the phone and she said ill let my supervisor know... Know im still not sure im going to get my product and with other reviews that it will even be like the picture. Waiting another 6 days and if doesnt arrive or is not like thr picture, I plan to contact legal services.

This piece is amazing. No Regrets. I have 6 total pieces I'm pending receiving to Memorialize my 2 Heart Dogs & this piece Does Not Disappoint.

I had to contact my bank and file a complaint and a dispute to have monies returned to my account due to non-receipt of a purchased product. Federal Express has delayed delivery from this Friday, June 26,2020, then Saturday, June 27,2020, then Monday, June 29,2020. Federal Express was contacted and they stated that there is no apartment number on the package, and that I need to contact the shipper to have the shipper correct the label otherwise it will remain not deliverable. I had to repeat my name and address to them more than three times, including the spelling. I requested that I would pick it up. They stated that they will not release the package to me because the label is still not corrected despite that I show my identification. I contacted the shipper, Design Toscano, and repeated my name three times, including the spelling. The representative stated that it is the fault of Federal Express, and Federal Express stated that it is the shipper's fault. Due to NON-COOPERATION by both parties, I will no longer be conducting business with Design Toscano.
I will also be contacting the Better Buisiness Bureau.

I ordered some statues from them online & each one of them had major visible flaws in them. One had cracks, and the others had nicks, scratches, uneven coatings, & holes! The first time, i thought it was maybe a one-time thing or a shipping issue, Design Toscano quickly refunded my purchase, so their customer service was good in that regard. I ended up throwing the statue away, because the hole was so visible as to ruin the piece. Recently I purchased another piece from them, giving it one more shot, & was mortified to find this piece had an even larger hole in it than the other! The statue also had a weird odor & very uneven paint coating. The packaging was quite secure, but as soon as I took it out of the box, the hole was very noticeable. I immediately asked for a refund, and they again granted me one. If I spend my hard-earned money on something, I expect it to be flawless with no holes or scratches on it! Each piece I ordered came in a box marked "Made in China". Obviously, the pieces are made in China & sit in a warehouse & then Design Toscano sells them wholesale. They need to inspect each piece carefully before shipping to customers. There is NO quality control! The pieces look nice in their magazines, but they do NOT look like that in person. These are cheap Chinese imports. Buyer beware. This is a very deceptive business, their items are junk in real life compared to the magazine and online photos.

I ordered an advertised item (Ancient Tang Horse Iron Statue, item #SP1322) on 9/20/2017 for advertised price of $99.95, with availability date 11/10/2017. On 11/12/2017 I called to check on delivery. Was told item would not be in stock until 12/8/2017. I checked the website for the item and found the same item with slightly different dimensions on the website, item #SU070, advertised "in stock" but priced at $199.00. I called Customer Service and explained my position that they had the item was in stock and that they should fill the back orders now. The company representative said these items were different although the pictures were identical for the product. I said the dimensions were virtually the same with miniscule difference. She offered to sell me the $199.00 item and cancel the earlier order. I was outraged. The "in stock" item should have been offered to the back orders at the September advertised price of $99.95 if this company really cared about its reputation and good customer service. Was the company hoping to get customers to opt out of the longer wait time and purchase the re-numbered item for $100.00 more "in stock"? I would not be taken advantage of and cancelled my order.

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.

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.

My first purchases from Design Toscano I made some 20 years ago. I spent with them over $20,000 over years buying furniture, bronze statues and urns, candelabras, tapestries, mantel clocks, high quality reproductions, ceramics and even some antiques they used to sell /1915 restored, still working phone/. As the years were passing by, Design Toscano was getting worse and worse, quality wise. Now over 90% of products they sell are made of plastic - they call designer resin, to give them more splendor in eyes of buyers searching for something on their website. What used to be bronze, brass, wood, cast iron, ceramics etc. now is made of that plastic. Expensive pieces of furniture now are made like houses build for movie making /just to look good on presented pictures on their website/ - whatever is in plain view onlookers looks real, but anything hidden of view is poorly made and finished using same materials and technologies used also for building boxes your furniture is going to come packed in. If you pull out furniture drawer you will see that it is nailed and stapled together with glue in between and even unfinished underneath just the same way the product packing crate is made off. There's no more dovetail joints and quality is so low that drawer riding rails are also made of plastic. Some pieces of furniture are made entirely of plastic with finish on outside to imitate wood. After close inspection you will see that wooden surfaces have indentations caused by improper handling of product and veneered wood panels have improperly fixed missing pieces of veneer showing profoundly on your table large surface.
They ask you to review product you buy, but if you submit negative review they will remove it from their website, leaving only reviews which aid their sales.
Ten years ago I would give them 4 star grade but now I recommend keeping away from them and buying stuff in the stores where you can open that drawer, touch and inspect the product before you pay for it.

I am very skeptical of the 2 Five Stars that were left here. That's all. Have a nice a day and keep reaching for the stars!

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