• 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 19th 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): 45.5%
Positive
10
Neutral
1
Negative
11
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 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 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
Shipping
Returns
Quality
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 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 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 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 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 michaelb9387
1 review
5 helpful votes
November 21st, 2022
Verified purchase

They sent me a chair with a missing part (it's the tilt arm, chair is unusable without it). They claimed it was described on the website as missing that piece. NOT TRUE, they can't provide the listing showing that was how it was listed for sale. It was one of 5 I purchased and other 4 were complete. Refusing to replace. INCREDIBLE. The have offered a return at my shipping cost, which would cost me more than I paid for the chair. If you purchase just be aware that the guarantee is a SHAM and all sales are final with them.

Tip for consumers:
Avoid Madison Seating

Thumbnail of user madisons20
madison s. – Madisonseating Rep

The review is completely inaccurate. The chair this buyer selected was not advertised, nor was he charged, for the features he requested. The chair was not "missing" the features, as it was not advertised to include those functions. The chair comes in many different models that include different functions and accessories. The buyer received the correct model chair he purchased with the features that were advertised.

Thumbnail of user victort152
1 review
27 helpful votes
September 1st, 2020

Please beware that "open box" means scratch and dent. Madison Seating buries this information in the fine print of their page long conditions page. Also beware of the hefty restocking fees of $150. And, then there's the cost to ship the product back. In my case two chairs would cost $540. That's two thirds the price of the chairs. But of course the photo shown on the website is of a perfect chair with absolutely no scratches or snags. Buyer beware. Buyer go elsewhere.

Thumbnail of user jeremyk330
1 review
3 helpful votes
July 11th, 2022
Verified purchase

They consistently list products as "available" that are not - even after reaching out to customer service to confirm them. I waited a couple months for a $1000 office stool that their customer service confirmed was in stock, only to find out later that they didn't actually have one and then canceled my order. So I asked customer service about other chairs that were listed as available now just to learn that they actually aren't - instead, my purchase would be "wait listed"

Service
Value
Shipping
Thumbnail of user notsurej
1 review
4 helpful votes
March 27th, 2023
Verified purchase

Thoroughly disappointed with the customer service with this company. I placed an order, and when they didn't have it in stock, someone reached out to me, asking about a different chair that was in stock. After advising of my preference, I subsequently received a new invoice at a higher cost. I was a little miffed that this wasn't explained to me and reached out for clarification instead of being provided with an explanation, they promptly canceled my order altogether. I then had to submit a whole new order, which was highly inconvenient. I had already placed my order and they should've not canceled what we had in place. I would not recommend a company like this who doesn't have any common courtesy for their customers.

Tip for consumers:
Be prepared for order changes that cost you more money and cancellations without permission

Products used:
Herman Miller office chair

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Thumbnail of user sbuccino
1 review
5 helpful votes
April 14th, 2023
Verified purchase

We purchased more than a dozen Herman Miller chairs from this company over the last several months, and all but one were perfect. We sent a picture and video of the defective chair (which was wobbly and squeaked when none of the others did) and requested a replacement. This is the email we received in response:

You are welcome to return the chair but it will be for refund only.

We will be unable to fulfill any future orders as we have confirmed this chair is working correctly.

Returns

Who does that? Need to order more chairs and will purchase them somewhere else.

Tip for consumers:
Customer service was unbelievable rude as you can see from the attached email

Products used:
we ordered and kept all of the chairs, but could not exchange the defective one and it was not worth shipping it back for a refund.

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user zmer
1 review
4 helpful votes
July 20th, 2023

I've used Madison Seating on three separate occasions. The first time was in 2020 and it all went fairly smooth and the chair had some flaws but for the value I was fine with it. Unfortunately that chair broke in 2021 and had to stop using it. I purchased the same chair in 2021 and have not had any issues with it. The quality was a little better than the one purchased in 2020. The last chair and reason for my review was purchased in 2023. The chair arrived and cosmetically looked just as good as the second chair. The issue was with the stability of the back. You can hear the chair making noises when leaning back and it was not supporting my back as firmly as the past two chairs did. Since Madison offers a 30 Day money back guarantee I requested a return. They expect me to pay for a return of a defective item. Instead of arguing with them I simply told them I will eat the cost as a business expense. Stay away from this company. They are not operating in good faith.

Tip for consumers:
I'd advise against doing business with them.

Products used:
Herman Miller Aeron Chair

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user mattu16
1 review
29 helpful votes
June 17th, 2020

Absolutely ridiculous customer service. I was quoted 10-14 business days to delivery. At around 10 business days, I reached out asking for an update, because the status was still "open" and not "shipped", and received a canned response about waiting the full 14 business days. Well, here we are, reached back out, and was now told up to an additional 3 weeks. There are reviews about this issue going well before Covid-19 restrictions. Completely inexcusable and unprofessional.

Thumbnail of user ziyic1
3 reviews
5 helpful votes
May 28th, 2022

Their warranty is essentially worthless, and their chairs are shabby. Bought a Herman Miller Aeron from them, and now the chair is broken after two years of use. Their policy is that to use their warranty, you have to ship the whole chair not the part (so you won't be willing to do it), which costs 300 + easily, and they would charge another 95 for shipping back. Generally, it's not worth it to do it, so they don't need to repair/exchange.

Sure Herman Miller costs 1000+, but they have real warranty and their chair is of high quality and won't break in two years

Tip for consumers:
Avoid this site

Products used:
Herman Miller Aeron

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

Dear Customer,
The Aeron chair you received 2 years ago from Madisonseating.com arrived in perfect working condition. The chair was purchased at $500+ and had a retail value of over $1000. If the chair broke while under your care, you will need to send it to our warranty department for either the repair or replacement of the item.

Thumbnail of user chads800
1 review
3 helpful votes
August 14th, 2023

DO NOT DO BUISNESS WITH MADISON SEATING

There is absolutely no guarantee that the chair they provide you is authentic or genuine. I spoke with the manufacturer after recovering a junky Steelecase from this company and the conversation left me suspecting that the chair was fake.

Upon discussing the issue with Madison seating their tactic was to litigation. They will not offer free returns and they also charge a restocking fee.

All in all it is one of the worst experiences I have ever had purchasing a piece of furniture

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

The customer received product that was 100% authentic. Madisonseating has been in business for over 18 years selling brand name chairs at discounted rates. We do not offer free returns as our item(s) are selling at hundreds off the retail value and include free shipping. The customer received product in perfect condition but just felt the chair did not suit his individual needs. When his request for a courtesy on the return was denied, he threatened to write reviews that would be harmful to our company. This post is currently being reviewed by Sitejabber.

Thumbnail of user aaronb755
1 review
4 helpful votes
January 31st, 2022
Verified purchase

Madison Seating accepted my order, charged my debit account several times and through checking if they shipped the chair I ordered, said it was delayed due to supply chain issues. This continued for 3 months until I contacted them again on the 4th month, they again charged my debit card, but this time said my order had to be cancelled because the card was declined. Declined card, like previous ship dates, was a lie. Proof in bank transaction screen shots and email correspondence made with BBB. Dont purchase from Madison Seating if you value your time and money. Known lying fraudsters.
(Edit):@Madison Seating. Appreciate comments (continued lies) you left helping show a point of my reveiw.
See attached image showing transaction to my bank account Madison Seating just denied making.
Madison Seating stop your operations, file moral bankruptcy and leave this chair market demand for ethical and competent businesses to fill. This is Fraud.
Warm regards:)
Aaron

Products used:
I ended up buying the same Aeron chair from another company because Madison Seating never shipped the one I ordered.

Thumbnail of user madisons20
madison s. – Madisonseating Rep

Madisonseating never charged this customer. When payment is declined no charges go through and a shipment will not get released.
We tried processing his card and it got declined. The attachment he provided only shows the charge ATTEMPT. The money was never deducted from his account as the buyer did not have the funds to pay for the item. Please see the attached copy from our terminal showcasing the declined payment. This reviewer is just sore about not being able to make the purchase and is using us as his outlet for frustration. We are not at fault as we did our best try and his service his chair needs. We simply cannot send out product for free.

62830412578
469404 Declined 02-Feb-2021 09:42:39 B Aaron USD 674.10 02-Feb-2021 18:37:37 USD 674.10

Thumbnail of user ronaldb1356
1 review
5 helpful votes
November 22nd, 2022
Verified purchase

I purchased a Aeron chair from Madison Seating. The forward tilt did not hold, it snapped back to its original position. Upon inspection, the cable was not working properly (see photo). The main seat piston was not fully charged (see photo), and when I sat upon it, the chair sank 3 inches. When I emailed them with pictures, they said they wanted a video. For what? So I could fix their defective chair? I said no, I bought a chair, not a project. I had to pay to ship the chair back to them at a cost of $171.41 plus the charged a $50.00 return fee for a total of $221.40. I paid $712.00 for the chair, so it cost me $221.40 for nothing. Almost 1/3 the cost of the chair. I REPEAT - DO NOT BUY FROM MADISON SEATING. YOU WILL NOT BE A HAPPY CUSTOMER.

Products used:
None. Returned a defective chair.

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user davidg4418
1 review
0 helpful votes
January 28th, 2022

Item not delivered. Representative on the line not helpful. Didnt get money back given inconvenience.

Tip for consumers:
Avoid. Company made false promises and do not deliver on time. Upon claim they refuse to help and return 100% of the money. Representatives are rude.

Products used:
Herman Miller chair

Service
Value
Shipping
Thumbnail of user michaelg2318
2 reviews
10 helpful votes
July 17th, 2020

Piling on the inventory and non communication issues, I ordered a chair, waited 14 business days, and asked politely for an update. At least, unlike some here, I got an honest answer on the first try. They told me the promo I purchased under allowed me to purchase the wrong thing, they didn't really have it, but they had this other one in a different size, different features, and a different color. At no time in the intervening three weeks did I get any notification whatsoever, and I assume I never would have.

Thumbnail of user tedt135
1 review
4 helpful votes
November 9th, 2020

Very disappointed with my purchase. The chair was purchased as "open item", however not only I can see that it was used (marks, scratches, typical stains from day to day usage) but also some things are already not working properly. The bottom of the seat is already touching metal frame of the chair - so instead of nice cushion the front on my legs are sitting on top of hard metal. When leaning backwards, left side of the chair bends mor to the left instead of evenly backwards. Think twice before you decide to save 40% or 50% on this purchase. You get what you pay. Unfortunately.

Thumbnail of user jeffb1116
1 review
10 helpful votes
August 25th, 2020

Placed an order. They said 10-14 days for shipping and they would email shipping information within that time period. A week went by and no communication, so I decided to check in for an update. Received another generic email saying 10-14 days and they would email shipping information. 14 days goes by so I email again. Now I get another email telling me there is a delay and it will be another 2-3 weeks. For a used chair they supposedly have in stock. I'm canceling my order.

Thumbnail of user scottw977
1 review
8 helpful votes
September 10th, 2020

Purchased a Steelcase Leap chair in March. It saw very little use until this month when my wife started using it while teaching at home. The pneumatic lifter is broken, and gradually lowers when you sit in it until it is at its lowest level. We were told they would repair it if we sent the entire chair back, and paid an additional $75 shipping to send it back to us... that's about $125 round trip for an under-warranty repair. Contacted Steelcase and they identify Madisonseating as a grey market reseller, frequently reselling used items as new or misrepresenting older models as new. The series of emails I had with them can only be described as hostile on their part, with no solution being offered that didn't wind up costing us significantly. In addition, the warranty on their site states "All items sold as new will include a (1) year warranty from the manufacturer directly." This is patently not true, as we discovered when we approached Steelcase. They are NOT licensed resellers and cannot offer this warranty. We will be reporting them to the Better Business Bureau. Buying from them is NOT recommended.

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

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