Karen C.

Horchow.com

Absolutely abhorrent. Here's my experience.

I ordered four items from Horchow.com.

Item One: A rug. Horchow rep contacted me to let me know that it wasn't going to be delivered until JUNE. I asked why they didn't know this in advance and the rep said Horchow had not been contacted by the issuing company. I decided not to keep the order open. I went on their site today and the same item is listed without a note mentioning that the item is backordered and not available for delivery until June. I highly doubt they didn't know. They just didn't inform me until after I purchased the item. Deceptive, fraudulent. Pick an adjective…

Item Two: In addition to item one, item two, a coffee table, wasn't scheduled to be delivered until APRIL (maybe). Again, I was not informed of this until after I paid for it. I cancelled that and had no further problems, but later found out that Horchow does know that things are on back order and they don't tell you until after you pay for them. (See item one…)

Item Three: An oriental style storage trunk. The photo showed a black lacquered trunk with satin finish gold paint that was vibrant but not tacky. It came with a certificate of authenticity which honestly, I didn't think about until I received the item last night.
What I got: The lacquer on the item was cracked and the bindings loose. In addition, there was a sticky spot in the front corner that smelled like pitch. When I touched it, the finish came right off. The "certificate of authenticity" said "We hereby certify (details of the trunk) is circa 1850-1880. Not that it was a replication, which I know it was, but it was misrepresented. Maybe the wood had sat mired in a bog somewhere for that long…In addition, the photo both online and on paper depicted a satin gold paint finish. The trunk that arrived was so faint that I had to turn on the lights in two rooms just to see the details. It was extremely dull. Extremely.

Item Four: An asian style elephant rug. On the Horchow site, they do not mention that you have to be home to sign for it in person, nor are there directions to consult FedEx.com for further information. The "white glove service" is a sham. The rug was initially delivered on a day I wasn't home. I called Fedex after reading the door tag to see if I could leave a written voucher giving permission to leave the delivery in the front hallway. I was told I had to be home to sign for it in person. The delivery time window? 9 AM - 8 PM. Please note, I am not irritated with Fedex. Horchow's site should have given me a choice in shipping and detailed the conditions of each type of shipping. I should not have had to go somewhere else to find this out, but even if that assumption is ridiculous, there should have been a hyperlink and prompt to check out Fedex for further delivery information. I should not have to assume that I have to go onto Fedex.com. I've done a lot of online purchasing and have never had this issue. Until Horchow.com. The rug was delivered and I signed for it. You do know that you can't open a parcel until you sign for it, right? So I signed for…THE WRONG RUG.

Finally, let me talk about my experience with CUSTOMER (dis)SERVICE.
I had to talk to them a total of four times. The first two times I was making inquiries into merchandise and shipping cost details. The online chat reps were nice and very patient. After all, I was buying things and spending a good deal of money. The third time I had to contact them about the storage trunk (item 3). I was polite and businesslike. My goal was to remedy the situation. The rep told me some info and then severed the chat before I had a chance to respond. Now I know that not only can I see a message saying that the rep is typing, but they can see the same details about me. I was typing (for less than 30 seconds) and the online chat was severed by the Horchow rep.

This happened TWICE! I online chatted again with a Horchow rep today, assuming the previous rep was just rude and an exception. My mother raised me to believe in fairies and nymphs. This last rep that I had contact with online gave me a quick answer to my question about the elephant rug delivery and then severed the correspondence AGAIN before I could respond.

Let me assure you. If I am going to piss someone off, I'd rather do so in person so I can see their look of constipation. I was not dragging things out or nauseatingly repeating what I'd already said.

The telephone rep I last spoke to in an effort to discuss the pick up of the WRONG RUG that was delivered was kind and expedient in her assistance. A diamond in the rough. The final result? I ended up with nothing but have to stay home Saturday so the wrong/mangled items can be picked up, I missed a night of work, and Horchow lost about $2500. I can't say I'll cry over the last part. Here's the info I collected in the process. If anyone else has had a terrible experience with this company - HORCHOW.com - I hope this info will help.

Parent Company: Neiman Marcus
Administrative email to report about your Horchow adventures…
*******@neimusmarcus.com
And finally, just because she was a diamond in the rough, the rep who was polite and expedient even though our interaction was not for positive reasons was named Norma H. If you are dull enough to order from Horchow.com after reading about my experience, I hope to God you are assisted by this lovely woman.
So, with the extra time I have on my hands tonight, I am issuing reports of my experience and disappointment wherever I can. It is, after all, thanks to the doings of Horchow that I have this luxury.