Jerry Monks had a La-Z-Boy chair he loved for 11 years. After all that time, it finally stopped working as it was supposed to.
"The mechanism wore out," Monks said. "It swiveled, it reclined."
So Monks contacted his local La-Z-Boy dealer in South San Francisco. The chair was so nice, instead of buying a new one, he decided to have the mechanism repaired.
"I went to La-Z-Boy (and) I was willing to pay to have it fixed," Monks said, "and they said 'No, there is a lifetime guarantee on that,' and I said 'Wonderful.'"
It turns out, though, that La-Z-Boy no longer makes the part needed for Monks' chair. No parts meant Monks would have to get a new chair instead -- it was a lifetime guarantee, after all.
All Monks needed was his original paperwork. After 11 years, Monks knew he had it, but wasn't sure where it was. That wasn't a problem, though, as the dealer keeps receipts from more than a decade back.
The dealer sent the receipts to headquarters, but once that happened, things stalled. Monks contacted 7 On Your Side.
"The next day, I had a message to call someone," Monks said. "I called and found out it was someone higher up, and she had already authorized another chair."
All the mechanicals on the brand new chair work perfectly, so Monks is happy and occupied. The store is also happy, as is the corporate headquarters, who told ABC7: "We were pleased we were able to work with Mr. Monks and our local dealer to get him a new chair."
And that's how lifetime warranties are supposed to work.
