Mary Vargas of San Ramon loved the couch from the moment she saw it at JC Penny. She said, "I mean it was really comfortable when you sat in it at the store."
For a whole year the couch sat in the showroom with kids jumping on it and grownups reclining on it.
"And it never showed any signs of wear and tear. And so that's why I decided to get it," said Vargas.
The sofa cost $3,500, but she figured it was worth it. The couch was comfortable and sturdy... or so she thought.
"July 17, 2012 is when they delivered it and by October, it started falling apart," said Vargas.
Cushions clumped, the lining dropped, stuffing came out, and an arm came loose.
"So I would go down to JC Penney's and they gave me the 1-800 number to call," said Vargas. But Penney's referred her to the warranty company. "And they kept telling me there was nothing they could do, that I had to go back to the store."
She said she tried to make do by pushing the stuffing back into the couch and sitting on it carefully.
"It comes loose. So as long as you don't sit in it, or you sit there and don't move, your material won't move," said Vargas. She says that's no way to curl up on a couch. "I mean, what is a couch for? I mean I thought a couch is to lay down on, you know, to sit in, you know you should be able to move without it falling apart."
Finally a technician came out. He said the frame was never attached to the cushions and the couch should be rebuilt. JC Penney ordered the parts and Vargas waited but nothing ever came. So she contacted 7 On Your Side and we contacted JC Penny. The retailer found out the company that made the couch was going out of business. The parts were never delivered. Penney's offered to let Vargas pick out a new couch but she didn't find one she liked. Instead, Penney's refunded all of her money.
A spokesperson said, "We intended to go through with the repair and learned later that the supplier was not able to provide the parts. We are focused on great customer service and we certainly don't want a customer to go through this kind of frustrating experience. We're really glad this issue is being resolved and that Mary is happy. Hopefully she can use the refund to get another couch at JC Penney or elsewhere."
"Finally that made me feel good," said Vargas.
We'd like to thank JC Penney for coming through in such a big way. Vargas really appreciates all the efforts and sure enough she says she's trying every couch on the showroom floor.
