M&E Sales — Attraction in Bloomington

We purchased a 10’ x 10’ cantilever umbrella from this company at the Annapolis Boat Show last October. It is a HUGE umbrella that we bolted into a cement patio. The salesman claimed at the time of purchase that their umbrellas were better made than others and showed videos of them in storms in Florida with wind gusts over 30 mph. So we thought it was worth the $1500 we paid. We were WRONG! We have had this umbrella up, bolted into cement in our backyard, for about 6 months and in a thunderstorm with wind gusts at times 15-19mph but not sustained and it folded over like it was nothing. It was down and covered, nothing more we could have done yet it couldn’t withstand any wind and it was nothing one what the salesman was claiming it could handle. I called the company and their customer service representative, Deb, was not helpful at all. She just kept repeating that the umbrellas were not warrantied for weather. She said we could buy replacement parts online but they would do nothing for us even though the umbrella was up only 6 months when it failed. Btw, that replacement part is $850!!! She would not give me a manager or an owner to speak to, she just kept saying she was the only one that handled calls. She would not do anything to make it right and even hung up on me. If she is any indication of this company’s integrity than they are nothing more than a scam. Unless you want to waste your money, I would NOT by anything from M&E Sales. The umbrella they sell is called Vrienden Umbrellas and their product and customer service is subpar to...

I bought an umbrella from a salesman at an event, which was my first mistake, less than a year ago. It’s been built for 3 weeks and it’s already broken. The rude lady on the phone says they don’t replace that part bc that usually breaks due to wind or weather damage. FIRST, that’s the sales pitch, that it withstands strong winds. Keep in mind there was no storm NOR strong winds (hardly winds at all) when this broke. IF that was the case I would fully take responsibility for my mistake. It wasn’t left up, we were using our deck and pool at the time when this happened. Second, this umbrella is VERY expensive, the part is not (not really the point), so then you think they would just replace it for how much this thing costs. Do yourself a favor and just buy a hanging umbrella that will last years at a fraction of the price. Don’t deal with these people. Looks like many other customers are saying the same thing yet they continue to blame the consumer.

EDIT: After I complained to the BBB they offered to send me the part free of charge, although in their snotty passive aggressive response, they implied they offered it in the first place. They also blamed me again. I’ve paid for the part myself rather than having to deal with this person again. I’ve posted their response so everyone can see how stellar their...

I highly advise that anyone seeking to purchase a Vrienden patio umbrella should look elsewhere. I purchased a $1700 patio umbrella at a home show in Overland Park, KS in February 2020 and the umbrella suffered a major part failure at the end of September within the 1st year warranty that Vrienden refused to honor. Their tactic is to tell customers that parts failures are due to excessive wind even though M&E sales reps tell customers at home shows that the umbrellas can withstand up to 30 mph winds. Even Vrienden's own advertising indicates the umbrella shaft is designed to withstand high winds. Unfortunate because the umbrellas are very nice looking but obviously have some design issues. For $1700, they should be a lot more resilient. I will not purchase any more umbrellas nor will I recommend them to...